At a time when it's pretty much expected for rock music to be sanitized, if not made entirely overpolished or... fluffy, Disciple takes the independent route to crowd-fund their latest album, Attack. It's clear from the album's opener "Radical," and the consistent boldness down the line, that they're ready to go guns ablaze into the indie scene, taking with them what they've learned as a signed act but allowing their own creative freedom to shine. This means being able to take risks, like juggling vocal duties for the first time in the band's existence, with former High Flight Society vocalist Jason Wilkes adding occasional lead vocals to his Disciple resume, and not just bass. Tracks like "Lion" and "Angels and Demons" that feature Wilkes and Young together stand out as something completely different for the band - and it works beautifully. For those in favor of the band's softer side, three tracks are present to appease those listeners, while the other 9 don't back down from in-your-face, metal-flavored hard rock. Attack is absolutely refreshing and couldn't have come too soon. While all too many rock outfits are trading their chugging riffs for more modest melodies and radio-friendly cuts, it's exciting to hear a band like Disciple continuing on and just being themselves, all the while carrying the flag into battle in the name of Christ. - 9/24/14, John DiBiase of Jesusfreakhideout.com


I can't be the only one who thought it was odd that Disciple, a decidedly hard rock outfit, was signed to the same label as MercyMe, Phil Wickham, Derek Webb, and a host of other decidedly non-hard rock artists (Decyfer Down aside). And indeed, comparing Disciple's INO/Fair Trade albums to their prestigious pre-label records reveals a significantly more harnessed, accessible, and melodic sound that lost many original fans. However, a new lineup and a return to independence (not to mention bringing back longtime producer Travis Wyrick) has made the winds change, and Attack presents the unequivocal best that Kevin Young's boys have offered yet. Look no further than the blistering opening track "Radical" to judge how Disciple has combined the best of both their eras. Add to that, the hints of classic metal (courtesy of the guitar work of new members Andrew Stanton and Josiah Prince) on tracks such as "Attack," "The Name," or "Lion," and Disciple 3.0 (as the band's new lineup affectionately calls themselves) have set the stage for something special. "Radical," "Attack," "Scarlet," "Kamikaze," and "Crazy" all stand out as highlights, and every track is strong in its own right. Lyrically, Kevin Young has always possessed possibly the most overtly Christ-centered, scripture-based lyrics of anyone in Christian Rock, but the additional songwriting talents of Josiah Prince have enhanced even the lyrics, giving us scripturally-sound highlights such as the Romans 8-inspired "Angels and Demons," the hymn-quoting anthem "The Name," and the Proverbs-based lyrics of "Lion." In addition, Young and Prince have weaved together a cohesive theme of warfare imagery on most tracks. There is very little to dislike about Attack, and even that which is less stellar (most notably the relatively bland "Unbroken," the only track without songwriting contributions from Prince), is nothing to get upset about. This is a strong contender for the year's best Christian Rock album. - 9/21/14, Mark Rice of Jesusfreakhideout.com


    Back in the day, the music industry worked as such: you're an independent band, you work hard at being that band, you send demos to record labels, you sign a record deal, now you're a "real" band. Nowadays, bands are dropping off of record labels on a weekly basis it seems. Now here's this rock band (that used to be a borderline metal band) called Disciple. In 2005, they released their first major label album, and my interest in the band steadily declined with each new, much more radio-friendly, album. But now, Disciple is independent again, and their first post-Fair Trade album is a rocker called Attack. When I heard the first single, "Radical," on JFH's latest compilation (which you can download here), I was impressed. This is the Disciple I loved. Of course, I was much younger then and my music taste wasn't as refined, but albums like By God and Back Again really did it for me. And while Disciple does hearken back to those days with Attack (the heaviest cover of a hymn I think I've ever heard in "The Name" being another good example), there's still a lot of mainstream rock flair to tracks like "Dead Militia," "Scarlet," "Lions," and most of the rest of the tracklist. There are a couple ballads ("Yesterday Is Over" and "The Right Time"), but the rest is primed for Christian rock radio. Fans of Disciple's label tenure may be a little jolted by Attack, but this is still mostly an album for that particular fanbase, while fans of the original Disciple may be interested in "Radical" and "The Name." - 8/30/14, Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com