Anberlin’s 5th studio album is called “Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place”. Anberlin is an interesting alternative rock band, as they started out with this raw and energetic sound, but on the first two albums, while some of the songs were quite excellent, things had the the tendency to get a little messy. But through the years Anberlin grew out to one of the more consistently strong alternative rock bands in the scene. Their previous albums “Cities” & “New Surrender” were strong efforts that gave them a rightful place among their peers.
With this new album they sound a little more polished than they did on their previous albums, but the songs are strong, the lyrics relatable and they haven’t lost any energy. In many ways the album is more balanced than all their previous albums.
Energetic rock songs, some slower paced emotionally laden songs and overall just a high intensity album. It’s what Anberlin does best and they didn’t try to hide who they are and they didn’t try to do something completely different just for the kick of it. What Anberlin did on “Dark Is The Way..” is exactly what the fans want to hear.
Radio singles We Owe This To Ourselves and Impossible kick off the album in a recognizable fashion. Slicker power songs like Take Me (As You Found Me) [obvious 80s influences] and the semi-acoustic Down are a refreshing sound on this album and show Anberlin has more to offer than you might think at first. But the tracks that really impress are Art of War which has a slight 70s art rock vibe to it, but in a modern version, and the powerful To The Wolves, which is played with drive, energy and utter conviction. Stephen Christian went out to do his solo project Anchor & Braille and while it may not have been commercially successful it does seem like it gave him a wide perspective on his songwriting and you can hear that in the diversity Anberlin shows on “Dark Is The Way..”
The album is in synch with where Anberlin is as a band. The band is steadily growing and so is their fanbase and with this new album there’s a big chance their fanbase will grow further. If Anberlin wasn’t ready yet to take the world by storm then they sure are now. Because with “Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place” Anberlin found a way to connect to a little more mainstream audience without really having to go mainstream. It’s an achievement in itself to open yourself up to a broader audience while at the same time staying true to who you are as a band. Hats off!
With this new album they sound a little more polished than they did on their previous albums, but the songs are strong, the lyrics relatable and they haven’t lost any energy. In many ways the album is more balanced than all their previous albums.
Energetic rock songs, some slower paced emotionally laden songs and overall just a high intensity album. It’s what Anberlin does best and they didn’t try to hide who they are and they didn’t try to do something completely different just for the kick of it. What Anberlin did on “Dark Is The Way..” is exactly what the fans want to hear.
Radio singles We Owe This To Ourselves and Impossible kick off the album in a recognizable fashion. Slicker power songs like Take Me (As You Found Me) [obvious 80s influences] and the semi-acoustic Down are a refreshing sound on this album and show Anberlin has more to offer than you might think at first. But the tracks that really impress are Art of War which has a slight 70s art rock vibe to it, but in a modern version, and the powerful To The Wolves, which is played with drive, energy and utter conviction. Stephen Christian went out to do his solo project Anchor & Braille and while it may not have been commercially successful it does seem like it gave him a wide perspective on his songwriting and you can hear that in the diversity Anberlin shows on “Dark Is The Way..”
The album is in synch with where Anberlin is as a band. The band is steadily growing and so is their fanbase and with this new album there’s a big chance their fanbase will grow further. If Anberlin wasn’t ready yet to take the world by storm then they sure are now. Because with “Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place” Anberlin found a way to connect to a little more mainstream audience without really having to go mainstream. It’s an achievement in itself to open yourself up to a broader audience while at the same time staying true to who you are as a band. Hats off!
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