The Flood and The Mercy - reviews Options

[dangum]

The album is now available in some European markets.

Please use this thread to post your review of the album.

[Crossed]

Here's my song by song review:

The One - 7/10
I like the intensity on the verses, he kinda messes up on the third chorus- "the one you fear, make me disappear" part ends up sounding silly and awkward. The live versions on Youtube sound more fun and aggressive. Still a solid track though.

Seven - 9/10
This is what I want from Ed, such a beautiful song. Finally something that stays away from the positive/love/religious stuff.

Angels on a Razor - 8.5/10
Great chorus. The verses sound silly but there's a fantastic bridge. I love the fact that Ed keeps it controlled throughout and doesn't yell any of those final lyrics awkwardly like he usually does. The guitar work sounds great, good production.

Parasite - 8/10
After a few listens, this one got stuck in my head. The whole thing is very catchy, I was singing it all day at work. Only thing missing is a good bridge or at least throw in a guitar solo to beef it up. Either way this song rocks.

All That I Wanted - 8/10
Very catchy tune, the whistling is cool. I like how the bridge just flows into the third chorus. A calm, relaxing song I can play in the car without annoying my mom.

Take Me Back - 4/10
I listened to this song twice and never want to hear it again. That filtered voice of Ed on the chorus is kinda lame. This is the worst song on the album IMHO.

Holy Water Tears - 9/10
Wow, this is pure ear candy. It flows so beautifully and that female vocalist is icing on the cake. If Ed continues making religious songs, he should use this track to set the bar.

Supernatural Fire - 6/10
Kinda cheesy, but fun nonetheless. Reminds me of "Stage" a little.

Bottle of Anything - 9.5/10
Favorite song, outstanding chorus. The bridge part is terrible, should have put more effort on perfecting that bridge, especially when the rest of the song is hit material. Still, I remain impressed.

The Watchman's Lament - 7/10
I hated this at first, buts its growing on me slowly. Nice bridge on this one.

Cornerstone -5/10
Its alright but I don't like covers. Production quality is great, his voice sounds top notch.

Overall I'm impressed, Ed is evolving and most of these new songs reflect that. He seems to have more discipline now. This is my favorite album from Ed since "V". Can't wait for future albums because now Ed has his head in a better place musically.

This post has been edited by Crossed: Sep 7 2013, 7:36 pm

[PurdueSteve]

I've listened to it a bit. I'm not going to do a song by song review.

At first listen it sounds much better than Alive, and even SFBM. After a few listens that fades away. I like Seven, Parasite and Supernatural Fire. I think the production is better than Alive. The music is maybe a tad better but it's the same poor lyrical content. Ed even throws in some "Gloria in excelsis Deo".

The plus, as others have mentioned, is that compared to Ed's other solo stuff this is more towards the angle of Rock, but it isn't Rock. His voice is better than Alive and the false setto stuff has been tamed.

All in all, it's a step in the positive direction, but I just don't think he's going to win me, and others like me, over until he slows down and stops churning out cookie cutter songs with the exact same formulaic structure over and over and over again. I think he can dig deeper on the music, be more creative and can certainly do better lyrically. I'm not a Christian, and I get that Christian lyrics are likely never going to appeal to me, but there are Christian artist that sing about their faith without it being so, for like of a better word, corny.