To say I’m blown away by this release would be an understatement. The over-achievers in MOTIVIK have created a masterful album of Power/Trash Metal with Progressive and some Death Metal overtones.
The Atlanta-based group has done the Christian Metal community proud with a album of superb quality from the musicianship to the writing. And quite honestly, I get a LOT of stuff in every week so I started listening with no preconceived notions. I’m a devout Christian, but I didn’t quite pick up on the themes until halfway through, I had already made my mind up I love this band, but as I listened more closely to the lyrics I was even more pleased to hear their message.
Musically they fit perfectly for me. Vocalist Courtney Simmons has a great “Thrash” style. You can understand him and there’s some melody built in, but make no mistake, he’s got a bionic throat that is anything but “soft”. Ryan Roebuck does all the guitars, bass and keyboards, which I’m still trying to wrap my head around. Somehow he’s made this all sound like cohesive band.
The drums are being handled by Alex Emidio, who’s a world-class Metal drummer, fast, tempo changes, in the pocket, he nails it all. I would venture to say that without his skills and the mix of the drums, this album wouldn’t quite has the kick it does.
As far as the theology of the album, there’s some Christian themes throughout, but it’s very accessible to anyone. If you think you have some bias towards the genre, you need to quit worrying and just enjoy the music. I appreciate the fact it’s on ROXX Records and falls under the Christian Metal category, but you’re not being preached at, they’re telling stories, very well I might add.
So there’s 13 tracks on here, 12 full-length, so you’re getting a massive amount of music here. The quality as I mentioned, is really amazing and the diversity of songs is also very impressive. It’s a “Metal” album, but they used softer moments in many songs to help build up the heavier stuff. If you’re a bit concerned with the “Thrash” elements, you’ll appreciate the more strait-forward Metal tracks like “Break The Walls”, “Once Again” and “The Head Collector”
“Dethroned”, “Renouncement” and “This Man I Am” are darker and heavier, but still contain some solid hooks. “Dethroned” is one of my personal favs on the album. “Dead By Daylight” is another crushing track.
I highly doubt anyone will be disappointed in what they hear, they obviously put a massive amount of effort into the album and deserve the recognition. I personally thank them for the dedication to the genre and choosing a path that man not always be an easy one.
Line-up:
Courtney Simmons – Vocals
Ryan Roebuck – Vocals/Guitar/Bass/Keyboards
Drums on Renouncement performed by Alex Emidio
Further Information:
https://www.facebook.com/MotivikBand
https://linktr.ee/motivikband
https://www.facebook.com/RoxxRecords777
