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Album Review
It's a bit of everything--alot of Jyro's
voice soaring majestically and passionately over epic riffs combined with
sweeter moments and poetic lyrics that always, always serve the music. I've
always loved the sound they got on the guitars--huge and heavy, but warm not
abrasive; a beautiful ear candy kind of heavy distortion that is often
enough as head-banging as ever. There is just something majestic about this
album (had to say that word again). The perfect example of, I think, an
album that balances a unified sound with creative variety. It starts with an
eq'ed mechanical rhythm and distorted guitar just to make you think this is
an industrial-influenced Fathom II and after 30 seconds it kicks into hard
rock band mode (just drums, guitar, bass mostly). Epic rock, sweet acousticy
moments between, some melodic pop rock for a couple of songs, epic ballad
rock... It's all just very prime stuff. Even the softer moments feel 'big',
like: the dream-pop/arenagazer ballad 'Oceanful'. 'Oceanful' is a major
accomplishment and one of my favorites.
I would be perfectly happy if this were the only album I had on a desert
island. Every song is a keeper and I am particularly vulnerable to the mix
of emotional textures, the yin/yang of the lush hard rock with the quieter
melodies and poetic heart. They compliment each other and everything comes
together under a unifying cosmic-sounding oceanic production. It feels
mystical, expansive, big but from the inside-out not the other way around
(an internal, not an impersonal kind of epic)... part of a dream. This is
truly inspiring rock--not just because the lyrics aspire to be, though they
do hit their mark--but because whatever spirit or god Jyro is channeling in
his search to make the best music possible is delivering here. The musical
accomplishment is undeniable.
The melodies are gorgeous. And as always, the arrangements are inventive,
the music is so well-thought out ('Oceanful' is a perfect example of all
this) it benefits from repeated listens. Most of the songs have different
movements to them which are expertly tied together; they don't ever sound
tacked together and they add to the song. Jyro seems to know just when to
withhold a chorus, when to go into one, when to slide into a bridge, when to
break it down into a balladric aside then a riff-fest then get right back to
a powerful chorus (see 'Sold')...or whatever the song needs. Mortal *has* to
be considered one of the all-time best christian artists, and this album is
essential to that argument. If Mortal had not already established themselves
as an evolvement of the industrial genre this album would have probably
received more attention. As it is, it stands alone and apart from the other
Mortal albums and the morph to pop-rock Fold Zandura that came after (as
does the rare Intense Live Series EP, an essential listen as well).
The album's true ending seems to be 'Sold'/'god of 3 strings' but you get
bonus tracks: a straight Beatle's cover 'Nowhere Man' and an evil-sounding
industrial 'to my Darling Whippoorwill' outro track that sounds like
something else entirely and about the only growling you are going to hear
here.
It's too bad that all christian musicians don't create sounds that are
Christian in nature instead of just ideology while the music itself remains
borrowed. The whole album just *feels* spiritual, true, pure in nature. Jyro's faith is in the sounds themselves, and it makes for very original
music and a different listening experience. It is also just a great pop
album that people of any faith or nonfaith can appreciate. And there's no
'preaching down' being done here. Jyro is perfectly happy writing a love
song (there are a few) or a song of vitriol or a serene instrumental as he
is expressing his passion for the divine and the divinity in creation
itself. Much of the imagery is natural: sun, moon, stars, waterfalls,
oceans, and those are the images that remain with me after listening to the
album because the the whole sound of the album harmonizes with them.
~
Stephen Duggar
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