Bridging the Gap Between the Mind and the Heart
Artist: I Built The Cross
Label: Open Grave Records
Time: 11 songs  37 minutes

This is the debut album from I Built The Cross, unfortunately the best thing about this album is the artwork. Released in the extreme/technical metal genre, this release is generic and the production is really rough. The disc starts out with the all too common narration of someone talking about killing their enemies in war, shattering their dreams, drenching them in blood, etc. Not a great start for me simply because it has been done so many times in the past by other acts. The first musical track "Minus One Star For Christianity" kicks in and the guttural vocals are so muddled and distorted that it doesn't even sound like singing. I was honestly surprised at how muddled the vocal mixes are, and as they bounce back and forth between guttural death vocals and screaming metal vocals, things just get lost in the mix.

I love metal, and pretty much all styles of metal, but for me this release just lacks diversity. The riffs are plenty, but they all sound like the one before it. The drums sound flat and are hidden to far in the background as the listener is pummeled with guitars, guitars, guitars and bad vocals. You're not supposed to understand vocals in a thrash/extreme metal band, but this borders on ridiculous and a reading of the lyric sheet leaves much to be desired as well. Here is a sample of the lyrics from "Stand Together."

Never back down, never give up.
This isn't about looking tough, it's about lifting each other up.
This is our home, we roll together until the day we die,
without my brothers, this wouldn't be life.
Our hearts are gold and our motives are pure,
so keep your judgments off me.

The lyrics are bland, the riffs are repetitive, the vocals are weak and the drums are barely noticeable.I guess for me this was just a lackluster release all together. All the members are under 20 years old as well, so maybe after a few more years it will come together for these guys. If you are a fan of this genre though, you might not be pleased with this release. 

reviewed by Steve Ruff     12-19-2010