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evan324
09/05/09, 07:57 AM
Thousand Foot Krutch - Welcome To the Masquerade
Record Label: Tooth & Nail Records
Release Date: September 8, 2009

Thousand Foot Krutch have done it again, coming back with their fourth release on Tooth & Nail Records with Welcome To the Masquerade, an album consisting of thirteen hard rocking hits. Welcome To the Masquerade is like a greatest hits album for Thousand Foot Krutch - every song on the album is a hit. I have had this album for a little over a week now and it has not left my car and has been on repeat on my iPod/computer since then.

On Tooth & Nail’s bio page of Thousand Foot Krutch, Trevor McNevan states that “We all wear masks,” setting the stage for his band’s theatrical new work. “We hide what we don’t want people to know we’re thinking or feeling. And that’s easy to get away with when life is so busy. A lot of times, we have no idea what’s really going on in the life of the person right beside us.” This is the reasoning behind the title of the album Welcome To the Masquerade.

The album opens up with “The Invitation” which is just an intro that starts off with an epic sounding guitar which then slowly the bass drum comes in and gets you really excited for the next song which is the title track to the album “Welcome To the Masquerade” which is a classic Thousand Foot Krutch song. They definitely have a true stay to form on this record from their last albums which will be great for any fans of their last albums. Even though it is a bit harder overall I feel that everyone will really enjoy this album to the fullest.

“Fire It Up” hits you hard with McNevan’s heavy vocals and deep guitars. This is one of my favorite songs on the album because of the way McNevan sings on the song. Next up is “Bring Me To Life” which was actually released by McNevan back around May or June when he did a video podcast where he answered fans questions and played the song in full on the video. It has a very ominous piano in it as well feels very heartfelt even though it is still an upbeat happy song.

“E For Extinction” reminds me of a song that you would hear on a Seether album, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It starts off slow but then the guitars come in and it picks up. “Watching Over Me” is the first ballad type of song on the album and shows the vocal power of McNevan and is probably the best of the slower ballads on the album. The lyrics on this album are really good as well; you can tell the entire band put a lot of effort into the lyrics as well as production on this album. Here are some of the more powerful lyrics in “Watching Over Me”: “I know you’re out there, and I know you care, I feel you like an angel watching over me, don’t shut me out, I’m an arson to myself, who can’t put out the fire, until there’s nothing left, so take my broken class, and help me make a window, so I can see your face, after all that I’ve been through.”

As we progress through the album “The Part That Hurts the Most (Is Me)” and “Scream” are next up. Both are excellent songs and follow the standard Thousand Foot Krutch heavy song structure but are followed up by “Look Away” which almost has McNevan singing in a falsetto on the entirety of the song. I’m a huge fan of bands that can change up their style from song to song yet still capture their audience.

“Forward Motion” is next up and is the weakest song on the album because I feel like there’s not as much energy in the song as there should be. “Outta Control” and “Smack Down” feel like they could be right off their first Tooth & Nail record Phenomenon. They both remind me of “Rawkfist” and that is the song that got me into Thousand Foot Krutch so any song that they do that is like this is alright in my books.

“Already Home” jumps in with a string section and really is an odd turn for Thousand Foot Krutch, but I feel this is one of Thousand Foot Krutch's best songs to date. After the string section finishes McNevan comes in with these powerful lyrics: “The trouble with truth is it never lies, and the trouble with wrong that it’s never right, so I rest my head under your light.” This is a ballad that finishes off Welcome To the Masquerade perfectly with acoustic guitars, pianos, drums, and strings.

In conclusion, this album is a keeper and I can see myself listening to it over and over again for years to come. Aaron Sprinkle (producer for Anberlin, Acceptance, Eisley, FM Static, Hawk Nelson) did a wonderful job with the production of this album and you really feel like you’re a part of the masquerade throughout the duration of the album.

01. The Invitation
02. Welcome To the Masquerade
03. Fire It Up
04. Bring Me To Life
05. E For Extinction
06. Watching Over Me
07. The Part That Hurts the Most (Is Me)
08. Scream
09. Look Away
10. Forward Motion
11. Outta Control
12. Smack Down
13. Already Home
FM Static; Hawk Nelson; Anberlin; Seether; Thousand Foot Krutch - Phenomenon
myspace.com/thousandfootkrutch (http://www.myspace.com/thousandfootkrutch)

Blake Solomon
09/24/09, 10:55 PM
easily one of the worst album covers ever created

HometownHero
09/24/09, 11:07 PM
easily one of the worst album covers ever created
And the music is pretty bad too

S9Dallasoz
09/25/09, 12:10 AM
I'd expect the AP.net crowd to trash it, but I've never had a problem with TFK.

