Post by jptheprofessor on Oct 23, 2006 9:03:06 GMT -5
CHOKING FAITH - THRU THE ASHES (Heartless Mockery Records) Shortly after surfacing with a three-song sampler in 2003, rising area metal force Choking Faith imploded and vanished from local stages for a year and a half. The group re-emerged in early 2005 with a new line-up; featuring founding members Jason Mittan on vocals and Dan Miller on guitar, plus (now former) Silver Sunday bassist Steve Seymore and drummer Joe Richards. Choking Faith's new CD, Thru The Ashes, reintroduces the group's brand of scathing, brute-force heavy metal. Miller, Richards and Seymore lay down the rampaging and menacing backdrop for Mittan's powerful, monstrous and anguished vocal roar. Through the CD's five songs, Choking Faith paints dark pictures as they explore themes including violence, societal ills, suicide, salvation and more. The group revisits a song from the earlier EP, "Porno Tongue," to open the disc; this updated version is streamlined and more brutal in its depiction of sexual aggression and its violent outcome. Suicide Switch frontman Cheeze contributes backing vocals on the next two songs; the rampaging piledriver "Wait" and the driving and thunderous "Oblivion," both dealing with themes of lives gone awry and driven to the edge. Appropriately fast and furious, "The Trainwreck of Life" offers commentary on a society that reaps what it sows. Choking Faith throws a curve and explores new territory on the title song epic, "Thru The Ashes," which closes the disc. With shadowy verse interludes alternating with all-out, full-tilt choruses, the song explores themes of regret and atonement; with the voice of Mittan's sister, Michelle Santora, providing melodic counterpoint to his volatile and tortured howls. Choking Faith's sonic assault is savage and go-for-broke; instrumentally, the group keeps it continually explosive and brutal, while vocally, Mittan sells his terse, pointed messages with convincing intensity and purpose. Recorded at FaceOff Muzik in Altoona, and engineered and mixed by Matt Winrick, Thru The Ashes sounds appropriately raw and forceful, with Miller's guitar sounding jagged and caustic, the rhythm section brutal and powerful, and Mittan's voice up front and in your face. Thru The Ashes is an impressive comeback CD for Choking Faith; it's not for the faint of heart, but fans of full-bodied, intense, go-for-broke metal will get ample headbang for the buck here. (The CD can be purchased at the group's shows or through their website, www.myspace.com/chokingfaith1.)