Review Summary: It's solid for the most part, but only certain songs will attain your interest.
Disciple is well…not the most well-known Christian band out there. Despite that, they do have a few songs out there that are both good, and not-so-good. The same thing pretty much applies to their most recent album, “O God, Save Us All.” Some songs are good, and some not-so-good.
The big word for this album is energy, because there is quite a bit of it. Disciple’s sound on this record is faster and heavier than their previous releases. Songs like “Unstoppable” and the title track show much heavier guitar riffs and “Outlaws” and “R.I.P” show the speed input. But even so, Disciple sill shows the softer side of their sound such as “Once And For All”, which sounds like it could’ve been in their previous record “Horseshoes and Handgrenades” and “Draw the Line” which seems to be the fan favorite of the album.
While it is nice to see a change in their sound, the vocals seems strained on the heavier songs, as if lead singer Kevin Young is trying real hard to put some screaming into the vocals. In fact, many of the songs sound heavier than they really are, making most of these heavier songs quite lackluster. I don’t think many people ever would have thought of Disciple being the heavier type of band, and I still don’t believe people think that even after this record. The one thing that I can tell about this record in particular is that it fails to get your interest during the shorter songs. “Kings” isn’t particularly an interesting track with strained vocals and a weak chorus. The shortest song “Unstoppable” includes cheesy lyrics and repetitive riffs that make you want to change the song after about thirty seconds, while “R.I.P. just isn’t all the memorable in general. The entire album is actually quite short only clocking in at around thirty-six minutes, probably making this the shortest record that Disciple has recorded (aside from their “My Daddy Can Whip Your Daddy” EP), and in some cases, shorter records can mean only certain tracks might get your attention.
Even so, this isn’t really a bad album. In fact, much of it is actually quite decent. The first two pieces, “Outlaws” and “O God Save Us All” are easily the best tracks in the whole album, both are very catchy and the title track has some great riffs in them, as well as audible bass. “Once And For All” is also another decent track which opens up quite nicely and includes a strong chorus. “Draw the Line” and “Beautiful Scars” ends up bringing the most potential into Young’s vocals. “Trade a Moment” is a nice closer to the album with great vocals and a lovely chorus to help strengthen the song further. Much of the lyrics are bible verses which brings the spiritual side of the band, which is something that I think that every Christian band should have, otherwise they wouldn’t really be a Christian band now would they.
So overall, Disciple’s latest record is nothing too special, but it is enjoyable. The vocals, while although strained at some points, aren’t the worst. The sound is quite impressive and a nice change for Disciple to do after nine albums, and many of the songs are great as a result. The benefits do overcome the negatives in a good manner and I think it’s at least worth a listen. I’d say if you’re a Disciple fan or if there is nothing else to buy, then I suggest picking up this album.
Recommended Songs:
Outlaws
O God Save Us All
Once And For All
Draw the Line
