Review Summary: Despair, melancholy, and the search for salvation.
Rarely have I heard so much desperation and tragedy in a Christian record as I have with
The Will to Rebuild, For All Eternity’s latest offering. The churning and often-exhausting riffs are met with Shane Carroll’s agonized vocals and melancholic keyboard soundscapes to create something that’s influenced as much by screamo as it is by modern metalcore. Here, the themes revolve around lost salvation and struggles of faith. But the reason it works is because of the
conviction the band portray them with. For All Eternity aren’t the first Christian rock band to discuss and question their own beliefs; hell, even more mainstream groups like DC Talk and Skillet have done so pretty frequently. But at the end of the day, you’re still going to know them as Christian acts, and they won’t stray too far from the beaten path. For All Eternity aren’t afraid to change that trend, and the bleak atmosphere their music exudes is so thick you can almost reach out and touch it. Amidst all of this, however, I’m glad the aggression is still here in full force. The guttural growling and chunky riffing of songs like “Derailed” and fantastic midtempo album opener (aside from the intro) “Fallout” are able to prevent the record from descending too far into melodramatics.
On a more tangible level, diversity and technical talent are the order of the day. There aren’t any flashy leads or solos, but the riffs are both memorable and precise as they anchor the potent sadness enveloping the record. As for the diversity, it mostly comes in the form of minimalist interludes such as “Deep Down,” “The Will,” and intro “Shadow,” all of which use pianos and symphonic arrangements to set a tone that’s equally unsettling and defeating. But the true star of the show here is Shane Carroll. Whether it’s his spoken word, clean vocals, or harsh vocals, his passion for the music is absolutely striking. His brooding lyrics and razor-sharp screams are a perfect compliment to the often-doomy tempos and chugging aggression of the instruments. From both a songwriting and vocal level, the album reaches its true apex with the one-two punch of “The Will” and “September,” an interlude and centerpiece that bring the darkest elements of the experience to their peak. The latter does this in particular, as its combination of wordless vocal melodies, overarching keyboards, and slow tread of the drums truly gives us a climax of despair that even cuts through the crushing guitars. The only thing that does hold
The Will to Rebuild back is that it does become a bit homogeneous, mostly from a riffing standpoint. Perhaps they could have thrown in a few more tempos and, yes, some creative soloing that could stick to the album’s atmosphere. As is, though, I’m still incredibly surprised by what these guys came up with. This isn’t your typical Christian metal album, and coming from a religion that often promotes a lot of mediocre rock music (just keeping it real here), I’m very glad that I can say that.
