Music Review: Day of Fire - Losing All

Genre: Rock
Label: Razor and Tie
Release Date: January 26, 2010

Rating: 4.5/5

I grew up on a lot of non-Christian music before I was a Christian. I was a big Metallica fan. I listened to Alice-in-Chains, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, Our Lady Peace, Nirvana, and later Finger Eleven and Buckcherry. I was a fan of some older rock as well – Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Skynyrd. I listened to the gamut, the Almond Brothers and Clapton to Black Sabbath, The Who to Megadeth, Guns N' Roses and White Zombie, among many others. When I became a Christian, I quickly looked for Christian counterparts to some of these bands, ones that would portray a better message (I still listen to a lot of same bands – I’m not saying they’re evil).

Although Christian music has come a long way in terms of production thanks to the money being made in it, true musicianship and song-writing capabilities are still not at the level of secular music, in my opinion. Especially in the rock genre, you can still hear a difference in the level of songs, even though the production has caught up.

Enter Day of Fire. Back in my earlier days, one of the bands I listened to was Full Devil Jacket, the band Josh Brown fronted before becoming a Christian and starting Day of Fire. While I enjoyed the band’s first 2 albums (“Cornerstone” is an amazing song), I hadn’t been quite as impressed as I was by Josh’s work with Full Devil Jacket. There was just a rawness missing. After a break that included new management and a new label, Day of Fire is back with Losing All, and it marks a return to why I enjoyed Brown’s earlier work more – this is simply a fantastic rock album.

From the energy of the opener “Light ‘Em up” and first single “Lately,” it’s clear that Josh has discovered how to balance his Christian faith with creating a rock album that lacks a distinctly “Christian” sound. Save some of the lyrical content, I have no trouble imagining some of these songs played on my local rock station. The quality and sophistication of song-writing is that good. The guitar riffs, drums and baselines are straight-up rock, mixing in just enough guitar solos to keep things interesting. Simply put, I haven’t enjoyed a “Christian” hard rock album this much in a long time.

Lest you think my suggestion they could be played on a normal rock station suggests they’ve toned down distinctly Christian thoughts, think again. The lyrics are nuanced and symbolic (like most good rock lyrics), but are powerful and, at times, profound. One song, in particular, that’s been haunting me is the album’s closer, “The Dark Hills.” Musically, the song is fantastic; utilizing a pulsating drum beat throughout that crescendos magnificently. When this is combined with the lyrical imagery, the results gave me chills.

Brown sings:

If anybody knew this ugliness inside me
Would they throw a stone, would they crucify me?
How heavy was the crown of thorns?
I wonder if I’m too far gone

They say Jesus walked the dark hills
He broke bread with beggars and thieves
If I cry out in this darkness, if I fall down on my knees
If he walks the dark hills, will he come for me?

I think this album will likely go largely unappreciated. It’s not polished by overproduction. It has a very raw sound to it, both instrumentally and vocally. I picture hearing this music in a small club amidst smoke in the air. I have my doubts that feel will have large mass appeal in the Christian market. Hopefully, the album will connect with some non-Christians who will hear powerful pictures of grace like “The Dark Hills.” I would have listened to them back before I was a Christian, and I’ll definitely be listening to this album plenty now that I am.