Day 12: "Legacy"



Explanation: The name “Legacy” was given because of the song it was taken from and who wrote it. The title is a tribute to Glenn Gizzi, one of our old guitar players who wrote this epic clean guitar piece in “Lessons Never Learned” which was one of the first songs written by Phinehas.

"That I May Love You"



Explanation: “That I May Love You,” was also written by Glenn. It is originally in an older Phinehas song called “True Love.” The reason why I named it “That I May Love You” is because of the correlation with the old song’s lyrics. The line goes “that I may love You as You have loved me.” It’s a prayer: that we may love Christ as He loves us. Also, if you have a physical copy of our album, then the lyric booklet connects this title to the “The Rider’s” lyrics. The last line of the album then becomes, “Your will be done, that I may love You.”

Day 11: "thegodmachine: The Rider"




Lyrics: "Trapped in the trenches/overrun by idols/we’ve strapped pride to our bones and sealed it with our skin/looking for a way to beat this system/we’re trading life for a corpse/entangled with the dead and silenced by our guilt/we’ve strapped pride to our bones and sealed it with our skin/i’ve encased myself in a tomb/with gods as dead as me/surrounded by stones of depravity/i’m already dead/and i’m running out of answers out running all the answers/we want more/every failure leaves me deeper in the ground/show me what i’ve become/hanging skulls on my branches/waist below the earth/i was a fool of lust since the day of my birth/oh my love i haven’t let you go/golden skies will divide to receive your soul/oh my son you’ve just begun to grow/but we’ve strapped pride to our bones and sealed it with our skin/turn this tomb to dust/oh my God You never let me go/as lifeless as statues/as fleeting as dust in the air/we’ve robbed your splendor and replaced it with deceit/replaced with ruin/show us what you see/grace come swiftly/oh God give us rest in you/like the waves upon the shore/we can’t hear you in our hearts anymore/grace come swiftly and drag the axe further towards me/the Son of man approaches the hollows/He breaks the guilt in one fell swoop/beheading our treachery/oh God would you bring a burning downpour of Your… blood/i can hear the hordes of ghosts screaming in Your choir/but would Your love make any difference in a graveyard/there’s no running now/His thunder shakes the earth/there will be no trace of betrayal/all creation trembles before You/as You lift Your hand/Your will be done"

Explanation: The final full song on “thegodmachine” is about God’s perfect and just judgment upon our hearts. The concept is that we are a garden but have become rooted in our idols, thus stealing God’s glory and putting it into our fake gods. I’m not just talking about the Old Testament “golden calf.” I’m talking about money, sex, vanity, or anything that you seek validation from or for. We are too prideful to understand the importance of not putting ourselves higher than God. The choruses are sung to us from God’s point of view. In this song he sees us as little saplings that are being strangled by the weeds we’ve surrounded ourselves with. In God’s eyes, we have turned the garden into a tomb/graveyard rather than fulfill the true purpose he has given us. The chorus is about him uprooting us from our devils and redeeming us with life. The ending of “The Rider” is from my perspective as a deformedly growing seed asking for judgment day because I cannot reconcile what I have become when I realize that the creator of the heavens has been pursuing me my entire life and I have denied him. The last couple of lines are more of an image I dreamt of: the entire world watching in fear as God lifts his hand high as if he is preparing to bring it down upon us and wipe earth’s slate clean. This song is one of my favorites off of the album because of the almost apocalyptic theme it hints towards and that no matter how messed up we are, God pursues us to the ends of the earth. I believe that Christ has the power to raise the dead, to break guilt and addiction, and to completely make beautiful what we have destroyed.

