Customer Reviews

Resonate

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

If you are a fan of the first Sonicflood cd, then you probably are scrambling to get this one after 2 years of listening to the first. Well, be forewarned, this is not the guys who changed the face of worship rock years ago. How you can change the majority of the members of a band (including the lead singer, lead guitarist, and keyboardist) and still keep the same name is beyond me. As a result, the sound is different. Not that it's bad, mind you, but it's not the same sound as the first. And it's not that the band has grown or something - they've just changed completely. Who will ever listen to "Open the Eyes of My Heart" in church and not immediately flash to the up-tempo rocking sound of the song we got in the original Sonicflood release? This cd also takes some old favorites and tries to rock them up, but it doesn't really do that good of a job of it. Most are easily forgotten quickly. However, the original songs like the title cut do give some hope, and "Fuel" is a good one. "Your Love" sounds like some sort of 60's rock song, and "I Lift My Eyes Up" has some great vocals by an uncredited female singer (ala "I Could Sing of Your Love Forever" from the first one). "Lord Over All" and "Lord of the Dance" are both good, but they massacre "Holy and Anointed One" (some songs just don't translate to rock as well as "Open The Eyes of My Heart"). This is a good cd to own, and I don't regret buying it, but just be forewarned that this is not the same sound as the first cd or the live one. For that kind of sound, you'll have to wait until March of 2002 and pick up Jeff Deyo's solo cd (the former lead singer of the band).

'Resonate' by Sonicflood is one of a kind of album that shows the bands dedication and commitment for proclaiming God's glory throught modern rock praise and worship songs. This album is the symbol of their triumph over all the trials and difficulties that the band has been through for the last one and half years of their existence. Although the band now consist of almost all new members, Rich Heil is still the one member who was in the former band as part of their lead vocals and bass guitar player. When Jeff Deyo had to leave the band for his full-time dedication for the Worship City Praise Ministry which he established in Nashville, TN, he passed on the responsibility of Sonicflood over to Rick Heil, who is now the lead singer of the band. And surely, God has used Rick Heil in writing and composing many of the original cuts included in this new album. Listening to this CD takes you into a new dimension of praise and worship which was not as much as exposed in previous studio album. The previous album was much of a corporate worship type, while this album is much of personal worship type. The original title song "Resonate" is one of a kind of song which express God's omnipotence over all His creation. "Feul" depicts the longings of those who truly seek the Lord with their whole heart inspite of going through harsh times in their life. "Dear Lord" is a beautiful expression of faith in God while still in suffering and pain surrounded by darkness. This song exhorts the listener to trust in Lord when experiencing heart breaks and frustrations of life. "Your Love" brilliantly expresses a beliver's walk in the Lord by taking up his cross and counting all but loss aginst the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus. "In your hands" is another beautiful testimony which comforts those who feel that they are lonely and far from God. This song helps us understand God's omniscience as He is still with us and protecting us under His wings. "I lift my eyes up" and "Holy and anointed one" are also arranged in a such a manner so as to lead the listener into singing them unto the Lord. I have experienced the Spirit of God comfort me as I have listend to these songs. It is beautiful to listen to this CD and meditate on God's words, especially when you are reading the bible verses indicated over each song while the song is actually playing in your CD player. Get "resonate" and experience the heartwarming praise and spirit-stirring worship that you need.

SonicFlood turned the world of Christian music on its ear with innovative arrangements of worship standards. The new band preserves the innovative arrangements while significantly increasing the level of musical artistry. Please set aside the criticisms of disappointed listeners who were expecting more of the same, and read this review from a fan of both versions of SonicFlood (which I will refer to as SF1 and SF2 for simplicity's sake).

SF1 basically had two sounds--a rhythmically strong rock beat and a sweet ballad style. SF2 certainly has both sounds, as well--"I Lift My Eyes Up" is a good example of the rock sound, while "Dear Lord" is a pretty ballad. In addition, however, SF2 lays down some 60's rock ("Your Love"), some nice technosynthesized embellishments ("You Are the Holy One"), a few bars of African chanting ("Lord of the Dance"), and ballads that are more visceral and rhythmic ("Fuel", "Lord Over All").

The musical upgrade is most noticeable at the drummer's throne. Aaron of SF1 was a fine "groove" drummer due to his good rhythmic sense. However, he apparently has had little or no technical training. If you like hearing excellent grooves that are smartly embellished with flams, cymbal swells, snare rolls (with dynamics), and buzzes, though, you'll have to take the SF1 CDs out of your player and pop in "Resonate" instead.

