Thoughts and Feelings on Crash; Decyfer Down

Decyfer Down are a band that have been around in some form since pre-2000, however it wasn’t until 2005-06 that they really began to get recognised as an important name in alternative metal, grunge music. In 2006 they released their first album End of Grey, and toured with Pillar and Day of Fire for the rest of year. In 2008 Decyfer Down released a preview of Crash in the form of a three track digital EP after pushing the album release back a year, however now in 2009 we have the full eleven tracks of Crash.

The album is a response to a series of events that shaped the band, including a massive road accident that made the band seriously consider if this was what they were supposed to be doing. Crash is written to express what the band has been through, a press release said it’s how you respond to situations, instead of letting them control you that shapes you, and it has shaped this record.

First off, I should mention that there is a new voice in the mix, TJ Harris took on the lead vocals for the group when Caleb Oliver decided to call it a day. Harris has a really strong voice that has been compared to that of Chris Cornell.

Crash is a disc that cannot be played quietly, it is full of enthusiasm, the band have really moved forward since End of Grey. There are two types of song on this disc, you have the songs that have this hard rock sound like Crash and Desperate (tracks 1 & 2), while there are more melodic sounds, almost ballads, that really come through in tracks like Moving On (track 8).

Track four, Best I Can, is up their in my favourite tracks from the album, not only is it musically stunning, fitting in to the melodic category, however the lyrics of the song reflect our lack of ability to live a perfect life, however God’s grace covering it.

This album is great continuation from End of Grey, and fits perfectly in a CD shelve that holds artists such as Pillar, Demon Hunter or Day of Fire. That is it’s only downside, it does sound a lot like these other artists, there is lack of individuality to make this album stand out from the crowd.