By: James Southworth
Rating: 4/5 Stars
I will never forget the day I first heard Disciple's song "Dear X, You Don't Own Me". It's one of those moments that will be cemented in my memory for as long as I live. To this day, it's still my favorite song of all time. The album it appears on, "Horseshoes and Handgrenades" is my favorite album of all time. So, of course, Disciple is also my favorite band, and it's been that way since 2010. I am intimately familiar with all of Disciple's discography, and personally don't think they have a single bad album (though I admit that their debut album and "God of Elijah" are both somewhat forgettable). I think post-"Horseshoes", the band has stayed incredibly consistent in releasing great music, while also not being afraid to expand their sound. Their 2016 album "Long Live The Rebels" saw Disciple taking some of their most significant risks yet, venturing into some pop/rock and electronic infused territory. The risk taking there is nothing compared to what the band does on their latest, "Love Letter Kill Shot". This is easily the band's most ambitious release to date, both musically and lyrically. More often than not, the risks pay off in delightful ways, with some of the material here being Disciple's best to date.
The album begins on a very odd note with lead single "Cuff The Criminal". I remember being thrown off guard the first time I heard this song, and I still find it a very odd track for the band even now. For the first time in the band's history, the song doesn't begin off with Kevin Young's vocals, but rather the band's guitarist Josiah Prince. It also sounds decidedly more pop influenced than is typical of the band, with huge synths being utilized and no guitars present for about the first 20 seconds of the song. Disciple swung big with this track, and it's thankfully really solid. It doesn't quite match up when put against the band's other lead singles (usually the band's lead singles are among the best songs of whatever album the appear on), but I have huge respect for it nevertheless. The song is certainly catchy, and will have audiences chanting along in a live setting. The song that follows is easily the best cut on the album, "Reanimate". This song was a huge surprise, as it is easily one of Disciple's most intense songs to date. I dare say that there's even some metalcore influence in the track when a delightful guitar breakdown appears that will really get your head banging. Something I haven't mentioned yet but will be more often is the lyricism. This album gets pretty dark for Disciple. It still ultimately ends out on a hopeful note like usual, but the band delves into some pretty tough territory that most Christian bands will not tackle. This song is spoken from the perspective of Jesus, as he talks very frankly about our sinfulness and how he's going to take it all. The sins he talks about here aren't the easily digestible kind, either: "I am the war/I am the rape/I am the violence/I am the hate/I am your genocide". The lyrics are honestly kind of jaw dropping, as some of the words used here are ones that the band has never touched before. Musically, everything about this song works, from the memorable guitar riff to Kevin Young's raw vocal performance. Young is, as usual, excellent on vocals throughout this whole album.
The album continues on its huge winning streak with the song "Wake Up", which is definitely the most Disciple-sounding song on the whole album. It has pretty much everything one would want out of the band, from the head banging guitar riffs to the chorus that is just begging to be sung along to at the top of your lungs. I love the urgency of this song, as Kevin begs the listener to realize that they're not really hearing what God's saying to them, and they need to wake up. There's also some excellent vocal harmonies here that bring the song home, as Kevin and Josiah's voices come together to create pure vocal bliss. "Panic Room" was the second single for this album, and it's the one that really made me more excited to hear the album in full. In context of this release, this song works even better. There's a clear thematic arc to this album: it seems to detail the journey of a person who is living in deep sin and self-hate, and its only when they find a relationship with God that they're able to reject all of that. Disciple thankfully don't let this come to fruition easily, as this album wades into dark topics often. "Panic Room" is a great example of this. Sound-wise, this track really puts you into a foreboding atmosphere with its throttling guitar riffs and frantic drumming. The incorporation of electronics is creative here, as they serve to accentuate the sound even further. The best part of the track ends up being guest vocalist Andrew Schwab from the band Project 86. Him and Young together on this song proves to be a match made in heaven, as their chemistry is impeccable. This song is interesting in the way it discusses sin. Kevin talks about all these things that he wants, and then admits that "Sometimes I scare myself" when he considers the implications behind some of his desires. There's so much to love about this song, from its unpredictable shifts in pace to the delightfully unexpected guitar solo that appears in the middle of the track.
The next major highlight of the album comes in the track "Fire Away", which serves as the thesis statement of the album. It was very smart on the band's part to put this track right in the middle of the album, as it's an effective way to transition from the first half of the album into the second part. This song describes how God's "love letter" is a "kill shot". The Bible is often referred to as a love letter, and Kevin is essentially describing how much it has affected him. This song could've so easily veered into super cheesy territory, but it thankfully avoids that, as the lyrics and Kevin's vocals are sincere and passionate. I think this song has a sort of interesting correlation to "Dear X", as in that song Kevin dares sin to try and shoot him, but it doesn't own him. In this song, he begs God to shoot him and wants God to encompass his life. I don't know if this was purposeful, but it's still interesting to me. After this, the album goes into what is easily its two darkest and most challenging tracks. "Misery" is an intense rocker that is truly fun to listen to, but you should pay attention to the lyrics. Kevin seems to be going into the perspective of another person (or maybe even a past version of himself) that enjoyed living in a life of perpetual misery and self-hate. The song also discusses the idea of people like this enjoying playing the victim. The song doesn't seem to be judgemental of these people, but Kevin doesn't sugarcoat anything, either. The song has background vocals going throughout it that sound sort of vocoded. I could see some people getting annoyed by this, but I personally enjoyed it. After this track comes the epic "Chemical Wisdom", which marks yet another huge risk taken by the band in many ways. I could see this song being controversial, as it has a little bit of a satirical bite in its ruminations on the medical industry. The song speaks from the perspective of someone who has depression, who feels like they're over-medicated and need something more than just "double the dosage". The song has a real sense of desperation sound-wise, with Kevin going off the rails vocally, and the guitars are absolutely frantic. The album ends pretty solidly with the catchy tracks "Never Too Late" and "Walk With Me", along with the legitimately touching worship ballad "Best Thing Ever".
There are a couple of negative aspects to this album. Like I mentioned about "Chemical Wisdom", I could see the song being interpreted differently. Some could see this as an entire condemnation of people with mental illness taking medication at all, and instead relying on God for healing. I hope this isn't what the band was going for, as I couldn't stand behind that message at all. I don't think it's bad for people to be medicated as well as having a relationship with God. Some people really do need medication. I don't think this is what Disciple is going for; if I were to find out otherwise I would have to reject this song entirely. I still really like the song right now; I just wanted to make that point. Otherwise, there are some tracks here that don't work as well. "Play To Win" feels like it doesn't really fit this album thematically, as it's more of just a game day anthem. That doesn't really seem to fit in with the album's more dark topics. Also, the song is a bit of a cheap rip off of "Game On" and "321", if I'm being honest. "Touch Of Pain" isn't terrible, but I do feel that it's a forgettable ballad from Disciple.
Where will "Love Letter Kill Shot" ultimately rank in Disciple's discography? It's too early to give a definitive answer, but I hesitantly think that the album is at least within their top five. I certainly like it better than "Long Live The Rebels" and "Attack", but I'm not sure I like it as well as albums like "Scars Remain" and "O God Save Us All". I originally thought this album would be one of the band's top three , but that was because of the hype I had that this album was finally out. Still, Disciple continues their streak of making stellar albums that are a step above a lot of their Christian contemporaries. This band has been around a long time, and they still find impressive ways to interest and innovate. Check this album out; it's one of the best of the year!
Favorite Songs: "Reanimate", "Wake Up", "Panic Room", "Fire Away", "Chemical Wisdom"
Least Favorite Songs: "Play To Win", "Touch Of Pain"
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