Resonate's engineering is much more artistic, as well. The engineering on the SF1 albums was pretty much restricted to getting the levels right. SF2, on the other hand, concocts fascinating sounds with the human voice ("You Are the Holy One", "Your Love") and synthesizer ("Fuel"). The SF2 engineers also spliced in some very imaginative sounds (African chanting, orchestra tuning, aircraft taking off) that add both sparkle and power to the music.

The new band itself has achieved a higher level of musical mastery, IMHO. SF1 had lots of interesting fills and counterpoint, in which the bass and the lead guitar often played similar (or sometimes identical) musical phrases. This coordination was not a trivial exercise, and gave the music of SF1 great energy. SF2, on the other hand, has added much better use of dynamics (crescendos, decrescendos, subito fortissimos)--"Holy and Anointed One", "Dear Lord" and "Lord Over All" come to mind. SF2 also uses a more nuanced rhythmic structure with greater diversity of themes--instead of just pounding out essentially the same rhythm for 4 minutes, which SF1 often did.

Don't get me wrong, I have thoroughly enjoyed SF1, keeping both the eponymous CD and the live CD in my car's player for weeks at a time. However, their relative lack of musical variety has caused these albums to lose some of their luster with the passage of time. "Resonate," on the other hand, has not only stayed in the player for weeks, but has kept coming back for regular visits since.

I would agree with the Resonate critics on one point, though: you are bound to create confusion and disappointment in many fans when you make a huge shift in the personnel and sound in a band, but do not change the name. Expectations are crossed, and disappointment is the inevitable result. If you can just pretend it's a new band, though, you'll be delighting in this fabulous worship album for a long time to come.

My encouragement to those who love worship music: drop your old SonicFlood expectations, buy this CD, and LISTEN WITH NEW EARS. You'll love it!!

What a crushing blow to finally get the CD, shred the wrapping, jam it in and then you'll find out something is wrong. This is not Sonicflood in every sense of the word and is false advertising to even call this a Sonicflood release. Every member of the "band" is new, not a single original member can be found. My advice is to pass on the disc and get the new Kevin Max or Michael Tait CDs instead. Get the 2 CD Delirious disc, just don't be fooled by this CD.

Here's the opinion of a middle-aged Christian rocker: this line-up of SonicFlood is good. "Resonate" is uplifting and accessible worship music. It's not "groundbreaking" as some considered Sonicflood's earlier works, but that's not the goal of worship music; leading people to enter into relationship with God is the goal. This album succeeds.
Sonicflood is maturing from it's formative days and that's great to hear. This takes nothing away from earlier albums - it's just part of life.

Check out their latest album "Cry Holy" - it's even better than Resonate.

I'm not sure why this album has gotten such bad reviews. Perhaps it's because this CD doesn't sound exactly the same as the original. But then again, what band sounds exactly the same on every one of their albums? In my opinion, this is a very good worship album that would still rank in my top ten (and I do have more than ten worship albums). I won't listen to it constantly like I did with SonicFlood's first release, but I definitely will listen to it many more times. Don't get this CD expecting it to be the same as the original SonicFlood, but get it knowing that it will be a very good worship album. I would recommend it.

Back with a brand-new lineup, Rick Heil and the crew return stronger than ever with 11 new songs of modern praise and worship that will "Resonate" deep in your heart. From the stirring melodies of the title hit to the powerhouse guitars of "Fuel" and te techno-spiced beats in "Lord Of The Dance", Sonicflood are really gonna carry you away with this one.

I'm all about bands progressing to new sounds, but this change in Soncicflood is too much. My biggest gripe about this album is that it completely lacks the passion that their first album had. I did not find one song that intrigued me enough to ever want to listen to this album again, and I was a huge Sonicflood fan after seeing their original lineup on tour a few years ago and then buying the album. They seem to have completely lost their focus and passion for worshipping God that they originally broke out with a few years back. This album I would simply call Christian ear candy with a slight praise/worship bent. Save your money and buy a different album.

Compared to their songs of the past, this album is equally, if not more, spiritual in the lyrics. The instrumentals are great. My favorite song so far on this album: "I Lift My Eyes Up." If you want to get a great group to listen to that rocks, SonicflOOd is the group. If you want a great album to listen to, this CD is it.

This is a solid release from SonicFlood. Jeff Deyo isn't with the band any longer but it's still great music with great lyrics. If you liked SonicFlood's earlier releases you'll like this one as well.