Customer Reviews

Crash

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you are new to Decyfer Down, just buy this album. You will love it. Excellent writing, terrific performances, this is still one of the top Christian rock bands in the world.

If you are a DD fan, you will miss Caleb Oliver on vocals. TJ Harris is a good singer, but Caleb had a unique sound. If Caleb sang with another band, I would instantly spot his voice. I could name you thirty rock singers that sound just like TJ. He's a great singer, really strong vocals, but he doesn't have that uniqueness to his voice.

By the way, there was a Crash EP released last fall with Crash, Best I Can, and a third song Now I'm Alive that didn't make the final album. These were sung by Caleb. If you want to compare Caleb's version of the title song with TJ's, track down the EP. I'm glad I bought it when it came out. I feel like it's a collector's item, sort of.

This album isn't as hard edged in its sound as End of Grey was, Decyfer Down has some change of pace songs here with a lighter touch. But it's still serious rock, they're not turning into a pop rock band. Not yet anyway. Despite my hurt over Caleb's leaving, I still recommend this band to you very much.

I would've rated this album five stars, except for the lead singer change. Buy it.

Their first album was not a masterpiece but it was a very good album, with solid rock, great vocals, etc... This album is not bad, but is just another good album, and being their second album I expected better.
Im disappointed for two things, first of all this album was pushed back for almost a year after its original release so I was hoping for more songs, they should have put at least one more song. The songs are really good but there is nothing original, it sounds like a lot of other bands out there and it leads me to the second thing that disappointed me, the vocals, maybe the originality of the band was thrown away with tj harris vocals, he sings good but he is just not Caleb Oliver, and I felt good knowing that Im not the only one that has that opinion.
Not sure to recommend buying this cd but if you like this album and have faith in this guys and you want to give it a chance, then support them.

This is an easy one to write, so I will be short.

If you are looking for something new, fresh, inventive, of great quality and musicianship, stay far away from this one. If you want generic, common, sounds-like-stuff-you've-heard-before, this is right up your ally.

This album has little originality to it. It sounds exactly like what Nickleback, Creed, Three Days Grace, ect, have already done. To be fair, there are some good songs ("Crash", "Fading"), but there are moments of lackluster songwriting ("If you want to scream, ride with me" from "Ride With Me" and "Never could find a true reason to pass through this season, now I gotta move on and survive, till I find the life" in "The Life"), and as previously mentioned, the music is a carbon copy of sounds heard before.

End of Grey is the better album by far. This will be my new textbook example of a "sophomore slump" album. I have hopes that the next album will be better, because there is no excuse for no progression and carbon-copying. I'm not bashing these guys personally and I know that they are Christians with a heart for God, but their witness will be magnified by how they handle the next album. The Christian market does not need to feed off the secular market for sound and ideas; it should lead the charge with fresh, inventive music that the secular market respects. This album, however, does not do that.

I ordered this album mainly because I am a hard core decyfer down fan. I do think that Caleb's would have fit better in these songs than TJ's but then agian most of them were written for Caleb's voice and was later converted to TJ. But I highly recommend this album it was a great release from a great band.

For those wondering what took Decyfer Down three years to release its sophomore CD Crash on INO Records, there were plenty of roadblocks that would've sent a lesser band down for the count. In between albums, the hard rock foursome found themselves victims of a freakish van crash that sent its vehicle sliding across several lanes of traffic, sideswiping a guardrail and sending equipment flying in all directions. Outside of a directional refinement, Crash also finds vocalist TJ Harris--formerly of Fighting Instinct fame--stepping up to the microphone for previous leader Caleb Oliver, who was recently married.

Opening song "Crash" is one my favorite rock songs of the past year, originally recorded with Caleb on the digital "Crash EP" and re-recorded with TJ on the album release 5/5/09. I like both versions, especially the emotional tie-in to the band's van crash and the challenges of life. The album continues with "Desperate", another great rock song with a great message. "Fading" is next and is currently a top 10 hit song on the rock chart. My favorite song is next, "Best I Can", also originally recorded with Caleb and re-recorded with TJ. The song is a ballad and really reflects my personal desire to live life the best I can for God.

"We believe that we've taken it up a notch as far as our songwriting and performance goes on the songs as well. The songs touch on different aspects of our journey as believers, that God has a purpose and plan for your life." Drummer Josh Oliver

If you like Christian rock bands Disciple, Pillar and Red, you should enjoy this solid rock album by Decyfer Down, especially the songs "Crash", "Fading" and "Best I Can", which are my favorites songs on the album.

