This coming Tuesday is a big day for Florida alt-rockers, Anberlin. It marks the release of their fifth studio album, Dark Is The Way, Light Is a Place. Probably one of the most up and coming bands from the scene, Anberlin are starting to make waves in pop radio markets. This no doubt started with the re-release of "Feel Good Drag" off their 2008 album, New Surrender. And coming into this record, it's clear the boys haven't slowed down.
The 10-song album explodes on the first track, "We Owe This To Ourselves." In classic Anberlin fashion, the guys have melded melody with extremely technical guitar playing straight through the song's breakdown. Post breakdown is met with Nathan Young's signature tight drumming which leads into a lone piano playing the track out.
Though "Owe This" might sound reminiscent of Anberlin's earlier work on Cities, guitarist Christian McAlhaney told Backstage Press that the band didn't want to put out more of the same thing.
"We just tried a lot of different stuff, a lot of different instrumentation," said McAlhaney. "I mean there's one song that has almost a Latin beat, which is totally bizarre. We've never done that. We're just trying new things, really."
That idea of trying new things can best be heard on tracks like "Closer and "Art of War." The latter even opens with a mixture of electronic beats and an organ.
Lyrically, Dark is well, darker. It seems that lead singer Stephen Christian took an extremely personal approach in writing this album as evidenced in "Pray Tell." Are you hiding secrets from me?/ Is there more to this life than I can see?/ What will I find out over time?/ waiting for the moment to arrive.
Avid Anberlin fans should be happy with the record. All your classic Anberlin elements are there. Dark is a fast-paced, catchy album that's just as radio ready as it is stage ready. Simply put, it's a must have.
Songs to Download: We Owe This To Ourselves, Pray Tell, Art of War
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