Album Review :
Gold, Frankincense, & Myrrh - GFM Acoustic

It wasn’t long ago that GFM announced an acoustic ep, set for release on December 1st. With the release date being just about a week out, I thought I’d tap out a quick review on it. I was fortunate enough to have caught the band’s recent show at the Space Coast State Fair in Melbourne, FL. The show was great and sitting right there on the merch table were copies of the acoustic ep, available a few weeks ahead of the scheduled release date. Needless to say, I picked one up.

On the drive home I tossed it in and listened to it on repeat for the full hour and change it took to get home. I’m listening to it again now as I’m typing this out. I say all this to say that despite the fact this ep only contains four acoustic renditions of songs from the band’s library, it makes for a solid listen and doesn’t wear itself out when played repeatedly; it holds up pretty well. Throughout the ep, the mix is really well balanced; the guitar doesn’t drown out the vocals, or vice versa.

The ep kicks off with a track off the band’s newest offering, “Oh, The Horror”, “On The Inside”.  The first thing that stood out to me was the acoustic guitar lead in the intro; very well played and it makes for an enjoyable listen. It’s also heard at other points in the song as well. The intros on the first two tracks in fact, share that same distinguishing characteristic. The vocals kick in and wherever you find acoustic renditions from any band really, the one thing that tends to really be brought to the forefront are the vocals, and on this ep, they sound great.

Throughout the ep, song after song, it’s really enjoyable hearing these tracks stripped down and given new life from a new perspective. The tracks chosen for this ep happen to be my favorites from the band’s repertoire which doesn’t hurt either. “Graveyard of Identities” was my introduction to the band, and to date my favorite song of theirs. The song sounds great acoustic and still manages to maintain the punch it has on the album “Identity Crisis”. “Twisted Humanity” is a great song that has this chord progression in the pre-chorus that I’ve always loved and it sounds great acoustic as well. “Give Me A Sign”, the band’s most recent single, closes out the ep and employs some keys in the background. The song works so well it sounds almost as if it was made for the acoustic treatment.

The songs GFM have chosen to break down to bare-bones, acoustic renditions aren’t only some of their best songs overall, but they also translate to acoustic perfectly. This upcoming release is one that is sure to please fans old and new alike and is an excellent addition to an already great discography. Make sure you grab your copy when it becomes available or place your pre-order HERE. The ep will also be available in the band’s webstore starting 12/1/19.