Visceral energy permeates and comes to define the new record from Baptists, Beacon Of Faith. At that, the album is a striking synthesis of obvious high energy and a slower, grinding element. There’s not much any musical “space” left open on the record; instead, energy, tense melody, and fury pack it to the brim.
Overall, there’s what feels like an obvious special, unique quality to the record. At times, energetic bands can get lost in a sea of their own making; in such situations, it might take a bit of straining for a listener to differentiate song from song just based on, say, the music alone.
That’s not the case when it comes to the new Baptists record. Essentially each song on the record sounds different and distinct while at the same time being tied together by that alluring fury that makes the band what it is. It’s a synthesis of musical individuality and unity of expression that is striking for what it is and that you might not appreciate until confronted with.
On that note of “unity of expression,” the version of Baptists presented on Beacon Of Faith feels like the one that longtime fans have no doubt grown to know and love at this point. Rather than making what feels like any major stylistic changes, the band continues to explore just what makes them what they are as artists and go further and further down the path they set for themselves years ago with their first releases.
It’s refreshing for the band to, while staying in line with the musical roots they’ve made for themselves, come out with a new album of songs that easily stand on their own. The songs are guttural, raw, and furious; the fury, however, is both a musically and thematically intelligent fury, which helps to set the band apart. The band members obviously know both what they’re “talking about” and what they’re doing; elements ranging from the vocals of Andrew Drury to the drumming of Nick Yacyshyn and including the guitar and bass playing of Danny Marshall and Sean Hawryluk, respectively, are as on point as ever. Beacon Of Faith is a real treat for fans of the kind of tense hardcore music that makes Baptists special – you could almost say that the album was needed.
