Customer Reviews

Southern Hospitality

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first encountered Disciple at a concert in support of the Scars Remain album. I was immediately impressed with lead singer Kevin Young's energy, intensity and Christian faith. Their Spirit and Scripture filled lyrics got my attention, and they immediately became one of my favorite Christian bands. I thought Scars Remain was a pretty flawless effort. However, I have to give that kudo to Southern Hospitality.

It has a bit of Southern flavor and enough amazing guitar work to appeal to an old 80s headbanger like myself to make his ears rejoice. Lyrically wonderful, musically awesome, it's just one tight package of holy headbanging energy. My favorite track is "Lay My Burdens Down" which really captures the Southern spice, and has spoken to a very difficult time I am in right now. Don't miss this awesome collection of music! God bless you Disciple.

It's so hard to find some good Christian rock bands that are'nt afraid to put the Word out there. Typically you have a choice between "this band kinda rocks and seems to have a Christian message.." or the soft Christian praise music, which is good in its own right, but sometimes ya jus wanna jam out! Disciple has found the perfect combo of straight up hard rock with a no dancing around the fact that they love the Lord message. And that is unique in itself! And they even throw some of the praise ballad type songs in there as well.. gotta love it. Keep er comin Disciple.

Before I comment on this album I gotta say, I do love this band and because of that, I can't rat on their records too much. This is overall a decent mix of the hard rock grooves Disciple does so well, with some good pop rock melodies such as Whatever Reason. If I didn't have their other music to compare to, I'd probably say it is a decent record, however, compared to their earlier work, I just don't think this measures up. Disciple once was a 3 piece, abrasive groove metal band but has turned into more of a hard pop rock outfit. Yes, they seemed to have gotten soft. This album seems to lack some of dynamic guitar riffs and rhythm I expected. I miss the louder, heavier Disciple and the blend of early Papa Roach style rap rock with the groove metal. This album just does not have that punch that My Daddy Can Whip Your Daddy and This Might Sting a Little has. Kevin Young has some awesome iron-lunged vocals which I think is another thing that makes this band great, and they're on this record but in a more pop, melodic style than a 'metal yell'. If you like this bands previous record, you'll like this, but if you're hoping for the abrasive style of their first 3 released, you'll be sorely dissapointed as I am. The plus of it is, this band gives glory to God and is unapologetic about their Christian faith, which is the most important thing.

Disciple has been around since thier independent debut in 1995. Their sound has changed with each album, and this one is no exception. Their last album was more furious rock while this one, although just as heavy as times, has a southern rock feel to it throughout the entire album. The first four songs are great rock songs, but the album slows down a little for Whatever Reason, which is a song about the prodigal son for those farmiliar with the Bible. The songs immedietely pick back up with Phoenix Rising and continue to Right There, which seems to ride the success of After the World. From there On My Way Down is the last full out rock song on the record, with a great guitar solo, and an ending that gives you the chills as Young screams "closer". Lay my Burdens is neither a power ballad nor a typical driving Discple rock song. It's somewhere in the middle, and honestly one of the best Disciple songs I've heard. It's one of those songs that just keeps building until it reaches a climax. It gives Young the chance to show off the voice that carried Disciple these 14+ years while still rocking out. The album closes with an honest Savior. Best songs: Whisper So Loud, 3,2,1, Liar, On My Way Down, Lay My Burdens. Highly reccomended.

Just when you think you've got this band figured out, they come at you with a new album that is different from their previous releases, and yet not so different that you don't recognize them anymore. Their self-titled release from 3 years ago was a solid hard-rock album with few frills but a lot to like. Then came 'Scars Remain' 2 years ago. It melted the faces off of anyone who thought Disciple was about to get soft on their fans. Anything but, it was blistering metal with screams that left you in awe but also with a ringing in your ears.

And now, the boys are back to serve you up some Southern Hospitality. Right from the opening track, you can tell they've been listening to a little southern rock lately. A lot more melodic and guitar-riff driven than their previous two works, this one still packs power but is not quite as intense as 'Scars' was. While Kevin Young still delivers some blistering vocals, they are not the highlight on this album. Guitar solos and crunching riffs are the order of the day, as are a lot more background vocals than these guys have used in recent years.