Day 10: "Pendulum"




Lyrics: "Bright lights are breaking through the sky/dark clouds are pouring from your feet/the seas and valleys all run dry/reach through the sky and capture/my heart a child trembling in sight of his wake/your blood was the bridge between/a new song"

Explanation: “Pendulum” is the reprise of the entire album before the destruction of thegodmachine. It revisits almost every chorus throughout the album and combines them into one single song over a different movement and progression. The songs link somewhat lyrically and I thought it would be perfect to arrange it that way. The bridge of “From One End Of The Sky To The Other” and the chorus of “I Am The Lion” become “Reach through the sky and capture my heart.” It twists the melodies to work together so you can hear the songs in a completely different way, a worship song.

Day 9: "Grace Disguised By Darkness"




Lyrics: "I’ve felt their lives slip through my fingers/now i watch them circle the drain/with breath like the torrent they sink to the bottom/i’ve wasted so many chances/my efforts not a drop in the barrel/with a body like a boulder i sink to the bottom/i’ve shown my teeth and have had them kicked in one too many times/in my yearning He split the rock, and the water gushed forth/a voice keeps yelling, a voice keeps yelling/”this is where your proud waves end”/my fingers trace lines, on the surface i’m consumed/the sinking feeling, the sinking feeling/”this is where your proud waves end”/i take my first step, and i’m thrown over the edge/i tried to walk on the water but now i just swim/where is your mercy/what grace is this that saves me/i scream Your name/are You outside of Your wrath/oh God Your name/amongst the pile of dead/i see a light split the water from the heavens/i feel God glowing inside me/my heart shakes with the music of the spheres/i no longer tremble in fear/for Redemption has found me/and in Redemption comes the overflow of peace"

Explanation: This song is my story of salvation. I’ve been a Christian since I was a kid. When I wrote this song’s lyrics (4 years ago), I was in the middle of going through one of the roughest experiences in my life. I felt that I was destroying the relationships with the people I love, that I was falling further into my own depravity, and I hadn’t felt the presence of God in what seemed like years. I felt that I was in a giant pit that was half full of water, and I was drowning while clawing at the edges to lift myself out.  I was dealing with depression, being exiled and excommunicated from the school I was attending, and was trying to find purpose. I fell far into alcoholism and smoking. All I could feel was that I was drowning and I couldn’t see over the wave towering over me to see if there was just another wave behind it that was going to destroy me or if there was a break. I felt that God had left me to die in this pit that I dug myself and that his mercy was nowhere to be found. Then one of my friends became a Christian. I remember calling my mom and telling her about it. My mom told me that I should tell my friend to read the book of John in the bible because it is the best description of who Jesus is. I told my friend, and then decided to take my mom’s advice and read it for myself. The words felt like they reached out and took hold of my heart and shook my entire existence. The words gave me purpose when I thought I was worthless. “Grace Disguised By Darkness” is about Christ finding me and pulling me out of the pit of depravity I had thrown myself into.

Day 8: "My Horses Are Many"




Lyrics: "This is what it’s like to be on fire burning through the coals/what a way to release this fury and be consumed/a false prophet and a terrible liar/trading money for souls/abomination of a broad horizon/you sold them for a frail mansion/it’s nothing but dust/your recompense and tongue will be fed down your throat/oh you’d topple the pillars of a church to make yourself a god/when you speak it’s a dead language/forfeit the grace you never preach/limb for a limb/you’ll be torn to shreds/eye for an eye/you’ll be torn to shreds/throw it down like you never want to see it again/if this is a slippery slope you’re at the bottom of the ditch/take advantage of the children yet you call yourself a man/if this is a slippery slope you’re at the bottom of the ditch/headlong"

