Artist: Advent
Album: Remove the Earth
Record Label: Solid State Records
Release Date: February 12, 2008
Website
I had to listen to this album quite a few times to get beyond the fact that three of the members of Advent were a part of one my all time favorite bands. (Note: This will be the first and last time Beloved is mentioned in this review.) What I found when I got past all the hype was a solid band who is looking to resurrect the Spirit-filled hardcore movement. Brutal hardcore mixed with God breathed lyrics gives this band a fiery passion that I feel a lot of “Christian” music today is lacking. Advent is in your face with what they have to say about their faith, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Like I said before the music is brutal. It’s heavy; it’s groovy; and it’s chock full of breakdowns. Most of the time the band does a good job of adding in breakdowns in their song structure, but like most heavy hardcore bands the songs become repetitive and it gets hard to tell one song from another. Though the music is repetitive it does gets the adrenaline flowing, and if there were any band I’d give anything to throw down to it would be Advent. The song “Three Seasons” does change up the record a bit. In fact, the song has a completely different sound from the rest of the album. It has very ambient sense to it with distant vocals, haunting strings, and distorted guitars.
The lyrics are completely on fire for God. The lyrics question the state of Christianity and the sinfulness of America, while firmly stating where the band stands. The song “The Cost” acts as their statement of faith. I feel this song could be as big as an anthem as No Innocent Victim’s “My Beliefs”.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. It has its slow moments, but it makes up for it with hard hitting songs and convicting messages. We need more bands like this in the scene.
Stand out Tracks: “Blackout”, “Hanging the Giants”, “Three Seasons”, “The Cost”, and the hidden song at the end of “I Am”.
Score: 9 out 10