Album Review

After joining Flicker Records, Pillar has released “Above” and now their latest offering called “Fireproof”.  Their singles have exploded onto the Christian music scene, and Pillar took home the 2001 Dove Award for “Best Hard Rock Album of the Year” and the 2002 Dove Award for “Hard Rock Recorded Song of the Year”.  The “Above” cd had a #1 song in Open Your Eyes, and two #2 songs in Live for Him and Original Superman on the Christian Rock charts.  Open Your Eyes also reigned on top of the Christian video charts.  “Fireproof” has already produced a #1 song in the cover song in a few short weeks after the single was released for radio. 

Pillar had a busy touring schedule in the past year as they headlined their first tour through 35 cities with special guests Benjamin Gate and East West.  Pillar also played at over 16 festivals over the summer including Cornerstone, Alive and Ichthus.

Pillar remains in limbo, as they wait to see if their lead singer will be called off to serve his country in the Army reserves.  He can be called at anytime to go serve and already was called once only to be called back and told that someone else was going in his place.  This situation is definitely affecting the future of the band and their touring schedule, but the band has put it in God’s hands.    

The CD

This cd is very strong with very few weak songs throughout the cd.  The signature song of the cd is the first song and if you are one of those people that buy a cd for one song and listen to it over and over, Fireproof definitely is one of those songs.  Fireproof has held a position as one of the top Christian Rock singles since it was released and climbed to number one within weeks of being released and held the top spot for 6 weeks straight.   

The cd covers a wide variety of subjects with the second track Just to Get By confronting Christians sitting on fence to make a firm faith commitment.  Track three Echelon goes into the balance of the good of the country and the glory of Christ that the lead singer brought from his heart in showing the parallel of defending our country in war and furthering our faith.  Track seven Hindsight tries to encourage Christians to throw out past baggage they may have.  Track nine A Shame asks Christians to replace shy faith stances with boldness.  Track ten Indivisible shouts out the bands opinion against those who feel “In God We Trust” should be removed from our money and pledge.  The cd ends with the rock ballad Further which alludes to Pillar’s uncertainties relating to their lead singer’s situation.    

Final Recommendation

Overall, this cd is strong from cover to cover.  Most cd’s have more than a few songs that you skip over consistently in your cd player and this cd has very few if any of those songs.  Pillar has put out a quality cd that is well worth adding to your collection as the lyrics and music are extremely strong.  The band lives up to its Bible verse that its name is based on, 1 Timothy 3:15: “But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how to conduct yourself in the house of God, the pillar and foundation of truth.”

                                              ~Sporknews.com

If you're already into Christian rap/metal -- basically meaning you like P.O.D. -- then you'll dig Pillar, but if it's not your chalice of wine, Pillar isn't going to change your mind.

The band got together in college in Hays and released "Fireproof" in May 2002, and this is the MCA re-release. The music is sharp, hard and basically just ass-kicking rap/metal. But unlike some Christian bands, Pillar definitely doesn't shy away from its beliefs in its lyrics.

The first track, "Fireproof," was reportedly influenced by a story in the Book of David where three men are thrown into a furnace for believing in God, but are protected by a mysterious fourth figure and are unscathed by the inferno. "Behind Closed Doors," simply attacks people for not leading wholesome lives.

Pillar still rocks pretty hard, but at the most, "Fireproof" is only the second coming of P.O.D.

~JJ Duncan