Release Date: 22 May, 2001
Audio CD
Tracks
- How Long
- Scream
- All Over Me
- Heaven
- Lay It Down
- Nightglow
- Blow My Mind
- Halo
- Rush
- Secret
- Hands
- Live Out Loud
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Rating 4.5
Music: Phenomenal Lyrics:repetitive repetitive repetitive...Benjamin Gate were a South African Christian alternative rock band led by female vocalist Adrienne Liesching. ("The actual Benjamin Gate was one of the original gates in the walls of ancient Jerusalem that they used to herd the young sheep through," explains the band's drummer, Brett Palmer. "For us, that directly relates to youth, and our music being a gateway between the church and the world." Now you know where the odd name comes from...) They released 2 albums before breaking up when Liesching wed fellow Christian rocker Jeremy Camp. Along the way, the group traded in gnarly guitar riffs but with plenty of "techno" touches (phased keyboards and filtered vocals) and the powerhouse tender or tough vocals from 19 year old Adrienne. The comparisons to Garbage are probably about the best in terms of sonics, though this group tends to be "heavier" than Garbage usually is.
HIGHLIGHTS:
"All Over Me", the big radio hit, is undoubtedly the finest tune here. The charging "Blow my Mind" is an all-out assault on the senses coupling a throbbing club drumbeat with a thick instrumental track full of production tricks. It's probably the most "techno" song here. "Lay it Down" overcomes its weak chorus (say "lay it down" again and again and again...) with sheer shredding guitar power and vocal fury. "Hands" is a beautiful but menacing piano ballad that resembles Evananescence's huge hit "My Immortal" (though it predates it by 2 years). It proves Liesching has the voice for ballads.
LOWS:
Biggest criticism overall is boring choruses lyrically. As another reviewer pointed out, they're often nothing more than the song's title ad infinitum and as a result sap the power away from a lot of the songs. "Rush" probably is the worst offender where the chorus is "Your grace/Your grace/Your grace/Your grace/Oh Jesus/Oh Jesus". (No, really, that's it..) The tragic part is the song has a VERY cool Psalm 1 rap but it's hard to take it fully seriously in the midst of the rest of the lyric.
BOTTOM LINE:
After 4 years of distance, this album doesn't sound as good to me as I once thought. The music's still phenomenal but it's harder not to snicker at the lyrics on some of the tracks. Worth having for the best tracks but not one that will be a favourite of mine in 10 years or so.
POSTSCRIPT:
There's a hidden track (sort of) called "(Did you Know that) I Love You?" It's track 77 on the CD.The best Christian release of its yearI find it so sad that the Benjamin Gate did not become huge stars. Granted, their singer married Jeremy Camp and then broke up the band, but before then, they were still not at the level of success they deserved.
Out of thousands of Christian releases that year (2001?), the Benjamin Gate's "Untitled" stood out head and shoulders. Their songs are melodic, futuristic, worshipful, thrilling, grooving, powerful, and just plain GREAT rock and roll.
They remind me of Missing Persons circa 1983. They are techno-sounding but without the use of keyboards. Their guitarists are genius. There are so many sonic elements to chew on and their rhythm section never fails to make me want to drive fast!
I have never met anyone who was disappointed with this CD. Live, they were tremendous, which is sad that they no longer exist. If you are interested in Christian music that goes beyond the three-chord pop format, this is an excellent listen. I cannot rate them highly enough.Music from Heaven?This gospel group is my favourite one. Adrienne Liesching can sing very good and the band has something to tell...about Jesus. "Scream", "All Over Me", "Blow My Mind", "Halo", and "True" (the hidden bonus track) are all praising songs. I get to know with this band when I heard "All Over Me" in some gospel collection. "Lay It Down", "True", and "Live Out Loud" are great rock songs...almost heavy rock...that's why I like them so much. "Lay It Down" is so fast rock song...yeah! The peaceful songs "Heaven", "Halo", "Secret", and "Hands" are so great tracks I wanna dance. "Nightglow" is a little bit boring track but I guess that can be forgiven when they have done so many other good tracks.
Stars: How Long, All Over Me, Heaven, Hands |
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