Search - Spoken :: Spoken

Excellent

Timothy S. Estabrooks | Knoxville, TN | 12/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The fact that this is a self-titled album may cause you to believe that Spoken is a new band. In fact, they have been going strong for a solid ten years in the Christian hardcore/metal scene, and this is their latest effort.



I received this CD for free via a local radio station promotion, and it was my first introduction to Spoken. Having heard before of their style, and not being a big fan of hardcore/screamo music, my expectations were quite low. As it turns out, this CD gave me a pleasant surprise.



The album starts out strong with "History Erased", probably the hardest hitting song on the album. Even more than that, though, "History Erased" highlights my favorite aspect of this band: lead singer Matt Baird can and does sing quite often, and never lets himself get bogged down in never-ending screaming.



This concept is repeated throughout the album, with varying success. The high point of Spoken is without doubt the fourth track, "Trading in this Troubled Heart". Baird's voice perfectly fits the driving tune and then climbs to an energy-filled climax as he literally shrieks out the final lines.



Among the other songs, one quickly notices "You're the One", a slow, heartfelt ballad, and "Start the Revolution", a rather ethereal instrumental. That said, no other single track stands out in the way that "History Erased" and "TITTH" do, but the entire effort is overall quite solid, and with the possible exception of "Not Soon Forgotten" and "Brought to Life", no song is noticeably weak.



With a few high moments and many more enjoyable tracks, all in all Spoken is a great CD for fans of hardcore music and even those who aren't may, like myself, find something to love in Spoken."