Album Review :
More Yom - Ripe
By Eric Pettersson in Reviews | Comments closed
Artist: More Yom
Album: Ripe
Label: None (released independently)
Release Date: 2007
Review by: Eric Pettersson
Tracklist:
1. Beautiful
2. Demon Donkey
3. Set Sail
4. Peace of Mind
5. The Laugher
6. So Bold
7. Our Savior’s Eyes
8. Elements
9. Show Me the Door
Bonus Tracks:
10. Tonic
11. Demon Donkey (the original 1:00 am version)
It’s weird. I thought that all the reggae rock bands that were playing today had started their careers sometime before 1999. Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311, and Sublime all played a style similar to More Yom over five (nearly ten) years ago, and there have been no newcomers to the fad since then.
So why would More Yom return to this classic 90’s alternative trend? I guess mainly because it sounds good, even if they do stick out as behind the times. Although maybe it’s not behind, but ahead? Music does travel in circles, you know. A few heavier guitar parts on “Peace of Mind” and “Our Savior’s Eyes” remind me of rapcore bands from the early 2000s like P.O.D. (when they were on Atlantic) or Pillar (Above era only), which could be a bit of a turn off for some people, but it works and adds a nice variety to the sound. “Donkey Demon” criticizes the modern idea that faith is a personal thing, while taking a stab at abortion and alcohol consumption. “Elements” tells the story of someone who goes to church and tries to be a “good person” but misses the point of Christianity and goes to Hell. For an independent release, the production is nice, especially the guitar tones.
It has been said that Christian music travels about five years behind mainstream music. While recent years have seen a break in this pattern, there are still bands keeping it going strong. Although I doubt one of them is More Yom. No, this is not a band that doesn’t know what is hip and is trying to be cool too late. This is a bad with no regard for trends that plays what they like. Hey, it worked for the southern rock explosion. Now whether or not people will like a decidedly conservative Christian group so heavily influenced the sounds of those older artists, we will have to wait and see.
7/10
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