Rock, Metal

Decyfer Down ‎– The Other Side of Darkness (2016)

2019-10-24T12:28:11Z

Decyfer Down ‎– The Other Side of Darkness (2016)


1 	Rearrange 	
2 	Dead Skin 	
3 	Nothing More 	
4 	Believe In Me 	
5 	The Other Side of Darkness 	
6 	Beautiful Lie 	
7 	Lifetime 	
8 	Anchor Me 	
9 	Don't Walk Away 	
10 	Burn Back the Sun (Acoustic)

TJ Harris - lead vocals, backing vocals, acoustic guitars, piano
Brandon Mills - backing vocals, rhythm guitars, lead guitars, acoustic guitars, synth
Christopher Clonts - backing vocals, rhythm guitars, lead guitars
Chris Furr - bass guitar
Benjamin Millhouse - drums, percussion

I have to honestly admit that although rock is my favorite genre, I had to lessen my hopes of there being a true rock album being released in the Christian Music industry before starting this review. You can only imagine the smile that continued to grow on my face as I listened to the first track of the album; my ears dancing at the sound of smashing drums and ripping guitars (especially in the smashing outro), tears of joy close to streaming down my face, and my brain exclaiming that rock is not dead, it is alive and well. I am SO happy to announce that Decyfer Down’s newest album, The Other Side of Darkness, can help you recover from those lack-of-real-Christian-Rock blues. The saying about good things taking time to create must be true, since it has been 3 years since their previously released album, Scarecrow. But no need to fear! If you are looking for a heavy, gritty, rock album with messages and lyrics deeply rooted in spiritual growth in living a life in relationship with Jesus Christ with bits and pieces of plain honesty about life, then you have reached your destination, my friend.

As I said, the first track comes bursting right out of the gates with power. This pattern continues with a vast majority of the tracks on the album. Like every amped up adrenaline rush, there has to be a period of mellower feelings. The Other Side of Darkness is no exception to this idea. “Burn Back the Sun” highlights the softer, smoother vocals along with calmer guitars and light percussion to really bring home the message of Jesus’ honest and passionate love for us. Another song, “Lifetime,” features the slightest inclusion of string instruments to add musical diversity along with lyrics that I have decided are open to interpretation; either illustrating the love and commitment to be there for somebody as a friend or as our want and desire to spend time with our Savior and to learn more about His love for us. While the slower melodies are a nice touch, the core of the album is plain hard rock goodness.

One of my favorite tracks off of the album is “Anchor Me.” The song starts off kinda washy that breaks through with hardcore guitar shreds and smashing drums and cymbals. My favorite aspect of this song is the fact that it is all about God’s goodness but has a rock musical sound and is not a traditional piano praise type of song. With these quick guitar rhythms are lyrics that talk about feeling and acknowledging Jesus’ presence in our lives and the way that impacts us. Along with the great message are vocal variations of borderline screams and rough whispers. One of the best parts of the song is the haunting outro that really drives home the rock feel.

Another great song to focus on is “Dead Skin.” I am a very visual person and I like when words (or in this case lyrics) paint a vibrant picture. Once you get through the mechanical-sounding introduction that leads into hard rock punch in the eardrums, the lyrical chorus uses imagery to help give the message another level of depth. The core message of the song can be applied to any sort of negativity in your life that you are able to get rid of. In this instance, I believe it to be either a toxic influence or maybe even the work of Satan himself when the chorus is sung; “I will never believe it, the lies that you’re feeding. I’m shedding you like dead skin.” The metaphor of shedding someone or something negative in your life to me, is such a refreshing visual and demonstrates the physical aspects of getting rid of that extra weight that brings you down.

Overall, The Other Side of Darkness should bring joy to any fan of Christian Rock music and any music lover who enjoys well-crafted lyrics. The album showcases every aspect of the classic rock sound but also includes small breaks of deeper, slower songs that soothe the soul. Along with the musical diversity, the songs are filled with lyrics that are relatable and emotional. I highly recommend purchasing this album if you have been let down by the Christian Rock scene lately like I have. Decyfer Down has shone some light on the rock scene we believed to be slowly dying. ---Abby Baracskai, todayschristianent.com

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Decyfer Down – Scarecrow (2013)

2014-01-10T16:46:03Z

Decyfer Down – Scarecrow (2013)


01. Memory
02. Westboro
03. Worst Enemy
04. Say Hello
05. Bleeding Lies
06. Fight To Win
07. Scarecrow
08. The River
09. Some Thing Never Change
10. So In Love

