Hey everyone!
Hope you are gearing up for the Christmas. I know that things are chaotic out there, as they are here, things feel like they are falling apart all over the place, but….one thing is for sure…..God is still in charge, and has not lost control. So, even in these tough times, we can all rely on Jesus to see us through!
I had a chance to do something completely different this time. I hooked up with Abilene (pronounced like Maybeline) who is a local Christian hardcore/metal band located in Sanford, North Carolina, which is about 20 minutes from me. So, we did our first video interview! I am so stoked about how this turned out! They guys in the band are awesome and did a great job. They truly are a spirit filled band, and make no bones about talking about Christ. They treat their music as a ministry and it shows through in their lyrics and music. Keep in mind that I am not a pro at interviews, I am guy like you, and my editing skills are getting better! So enjoy, have a laugh, and check out Abilene. (I also reviewed their new EP “Blinded By Fear” below)
HXCChristian.com Abilene Interview
http://myspacetv.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=48478477
Abilene “Blinded By Fear” EP Review
So the guys put together this 6 song EP called “Blinded by Fear” I first got my copy and immediately popped it into my car’s CD player and listened front to back. The line up on the EP includes two guitars, bass, drums, and vocals from two of the members, one singing clear clean vocals, the other singing the growling hardcore style we hear with bands like The Devil Wears Prada or As I Lay Dying. I don’t have a ton of music in my collection that is similar to this, but I do have an album each from Life In Your Way and Inked In Blood which you could easily compare the style of Abilene to.
The production on the CD is a bit raw, but that is not a bad thing. I like my music a bit more raw than polished, I think that it gives it more character. When I hear an album that is so overproduced it shines like a new gold tooth, it kind of turns me off. So in this case, the rawness of the album really works for me.
What does the band do well? They have some gnarly vocals on the EP that cut you down. The lyrics are great to, and you can understand Pat when he is singing which is a bonus for me, seems that most of the “screamo” type bands are pretty hard to understand, but not so with Pat, you can make out what he is saying just enough so you get the point the first time through. The guitars are blistering with a lead and rhythm, drum and bass are pretty solid. These guys are fairly new so I would bet that the more experience they gain, the better they will get. So keep an eye on them.
If you want to pick of a copy of “Blinded By Fear” you can get it on the Abilene myspace page, or on Sound Faith Music’s website.
