Review Summary: An alt-metal bildungsroman, albeit a flawed one.
Truly, could this album title have been anymore fitting? Think with me. This record came out at a pinnacle time in the modern rock world. Nu-metal was beginning to lose its fury, and seeing as Pillar exploded within the nu-metal subset, it was time to see what they would do next. Many of their brethren made the jump (if they hadn’t already after a first nu-metal centered release) to the more matured (and much improved) cousin of alternative metal.
Where Do We Go From Here functions largely as the coming-of-age of Pillar.
Problems that plagued
Fireproof included weak lyrical content, repetitive song structures,forgettable choruses that had every right to be strong choruses, and the borderline God-awful production of Travis Wyrick. Right off the bat, we see a bit of a different take for Pillar: rather than immediately hitting you with everything the song has to offer, opener “Hypnotized” slowly builds up, explodes in the chorus, and then pushes through cleverly utilized quiet/loud dynamics that are amplified by tense riffing, thick bass lines, and the gravelly voice of Rob Graves, before exploding for a final, rousing bridge. It’s hope for the rest of the record, and leads into riff-driven (at the time single) “Bring Me Down”, a heavier affair with the opener that packs tight, meticulous Drop C riffing, simple yet effective lyrics, a damningly catchy hook, and absolutely pulsating screams over a thunderous, distorted bridge. It should be noted now that later track “Simply” is an album highlight that easily blends the quiet melancholy of “Hypnotized” with the punch-in-the-gut that is “Bring Me Down”. “Let It Out” varies the straight-up hard rock approach that much of the album utilizes with some layered vocal harmonies, clean guitar chords, and programmed drum loops towards the beginning. It would’ve been interesting to see the group not rely so much on the “meat-and-potatoes” approach for rock and utilize more symphonic elements throughout, but alas, an opportunity lost. Speaking of “meat-and-potatoes”, that’s pretty much the definition Christian event (seriously my school just doesn’t let this song go) hit “Frontline”. This is a pretty divisive track, some love the track, some just think it’s stupid. I fall on the side of thinking it’s just stupid. Not that I’m against “pump-up” tracks, I quite enjoy them when they are done correctly. But this is generic, formulaic, and expected, arguably even for the time it came out.
Production-wise, it is an improved product over
Fireproof, but it still just feels like something’s missing. There’s a
fullness to the sound that should be there but largely isn’t. Let’s address lyrics. On the plus side, “Bring Me Down” rails against addiction, “Hypnotized” exposes the complacency in this world, and both “Simply” and “Let It Out” easily proclaim the comfort of Jesus despite the evil we cause. On the minus side, pretty much “Frontline” and onward falls on its face(excepting “Dirty Little Secret”, but those problems will be addressed in a second). Musically, the song-writing strength has improved to an extent. Track “Dirty Little Secret” boldly addresses the topic of sexual addiction among guys, and make no mistake, this is a worthwhile mountain to top and it’s a commendable, bold move. However, the song is barely two minutes long and doesn’t give any time for the message to sink in. In addition, there’s a solo that simply doesn’t belong on the record at all and seems that it was put there just for Noah to be able to play one. Speaking of Noah Henson, and this is something I’ll complain about on later releases, use a different tuning every now and then. Literally, the guy absolutely refuses to get out of Drop C, thus making the riffs extremely repetitive and thus powerless.
Now, these are issues, but I cannot deny the improvement here. Four tracks easily cement themselves in your mind, as opposed to the fact that the only track people remember from the previous album is the title track. Where should Pillar go from here? Cautiously, yet optimistically, upward.
