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JFH Music Review


Saving Grace, Unbreakable
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Saving Grace
Unbreakable



Artist Info: Discography
Album length: 12 tracks: 46 minutes, 55 seconds
Street Date: January 5, 2010


If you've never had the chance to listen to a metal band from New Zealand, now is a great time to do so. Saving Grace is kicking off the new year for the Facedown/Strike First Records family with their new album Unbreakable, and they're doing a fine job of it.

The first thing one notices when listening through Unbreakable is the heavy emphasis on riffs. The band is very adept at putting together coherent chord progressions that are appropriately meaty and intense. If you like crunchy guitars in the vein of As I Lay Dying, then you will immediately find a friend in Unbreakable. That is not to say that Saving Grace is another As I Lay Dying knockoff, because they most definitely are not. At the same time, this emphasis on riffs leads to a lack of true solos, so the headbangers will be more satisfied than those who like a lot of shredding.

Fortunately for the album's overall sound, the guys in Saving Grace like to keep things up-tempo. They manage to avoid the ever-present temptation to let tracks degenerate into long breakdown sessions, but instead keep the pace jumping thanks to a solid drumming foundation. The vocals are par for the course: a nice throaty growl that doesn't vary much, with the exception of some completely unintelligible deep rumblings on the unfortunately-titled "Pukelips." The band's sense of rhythm combined with their riffing ability leads to some truly excellent moments. The opening riff of "The Disgusting Maw" left me with a big smile on my face. Similarly, the entirety of the final track, "The Determined Drunk," is pure driving metal mayhem that pounds and pummels like the best metal should. It also nicely incorporates a quote from the Johnny Depp film The Libertine. The only complaint that could be mentioned is that there is not a great deal of variety among tracks, but it's hard to complain when all the tracks sound great.

Unbreakable stands out lyrically as well. As we've come to expect from Facedown bands, Saving Grace have no problem being up front and honest about their faith. There's also a refreshing touch of humility in some of the songs. "Oaxaca" describes a band mission trip to Mexico where the members struggled with being confident for Christ. In "All But The Archer," vocalist Nicholas Tautuhi addresses sexual abuse in his past. In the end, he defiantly declares that despite what he has suffered, "This war is won."

It's always nice to start the year with great metal to enjoy, and Saving Grace has done just that. Unbreakable is an album that is exciting at times and at its worst is never less than a solid effort. Metal fans looking for new material to get into should do themselves a favor and check out this album.

- Review date: 12/28/09, written by Timothy Estabrooks of Jesusfreakhideout.com



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JFH Staff's Second Opinion



If you like hardcore, and you like it raw and crunchy, you're probably already a fan of Facedown Records, and its sister label, Strike First Records. Continuing its trend of helping hardcore acts to further develop, Strike First is now home to the fourpiece from New Zealand, Saving Grace. Their twelve-song debut, Unbreakable, displays loads of talent, but nothing too entirely different from any band on Facedown Records, which is where the majority of Strike First bands move to after refining their act. The music can be fast and grinding or a little slower with lots of chugging guitar riffs. "All But The Archer" does display some speedy finger work, as they do several other occasions, but the vocals make it difficult to listen to. If you happen to be a fan of deep growls and grunts, then it just may be your cup of tea. This isn't a fantastic album, by any means, but it's a good start for the band, and if they keep it up, they'll be popular amongst Facedown and Strike First fans. - Scott Fryberger



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. Record Label: Strike First
. Album length: 12 tracks: 46 minutes, 55 seconds
. Street Date: January 5, 2010
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. End Of Days (Intro) (1:34)
  2. Unbreakable (4:34)
  3. Bury Me In Jimenez (2:43)
  4. The Disgusting Maw (4:05)
  5. Pukelips (3:35)
  6. Where It Rains (4:21)
  7. The Eye Of The Storm Part II (Interlude) (2:07)
  8. Oaxaca (5:04)
  9. All, But The Archer (5:27)
  10. The Listener (4:45)
  11. Bound By The Blood (2:54)
  12. The Determined Drunk (5:54)

 

 

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