Saving Grace
Behind Enemy Lines
7.6
Synopsis:
Quick, name a decent Christian hardcore/metalcore band from New Zealand.
Nothing?
How about Saving Grace and their impressive, pummeling, if by the numbers debut, Behind Enemy Lines.
Review:
While Parkway Drive seem to generally rule the Australian metalcore scene (a scene I’m admittedly not overly familiar with, so forgive me if the previous statement is a broad generalization), especially with the demise of Ikilledthepromqueen, it looks like Saving Grace could be elbowing in on their reign with this record, a solid mix of As I Lay Dying styled dual Swedish melodies, sans clean vocals and some hefty hardcore chops.
Admittedly most readers of this site have already moved on to another review, but for those still interested, I recommend this Kiwi quartet as they are very good at what they do, even if it does sound like a mish mash of the Facedown/Strikefirst Records roster (which would be a perfect US label for them).
Armed with a stout production and some burly vocals, Behind Enemy Lines does everything right without being too reliant on either breakdowns or galloping Euro harmonies, but a steady mix of the two. Tracks like the almost deathcore “For So Long”, “Just A Second”, the AILD worshipping “The Most Beautiful Promise”, “Even As I Bleed”, “U Becoming You” are all stern, enjoyable romps of hardcore heft colliding with melodic death metal guitar work. Also, the band generally avoids the overabundance of the usual Christian metal clichés like overly dramatic themes, soaring clean vocals or overly preachy themes, though mid album interlude “The Eye of the Storm” and orchestral start of other wise solid track, “Even As I Bleed” are a bit familiar.
Granted this kind of stuff has bean done to death, but this is definitely one of the better examples I've heard, even more so considering the origin. If Saving Grace is any indication, here's to more Kiwi metal coming our way.
