My Ransomed Soul is a metalcore band from Maryland, USA that formed in 2007. They released their debut EP in 2009 when Brendan Frey (vocals) was still a young teenager and the band line-up had not yet gelled. They followed up with their ‘Hourglass’ EP (2010) and ‘Perceptions’ EP (2011), before settling into a more stable line-up for their full-length album ‘The Chains That Bind Us’ (2012). After extensive touring, they signed to Red Cord Records for their second full-length album ‘Falsehoods’ (2013).
My Ransomed Soul is not afraid to state that they are a Christian band made up of all Christian members. Whilst not forcing their beliefs on anyone, they do want everyone to know of the peace, hope, and truth they have found in Jesus Christ. Through their music and actions, the band wants to be a positive influence and is willing to talk to anyone about their beliefs. The current bad members are Brendan Frey (vocals), Garrison Frey (guitar), Mickey Basil (bass) and Daniel Busche (drums).
After a brief introductory track, they launch into ‘Call For Arms’. At first I thought this was going to be another cliché ridden track about ‘the scene’, but its nothing of the sort. In the UK, there has been much denigration of the Christian faith, so that it is seen as a secular or post-christian society. So I can appreciate their concern over the decline in Christianity in America with a marked rise in indifference, rejection or hostility towards religion. Brendan screams “How can we trust when all systems fail? / We must stand united / To fight the fight, so truth will prevail / or we will fall divided.”
They follow a similar theme in ‘Selfish Distance’ (featuring Ricky Armellino from This Or The Apocalypse). They state “Apathy is going to be the death of our society. We get so caught up in our own lives that we forget that we are not the center of the universe. We tend to ignore the needs of our fellow man more often than not. The thing we need to realize is that each individual can make a difference in the life of another. We have the power to extend love in ways that could change lives around the world. The question is, why don’t we? We can’t allow society to accept this as normal.”
‘Deceptions’ has a solid stomp with jagged riffs throughout, whilst also featuring clean guitar sections, before grinding to a halt. ‘Vices’ and ‘Amalgamate’ follow in a similar vein. So when the instrumental ‘Revelations’ opens with understated rhythms, its melodic influence makes a natural break before the next outpouring of ‘Dystopia’. “We will stand our ground, instead of being bound / Open your eyes, find truth all around / Use the tools at hands; this will be our stand”. They move up-tempo in ‘Regression’ with its technical guitar and time changes bound together by excellent drumming. And ‘Transcendence’ throws down one last challenge “We focus on what we can see; we always struggle to believe / Our trust lies in nothingness, as our souls start to digress / We stand in disbelief, where is our faith?”
The band seems to have found a secure foothold and has produced a solid release. Now they need to develop their sound and find their own space within the metalcore scene.
Rating: 6/10
Reviewed by Peter John Willoughby
Tracks:
1. Corruptions
2. Call To Arms
3. Selfish Distance
4. Deceptions
5. Vices
6. Amalgamate
7. Revelations
8. Dystopia
9. Regression
10. Transcendence
Band members:
Brendan Frey- Vocals
Garrison Frey – Guitar
Mickey Basil – Bass
Daniel Busche – Drums
Record Label: Red Cord Records, March 2013
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
USA: Metal Helm
Lyric video below for ‘Call To Arms’