What happens if you take the devastating, brown note heft of The Acacia Strain and mix with Christian ideals?

You get Pittsburgh’s Those Who Fear, that’s fucking what.

So now let me continue and  tell the three of you that will actually read this even more.

Ive said for a few reviews now that Facedown Records needs an injection of something to rid the label and even the Christian metal genre of this stale fugue of breakdowns mixed with clean vocals, and here (along with the new Hope For the Dying) is the injection the label  and the genre sorely needed.

Folks, this is tough fucking stuff; pure lumbering, mean, and heavy as fuck trundling, loping hardcore that makes Hatebreed look like One Direction. Fear not though-this band is more The Acacia Strain than Emmure, as there is no douch-y vibe or Frankie Palmeri vocal bullshit, just pure, unadulterated heft with gravelly throaty shoats. Oh and Christian lyrics. But don’t let that fool you. Those Who Fear is arguably the heaviest Christian metal act I’ve encountered since Sleeping Giants heavier moments, With Blood Comes Cleansing or Impending Doom regardless of genre and while heavy is in the eye of the beholder, these guys will knock rivets loose in your car and filings loose in your mouth. Seriously- my ears were ringing after listening to this in the car at loud volumes, and I needed a break after a few songs.

Admittedly, at times The Acacia Strain tone  is a bit heavy handed, but if you are going for heavy why not sound like arguably one of the heaviest bands around?  The guitar tone is devastating and the bottom end is chest caving, and while the songs all seem to run into one long rumbling, brown note beat down, it’s done with plenty of conviction, and no real let on that guys are Christians, unless you see the song titles read the lyrics.  And it’s weird to have a Christian metal album like this give me the same blood pumping, chest swelling urge to fight and break stuff as The Acacia Strain, but by god (pun fully intended), they do.

Its a simple, effective assault from the opening strains of “Daggermouth” to aptly titled instrumental closer “Colossus”. No acoustic interludes, no clean moments, no eyes to the heavens segments of grave and beauty, just heft and more heft to punch grannies to. It’s hard to single out moments that stand out amid such a relentless beat down, but the title track (with a brief but cool rap beat to start and end the track),  there’s a part in “Holy Anger”  at 2:33, that makes my toes curl, “Sowers of Discord” is basically a steam train going thorough your skull, and the short but absolutely crushing  “Day of Judgement'” is the be all end all of this style of heaviness.

Ultimately, when one of Those Who Fear‘s track pops up on my ipod, its easy to mistake for a track from The Acacia Strain‘s  2012  release, Death is the New Mortal, even if its missing that tiny smidgeon of pure hate that gives The Acacia Strain that un-nerving edge like “Mouth of The River” from that aforementioned album, but on the whole this is essentially The Dead Walk or Wormwood with Christian lyrics. So fans of the style need to get this regardless of their philosophical or religious convictions.

As with most Christian band reviews on this site, and in metal in general, Those Who Fear will be met with disdain and ridicule, but I’m willing to bet if you some of you more hardcore liking guys heard this with no idea who it was or the bands beliefs you’d think it was sick as hell and snap you own neck moshing.

[Visit the band's website]

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