Album Review :
Thousand Foot Krutch - The Flame in All of Us

Artist: Thousand Foot Krutch
Album: The Flame in All of Us
Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Release Date: September 18, 2007
Review by: Eric Pettersson

Tracklist:
1. The Flame in All of Us
2. Falls Apart
3. New Drug
4. What Do We Know?
5. Favorite Disease
6. My Home
7. My Own Enemy
8. Learn to Breathe
9. Inhuman
10. Broken Wings
11. The Safest Place
12. Wish You Well

Having followed TFK since Set It Off, their 2001 debut on DJ Dove Entertainment, their musical change across this career has been on one hand expected, and on the other, ridiculous. Who would have ever guessed that this punk attitude driven, Limp Bizkit inspired rapcore band on a small Diamante Distro label would ever become a Tooth & Nail hard/ modern rock band who would be a major act at popular Christian tours and festivals? All you had to do was say “Throw up your rawkfist” and most youth group kids of the era would reply with “If you’re feeling me when I drop this!” Now on their fourth album, TFK have kept their major sound while becoming a more and more respectable rock band with each release.

With The Flame in All of Us, Thousand Foot Krutch decided to strip away the meaningless rock anthems like “Rawkfist” or “Move.” With this clutter out of the way, the lyrical content of this record is more matured and focused, helping this disenchanted-punk-rocker to appreciate where one of his middle-school favorites has progressed to. Frontman Trevor McNevan has always shared his faith in a moving and personal way through his songs, and this record is no different. The title track talks about our generation’s ambitions and potential to bring a positive change to the World and the Church. Many songs deal with hope through hard situations and the need to put God first above all else and how great life can be when He truly is our focus. When it comes to genre, there have always been two Thousand Foot Krutches (which is good, since one would need two crutches to walk). The first is the hard rock side, the second is the more melodic modern rock side. The hard part of TFK is still very present, and songs like “New Drug,” “Inhuman,” or “The Safest Place” get so heavy at points they sound like they could have come off of Set It Off, and will no doubt leave fans with sore necks by the end of a show. The straight up rock side of the band comes out much more capable on The Flame in All of Us with songs like “Favorite Disease” or “My Home” with Trevor’s strong rock singing and the band’s full backing that could land them on any popular radio station if they were to release an album full of tracks with this sound and switch to a major label.

Thousand Foot Krutch have moved up and down over the years, and The Flame in All of Us is a move up. With a more experienced and developed rock sound, TFK have written an album that is solid and worth a listen. Fans of hard rock or alternative may both enjoy parts of this record, and old fans will certainly find something to like in these songs. So while TFK are no longer this old fan’s cup of tea, I did in fact like what I heard, even if it isn’t what I’d normally choose, and I’m glad to see how the band has grown up and improved.

8/10

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