Decyfer Down, Crash
After various updates and pushings back of release dates, Decyfer Down’s sophomore album, Crash, is finally here- and so is the review. The album was released on May 5, but I’m just now getting the chance to review it. I’ve actually only had the album for about a week because I’m pretty limited on music retailers that are anywhere near, but I have it now and have listened to it several times. My conclusion is that DD fans will definitely miss Caleb Oliver’s vocals, but the album is still very good. It would be a completely different story if DD was a very, very well-established band and had a massive amount of fans that have been on board for ten years, but this only DD’s second album- so if there’s a time to replace lead vocals, it’s now. The fact that it was produced by Paul Ebersold (Third Day, 3 Doors Down, Skillet, Sister Hazel, Revelation Theory) also helps.
T.J. Harris does a good enough job, but for those of us who purchased the original version of the Crash EP know that Oliver’s vocals on the title track are far better. The original EP also included “Best I Can” and “Now I’m Alive.” When Harris replaced Oliver, the EP was re-released, but “Now I’m Alive” was eliminated- in fact, it’s not even on the final version of Crash but is available as a bonus song on iTunes. Harris did a decent job on the vocals of “Crash” and “Best I Can,” but who knows what Oliver’s vocals might have sounded like on some of the other songs on the album that we didn’t get to hear on the EP. Oliver still contributed to the album in a major way, as he co-wrote most of its songs.
One positive to the addition of Harris is that he brought with him the song “Desperate,” which was written by Harris and Oran Thorton. The song is a cover of the original by Fighting Instinct, Harris’s old band. Another song from the album, “Moving On,” is also originally by Fighting Instinct.
The second single from the album, “Fading,” which ended up replacing “Now I’m Alive” on the EP, is also good, and another signature DD rock song, as is “Crash”. “Ride With Me” and “Wasting Away” are also both quick-paced rock anthems, and “Ride With Me” definitely has the potential to become a hit on rock radio. In contrast, “Forever With You,” the final track on the album, is an easy, slow ballad that’s semi-uncharacteristic of the band, but yet still seems to fit onto the CD.
In summary, I share the same stance that most other reviewers of the album do- it’s a good album, but T.J. Harris’s vocals sound all too similar to those of other rock acts, whereas Oliver brought DD the sound that made them stand apart from other rock bands. But it’s still definitely worthy of picking up, especially if you’re new to Decyfer Down and don’t have the concept of what they should sound like in your head.
Decyfer Down, Crash
Overall Rating: 7/10, “Good”
Leave a Reply