The Flame In All Of Us addresses issues portraying the meeting of raw humanity with melodious grace in thirteen straightforward original tracks. Slightly less frenetic in tempo, the album does not disappoint in terms of the band’s signature intelligently textured arrangements or adrenaline-dripping lyricism.
Grunge guitar and tight percussion introduce the opening title track, moving from dark looming rhythms into the brightly anthemic chorus, lush strings beneath augmenting the lyrics’ optimism. Made to get fists pumpin’ up high, it’s a solid beginning.
Edgy Risks
Thunderous guitars kick off the bouncy rhythms of “Everything Falls Apart,” the thick riffs dropping off for a beautifully airy bridge. Examining our dependency on Christ, the lyrics utter the almost unforgivable line: “You’ll always be the wind under my wings, above me,” an image forever ruined by pop radio and Hollywood. Whereas the crunchy “Favorite Disease” takes a much edgier risk with its lyric, its hooky chorus declaring: “Sometimes I feel like a monster/At times, I feel like a saint/I’m on my knees, You’re my favorite disease/and I love the way You kill me/Love the way You heal me.” The raw track ends well in fluent praise, a risk paying off beautifully. Rhythmic tensions underscore a similar lyrical direction in “New Drug,” unapologetically proclaiming: “I want You/I need You/I believe You/You are the New Drug.”
Trevor McNevan Touches
As always, writer Trevor McNevan and producer Ken Andrews have paid lavish attention to the versatile arrangements, the tracks brimming over with succinct sonic graces. Smokin’ vocal arrangements build to an emotional crescendo of optimism in “What Do We Know?,” dispersing hope through its catchy bridge. A children’s choir chimes energetically to remind us that “Every part is you/ every part is me/ Raise your hands and sing/Tell them we are free.”
McNevan’s thick guitar lays out rope-like chords under the melodic vocal line in the in-your-face truth bomb that is “My Home.” Things get meatier with the darkly growling intro to “My Own Enemy,” its solid guitar riffs hinting at funk while Steve Augustine’s drums drive the melody forward into a looming crescendo of raucous guitars. The captivating track is heavily textured with driving beats and splashy cymbals, classic TFK. A risky discordance runs through the cautionary tale, “Learn to Breathe,” and once again, succeeds brilliantly. Disjointed string effects play against cacophonous vocals and rolling rhythms, adding a building sense of impending danger to the potent track.
The madly appealing rocker “Inhuman” serves up rich emo screams and bouncing rhythms to explore the dichotomy of our humanity and Christ’s power, the guitar riffs thick under McNevan’s soaring vocals. Addiction issues are covered in the next few tracks, through the subtle sonic nuances of “Broken Wing” and staggering rhythms and howling vocals of “Safest Place.”
A Fitting Send-Off
“Wish You Well” takes the energy down several notches, as gorgeous strings slide over a gentle acoustic guitar, McNevan’s gritty vocals thick with passion for a friend lost in pain. The hidden bonus track, “The Last Song” is an upbeat rocker that takes a friendly trip down memory lane to TFK’s early days as a band: “I remember when we first became a band/We’d set up in the bedroom, practice all night long/I remember when we used to, now and then/keep the neighborhood up with the sound of our guitars.” Providing a peek into the inner workings of a band still exploring and discovering along with the rest of us, it’s a fitting send-off from valued friends Thousand Foot Krutch, releasing September 18th from Tooth & Nail Records.
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