Explanation: “My Horses Are Many” is about my experience as a kid when my family moved to Texas and was looking for a church to attend. I have had a lot of awful experiences at church, and this song is about just a handful of them. I remember distinctly going to a huge church when I was 6. In the Sunday school class, I remember seeing every kid at the end of the lesson get up and move in a single file line towards the altar. Kid after kid handed the preschool-pastor money, change, or even a check that their parents had obviously given them. As a little kid, I didn’t really understand what I was seeing until years later, but I remember feeling embarrassed because I had nothing to give and I was getting closer and closer to the end of the line. When it was my turn in front of the preschool pastor, I said “I’m sorry, but you can have my grapes” out of embarrassment, handed him the last of couple of grapes that I had been eating during the lesson, and then started crying when I saw the pastor’s look of disapproval. The line in the song, “take advantage of the children yet you call yourself a man” is NOT about those grapes that I regret giving up (haha), but the embarrassment, the brainwashing, and the peer pressure that churches use. I have nothing against tithing, but making the children in your Sunday school class get in a single file line and make it a habit of giving money at an early age is a bit of a disturbing tactic to me.  This same thing happened at a different church I attended years later, only the entire congregation was in a single file line dropping money into a golden altar in front of the stage. That was after the pastor preached “tithe or you aren’t right with God” for an entire year. Bible belt America’s leaders will have some serious explaining to do on judgment day. Every shepherd will be held accountable for his flock. This song is me reacting honestly to these experiences.

Day 7: "The Wishing Well"



Lyrics: "A thunderstorm a distant shore, i’ve witnessed this before/patience was fleeting/if a thousand coins on the ocean floor would bring back love to me/i’ll wait forever/fill the sea with dreams of a wishing well/waves bring back my coins to me/drain the deep that teems with my empty shells/slaves of sand still call for me/i once had love to give/i once had hoped to live/the rarest stones will break my bones and golden salt stops my lungs/the perfect limbs and haunting eyes begs the seas: begin to rise/man: and when these delusions come to fruition/believe you me/i will strangle myself into nothingness/and be reborn from the dream of a blasphemous fool/in my sordid pelt of mold/i’ll earn back years to me/the god of a nightmare will fall as I take back what is…/devil: mine!/worthless swine enraptured by my vanity/your soul sank under the weight of gold you offered me/man: a waste of a life, squandered my heart until it rests upon the ocean floor barren/watching the light descend deeper and deeper/a deadening feeling starts to grow in my ribs/from where I lie, the waves overflow, with my blood/devil: from where I hide, the snakes overgrown, with your blood/man: where are my years/I’ll bleed dry by myself/i wish I was someone/devil: you wish you were someone else"

Explanation: “The Wishing Well” is quite different lyrically from every other song on the album. It is the only song on thegodmachine with no redemptive qualities. I wrote the lyrics to this song after watching the movie “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.” I remember falling asleep and waking up at the end when the credits are rolling, and there was the darkest piano piece I’ve ever heard playing. It put me in such an odd and dark state of mind. I had never heard a piece so beautiful yet dissatisfied and brooding. It’s called “Going Crazy, Coast to Coast,” and it was written by Alex Wurman. If you can find it anywhere on the internet, give it a listen.

I ended up writing the lyrics and concept of “The Wishing Well” soon after. It is the story of a man flipping coins into the ocean and wishing that he was richer, stronger, better looking, happier, etc… He is completely unsatisfied with himself and what he has been given. The idea is that he regretted being himself to the point of losing his identity. The ending of the song is a conversation between the man and the devil, going back and forth over who is truly in control of the man’s life. It’s the classic idea of “selling your soul to the devil for personal gain.” In this case, it comes with a catch that is too much for the man to handle. With all of these regrets and wishes, the man’s life is torn apart. Even the devil sees him as delusional at the end; the man wishes to be important, rich, famous, and attractive because of the inner hatred for himself after wasting his life, and the devil reminds him, “no, you just want to be someone else, anybody but yourself.”

