Convictions, the long-running metalcore outfit from Ohio released their latest full length album “Fear of God” on August 2nd and it is heavy. They have been around since 2009 brandishing an emotionally charged form of metalcore that brings life to their message of “Aggressive Worship,” not shying away from their Christian identity. Built around drummer Zachary Schwochow since the beginning and lead vocalist Michael Felker since their debut, the band for this outing has had some recent lineup changes due to both their guitarist and bassist leaving shortly after the release of the “I Won’t Survive” EP. They have built the band back up with bassist Jacob Flores, and guitarists Patrick Shekut and Quinton Drier (who also does clean vocals), signaling that there might be a deeper sound in store for us on “The Fear of God.”
In short, this album is a free therapy session. The shear emotional intensity is palpable to the point that I get sympathy pains. Conviction’s artistic focus is on lyrics that struggle with very heavy subjects. It is not aggressive worship, but honest confessions of a broken world with a humble supplication to God. The music springs from the lyrics in a somewhat mystical blend of metalcore, post-rock and ambiance that weave into an intense cathartic experience. The deeper orchestration with the keyboards and additional guitar add musical flora to the landscape that makes the message all the more real.
The lyrics touch on tough subjects such as domestic violence, suicide, and loss, just to name a few. They make it clear being Christian doesn’t make one exempt from the struggles of the world, which the lyrics make abundantly clear, but it isn’t absent of hope. The lyrics typically begin with a visceral catharsis driven by Michael Felker’s deathcore-tinged vocals until there is an exhaustion of that pessimism. At that point, the lyrics turn upwards to hope, often as a prayer of surrender to God as the source of hope and joy. More than one of these songs touch me personally where I can empathize with every scream and resound with an “Amen.”
The music parallels the lyrics, pulling extensively from their metalcore chops for these cathartic episodes. Michael’s vocals are on point, pouring emotion in his harsh vocals leaning closer to death vocals than unhinged screaming. The rhythm section lays down rather standard metalcore to support, but it is the extra electronic elements and lead guitar work that elevate it above “just another metalcore” album, providing more harmonic context.
The choruses tend to be more reflective offering a melodic oasis with Quinton’s melodic clean vocals piercing through. The balance between the heavy and melodic vocals on the album hits a sweet spot for me where there are almost equal parts of each, but not on every song. For example “Four Horses” and “The Crucible” both are heavy intense beatdowns without letting up while “Hurts Like Hell” and “The Coastal Glow” mellow out a little more with melody.
As the songs unfold and these emotions are poured out, the songs often will move towards a slowdown into sludgy tempos. Although metalcore is their go-to musical language, the ambiance in “Hurts Like Hell,” post-rock work in “Coastal Glow” and the grooving metal towards the end of “Buried in Thorns” give the variety needed for me to continue on.
I’ve never seen so many music videos for an album! Apparently the former bassist for the band John Fleischmann has taken on a new role as their music video producer. I am not one to watch music videos, but the one for “Coastal Glow” was totally unexpected and quite humorous.
The album is rather quick at a 30 minute runtime. With the first and last tracks acting as an intro and an outro to the album, that still leaves 8 tightly packed songs. The production is polished and some excellent musical performances in that short runtime with no real flubs nor monoliths along the way. I am left generally with a metalcore after-taste which will please fans of the band and the genre, but I also get a glimpse of something else in their sound that portends something bigger in the future. Looking forward to seeing them continue to blaze forward.
Rating: 8.5/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist
1 – The End is Nigh
2 – Sleeping Lotus
3 – Four Horses
4 – Hurts Like Hell
5 – Buried in Thorns
6 – Crucible
7 – Waking Nightmare
8 – The Coastal Glow
9 – Swansong
10 – The Fear of God
Convictions is:
Michael Felker – unclean vocals
Zach Schwochow – drums
Jacob Flores – bass
Patrick Shekut – guitar
Quinton Dreier – guitar, clean vocals
Release Date: August 2, 2024
Record Label: Independent
Discography:
I Am Nothing (2012)
Unworthy – EP (2013)
I Will Become (2016)
Hallowed Spirit | Violent Divide – EP (2015)
Hope for the Broken (2018) [review]
I Won’t Survive – EP (2021) [review]
The Fear of God (2024)
Social Media: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp
Video for The Fear of God
Video for The Coastal Glow
Video for Buried Under Thorns
Video for Four Horses