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The gift of creativity is an amazing thing, and the chemistry that sparks between creative people is also amazing.\u00a0 Sequestering yourself in a basement or a studio and waiting to see what happens when ideas are brought together is an exciting process.\u00a0 When an album like Nothing\u2019s As Real As It Seems<\/span> comes along, it\u2019s hard to believe that this process never took place.<\/span><\/p>\n \n The World Will Burn is a collaboration between Dale Thompson, best known as the lead vocalist of Bride, and songwriter Alan Zaring.\u00a0 The process of hashing it all out in a rehearsal environment never happened because Zaring lives in the United States, and Thompson lives in New Zealand.\u00a0 For that process to not have happened and for this album to be the result is very impressive.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Nothing\u2019s As Real As It Seems<\/span> plays out like a concept album, with vivid imagery and lyrical themes being repeated in multiple songs.\u00a0 In the liner notes, Dale Thompson writes, \u201cDavid played the chord, surrendered the discord, giving up his shame and sorrow, and Jesus gave him the words.\u00a0 This is the theme of the project. \u2018Breaking the power of hell\u2019 which causes fear in our lives, where Jesus takes over the song and turns sin into grace.\u00a0 None of us can ever finish the song we are destined to sing until we let go and give our song to Jesus, who, on our behalf, finishes the song of our life in perfect harmony.\u201d\u00a0 This theme is relayed through lyrics that are both thought provoking and, at times, daunting. The concepts aren\u2019t readily apparent and it will take some processing to take it all in.\u00a0 The message is there and once it hits you it is powerful.<\/span><\/p>\n \n The album is a split of duties, with Thompson writing all of the lyrics and Alan Zaring writing all of the music and the songs ranging from straight up rockers to being borderline experimental at the extremes.\u00a0 In between, each song sounds like a fresh take on heavy music, avoiding clich\u00e9s and proven formulas.\u00a0 The production is big and full, with a lot of different effects and sounds being used throughout the recording.\u00a0 The album was mixed by Tim Bushong (Lovewar), who also appears as a guest along with Troy Thompson (Bride).\u00a0 Recording and producing were done by Alan Zaring, with Tony Pedley acting as executive producer.\u00a0 The album packaging includes original artwork by Dale Thompson.\u00a0 The result of all of this is a very hands-on influence by the band themselves.<\/span><\/p>\n \n The performances on the album are top notch.\u00a0 Aaron Bushong (The Great Flood Catastrophe) debuts with the band on drums and he shines throughout, displaying an ability to drive the heavier songs and groove on the more experimental numbers.\u00a0 Zaring handles guitars, bass, keyboards and backing vocals.\u00a0 He is clearly a talented musician with a mature approach to songwriting.\u00a0 He has a knack for creating songs that are epic in sound but concise in their delivery.\u00a0 Only one song on the album runs over the five-minute mark, yet you are left with the feeling that you have experienced something much larger.\u00a0 This is accomplished by having the listener caught up in everything that is happening within the song.\u00a0 The instrumentation, varieties of effects, layered vocals and uncommon song structures create a palette of sound that demands attention.\u00a0 An example of this is found on \u201cListen for the Symphony\u201d.\u00a0 The song opens with an atmospheric introduction before adding drums and distorted guitars in the verse.\u00a0 The song takes off from there and goes into an infectious groove before everything drops out and returns to the same music heard in the introduction.\u00a0 The song turns again and throws us back into the groove.\u00a0 All of this is punctuated by layers of lead and backing vocals.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Which brings us to Dale Thompson.\u00a0 The instantly recognizable signature of his voice is as strong now as it ever was.\u00a0 I remember him being asked, years ago, how long he would continue to sing in this style and his response was something along the lines of \u201cAs long as the Lord gives me my voice, I\u2019ll keep doing it\u201d.\u00a0 Based on his performance on this recording, he is clearly still being blessed.\u00a0 Anyone who enjoyed his singing in the past will thoroughly enjoy his work on this album.\u00a0 There are even a few surprises, as he adopts a low-registered delivery in \u201cNo One Believes in Hell\u201d and \u201cLove Fills\u201d that is reminiscent of Eric Clayton of Savior Machine, or Jimmy Brown from Deliverance.\u00a0 Another change of pace are two spoken word narratives.\u00a0 \u201cLead Balloon\u201d is delivered over a groove featuring electric piano.\u00a0 \u201cBoxing Ring\u201d is a very interesting song, both lyrically and musically. The music has a jazzy, experimental tone and the lyrics are full of oxymorons, contradictions and ironic humor.<\/span><\/p>\n \n It is nearly impossible to avoid moments of nostalgia while hearing Dale Thompson perform at the level that he does on this recording, and it would be easy to keep The World Will Burn in the long shadow of pioneers like Bride, but this band and album stand completely on their own.\u00a0 They have taken a fresh and unique approach to creating heavy, thoughtful music without compromising their message.\u00a0 Nothing\u2019s As Real As It Seems<\/span> avoids playing it safe and the payoff is huge.<\/span><\/p>\n \n (Indie) 4.5 flames out of 5<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The gift of creativity is an amazing thing, and the chemistry that sparks between creative…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":234,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1020],"tags":[31,5,315,317,316,217],"class_list":["post-2775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review","tag-bride-d64","tag-deliverance","tag-lovewar-d56","tag-saviour-machine","tag-the-great-flood-catastrophe","tag-the-world-will-burn"],"yoast_head":"\n