Ladies and gentlemen, open your Bibles and turn with me to Ephesians 5:14 where it reads, “for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ ” I say to you all: wake up and let Oh Sleeper and their new release Son of the Morning shine upon you.

This Christian metalcore band out of Ft. Worth, Texas is sure to make your Sunday school teacher cringe; but do not fret, because although the message they bring sounds as though it comes straight out of the pits of hell, it is indeed a message of faith and redemption – kid tested and Jesus approved! Taking their name straight out the Good Book, Oh Sleeper formed in 2006 and signed with Solid State in 2007. This metal core outfit has finally released their second studio album after three years, and I am finally being turned on to them. I can’t help but wish I had known about these guys sooner.

I always try to go into these reviews as unbiased as possible, so that I can give a fair breakdown for those who aren’t such big fans of Christian metal core (or metal core at all). With that being said, it seems to me that between Tooth and Nail and Solid State Records, I am finding it very hard to hear a band I can’t get into. Oh Sleeper is just one more group that I can add to my list. I can’t help but get into this record. The music is strong, the lyrics are well written, and Micah Kinard’s vocals are spot-on. The concept of the album is based on the final battle between God and the Devil, and lyrically you could not ask for anything more.

In the title track, “Son of the Morning,” Micah declares his title “They call me son of the morning” and with the help of some blazing guitar riffs and back breaking drum kicks, I would say that message is conveyed well. In “Breathing Blood,” he chants “Tell me, if death is victory how afraid of life can we be?” and I couldn’t help but ask myself the same question while I bounced my head in tune. Don’t let the peacefulness in the opening of “Reveries of Flight” fool you, because it’s just the calm before the storm. It’s a short song, but Micah’s vocals are mesmerizing – almost reminding me a little of Dustin Kensrue from Thrice.

The back and forth between Micah’s and Shane’s vocals throughout the record are one of the strongest aspects of this album. But by no means am I implying that the music is lacking that same quality. Every song is filled with plenty of brutal breakdowns and structured perfectly to keep a great momentum going all throughout. The second to last track “Commissioned By Kings” has a great little guitar line in it, and lyrically speaking, seems to define the concept of the album as a ballad for the battle of good versus evil, or in this case the battle between God and the Devil – “Bring out the dead, bring out the dead!”

The final track on the record, “The Finisher,” is a huge song and easily one of my favorites off the album. It’s a perfect culmination of the message they are conveying. Here, all the qualities possessed by the other tracks are squeezed into one powerful song that is sure to get on the side of good. It’s almost as though you can envision the defeat of evil as you listen to the words: “You will bow at my feet or I’ll rip out your knees and make of your face all the carnage you crave. I am The Finisher and I am forever.” The closing chant, “They will sing as I cut off your horns. I’ll cut off your horns,” is just fantastic.

There are a couple reasons why I enjoyed this record. Some might argue that Oh Sleeper sounds just like everything else being put out right now, and that might be true. But I personally feel as though some bands are not defined by the genre, but, in fact help to define the genre itself. I feel like these guys are in that category. The music is heavy and merciless, the lyrics are poetic and inspiring, and the vocals are just as captivating. There is a depth to this album that I find intriguing and uplifting. I highly recommend this release, especially to those of the Christian faith. This is indeed a great album to add to your collection.

5.0/5