Day 6: "Crowns"



Lyrics: "Draw your depiction/stars become scars in the palm of Your hand bridged by blood/your blood paints the paragon of unrequited love/do you remember pain followed by reassurance and the light shining through/bearing the poise of a Redeemer choking the shadows defeating death/providence: laid out before us/a father’s arms reaching as/the nations will hear a new song/as we’re lead to the water/the nations will hear a new song/as we’re lead to the water/give us discernment/doors that glow at the sound of forerunners’ words/we are empty until you sit at the throne of our hearts/break us free; unshackled from our dire condition/ we have hope/kings of earth bow down lose your crowns/kings of earth bow down lose your crowns/bow/the nations will hear a new song/as we’re lead to the water/the nations will hear a new song…of rebirth"

Explanation: If you have ever seen the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” then you probably remember this scene (a few curse words in this video):



This scene is exactly the visual I had while writing the lyrics to “Crowns.” As childish as Delmar may seem in the video clip, his elation towards being absolved of his sins is beautiful to me. The imagery and symbolism of baptism has always been, in my opinion, one of the most powerful ways to convey salvation and redemption. Plus, the way that all 3 of them appear to be frozen when the congregation passes by while singing “Down To The River To Pray” has always made me wonder, “Are our songs, or is our faith, a good enough reflection of Christ to leave people in awe or at least make them question their own reasons for living?" The only way that is possible is to get rid of our earthly idols or kings, most often ourselves, and do away with our own pride or crowns in order to let Christ sing through us. Baptism symbolizes becoming a new creation, and the new song is sung through us by Christ.

Day 5: "From One End of the Sky to the Other"



Lyrics: "Part the dark sky that keeps me from Your eyes/even as the darkness descends/my cry came to Your ears/as my heroes fail me/they leave me to fend on my own/my cry came to Your ears/the earth withers beneath me/i’m always looking towards the clouds/i know we are not alone/can’t help but feel You in my bones/when all is dead and gone Your love will still remain/from one end of the sky to the other you burn your banner/cords of the grave, snares of death cannot take me from You/i see the eyes of the empty/they form an eclipse above me/until i find safety in Your memory/safety in Your memory/safety in Your memory/safety in the memory of Your faithfulness/bright lights are breaking through the sky/dark clouds are pouring from Your feet/seas and valleys all run dry/so reach through the sky and capture me/my cry came to Your ears/your love saved no mercy for Yourself"

Explanation: This song is about finding hope amidst a dying world. While nations fight amongst themselves and depravity festers, the only thing that remains constant is Christ's love that spares no expense towards us, even to the point of death. The only solace we can ever expect to find as wars pit people against each other as a result of the human condition, is the promise of faithfulness from God. I wrote these lyrics as a reminder of the day that God will peel back the sky and right all wrongs.

Day 4: "I Am The Lion"



Lyrics: "Son of Mine, can you hear the sound of this repetition as clockwork?/I'm always peeling back your skin to rip the legions from your heart/every scar you leave yourself is a jewel in the making/I would give new passion yet you've turned your back/like a devil of details cut your throat, you're so addicted/you'll swing the hammer and I'll turn your nails to gold/you will know My voice when the hair on your neck stands up/I opened this door, and I will bring the End/all gives way and all will fall to their knees and beg for grace/son of Mine these letters I swear have not been burnt/my heart a child trembling in sight of his wake/is longing to rest in the hollow of Your hand/I know now what it is to be helpless like a foot on my neck to the ground/I'm longing to rest in the hollow of Your hand/here I am/I await you/you will know My voice/I AM THE LION/clear the path/I am the Lion/you brood of snakes/I am the Lion"

Explanation: There are two perspectives that the lyrics in "I Am The Lion" are being sung from.

The choruses are from my point of view as a helpless and addicted soul. One of the most helpless feelings is being controlled by your addictions knowingly and not being able to overcome them. These vices don't just hurt you; they also create a wake of destruction among those close to you and affect every area of your life. Addiction pulls us away from our true purpose, so consequently we are not completely ourselves when under its spell.

Everything else sung in "I Am The Lion" is from God's point of view, watching us destroy ourselves. It isn't out of cruelty that God allows us to experience these lows. We would not learn or grow if God pulled us out of the depths we create for ourselves without us first experiencing our own true depravity. It isn't the devil who is strong; it is us who are weak when on our own. When we finally realize how weak we are and when we release our grip on the belief that we can fix ourselves, God comes in, rips everything to shreds, and gives us a new heart.

