Isolated lines acknowledge sin (“Panic Prone”) and advocate pressing toward a goal (“Get Some”). “Tug-O-War” says, “The reason never outweighs the truth.” Freedom is preferable to slavery on the obscure “To Return.” “The Clincher” could be recognizing Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross, while “Emotional Drought” wants to turn empty debate into positive action. “Vitamin R (Leading Us Along)” condemns pharmaceutical companies taking advantage of an overly medicated culture. “Breach Birth” pleads for positive nonconformity (“Be brave, reshape/Can’t force all into molds … Dare we live without molds”).
The music’s angry tone lends an edge to lyrics such as “To live and burn is tug-o-war/Raped!” (“Tug-O-War”) and “Killing the angles/Picking and choosing to screw us all one by one” (“Still Running”). The singer also voices a couple of mild profanities.
Drummer Sam Loeffler calls this disc “way heavier” than Chevelle’s last two albums. It is. That grittiness may turn off some families. As for its moral compass, most songs are too cryptic to provide a solid read on where these guys are coming from, though the needle seems to point in a generally acceptable direction.
After serving as an associate editor at NavPress’ Discipleship Journal and consulting editor for Current Thoughts and Trends, Adam now oversees the editing and publishing of Plugged In’s reviews as the site’s director. He and his wife, Jennifer, have three children. In their free time, the Holzes enjoy playing games, a variety of musical instruments, swimming and … watching movies.