The Wedding - The Sound The Steel Review

Posted by JR Simmang on 08.08.2008

Messianic mosh pits? Was Jesus Christ emo? Disciple death metal? Does anything make sense any more? If we can make the Messiah happy with thrashing guitar than we can do anything. I want my hover car.

Track List:
1. Receive
2. Return
3. Renew
4. Reveal
5. Redeem

It’s not that I’m against punk metal. In fact, some of the mainstream artists, Fallout Boy, Neve, All- American Rejects, have all graced my CD player. I’m an adrenaline junky. I thrive off the stuff. And, I like my Alt. Christian bands, Audio Adrenaline, Delerious?, and sometimes even a little Steven Curtis Chapman really sets the mood for me. So, naturally, I’m not really inclined to combine these two polar opposites, particularly because Christian groups don’t do much to mask their intentions. They are singing for the Lord and God bless them for that. Typically, you can tell when a band is all about the Alpha and Omega. You know what I mean. However, there comes this band from left field, from Arkansas actually, that effortlessly melds the two genres. When first I heard the EP The Sound The Steel I wasn’t sure whether or not I should get on my knees and pray or punch the guy sitting next to me in Starbucks. I opted for neither because The Wedding gave me that choice.

I bet The Wedding wasn’t counting on the perfect mesh from vocalist Matt Shelton when they hired him on after the previous lead stepped down. He doesn’t seem to have any problem fitting in. The album starts off strong. You get the first blow of the train whistle, then they lead directly into some harsh thrashing. Don’t turn the radio up from the first three seconds. It gets loud quick. “Receive” has some serious emo punk undertones a la Neve. Heavy bass, simple minor chord progression, it’s all there. The song balances nicely with some old school heavy metal harmonies halfway through. The background vocals are easy to follow and sing along with while driving with your windows down. Near the end, they get very Tool, just adding a little extra dimension.

“Return” volleys back a similar minor chord progression. There’s a little more emotion through the song and a touch more anger. The background vocals, again, do thier job of rousing the audience into singing along with it, especially the Iron Maiden break midway through. It ends with a half speed processional, seriously ingraining the fear and feeling of the band into the ears of the listener. You just want to sway with the music, hands held high, with a lighter. Or cell phone. Smokey thanks you.

“Renew” is worth mentioning because it’s the typical melodious songs from most emo groups. It starts with the piano, plunking out a fresh melody. Then moves into the quick guitar play. Its meaningful lyrics are the focus here. Pay attention. This song shares the majority of its feeling with “Redeem.” However, “Redeem" is the more conventional praise and worship. There’s very little thrashing. It’s mostly piano and violin. It’s pretty, I guess. The cello in the background solidifies it for me. I always like it when bands can add strings and keep their unique sound. It speaks volumes of their character. Despite the orchestra, it doesn’t slow the speed of the EP. In fact, it just adds a little to the back burners, torching the finish line. It’s highly dramatic and regardless of that fact the song remains unreserved and natural. It’s easy to sing along.

“Reveal” is perhaps the darkest of the songs. Shelton’s voice is strained just enough to sound like he’s constantly on the verge of tears. There’s some old school thrashing through the song. It has a strong chorus driven by breaking clashing rhythms and dueling riffs. It’s the anthem song of the album, trying to sum up the whole feeling. The band almost feels like it’s trying to run to keep up with the instruments. The bassist even has his three seconds of fame.

Overall, it’s a good EP. It sits well and it’s action packed, never slowing down even in the last song. I’m not sure what the band sounded like with the previous singer, but Shelton doesn’t seem to be having any trouble keeping up. I'm glad they stuck with the train motif during the intermission between songs. I believe it gave the album character. There is one thing that bothered be throughout the entire album. Call me callous, and I most certainly don’t want to get on the Almighty’s bad side, but the screaming seemed to be placed awkwardly. Some bands can pull it off, others can’t. The “ke ke ke kows” and laughing screams don’t mesh well in the songs. They need to stick to good old- fashioned punk. It’s better that way.

The 411: Inside The Sound The Steel you’ll find out why The Wedding is excited to have their new lead singer. The EP is fun, energetic, thrashing, head- banging, praise and worship goodness. Even though there are only five songs, and they are all brought to you by the letter ‘R,’ it fills the air with a certain electricity that can last all night. I think we may be seeing a new way to worship God.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]