The Benjamin Gate - Untitled
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Free Music Notes for Untitled
Free Music Review: Interesting Sound
Hit: 4 Stars
I had never heard The Benjamin Gate until I recently bought this CD. I am glad that I got it.
The sound is unique. Some of the songs are quite heavy rock. Others have a very techno quality to them. They are all enhanced greatly by the beautiful vocals. Ady's vocals definitely work in combination with the instrumentation here. Additionally, the songs are explicit with a Christian message. There is no downplaying that by this group which is a big plus as well.
I am sorry that I never got around to listening to this group until after they had disbanded. I definitely enjoy this album and plan to pick up their other one also.
Free Music Review: Great CD!
Hit: 5 Stars
Very rarely do I find a CD where I like ALL of the songs, but this is one of them! Great music with a wonderful message!Free Music Review: good sound
Hit: 4 Stars
Now, I may not be the best guy to judge music, but I've really enjoyed this CD and keep on coming back to it. As a Christian Band, the Gate has deeply engrained their beliefs into their music, in other words, you can tell. Nice rocking sounds most of the time, good vocals, found these guys (and girl) through pandora.com and simply had to have the CD.Free Music Review: The more... the better
Hit: 5 Stars
The more you listen to this music, the more you will like it. As an American that has been to South Africa twice, I find their adventurous and stalwart character represented here yet again in their stand for their faith in Jesus Christ. One can only have admiration and appreciation for this project. May you be once again reminded of the greatness of God and his unlimited compassion in this cd as I have been. Free Music Review: Music: Phenomenal Lyrics:repetitive repetitive repetitive...
Hit: 3 Stars
Benjamin Gate were a South African Christian alternative rock band led by female vocalist Adrienne Liesching. ("The actual Benjamin Gate was one of the original gates in the walls of ancient Jerusalem that they used to herd the young sheep through," explains the band's drummer, Brett Palmer. "For us, that directly relates to youth, and our music being a gateway between the church and the world." Now you know where the odd name comes from...) They released 2 albums before breaking up when Liesching wed fellow Christian rocker Jeremy Camp. Along the way, the group traded in gnarly guitar riffs but with plenty of "techno" touches (phased keyboards and filtered vocals) and the powerhouse tender or tough vocals from 19 year old Adrienne. The comparisons to Garbage are probably about the best in terms of sonics, though this group tends to be "heavier" than Garbage usually is.
HIGHLIGHTS:
"All Over Me", the big radio hit, is undoubtedly the finest tune here. The charging "Blow my Mind" is an all-out assault on the senses coupling a throbbing club drumbeat with a thick instrumental track full of production tricks. It's probably the most "techno" song here. "Lay it Down" overcomes its weak chorus (say "lay it down" again and again and again...) with sheer shredding guitar power and vocal fury. "Hands" is a beautiful but menacing piano ballad that resembles Evananescence's huge hit "My Immortal" (though it predates it by 2 years). It proves Liesching has the voice for ballads.
LOWS:
Biggest criticism overall is boring choruses lyrically. As another reviewer pointed out, they're often nothing more than the song's title ad infinitum and as a result sap the power away from a lot of the songs. "Rush" probably is the worst offender where the chorus is "Your grace/Your grace/Your grace/Your grace/Oh Jesus/Oh Jesus". (No, really, that's it..) The tragic part is the song has a VERY cool Psalm 1 rap but it's hard to take it fully seriously in the midst of the rest of the lyric.
BOTTOM LINE:
After 4 years of distance, this album doesn't sound as good to me as I once thought. The music's still phenomenal but it's harder not to snicker at the lyrics on some of the tracks. Worth having for the best tracks but not one that will be a favourite of mine in 10 years or so.
POSTSCRIPT:
There's a hidden track (sort of) called "(Did you Know that) I Love You?" It's track 77 on the CD.