Review: Every Thought Captive – Death is at Work in Us
Those who pay close attention will know that I gave a rare perfect 5-star review to this band’s debut EP, Eternal Conscious Punishment. Following up a perfect release—albeit it a 3-song EP—is difficult. The bar is set high. Can the band—any band—achieve the same or similar heights on the follow up?
Musically, Death is at Work in Us is similar to ECP but there are some noticeable dissimilarities as well. Overall, genre-wise, I’d put into the melodic death metal category, and as before there are hints of other extreme metal subgenres. While before they dabbled in doom, progressive and avant garde styles, there seems to be a tiny bit less experimentation with those genres. Vocally, a variety of styles are used however, but death metal growls, to black metal rasps, and some -core type shouts from time to time.
“Joy Deferred” opens up the disc with a set of powerful riffs alternating between 16th note riffs and staccato riffs all in the span of one bar. Vocals are rawer this time than I remember. I wasn’t sure what to think of it at first, but it’s really grown on me through repeated listens. When we factor in all the recent controversies of “is this AI or not?” it really helps to hear vocals when the lead screamer sounds like he’s in danger of shredding his vocals cords, without effects. The chorus has a semi-melodic refrain, leaving the listener with no room for doubt about where the band stands in regard to matters of faith:
Sacred mercy
Fill this place
Holy Spirit
Soul embrace
Momentary
Joy deferred
Break the cycle
Faith now spurred
Track two comes out of the gate with the plea, “Hide Me in the Shadow of Your Wings” (lifted straight out of Psalm 17:8) and starts with a blastbeat intro but then settles into a slow, sludgy pace for the verses, then a more straight-forward take on the chorus, showing our first hint at a faint metallic hardcore influence on this release. It’s minimal though as we also have a lengthy piano riff, once again bringing back the melodic and progressive influence seen elsewhere by the band before going back into the blastbeat section of the intro. This song is a prayerful take on personal spiritual warfare as one fights through dark thoughts and emotions.
“Vessel for our Escape” has a start-stop riff that is similar to “Reject” by Living Sacrifice without being a clone, nor delving too deep into metalcore. They utilize a cool layering effect on the vocals (or so it sounds) where one can hear the growled death metal vocals clearly, an often-rare accomplishment for this genre. There’s a complicated breakdown at the 2:16 mark that slays me. I still can’t quite figure out the timing of it, even having a mild background in music theory. Again, this feels slightly like a nod to Living Sacrifice.
“Hope Endured” is a slower tune with some clean female vocals on the chorus balancing the screams on the verses and bridge. The pace and style of the song fit the lyrics, which serve as a tribute to lost loved ones who have fought the good fight of faith:
The God of all creation
Receives you as His own
At last you shall hear them
Thine own king’s words:
“Well done good and faithful servant”
Rest in glory forevermore
A life of hardship
will be redeemed
The throne of Heaven
A righteous gleam
Through tribulation
and times of fear
The Lord your master
will bring you near
Track 5, “Sanctification” is an instrumental track. I love instrumental metal, but I must also say I was mildly disappointed not to have a lyrical exploration of the biblical topic of sanctification—a rare topic for Christian metal, and one I think Every Thought Captive could tackle competently, considering their lyrical prowess and theological depth. Nonetheless, this is a cool track with a very long buildup. The song is over 9 minutes long and might appeal to bands with lengthier songs like In Vain or even Vials of Wrath (though the style is different, the juxtaposition of melodic and brutal elements and the lengthy, sweeping passages make the comparison apt).
Next up is “ . . . And on His Own Skull His Violence Descends” starts out with an ultra-heavy, slow dirge riff, similar to some of the ones Embodyment used to use in their early death metal/deathcore era. The similarities end there, as the song moves into more straight-forward riffing and tempo. But what does straight-forward mean when the band moves in and out of tempos, riffing structures, and even death metal subgenres? Case in point, a minute later we’re back into the sludgy riff, and then back thrashing again. It’s this kind of time signature change and alternating riff sections that made me fall in love with extreme metal in the first place. Lyrically the song deals with the endless cycle of violence from the powers that be. It could be aimed at politicians, or simply anyone who wields violence as their modus operandi.
“Forsake Me Not When My Strength is Spent” opens with an acoustic bass guitar (or possibly a down-tuned acoustic guitar) and percussion for a lengthy intro before the electric guitars and full drums kick in. Here again we have a lengthy progressive death metal intro, that clearly complicates the lyrical theme of the tune. The album appears to have a recurring theme of despair and hopelessness (either through depression and mental illness, or simply the woes of living in a sin-infested world), and yet the victory available for those in Christ:
It’s closing in
All hopelessness
Preservation
No longer safe
Behold the grand
Lamentation
We will survive
The promise is alive
Restoration
Hope can revive
Songs of victory
Told through liturgy
Embolden yours
throughout all history
I, for one, really appreciate that the band is able to tackle weighty topics, and even dark emotions, and yet point to the only one who can help us.
The final track is the album’s namesake, and is another lengthy tune, clocking in at over 8 minutes long. The song has elements of melodeath, progressive metal, doom metal and at times hints at blackgaze, though never fully committing to it. We also have the use of the atmospheric female vocals on this track. At 5:20 we have a chunkier riff, offset by some clean lean guitars, and then a proggy synth riff over the top of it all.
Overall, this is a top-notch melodic death metal release with real theological depth, something often missing from Christian metal releases. For my own mileage, the band is at their best when they’re tinkering with time signatures and complicated riffs. The lengthy progressive sections are cool to a degree, but too much of it and I start to lose a tiny bit of interest. Having said that, Every Thought Captive is still one of the most exciting projects to hit Christian extreme metal in a very long time.
My rating: 4 out of 5
Order online from Broken Curfew Records: Death Is At Work In Us | Every Thought Captive
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