Day 3: "A Pattern In Pain"



Lyrics: "As I charge the bloody fields waiting for your hands to pierce the depths/the world is stirring yet you keep silent to me/this battle shakes the ground, but your voice could split the earth/the world is stirring yet you keep silent to me/eternity will never be long enough with you/when every step I take feels so worn/if heralds of glory sing the minute life begins to fade/then death is just a bridge between us.see the enemy line the hills so hide my fears from me/the world is stirring yet you keep silent to me/like a burning wound it kills me that I haven't heard you in years/the world is stirring yet you keep silent/all I am is a scar-laden body from those years you were gone/now You appear to me/faced with suffering death You restore this porous heart that bleeds every time it beats/Your suture lives in me/there must be something You wished me to see, a pattern in this pain/I see a pattern, I see You in this pain/I've waited for years what what a brush with death has shown me/I will trust in Your grace that speaks of the end/as my life begins to fade I know Your blood was the bridge, the bridge between us/Your blood was the bridge between us"

Explanation: "A Pattern In Pain" is sung from the perspective of a worn down and weary warrior in the midst of a battle. Longing for peace in his soul, he hasn't felt the presence of God since he can remember. When death shows its face to him, he is rescued and restored by Christ's blood. We all go through spiritual droughts and doubts throughout our lives. It's so easy to forget the grace we were given and take for granted the blessings we receive everyday when things don't go our way. Specifically, this song is about our impatience and arrogance towards God's sovereign timing. Being in Phinehas for five years, this band has been a constant reminder of God's faithfulness. We have gone through so many highs and so many hurtful lows, but God has always come through when we were least expecting it and in ways we could never have fathomed. This song is about that shimmer of hope and that rain drop of joy that arrives just moments before giving up. No matter how brutalized, bloodied, or broken we are, we always have the promise of salvation that was forged by Christ's blood on the cross and that is further reinforced by the promise of His spirit's presence.

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. - John 14:18 (NIV)

Day 2: "Bad Blood"



Lyrics: "Grieve that your body's so worm eaten inside/crawling with infection/fed by your lies/drop into your put you dug with your pride/now you're nothing but a slave/you polish yourself as if you were a monument/reaching high like a tower to hell and the ground concedes/pulled from the earth like rotting roots/purge the demons/draining your veins/pride in your heart deceives you/dragged from the depths of a dying world/purge the demons draining your veins/pride in your heart deceives you/keep your teeth before your tongue/or you'll claw for divinity/your filthy rags: a disgusting crown/the offspring of an unhealed wound/you wear your skin like a scoured corpse/after you heave you return like a dog/you had love but your heart is not your own/grace is not beyond you but you walked away/the heavens will expose you.../hell bent on destruction/hell bent on escape/show us there's nowhere to hide/show us fear"

Explanation: The first full song on thegodmachine, "Bad Blood," is a very personal song to me (Sean), because I tend to struggle with bitterness and malice towards people who have hurt my family or friends. Straight up, I was dealing with a lot more anger than I'd like to admit when I wrote the lyrics. The lyrics might be a bit harsh and disgusting, but they were my honest reaction after someone deeply wounded my family. I won't go into too much detail, but the sickest part of the situation was the ruthlessly selfish manor in which he defended his actions. This song is me praying to God for a wake up call to those who refuse to be held accountable for their actions. At the same time that I am angry for my family, I can't help but love the person who hurt them. "Bad Blood" humbles me every time we play it live because it reminds me that I am just as capable of causing pain to other people as anyone. If I can't let go of my own anger and hatred that has sparked from that situation, then I am no better than the man who hurt my family.

CRR are excited to bring you a special feature for the month of December; Phinehas' 12 Days of Christmas! For the next 12 days, we will be posting a song, lyrics, and an explanation from the band. Phinehas' new album, thegodmachine, is out now on Red Cord Records.

