Review Summary: A disappointing release from a band that struggles to find their identity though presented with countless opportunities to break out.
In 2012, Nine Lashes debuted
World We View, an album that showcased the band’s potential to join the upper echelon of Christian rock bands, such as RED, Skillet, and Thousand Foot Krutch. The album drew similarities in overall sound to Breaking Benjamin among many others and it appeared that the band was on a crash course for greatness. They were even able to tab guest spots from Thousand Foot Krutch and Demon Hunter and a spot on the REDvolution 2012 tour. 2014 had the release of
From Water to War, a solid effort from Nine Lashes, but felt like a missed opportunity to showcase their full potential for success. While the album continued the evolution of their sound, it was not quite what everyone was hoping for from a band endorsed by many other big time acts.
Ascend is a gut punch to fans of the band’s hard rock sound. Nine Lashes completely abandons the dark and frequently heavy instrumentals of their previous albums and focuses on an electronic mashup without any type of edge. A strong vocal performance is still present from Jeremy Dunn, a very talented singer, but it feels empty without the presence of really any type of guitars or drums on most of the tracks.
Deeper starts has Nine Lashes channeling a sound similar to Save Rock and Roll-onward Fall Out Boy without any of the charm and catchiness that the latter has. By the time the middle of the album sets in, it is evident that the unique instrumentals and strong rock hooks that the band is known for is completely gone. The Glorious is a straight forward worship hymn over an “atmospheric” track and lacks any complexity or varying tempo. Eyes on You has a bit of the old magic the band is known for, but the blunt force of the lyrical “Jesus” content takes away from the overall enjoyment of the track. Stolen has a bit of a country vibe to it, but follows the cookie cutter mold that every other song on the album does. Christ in Me has a beautiful pacing and tempo and works as a decent closer for the album.
The lack of sound diversity on this album is surprising with the track record Nine Lashes has. They have never been afraid to experiment with their sound, but
Ascend features tunnel vision experimentation. There are no tracks here comparative to Anthem of the Lonely, Our Darkest Day, Get Back, Break the World, In the Dark, or really any of it. The move to the BEC Recordings portion of Tooth & Nail Records seems to indicate that the new sound is permanent as well and that the band is looking to gather a new audience.
Nine Lashes built their fan base through a certain style of music and a message that was present in their first 3 albums. Ascend takes advantage of the fan base’s loyalty with a complete style change to suit the band’s new direction without any type of warning and has left fans vocally upset on social media. There have been many bands who have successfully undergone style changes in hard rock (Bring Me The Horizon, Fall Out Boy, and Linkin Park to name a few) but still manage to reach out across the scope of their fan base and create something for everyone. Nine Lashes will have issues accomplishing this with
Ascend. The Christian themes they always had present in the past are 100% in the forefront this time around and leave little room for personal interpretation. The band has alienated a large portion of their listeners who helped them grow to where they are today.
Nine Lashes has stated that they have “put their heart and soul” into this record and they are very proud of the result and the direction they are going in, which is bad news for fans of their past works. Ascend has the potential to be very successful in the genre of worship music, but it leaves a sour taste in the mouths of the fans who helped get them to where they are today. Nine Lashes has abandoned their old sound and time will tell how the rest of the band behind Dunn deals with reduced roles. Fans are going to be upset with the transition and have every right to be.
