A Plea For Purging - A Critique of Mind and Thought

Band: A Plea For Purging
Album: A Critique of Mind and Thought
Genre: Metal
Label: Facedown

Tracks:
1. sons of vipers how will you escape the judgment of hell
2. while the sparrow sleeps
3. the slaying of the serpentine dragon
4. the betrayers
5. perseverance
6. the resurrection of the beast
7. a hymn of praise
8. death has been swallowed up in victory
9. everything and nothing
10. turn it down

With the rise of Myspace, a slew of bands became big over night. Some instantly burst onto the scene and right along with them, hordes of people claiming these bands didn’t “pay their dues.” Some people have had a good reason to think this, but with the release of, “A Critique of Mind and Thought,” Facedown Record’s A Plea For Purging, has made it hard to say a negative thing about their quick rise to a label release. Formed in 2005, these Nashville boys bring some heavy breakdowns, frenzied guitar work, and throat searing vocals straight to your front door and they won’t be leaving without handcuffs or the second-coming itself. That’s right, they’re a Christian metal band, but unlike many others who claim the same, these guys bring the rock like few do these days.

At first, I was caught by title of the opening track, “Sons of Vipers, How Will You Escape The Judgment of Hell.” Talk about bringing your faith to the forefront. As the track began, I knew I was in for something large as a soft violin gave way to a chugging guitar that built slowly into a full band breakdown and eventually let loose into a swirling dizzy of vocals, drums, and crazed finger work on the fret boards. Sounds amazing right? It really is and this coming from someone who’d all but given up hope on this genre. From the opener, the next songs simply show off the talent of each individual member. The guitars fly across scales like some epic sound battle between players and the double bass keeps you wanting more until you go deaf. Tracks like, “The Betrayers” and “Resurrection of The Beast,” really showcase the kind of vocals metal fans have been waiting for: deep growls that aren’t afraid to venture into high pitched wails. Basically, this is an album most metal fans will relish for finally bringing a spotlight to a scene that’s become quite murky.

Now, I’m not saying the album is the greatest thing since The Beatles, there are some downsides. As with any metal album, you’re bound to find yourself wondering if the song has changed yet or not about halfway through. It’s the fatal flaw of the genre, but the bright moments shine to much for anything to take away too much. Let me summarize before I become another metal fanboy: This album makes the oh-so popular metal genre feel new to me once again. A Plea for Purging have made a phenomenal album and they’re still young as a band, so where they go from here seems limitless. All I know for sure is that even if they stopped today, “A Critique of Mind and Thought,” would surely be a favorite of metal fans for years to come.

GRADE: 8/10