Ever since their breakthrough effort, 2013's Creation/Destruction, Fit for a King has become one of the most consistently exceptional acts in heavy music in recent memory. Their ability to balance crushing breakdowns with technical precision and an ear for melody made them stand out in a genre that has, unfortunately, gotten rather stale. Although Fit for a King has yet to truly shake things up (and I know they can), they've managed to perfect their craft and utilize every ounce of potential the metalcore tag has in hand. Both of their prior records saw them developing various aspects of their sound and this latest record is no exception.

Musically, Dark Skies is the tightest batch of songs the band has penned to date. "Engraved" and "The Price of Agony" opens the record with a showcasing of both...

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September 13, 2018 TobyMac’s The Elements will release on Oct. 12 providing the first new collection of music from the chart-topping artist in three years. The Elements marks the 7X GRAMMY® winner’s seventh album following the RIAA Gold Certification of his previous six solo albums.

TobyMac started crafting The Elements on the road, writing songs and bringing producers out on tour to collaborate. "The most important thing to me are the concepts, what am I saying to people," he shared with Billboard. "I've got to be going through some life myself and that's why it takes so long. I have to experience some things, struggle with some things, overcome some things and get in the trenches before I have enough to write about...

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Sometimes the word "pop" can be treated like a lesser thing amongst us music critics. (As in "that album's okay, but it was a little too pop".) However, it need not be so. A good pop song can be a part of a well-balanced musical diet. (Make sure to sprinkle in some classical music and a pinch of jazz now and again for maximum musical health.)

Case in point: new artist Austin French's debut album, Wide Open. From the rocking opening title track to the sober closer, "Spirit Speak", French pours out his heart against a modern "pop" backdrop of heavy, synthetic beats and distorted vocals. And in doing so, he makes a great case that pop can be both an engaging experience and a more creative genre than it gets credit for...

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