Mail Orders
July 30th, 2008 - Written by stevek
In the last couple of weeks, we’ve gotten a number of CDs through the mail, here at Confront Magazine. A couple of them have been out for a while, but owing to server issues, backlogged other music reviews and procrastinitis nervosa, well, I’m only getting around to reviewing them, now.
We’ll start the ball rolling with the hip-hop CD, ‘Citizens Activ’ by Toronto-area Christian rapper, Manafest.
Yes, that’s right, I said Christian rapper.
Now, yes, many believe that often the prefix “Christian” usually means that the qualified item, be it “Rock Band”, “Rapper”, “Folk Singer” or “President of the United States” is going to be really, really bad.
But in truth, this CD isn’t. Yes, there are motivational and uplifting verses on the tracks of this album, but the songs themselves are not message-heavy. Some of them are downright fun, such as “Break Up”, a light-hearted look at an average guy’s mindset after the end of a romance. The album opens with an absolutely danceable and refreshingly Timbaland-free hip hop track, “4321″, and there are some really great moments on this CD.
Manafest does frequently step back and “Thank God” for all that he has, but it sounds more like a kid extremely grateful for being able to live the life of a rap star than any proselytizing on his part. The only truly awful moment on this disc comes in “Turn it Up”, not because of its frequent references to Jesus Christ, but because of the lyric: “And maybe the Cup could still be won by Toronto”.
I’m sorry, Manafest. But even if God was in the goal, a snowball stands a better chance of lasting a week in Hell than the Leafs do of ever winning the Stanley Cup.
Manafest: Citizens Activ
Bec Recordings
Steve’s Rating: 8/10
So, how do you follow up reviewing a Christian Rap CD from a Toronto Hip Hop star? Well, the only logical way to go seems to be to go with a Death Metal CD from Montreal Metalhead veterans; which brings us to Neuraxis, and their latest release, ‘Thin Line Between’.
Neuraxis has been around for 18 years, and have been through frequent changes in their line-up in that time, releasing new material about once every two years. ‘Thin Line Between’, their latest effort, came out late last week.
This disc has everything I look for in a Metal CD, technically complex music, intelligent, thoughtful lyrics and a symphonic feel. ‘Thin Line Between’ opens with the powerful “Darkness Prevails”, delving with growling, roaring vocals and complex guitar harmonies into a grim allegory.
Neuraxis’ sound is heavily influenced by the classic giants, Metallica, Megadeth, and Iron Maiden in particular. However, the band’s sound is uniquely their own, successfully blending different components from their predecessors together to create a new Metal compound.
Well worth a listen, this album proves Montreal is capable of doing more than producing skate-emo pop and indie-rock sound-alikes.
Neuraxis: Thin Line Between
Prosthetic Records
Steve’s Rating: 8.5/10
Okay; we’ve done Christian rappers from Toronto…Montreal Death Metal heads…I guess Vancouver Skate Punk Rockers are all that’s left. To close this review I present you with the latest release by Living With Lions: “Make Your Mark”.
This one reminds me a lot of Blink-182, and if you can wrap your head around it, I don’t mean that in a bad way. This is a really great post-Grunge Punk Rock album, opening with a great up-tempo ballad, “She’s A Hack” and my personal favourite, the anthemic “Right Place, Wrong Time”
This is manic, amped up, high-speed, energy-drink skate park rock, and this is a perfect example of that which makes the post-Grunge Punk genre great. Living With Lions is a very new act, and have an established reputation in Western Canada and the American West Coast. They are a promising new talent, producing sincere and original music and they are on the verge of being the next big thing to come from Canada.
Living With Lions: Make Your Mark
Black Box Records
Steve’s Rating: 10/10
To discuss Steve’s reviews or share your own, visit the CONFRONT Community
Related Articles:
Find arcitcles with similar tags: Bec Recordings, Black Box Records, Citizens Activ, confront, confront magazine, Living With Lions, m, Make Your Mark, Manafest, Neuraxis, Prosthetic Records, Thin Line Between, usic