Collective Dust, a five-piece “crabcore” band from Clarksville, Tennessee, have been throwing some of the silliest singles for about a year now.  Now, they have an album.  With names like “2007 Called, They Want Their Music Back” and “Simon Says, ‘Circle Pit! Circle Pit!’” I caught a sense of early metalcore nostalgia.  I’ve not been that keen on that approach for the bands who lived through it, so a group of young dudes trying their hand at it can’t be much better, right?  I was wrong.  Very wrong.

Besides carrying the torch of 00s metalcore, Collective Dust’s main goal is to share Jesus with others.  Unlike some of their forefathers in the genre, they share Jesus clear lyrically with scriptural knowledge and bold testimony.   Almost equally part of their DNA is their pop-culture trappings and playful-bordering-silly imagery as seen with the Minecraft-inspired album title.  This combination of Jesus music with silliness reminds me of the ancient tradition of Holy Fools, which was common in Eastern Orthodoxy centuries ago.  Having my own appreciation for Weird Al Yankovic, this band has warmed my heart, but is that enough to overcome my apprehension of early 00s metalcore redux?

By not taking themselves seriously and stretching the rubrics of the genre they champion, “You May Not Rest Here” has much musical merit that they can easily swing both the ridiculous to the prayerful without causing one’s neck to snap.  Their joy is infectious.  Their musical intuition is well-tuned.  Their love of Jesus is a great example of 1 Cor. 4:10.  As a ministry, they nail it, and as a fun listen, they equally hit it.  For the more serious-minded (of which I often am), there might be cause for concern, but I say give it a chance.  Let me ‘splain.

First off, this is not unbridled nostalgic metalcore.  Think about a gamer living on Mountain Dew and Nerds candy with keen musical sense who loves metalcore: passionate, hyperactive, and electronica infused.  They blend punk, pop, and ‘core with quirky keys/electronic elements that support an approximate 50/50 split of good melodic clean and enjoyable harsh vocals where breakdowns abound.  The plenteous use of major key tonalities gives an upbeat, peppy, or otherwise optimistic vibe at times, where heavy guitars are used to add gravity.  That isn’t to say it is all sunshine as they tend to split equally between bright and darker tones, colored by atmospheric keyboards.

The opening track puts their disarming silliness in full view with hip-hop beats and raps before morphing into an intro to the first real track.  Despite the silly name, “2007 Called” speaks to the importance of letting go of the past, inspired by a string of Bible verses (Matthew 6:25-34, 2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 4:7, and Matthew 26:39).  The album lyrics reminders what it means to live as a Christian by fighting against hypocrisy (“Pretty Little Liar”), trusting in God’s providence (“Simon Says”), and the need for forgiveness (“You Tell ‘Em Jango”).  The lyrical voice is not so personal where it feels like you are reading someone else’s letters but makes it easy for you to enter the song.

However, their silliness is not an empty threat.  There is an oasis of goofiness in the middle of the album that starts with a mock broadcast about a Green Hero in “With Green Power” that goes into a pretty decent lighter song about a self-conscious superhero.  This is followed by a heavy metalcore ode to a ravenous housedog named Gunter before landing into my young’uns favorite, the Parry Gripp cover “Raining Tacos.”

The last two tracks show progressive musical muscle.  “Believe” is a tender praise and worship ballad supported by keyboard arpeggios.  The clean vocals are impeccable in pitch with a relatable everyman timbre.  The bridge imitates Schubert’s “Ave Maria” before the heavy guitars come in emphasizing the final heartfelt moments.  “That’s It!” is a winding journey from the darkness into the light as the lyrics face the meaning of death.  It brings together the various musical elements into a grand finale with sinister synths, brutal slams, and breakdowns as it slowly resolves into a rendition of a spiritual.

I can find little at fault with this quirky praise and worship album that lifts the spirits with their power punk metalcore.  The sound may not be completely original, but it is done well and directing it to sharing Jesus is brilliant.  For a genre that takes itself seriously, this band is refreshing, sharing joyful quirkiness and a real musical potential that I hope to hear more from for years to come.

Rating: 9.0/10
Written by Sean Bailey

Tracklist:
1 – Just Wait For The Redux!
2 – 2007 Called, They Want Their Music Back
3 – Pretty Little Liar
4 – You May Not Rest Now, There Are Monsters Nearby
5 – Simon Says “Circle Pit! Circle Pit!” (feat. PROJECT XENON)
6 – With Green Power Comes Green Responsibility
7 – Green Hero #1: The Hero Takes Flight
8 – Gunter Destroyer
9 – Raining Tacos
10 – Two Turtles
11 – You Tell ’Em Jango! I’m Too Mad!
12 – Me? Sarcastic? Never…
13 – This Ain’t Even A Real Place (feat. Jackson Scott)
14 – Believe
15 – That’s It! I’m Just Leaving This Place!

Collective Dust is:
Wilson Marshall – Vocals
Jacob Marshall – Guitar, Vocals
Kynan Kreidel – Guitar, Vocals
Noah Kreidel – Bass
Kole Kreidel – Drums

Release Date: October 9, 2026

Record Label: Charon Collective

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