Nine Lashes ‘Ascend’

Written by: Abby Baracskai (3/7/2016)

I remember when a group of us were at Alive Festival (a local Christian music festival), my mom came back from a stage with a look of astonishment on her face. I asked her what was up. She said, “I found a band you’ll like that I certainly do not. I almost thought I was at the wrong stage because it didn’t seem to fit the normal genre.” Lo and behold that band was Nine Lashes, and yes, I do like them very much.

Although, during this time, they were a hard rock sounding band, they seem to be taking a bit of a different approach musically with this new album. There is a lot more electronic and pop sounds incorporated in the tracks than there are classic rock sounds, which have been featured on their previous albums. They almost have a Panic! at the Disco or Manic Drive type of vibe (who I am also a big fan of). They haven’t completely lost their rock vibe though. Some of the tracks are more rockstep sounding (dubstep and rock combined) than just electronicy and pop sounding. I admit that I miss the shredding guitars and slamming drums, but the music within this album is good stuff too. It may be different than before, but it’s still successful, as seen through the response to their lyric video release of the song “Galaxy” back in late 2015.

One thing about Nine Lashes is that with some of their older music, I found myself having a hard time deciphering what some of their songs and lyrics meant. I’m happy to say that the lyrics in Ascend seem to be a little more straightforward and easier to comprehend, and I think because of that, I’m able to get a lot more meaning out of the song and feel a lot more when I’m listening to them and singing along.  I also notice that their songs are a lot more Christ centered with their messages, which is always a positive. With all of that being said, let’s dive into some of my specific favorites on the album.

The album gets started right off the bat with some strong electronic beats in the first track, “Heartbeats.” The message about everyone being the same underneath is an important concept that I think we tend to forget sometimes. Sometimes we tend to forget that we are all humans and we all sin yet God loves all of us anyways. We sometimes start comparing sins and ranking them on an earthly scale, but God doesn’t rank sins like we do. Basically, I think it helps us get our heads back on straight and remember that we ALL need grace and love.

A few tracks later, you stumble upon a soft piano beat that opens up the song “Glorious.” This song is a quieter and cleaner musically because of the instrument use instead of some of the heavier electronic tracks. It’s a nice break in the middle to be able to praise God. It features warm harmonies and a strong chorus that really hits the praises home and make them have a lasting impact with the lyrics continuing to resonate through your head afterwards. The song is an all around song of praise to the Father about how wonderful He is and all the good things He does for us along with proclaiming everlasting truths of everlasting good news.

The final track I want to focus on is “Love Still Shines.” I’m drawn to the song because this one, again, focuses more on strings and light drums rather than an overload of electronic rhythms. The lyrics talk about how God’s love can shine through any and every situation that you may face. He never leaves you to handle things by yourself. I think it’s another good message because we sometimes get really down when we’re going through tough times and then we assume that God isn’t there anymore, which isn’t true.  “Even on the darkest nights, [His] love still shines.”

To conclude this review, I want to say that although I had expectations of a hard-hitting rock album, there are some really good lyrical messages encased in this album. I’m not a big fan of the synthetic sounding electronic beats that are very heavily used throughout the album, but that doesn’t mean other people feel the same way. The album is something different than what they would usually do, and people may really like that. I like that there was much more Christ centered and focused lyrics and concepts than I’ve seen in their music in the past. If you’re a fan of the more pop-like Christian groups, this album would be a good one to add to your collection.