Day 1: "thegodmachine: The Speaking Stone"



Lyrics: "Trembling in the shadow of your creation/your knees grow weak/watch my eyes beam with gold and you'll keep coming back/if you fixate your desire upon me you'll give me breath with your lungs/feed me living!/I am what you fashioned/your praise gives me power/with it I will devour you"

Explanation: "This song is the preface of the entire album and the lyrics are from the point of view of an idol, or "speaking stone." While obviously idols are dead, so often we feel the need to pour our trust, lives, and time into things that are lifeless and have no true worth. The more we put into our "speaking stone," the more it consumes our lives, and our capacity to love God. We breathe life into it, but, unlike Christ, our idols suck the life out of us.

Of what value is an idol carved by a craftsman? Or an image that teaches lies? For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation; he makes idols that cannot speak. Woe to him who says to wood, "Come to life!" Or to lifeless stone, "Wake up!" Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him. - Habakkuk 2:18-20 (NIV)

Red Cord Records' metalcore band, Phinehas, just released their debut album last week, thegodmachine, and we are streaming a new song off the album, titled "A Pattern in Pain," below. You can also be on the lookout for an exclusive interview with the band coming soon as well. Make sure you check out thegodmachine both in stores and online now.

  Phinehas - 03 A Pattern in Pain by Christian Rock Rocks

Artist: Phinehas
Album: thegodmachine
Release Date: July 19, 2011
Label: Red Cord Records

Once in a great while there is a band that comes along who gives you goosebumps because of how disgustingly talented they are. Phinehas is one of those bands. I was first introduced to the band's music in 2009 with their debut EP, and now, two years later, they've brought us the stunning debut full-length thegodmachine on Red Cord Records. After one listen, you can tell the guys have been working non-stop on growing as a band, and making this album even better than the EP, and did they ever succeed.

I originally wanted to label thegodmachine as metalcore, but the vocals have more of a deathcore feel to them. The deep, guttural screams are exceptional. They fit and match the music and the overall message of the lyrics perfectly. There are also clean vocals used on the album, which have an old-school Haste the Day feel to them. The lyrics are by far the best I've heard/read in a very long time. They're so raw, honest, and definitely not sugar-coated at all: "You polish yourself as if you were a monument/Reaching high like a tower to Hell and the ground concedes/Pulled from the Earth like rotting roots." These lyrics (from "Bad Blood") continue to build a story about how wicked pride can be, but like I said, I could go on all day about the lyrics on this album.

Musically, the opening track doesn't do much for me. However, about 2:00 into "A Pattern in Pain," the guitar work is the most amazing stuff I've heard this year. The album doesn't let up from there until the end. Every so often you'll hear a song or a part of a song that just causes you to go crazy, and when Sean McCulloch (vocalist) screams "I am the Lion!," and the song of the same name goes into a brutal breakdown, I instantly broke into a one-man mosh in my car. The music is so intense, and 100% matches the intensity and mood of the vocals, and more importantly the lyrics.

Overall: There is a void in the Christian metal market with the recent departure of Haste the Day, Gwen Stacy, and Call To Preserve, amongst many others. Phinehas is the band to fill this void! They are good enough to hang around and possibly surpass the likes of August Burns Red, The Devil Wears Prada, and For Today. Phinehas has all of the talent, and passion, to be the biggest Christian metal band out there, and if this album is any indication, they'll be there sooner than you think. Musically, the band is already superior to the majority of metal bands you're going to hear today. Lyrically, they're in a league of their own. This is not a debut album, this is a statement: "We are Phinehas and we are the future of this genre!"  Although it's only July, I'm saying right now: thegodmachine by Phinehas is the best album of 2011, hands down!

