The two-man wall of sound from Detroit released their second full length album late last year, and it is a killer! I had listened through the album a couple times on Spotify and really liked “Arrowheads” and “The Heat” suite, but it was when I took the time to listen to it intently that I was stirred in a way that only great music can.
American Arson, which started as a solo act for vocalist and guitarist Evan Baker, is about to celebrate their first decade this year. When the logistics of a session drummer for recording and touring didn’t make sense, Evan reached out for interested musicians to fill the spot permanently. Jesse Gentry stepped in, and they have been off to the races as a duo ever since. They released four EPs before their debut full-length album with Facedown in 2020.
American Arson play a rousing post-rock style that is organically grown from equal parts punk and hardcore. They have made it clear in interviews that they aim at making music that emotionally connects with listeners with honest lyrics. They have a penchant for stories and don’t shy away from their faith and hope in Christ. As a minimalist at heart, although far from in practice, I am fascinated by the fact there are only two guys in the band and make some pretty cool music.
“Sand & Cinder” showcases all that American Arson is known for and more. The style is decidedly post-rock oriented with fuzzy guitar chords and synth work over Jesse’s excellent drumwork. The highlight for me are the melodic vocals that are so intense yet hold onto catchy hooks that stay with you for days. The passion comes through so strong that Evan sounds close to losing control of his pitch but holds strong. The words are honest pulling the listener in even more. This album is all about heart and sharing that fire with others.
“The Almighty Arsonist” sets the stage for the album with a synth opening that is blown apart by the wall of sound declaring “Everything will burn.” After this short intro, it flows into “Low Tide” which showcases intense breakneck speed drumming juxtaposed with drawn out vocals and harmonies in the verse. This tension is resolved in the chorus with melodic vocals and a syncing of clocks of the instruments. So far, so good.
“Arrowheads” is one of best anthems I have heard in a long time. It opens with the full force of AA but then turns to an electronic dance beat to support the verse. The lyrics have a defiant quality that kindles the soul. The chorus is absolutely beautiful: incredible singable melody with defiantly victorious lyrics supported by intense instrumentation, The spoken word outro based on scripture shows that victory is already ours in Christ. We are already victorious!
The next three songs form “The Heat” suite. The inspiration for these songs are lessons Evan and Jesse learned that they wished they could go back in time and tell their teenage selves. The theme centers around what it means to make heartfelt Christ-centered music versus making money. “Run” starts off with a pop-rock feel to it and then glides into heavy rock with a catchy melody delivered with Evan’s characteristic rough edge. “Moonlight” starts with R&B-inspired rhythmic vocals that give way to a hardcore verse and a drawn out chorus. “Goodbye” is the closer of the suite and has some good melodic moments with some heavy-riffing and a taste of metalcore in the outro.
“Gaslight” is pretty good. It has a heavy rock feel to it, but it doesn’t quite reach the emotional heights as “Arrowheads.” “Hammer & Gavel” is the heaviest track of the bunch with the best display of guitar riffs on the album. The drums are absolutely pummeling with blast beats making this the closest to sounding like metal on the album. The lyrics call out, “Kingdom come, let the rest burn down.” recalling the Christian hope in the new heaven and earth.
“Adversity” sings of how from adversity and failure, we learn and grow. It shares stories from their past, most notable around Christian radio playing one of their early career singles, “Fingerprints.” It has a good hard rock feel declaring, “God bless Adversity.” Overall a great track leading into the closing of the album.
“Promises” starts with an optimistic synth layers supporting spoken word. “We have promises to keep” is admonished many times giving a sense of urgency and purpose. This leads into the final track “Blood” which carries that optimism and hope into an awesome positive anthem with a great sing-a-long chorus. The lyrics have a Vox Christi quality to them with lines like “Hold on to me, we will reach the end, we have come a long long way.” As the longest song, the song winds through various changes of textures, but I absolutely love the climactic final chorus and acoustic outro, a really inspirational end to a great second album by these guys.
The only gripes, which are few and minor, would be around the cadences to some of the songs and some of the sudden changes that break up a song’s momentum. As for the cadences, some of them just fade away, like a friend not saying goodbye such as in “Low Tide” or the rather odd sustained chord at the end of the incredible “Arrowheads.” The changes in pace at the chorus within “Moonlight” kind of stopped the momentum that I really wanted to keep going forward. These jumped out for me, but might not for others.
I somewhat regret not getting to know this album ahead of time, because I am sure that this would’ve made it to my top 10 for 2023. The honesty and straightforwardness of the message for American Arson is palpable and oddly comforting. It reminds me of a minimalist Attalus with some hardcore edging. I definitely recommend this album to fans of post-rock, hardcore, and punk genres that are looking for something inspirational.
Rating: 9.5/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist
1 – The Almighty Arsonist
2 – Low Tide
3 – Arrowheads
4 – The Heat I: Run
5 – The Heat II: Moonlight
6 – The Heat III: Goodbye
7 – Gaslight
8 – Hammer & Gavel
9 – Adversity
10 – Promises
11 – Blood
American Arson is:
Evan Baker – vocals, guitar
Jesse Gentry – drums, vocals
Release Date: November 3, 2023
Record Label: Facedown Records
Discography:
The Vine & The Branches EP (2014)
The Seeds & The Soil EP (2015)
The Blood & The Bones EP (2015)
Waymaker EP (2017)
Rise And Fall EP (2019)
A Line In The Sand (2020) [review]
Sand & Cinder, Tide & Timber (2023)
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | X (Twitter) | Spotify
Video for ‘Arrowheads’
Video for ‘Hammer & Gavel’