People stung by criticism or rejection are advised to step away from the heat of the moment and resist lashing out (“The Red”). They also need to be authentic about past pain to experience healing (“Don’t Fake This”). On the title cut, the singer struggles to preserve his creative vision in a controlling music biz. He decides it’s far better to “Forfeit” an argument than fight to prove himself right and damage a relationship. “Grab Thy Hand” is a prayer to God that seeks release from an unspecified trial.
Although obscure, “Send the Pain Below,” “Family System” and “Closure” deal with angst and despair without any clear resolution. Lines on “An Evening With El Diablo” seem to respect aspects of Satan’s character, and find some worth emulating (“You display good traits, though a few . . . Wish I had your faults”).
These three home-schooled brothers from Chicago captured a Dove Award for Hard Music Album of the year in 2000, then others for Hard Music Song in 2000 and ’01. With a lone exception, any blatant Christian content gives way to crossover ambiguity. Wonder What’s Next is an extremely cryptic disc.