Rating: 10/10

Recommended Tracks: "Bad Blood," "A Pattern In Pain," "I Am the Lion," and "Crowns"

Reviewed by Michael Small

Tracklisting:

1. thegodmachine: The Speaking Stone
2. Bad Blood
3. A Pattern in Pain
4. I Am the Lion
5. From One End of the Sky to the Other
6. Legacy
7. Crowns
8. The Wishing Well
9. My Horses Are Many
10. Grace Disguised by Darkness
11. Pendulum
12. thegodmachine: The Rider
13. That I May Love You

(Buy Here)

The pre-order for Phinehas' debut album, out July 19th on Red Cord Records, is available now. Be sure to check out their new album thegodmachine when it releases, and catch them live this summer.

Chicago, IL.- Rockford, IL based Red Cord Records has entered into an exclusive, worldwide distribution and merchandising agreement with Victory Records. Red Cord was founded by Executive Producer Joey Mathews who represents Day of Vengeance, Phinehas, Righteous Vendetta, Milosny, A Past Unknown, Not One Is Upright, Joliet, and Southbound Fearing amongst others.

With a powerful, in-house booking agency and a world class studio for all Red Cord artists, the label expects their full-time touring artists to quickly become serious forces in the music world. "I have been developing artists through my studio for years now as well as having a competent and hardworking booking agency. I know how important it is to have solid, first-class distribution which Victory will be providing. Also, with Red Cord Studios pushing exciting albums with the assistance of world renown mixing engineer Joel Wanasek we are set apart from the pack with a full circle artist offering founded on integrity and a vision for music’s future,” says Mathews.

The first two Red Cord releases will arrive July 19th from Los Angeles band Phinehas and Des Moines’ A Past Unknown.

Tony Brummel, Founder of Victory Records said, "Joey’s heart and passion are invigorating. We have had the pleasure of helping labels like Rise Records and Sumerian get their starts and we look forward to helping Joey and Red Cord get to the next level. His artists have meaning and offer something for music fans to truly believe in. It is our honor to be in business with him."

If you haven't already, I highly recommend checking out Phinehas. They have posted three new songs off of their upcoming full length album, TheGodMachine, which will be released soon. We also reviewed their debut EP last year right here.

Artist: Phinehas
Album: The Phinehas EP
Release Date: 12/15/09
Label: Independent

Some of the best bands out there today are independent. Unfortunately, this means that many won't discover them, but some will. Phinehas are a band that need to be heard. They play some of the best metalcore out there in fact, being very heavy, fast and melodic. Their self-titled EP certainly showcases this, leaving one question in mind. Why aren't Phinehas bigger than they are now?

The opening track off The Phinehas EP is uniquely titled "Well If The Earths Are Stopped, Then the Fox Faces the Hounds." It starts off with double bass drumming and quick riffs, that quickly lead to the strong screams from lead vocalist Sean McCulloch. The song certainly has a Haste The Day-influenced sound to it. Their guitarist Scotty Whelan is now in fact, a guitarist in Haste The Day. Up next is the chaotic and thrash flavored "The Jungle." A very heavy sound is found, along with some great guitar work and breakdowns.

"Panhammer" seems to have a Southern metal sound coming for the listener in the intro of the song, but soon breaks into a melodic sound, which also has anywhere from deep growls to high-pitched shrieks among the rhythmic drumming, accompanied by precise solos. The strongest track on the album comes with "I Am The Lion," which takes all the heavy and melodic elements from the EP and puts them into one song full of breakdowns and chugging guitars. It seems like it is meant for a live setting, complete with the feeling that a pit could be easily formed on listening.

The closer "Grace Disguised By Darkness" takes a bit of a progressive metal sound, which works well for them. The breakdown towards the end of the song hits me as particularly catchy and shows what Phinehas has in store for us.

Rating: 8/10 Phinehas have proven to be one of the best up and coming bands to the metal scene. Their EP shows that they are capable of becoming very big, with much talent displayed. Every breakdown and solo seems properly placed for a quality sound. Be sure to do yourself a favor and check these guys out.

Tracklisting:

1. Well If The Earths Are Stopped, Then the Fox Faces the Hounds
2. The Jungle
3. Panhammer
4. I Am The Lion
5. Grace Disguised By Darkness

(Buy Here)