Review Summary: Simple is as simple goes.
Ever since I was first told that Christian Metal was a paradox, I’ve always wondered why. Metal is a very passionate genre, being a Christian is often more difficult than not, and the sweet combination of the two is a nice weapon in the arsenal of a Christian frustrated with the world but keeping hope in the light always at the end of the tunnel. In this case, we are looking closer at nu/alt-metal group Nine Lashes’ first debut for Tooth and Nail records.
One can’t help but notice obvious comparisons to contemporaries such as RED and Thousand Foot Krutch, but for the most part,
World We View has its own core sound and it is both enjoyable and accessible. Tracks like “Anthem of the Lonely” and “Our Darkest Day (featuring Ryan Clark from Demon Hunter)” are heavier numbers ripe with aggressive vocals, detuned guitars, and aggressive battles between dark and light. They seethe with a brooding yet cautiously optimistic energy with a capable vocalist and fun riffs to boot. But where RED has both string orchestras and programming elements, NL is ripe with electronic flourishes, though not quite with the mastery of the former. “The Intervention” and “Write It Down” are key examples of the metal edge being tempered with catchy choruses and bloops and bleeps.
There are, however, moments that feel quite forced. Trevor McNevan, of TFK, does lend some guest rapping on fourth track “Adrenaline” and does a fair job, but the “hey yeahs” screamed in the pre-chorus and mediocre lyrics take away from what could’ve been a strong pump-up anthem. The token “woah’s” in pop-metal track “Get Back” grow extremely grating after awhile and also take away from another wannabe standout. Ballad-wise,
World We View fails miserably on all three attempts and just sounds generic without either track really getting off the ground and involving the listener. And the apparent pop sheen over a fair bit of these tracks can grow extremely annoying, because while studio polish can be used as a weapon rather than a hindrance (see Periphery, again see RED, see Linkin Park), this is so polished it wears off even more quickly.
Lyrically, NL are alright. There are some pretty memorable moments (“a heart made of stone/calloused in bone” on “Anthem” or the evil mastermind theme of “The Intervention”), but for each of these, there’s more than enough cheesy and almost unbearable uninspired stuff. Lyrics are often the opinion of the listener, but some of these definitely didn’t click with me.
Despite the fact that WWV is ripe with issues, there’s clear potential beneath all of this, and the standout songs are worth adding to your collection. However, the album does grow boring as a whole, so if you don’t already love this genre, this won’t change your mind.
