Review Summary: There is not a star inside.
Once upon a time, Manic Drive played rock music. It wasn’t perfect, it was a little generic, but it was enough for the group to stay afloat and even hang with some of the bigger dogs of Christian Rock. Then, after a fairly enjoyable sophomore outing, they decided to throw all that away and chase down a generic worship pop route, relying only on their admittedly decent vocalist. It seems that, with
Ascend, Nine Lashes have chosen to follow almost the exact same route.
World We View and
From Water To War were admittedly standard but highly enjoyable forays into alternative metal with a bit of a pop twist, but the rock edge typically overshadowed the pop gloss. Do not expect any of that rock edge this time around, because NL sounds like a totally different band. That being said, there are still some slight flashes of the potential that once was present. “Gravity” has the gruffest vocal performance all album, seethes with real energy, and even features some guitar riffs. It’s not too far removed from “Where I Belong” from the previous record.
The rest of the album is utterly forgettable. The same constant synth rhythm, the same vocal harmonies, and the same lyrics flow throughout. The intro to “Eyes on You” sounded slightly promising, until realizing it was a less Owl City-ized “Ascend”. “Heartbeats” and “Deeper” both blatantly rip off the aforementioned Manic Drive and are absolutely atrocious lyrically. “Christ In Me” sounds more like the latest Passion track than a song from a once creative rock band, as does “Love Still Shines”. And while Jeremy Dunn has improved, a powerful vocalist does not an album make.
“Everyone’s heart beats” is what the opening song hammers over and over into the listener’s skull, as if this wasn’t already an obvious fact of life. “It’s Christ in me” is repeated ad nauseum in “Christ In Me”. Lyrics like this make you really question if Hillsong just abducted NL and forced them to put Sunday-school lyrics into an electronica format. And while there are some poetic moments that are truly beautiful on the album, just as on previous outings from the group, they are often overshadowed by the overly glossy production or the generic instruments.
I really have no words that can express my disappointment for this album. Strip the NL name and logo off of it, start selling it along with Chris Tomlin albums, and wait for NL to be remembered as that “once-decent rock band that sold out”. For a band that claimed they would “stand the lonely”, they will surely be assimilated into your local Christian Contemporary radio station and largely forgotten.