Chris Clonts – guitar, vocals
T.J. Harris – guitar, vocals
Paul Ebersold – bass, guitar
John Radford – drums
Nick Buda – drums
Timm Jones – drums
Brandon Mills – guitar
Seth Mosley – guitar
Sadler Vaden – guitar

I have to say when Caleb Oliver left Decyfer Down abruptly in 2009, I was skeptical of whether or not they would be able to find someone that was capable enough of not only taking his place, but someone who was able to take the band to the next level. My question was answered when former Fighting Instinct front-man TJ Harris became the band’s new singer, just before the release of their second album, Crash. Well it’s been nearly four and a half years since Crash released and fans may have been wondering, will another Decyfer Down release a new record? Well it’s finally here! A new Decyfer Down record. And when I say new, not only is it a new album, but the band has managed to recreate themselves musically and delve more into the source of their musical influences with this one.

Upon early listens of the samples that were released by the label for Scarecrow, my first response was “What happened to the heavy drop-C tuning of End of Grey and Crash?” My first thought was “Uh oh”. But as I continued listening, I found myself liking the new sound more and more. The record tears open with the heavy rocker, “Memory” – the first song that TJ wrote as a member of the band. The second track, “Westboro” is probably one of the most blatant stands against the hate fueled (and so-called) church Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, KS that I have heard in a while. It’s great that the band wasn’t afraid to step up here, fed up with the ridiculousness! The lyrics from the chorus speak volumes of how they feel, “Just go back to Westboro baby/Where they love to hate/Just go back to Westboro baby/Devil said you can stay/In hell is just the same”. No mystery in opinion there. “Say Hello” is probably one of the most personal songs on the record, according to TJ Harris. With a melodic grunge rock sound reminiscent of Soundgarden, the song talks from the perspective of Harris’ wife Nancy and a friend of hers from her teenage years who, while trying to commit suicide after a long bout with drug addiction, accidentally shoots her grandmother through the wall in another room. Through the seemingly senseless tragedy, the young girl is painted as the town outcast. The words of the chorus should be re-affirming to this girl, that she is still loved and prayed for, as the chorus says “I still love you like yesterday/I still hope for your tomorrow”.

The first time I heard TJ Harris sing, as part of his previous group Fighting Instinct, I thought, “Wow, this guy sounds a lot like Chris Cornell (Soundgarden)”, wonder if he’s a fan or was it just a striking coincidence? While interviewing him recently, I found that my assumptions were true – he is a fan. You can really see this similarity on the track “Bleeding Lies”. The message to me talks about struggle – one which I am sure we have all dealt with in life. It’s through Christ that we can truly be mended and healed. The title track “Scarecrow” starts out with a low rumbling rock assault before jumping into the first verse with “Hey you Mr. Holy One don’t let no dirty soul get through that door/Stand tall as the wicked ones drag their dirty sins across your floor/I see right through the emptiness in you/Hollow shell straight from hell”. The song speaks about the often labeled hypocrites who appear as Christians on the outside, but often times on the inside are so overly critical about others that they don’t notice that they’re ‘chasing’ people off from the cross. It’s these ‘scarecrows’ that give Christianity the black eye and really keep people from getting saved. It’s a realization of Matthew 7:5 which says “Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Sadly, it happens more often than it should and all this destructive behavior does is lead people astray.

One of my favorites on the album would have to be “The River”, which starts out with the ‘good ole’ country feel before progressing into a full-fledged rock number. One could argue that this one could be the ‘worship rock’ song from the album, as it takes many elements from the hymnal and adds some sweet guitar licks and a self-analyzing message which reaffirms that “all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” to God, (Isaiah 64:6) therefore leaving us dirty and in need of a good spiritual cleansing. The album wraps up with the softest (if you want to call it that) offering from the album with “So In Love”, which is also one of the AC singles from the album. With a message of longing for God, finding one’s true identity in Him and proclaiming love for the Him. It’s a great way to end the album on a positive note.

Decyfer Down took a huge risk with Scarecrow in changing a lot of the core sound that most fans have been used to and loved from the previous records, End of Grey and Crash. As a band, they grew tired of being boxed in to one kind of sound and through a huge leap of faith, stepped into unknown, not really knowing how it would be accepted by the masses. Is everyone going to be accepting of this new direction musically that the band has taken? No. But I for one think that Scarecrow is one of the best solid rock records to come along in years. It was not only entertaining, but had a great message and the overall feel really took me back to my own rock influences – a path I had not ventured down in a quite some time. With Scarecrow, Decyfer Down delivers another solid rock record and redefines themselves still, as one of Christian rock’s most talented groups. --- Jay Heilman, christianmusicreview.org

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