Search - Decyfer Down :: Crash

Disappointed

C. Smith | New York | 06/03/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"End of Grey was a fantastic album. It was nothing other bands haven't done, but they pulled it off really well. Caleb's absense on this album does hurt Decyfer Down's sound, TJ is just okay. I think most people's problem is TJ has a very typical rock voice, and it's not memorable enough. I agree. However, I think more of a problem lies in the songs themselves. Most of them are mediocre. There are three "ballads" on this album: Best I Can, Moving On, and Forever With You. They aren't that great. On End of Grey, Burn Back the Sun is a great power ballad and Here To You is beautifully written ballad. I never liked TJ's songs when he slowed them down, even looking back at Fighting Instinct, the ballads were not that good. Desperate is just not that good, and the chorus is not catchy, and it seems like he's talking his way through the verses. The bridge is actually pretty good, except for the lyrics. "You know my name, You know my pain, and I need You x5." Ride With Me is just good. Wasting Away is has a couple nice riffs, but the rest of the song isn't up to par with a song like Walking Dead. Over My Head, despite the lack of orinality in the title is a pretty good song, and has one of the catchier chorus' on the album. The Life is just not that memorable, in fact even after listening to it 8 or 9 times, I had to replay this song in order to remember what it sounded like for this review. On a good note, TJ does a nice job with the title track, but the real jem of this album is Fading. It is possibly the best Decyfer Down song out of all 20 songs they've recorded. The riffs are amazing, the drums are epic, and TJ's voice really shines on this song, altough I think it could be even better if it were Caleb. I do not recommend this album to anyone, unless you are a true Decyfer Down fan. Instead I recommend buying the individiual songs: Crash, Fading, Ride With Me, and Over My Head. If you're completely turned off to this album, at least get the song Fading."

A little disappointed...

mjab | Gardena, California | 05/24/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Their first album was not a masterpiece but it was a very good album, with solid rock, great vocals, etc... This album is not bad, but is just another good album, and being their second album I expected better.

Im disappointed for two things, first of all this album was pushed back for almost a year after its original release so I was hoping for more songs, they should have put at least one more song. The songs are really good but there is nothing original, it sounds like a lot of other bands out there and it leads me to the second thing that disappointed me, the vocals, maybe the originality of the band was thrown away with tj harris vocals, he sings good but he is just not Caleb Oliver, and I felt good knowing that Im not the only one that has that opinion.

Not sure to recommend buying this cd but if you like this album and have faith in this guys and you want to give it a chance, then support them."

Good, but you will miss Caleb Oliver's vocals

M. Lautenschlager | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 05/12/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you are new to Decyfer Down, just buy this album. You will love it. Excellent writing, terrific performances, this is still one of the top Christian rock bands in the world.



If you are a DD fan, you will miss Caleb Oliver on vocals. TJ Harris is a good singer, but Caleb had a unique sound. If Caleb sang with another band, I would instantly spot his voice. I could name you thirty rock singers that sound just like TJ. He's a great singer, really strong vocals, but he doesn't have that uniqueness to his voice.



By the way, there was a Crash EP released last fall with Crash, Best I Can, and a third song Now I'm Alive that didn't make the final album. These were sung by Caleb. If you want to compare Caleb's version of the title song with TJ's, track down the EP. I'm glad I bought it when it came out. I feel like it's a collector's item, sort of.



This album isn't as hard edged in its sound as End of Grey was, Decyfer Down has some change of pace songs here with a lighter touch. But it's still serious rock, they're not turning into a pop rock band. Not yet anyway. Despite my hurt over Caleb's leaving, I still recommend this band to you very much.



I would've rated this album five stars, except for the lead singer change. Buy it.

"