Triggersoul : Restoration

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by Mark Allen
Staff Writer

Unlike a virgin on his wedding night, this album has been a long time coming. It was originally recorded in 2007 and scheduled to be released by Chavis Records, but then tragedy struck in the form of the sudden death of lead guitarist Aaron Roe. In the aftermath of their grief, the band decided not to release Restoration and chose instead to disband, unwilling or unable to continue waging the rock ‘n’ roll war without their axe-slinging brother-in-arms at their side. But there is truth in the clichéd axiom that time heals all wounds and the remaining band members recently revisited Restoration and decided to pull it, phoenix-like, out of the ashes in Aaron’s honor.

When the first crushing riffs of the opening song come blasting through the speakers, they will probably conjure up thoughts of Black Album-era Metallica and that influence is definitely there. But as the album thunders through its eight tracks, the overall impression becomes one of straight-up metal edged with the melodic modern hard rock sounds of bands like Seether and Godsmack.

The guitars remain heavy without ever becoming abrasively brutal and vocalist Greg Reeves sings with authoritative attitude without ever going guttural. Adding credence to the melodic undertone are some very well-done backing vocals and choruses that, while not exactly anthemic, are crafted around some catchy metallic hooks that might cause you to sing along while simultaneously indulging in any head-banging tendencies that lurk in your genetic makeup.

Lyrically, TriggerSoul provide glimpses of their Christian faith while generally being careful not to alienate the atheists or agnostics. However, for those who prefer their faith proclaimed a little more boldly, the killer chorus of the title track offers little doubt of the band’s religious creed: “You’ll never know / All the pain that He went through / Nailed to the cross / Don’t you know He died for you.” Musically, this is also the most commercial rocker on the record, featuring a big chorus built on the kind of immediacy that grabs you like a halibut on a hook.

The other crown jewel is the mandatory power ballad, “Forgotten,” which tones down the heaviness to show TriggerSoul’s softer side, proving they can pull it back just as well as they can crank it up. It’s the kind of modern rock-ballad that Kutless employs to dominate the Christian rock charts and with the right promotion, there is no reason TriggerSoul couldn’t do the same.

The production is all slam and crunch, packed with more beef than a slaughterhouse, the guitars powering forward on a thick wall of sound. Mixing duties were handled by studio legend Michael Wagener and while the components could be engineered a little cleaner for a crisper bite, the muscular approach makes the whole album exude the hard rock-meets-heavy metal vibe the band was aiming for. From a purely sonic standpoint, Restoration closely resembles Skid Row’s Subhuman Race, another Wagener-helmed project.

This is the kind of album that has the potential to appeal to a wide spectrum of fans. Pummeling riffs for the metal-heads. Heavy (but not too heavy) guitars for the hard rockers. Beefy production for the modern masses. Faith-fueled lyrics for the Christian music connoisseurs. In other words, it’s part Pantera, part Mudvayne, part Seether, and part Disciple. If that kind of mash-up intrigues you, then listening to Restoration should trigger a pleasurable chain reaction that begins in your ears and blazes its way straight to your hard rocking soul.

Genre: Hard rock/metal

Band:
Greg Reeves (vocals, guitar)
Aaron Roe (guitar, keyboards)
David Jacob (drums)
Marty Jacobs (bass)

Track Listing:
1. Lost Reality
2. Restoration
3. Enemy Lines
4. Forgotten
5. Self Destruct
6. Affliction
7. Wasted Years
8. Step Away

Label: Jamsync Music

www.myspace.com/triggersoulrocks

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.3/10