End of Grey was a fantastic album. It was nothing other bands haven't done, but they pulled it off really well. Caleb's absense on this album does hurt Decyfer Down's sound, TJ is just okay. I think most people's problem is TJ has a very typical rock voice, and it's not memorable enough. I agree. However, I think more of a problem lies in the songs themselves. Most of them are mediocre. There are three "ballads" on this album: Best I Can, Moving On, and Forever With You. They aren't that great. On End of Grey, Burn Back the Sun is a great power ballad and Here To You is beautifully written ballad. I never liked TJ's songs when he slowed them down, even looking back at Fighting Instinct, the ballads were not that good. Desperate is just not that good, and the chorus is not catchy, and it seems like he's talking his way through the verses. The bridge is actually pretty good, except for the lyrics. "You know my name, You know my pain, and I need You x5." Ride With Me is just good. Wasting Away is has a couple nice riffs, but the rest of the song isn't up to par with a song like Walking Dead. Over My Head, despite the lack of orinality in the title is a pretty good song, and has one of the catchier chorus' on the album. The Life is just not that memorable, in fact even after listening to it 8 or 9 times, I had to replay this song in order to remember what it sounded like for this review. On a good note, TJ does a nice job with the title track, but the real jem of this album is Fading. It is possibly the best Decyfer Down song out of all 20 songs they've recorded. The riffs are amazing, the drums are epic, and TJ's voice really shines on this song, altough I think it could be even better if it were Caleb. I do not recommend this album to anyone, unless you are a true Decyfer Down fan. Instead I recommend buying the individiual songs: Crash, Fading, Ride With Me, and Over My Head. If you're completely turned off to this album, at least get the song Fading.

I have to say, after hearing the first album I had high expectations for this one, but then I heard that their was a new vocalist. After listening to the first song I was not worried anymore. The new vocalist does a very good job and sounds very close to the old vocalist. This album is very solid, and definitly lives up to their last album.
Crash- 9.5/10 One of their best songs on the alubm, it is a powerful fast start to the alubm.
Desperate- 10/10 Really great song, with a great vocals.
Fading- 9.5/10 A power song with great riffs.
Best I Can- 9/10 This is a really good song, but Im not into ballads as much.
Ride with Me- 10/10 One of the best choruses that I have ever heard. Mabye the best on the album
Wasting Away- 9.5/10 Some of the best guitar work on this album. Power chorus too.
Over my head- 9/10 Good song, just not their best.
Moving on- 9/10 Another ballad, but I dont like ballads as much.
The Life- 9.5/10 Good chorus and slower before the bridge.
Forever with You- 10/10 This is the most apparent "Christian" song in the album, and it really sounds good with the deepth in the lyrics.

Decyfer Down's first record was so amazing I literally listened to it all the time. When I heard they were making a second one, I was stoked. But when I heard that Caleb Oliver had quit the band as lead singer, i was extremely nervous. Aside from the big bulky guitar riffs and melodies, he was my favorite thing about the band. And I was skeptical about TJ. but now i can say that he is VERY good. I like him and caleb exactly the same, which is saying a lot because Caleb was one of my favorite singers.

Crash: 10/10
Right away, this song gets your blood pumped. The guitars are massive, and the song is very in your face all the way through. As good as this version is, I'd have to say Caleb's was a bit better. Otherwise this would have gotten a more than perfect rating.
Desperate: 9.5/10
Loud and to the point, it's the first of the 2 songs written by TJ on this record. It has a killer guitar riff and the chorus is very catchy. There isn't much about this that isn't good, except for the fact it's not a Decyfer Down original (it's from TJ's old band, Fighting Instinct)
Fading: 10/10
Goes from tribal like drums to pounding guitars, to soaring vocals and its all over the map. This is one of the best display of vocals from TJ on the record, and it's catchiness and ability to have you listen to it over and over again makes it even better.
Best I Can: 9.5/10
The first ballad on the record, this song is very nicely paced and well put together. Of the two version's I have heard, TJ's and Caleb's I can honestly say this one is better. TJ adds a more realistic feel to it. The Burn Back The Sun of this album.
Ride With Me: 11/10
A blood-boiler, and a tie with my other favorite on the record (more on that soon). Right from the beginning, you can tell this is a very loud track. It sounds huge, and there is literally nothing that I do not like about this song.
Wasting Away: 9/10
I don't listen to this one as much, but it's amazing. It sounds very well produced and TJ's vocals fit perfectly into place. With the guitar solo, and the heavy riffs, it has a very driving feel.
Over My Head: 11/10
On the review of Ride With Me, I mentioned my other favorite song. This is it. The intro is very nice, with distorted guitars layered on top of Here To You intro sort of guitars, before turning into an all out in your face song. I truly love the chorus, and everything is put together so well it's amazing.
Moving On: 9/10
Definitely different. It's the second song on the CD made by TJ, and he did a tremendous job. With the very enjoyable chorus, topped off with the combination of both Acoustic guitars and guitar solos, It's very good. I would have given this song a lower rating if i didn't see it live in concert, which was even better.
The Life: 10/10
Great song. It has more of an oldschool rock feel to it, but it's still tough and heavy and in your face. Everything about this song is catchy, and TJ sounds VERY much like caleb in this song.
Forever With You: 10/10
Not a better way to close things out than with a ballad. Just it's placement already scores some points, as with the last album I think the all out rocker Vanity was not the best way to close things up, and a power ballad like No longer would have done the trick. But with pretty guitars layered on top of TJ's great vocals, it's my second favorite ballad by them (first being here to you)

All in all, incredible album from start to end.

I am enjoying the album as much as anything else I have heard in a long time. Very good! TJ and DD rock out with the cross out!

Decyfer Down's second studio album, Crash, is one of the better Christian Rock efforts. It has a lot of chunky hard rock riffs, and some interesting ballads like Best I Can and Moving On. My favorite tracks are Fading and Wasting Away. But, all of them are perfect to do anything with.

Rating: 4.5 stars/5 stars