Smeee
09/25/09, 12:39 AM
This band has disappointed me ever since The Art of Breaking. That and Phenomenon were awesome, particularly Phenomenon .The latest two just seem rather bland in comparison.

EchoPark
09/25/09, 03:06 AM
I heard clips of this album on a recent Tooth and Nail podcast and the songs had a very nu-metalish flavor.

Chris Fallon
09/25/09, 04:50 AM
This band needs to just quit. Their sound is stale and gets worse with each release.

MyNameIsRoss
09/25/09, 05:09 AM
christian music is usually horrible. this band is no exception.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh2YFfeUrOA

embedding disabled..

evan324
09/25/09, 05:24 AM
This band needs to just quit. Their sound is stale and gets worse with each release.
See, I feel differently about this release from TFK, the more you listen to this album the more it gets better.. And "Already Home" is a great song, I think one of their best to date.

TSLataris
09/25/09, 05:46 AM
christian music is usually horrible. this band is no exception.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh2YFfeUrOA

embedding disabled..
I agree with that statement. Three exceptions, though: MxPx, Slick Shoes and Relient K.

roisterboy
09/25/09, 06:11 AM
christian music is usually horrible. this band is no exception.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vh2YFfeUrOA

embedding disabled..
There are plenty of great Christian bands out there. I think people who hate Christian bands just hate them because they are Christian. But yes, like secular music, there are some awful Christian bands.

inthemidst
09/25/09, 06:17 AM
Hey man, good review, and I agree with your score. I reviewed the album also on reviewrinserepeat.com, and gave it about the same rating. This is probably TFK's best effort to date. It has a few missteps, but ultimately it's pretty solid. I never was a fan of their music much before, but they've been a stark example of consistency.

ndoleman
09/25/09, 07:39 AM
Hey man, good review, and I agree with your score. I reviewed the album also on reviewrinserepeat.com, and gave it about the same rating. This is probably TFK's best effort to date. It has a few missteps, but ultimately it's pretty solid. I never was a fan of their music much before, but they've been a stark example of consistency.
i agree

cristyraul
09/25/09, 11:07 AM
Actually I think this is a great album! Every song is great! If you don't have a musical ear,spare us of your comments!

superXdude92
09/25/09, 12:43 PM
why are the haters quickest to respond? haha
yeah i love the new album
i'll put it on shuffle/repeat with Skillet's Awake and Showbread's The Fear Of God.
if you think all christian music sucks you haven't listened to All That Remains or Devil Wears Prada and yes they are very christian

evan324
09/25/09, 01:08 PM
i'm glad there's other on absolutepunk that agree with my review :-) The only album of theirs I wasn't a huge fan of was their last album, but everything else has been a big win for me.

doppelganger
09/25/09, 09:43 PM
meh. thousand foot krutch makes me embarrassed for the 'christian music' scene.
thrice and sufjan stevens hit more home message-wise and theyre not associated with any christian music scene. and as cities burn, mewithoutYou, and pedro the lion are all awesome though. thousand foot krutch is lame cock rock.

thepianominstre
09/26/09, 08:16 PM
Back in the day I like a couple songs off Phenomenon until I started getting them confused in my head because they all pretty much sounded the same... It's cool if people like them but I still can't get into them.

The album opens up with “The Invitation” which is just an intro that starts off with an epic sounding guitar which then slowly the bass drum comes in and gets you really excited for the next song which is the title track to the album “Welcome To the Masquerade” which is a classic Thousand Foot Krutch song.

For next time. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run-on_sentence)

ninthandash
09/26/09, 08:55 PM
so are they going the ICP/slipknot direction? someone fill me in on the masks thing.

kittypants
09/27/09, 04:27 PM
their music makes me embarrassed to be a Christian

nathaniel
10/02/09, 11:42 AM
And the music is pretty bad too
Fail. This album is very good. Keep up the good work TFK.

HometownHero
10/02/09, 11:47 AM
Fail. This album is very good. Keep up the good work TFK.
You are wrong. Just wrong

Stearman77
04/26/10, 04:08 AM
LOL For those who dont look and see the christian music right under their nose heres a list...Underoath, as i lay dying, blindside, mxpx, beloved, anberlin, and then there were none, the classic crime, demon hunter, chris caraba yea the dashboard confessional dude was in a christian band before dash, chevelle started on a christian label, emery, mewithoutyou, project 86.Point is quit sifting thru the crap and look at whats out there.

Enoch Ching
09/24/10, 09:25 PM
the level of ignorance here is appalling.

seriously saying "all christian music sucks" sounds pretty close minded.