Album Review :
39 Stripes - Beyond Broken
By Eric Pettersson in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: 39 Stripes
Album: Beyond Broken
Label: Hollar Records
Release Date: October 26, 2010
Tracklisting
- Wake Up
- Beyond Broken
- Mustard Seed
- Perfect World
- Saving Me a Place
- My Desire
- Blind
- Not By My
- Holding On
- Saving Me a Place (Acoustic)
After nearly a decade of touring and recording, hard/modern rock act 39 Stripes are finally adding a full length album to their previous discography of two EPs. Beyond Broken opens with a “Wake Up” call that, as the heaviest song on the album, sounds like System of a Down while exhorting the listener to live a life of vibrant faith. Lead vocalist Mike Wilson sings somewhere between Stavesacre’s Mark Salomon and Kutless’s Jon Micah Sumrall, all the while proclaiming a message of encouragement towards stronger faith by trusting in God and knowing that God is in control. “Not By My” reminds us that we are only God’s servants and everything we do is through God’s power by quoting Scripture left and right, but never in a way that’s cheesy. All of the songs are openly Christian, dealing with the struggles of life and faith by pointing to the comfort and hope we have in knowing that God has a plan. “Saving Me a Place,” which appears again in acoustic form at the end, sings to a deceased loved-one, asking, “Did Jesus tell you I said hello?” It wonders what heaven is like, relishing in the thought of being with the person “again face to face” after joining him or her in our true home. My final highlight comes in “My Desire,” a softer track that could easily do well on standard Christian radio. It sings of wanting people to “see Jesus when they look at me,” by living in the Spirit and drawing closer to the Father to become more like Christ. The music might be a little sappy, but I like the lyrics enough to overlook that fault.
Overall: A five piece hard rock band from Florida, 39 Stripes will appeal to fans of Kutless, Thousand Foot Krutch, and Skillet. They have a very blatant Christian message, which is something I am not used to for a band in this genre. Some may like that, others will not. The message itself is solid, and in my opinion it is never told in a lame way.