Altogether, this is a solid album. Lyrically strong, musically different from their other stuff, but with enough anthems to get attention from the mainstream. Highlight tracks include Southern Hospitality, 321, Whisper So Loud, Liar, On My Way Down, and the closer, Savior. It ends the album on a slow note, kind of how No End At All did on 'Scars.' Only, this one's a prayer to the Lord to save 'her' (not sure who that might be, but the lyrics and passion make this an awesome cut).

If you liked their last two releases, you'll be impressed with this one. Disciple has changed their sound just enough to show fans that they can.

Normally I like to give an album more time to grow before writting a review, and I'm sure I'll be editing it to put a track by track review later. Seeing as how there aren't any reviews so far I figured I'd post one now.

It's only been a year and a half since I got into Disciple. I'm familliar with all their albums except this one and What was I thinking, which I checked out when I got this one. Their not the most original band, but yet there's something different about them, plus no I hate myself or my parents or anyone else songs. I have to say I think I saved the two best albums, guitarwise for last. I'm very impressed with the work on both this album and What was I thinking. The songs are still basically similar to the last couple of albums, but they put a few guitar solos, and some nice guitar riffs in there to change things up. I love the intro to the title track. If you're a fan of the band then this is definately worth your time, the album so far will probably end of being one of my top five favorite albums of the year. If you're new to the band, most any album would be worth checking out, but I should warn you that they're a Christian band-one of the best I've heard, so if Jesus lyrics bother you than you may want to stear clear of their early stuff, but that's never been a problem for me. Some favorite songs so far are 321, Whisper So Loud, Romance Me, Whatever Reason, Liar and Southern Hospitality. There's not a whole lot of growth in this one, but what they lack in growth they make up for in good songs.

Southern Hospitality; 8/10 - Not a bad way to start the album. It's a slow paced rocker. The guitar solo is way too short, but that's really my only complaint. The music and vocals are all solid.

Romance Me; 10/10; This is one of my favorites on the album. It's a fast pace rocker. Great hook on the chorus. Solid music. Definately one of my favorite songs of 08.

321; 7/10 - Another slow paced rocker. I've read this was the first single, and I don't really get it. It's a good song, don't get me wrong, but there're so many songs on here that are better. Still a good song, it just feels like I've heard this one on a previous album.

Whisper So Loud; 9/10 - Another great track. It's a fast paced rocker, and it's another good one. Solid music, solid vocals.

Whatever Reason 9/10 - Another very good song. It's a ballad. It's very heart felt sounding.

Phoenix Rising 6/10 - Another 321, but not quite as good. It's still a decent song. It's a slow paced rocker, but something's missing. Worth listening to, but not a personal highlight.

Liar; 10/10 - Another fast paced rocker, mostly-there's a slower part to the first verse. I love the lyrics. Great vocals, great music. Love the melody. Great hook. Another of my favorites of 08.

Falling Star; 7/10 - Another one kind of liek 321, slow paced rocker. I like it about the same, maybe a little less, but it's still a good song.

Right There; 7/10 - A slow paced mix of soft and slightly heavier. Kind of a ballad. It's a decent song.

On My Way Down; 7/10 - A mix of slow and fast. It's another decent song, but nothing special.

Lay My Burdens; 6/10 - A ballad. It's an ok song, but there's nothing special about it.

Savior; 8/10 - This is a ballad, but it's very heartfelt. He sings with a lot of passion on it. I don't listen to many Christian bands so I don't know if this is typical, Underoath, and Divinefire haven't done this, but I find there songs that come off as a prayer in song form interesting and very heartfelt, they did another one for the troops, don't remember if it was on Scare remain or the one before that. It's a cool concept, and anything that can give a song passion is alright with me.

Overall it's a pretty good cd, my personal favorite of their's. It doesn't have the fun factor of their older albums, which is unfortunate, but it's one of their most consistant releases.

To be fair, the Christian metal genre has largely been ignored - and for good reason. What little exists is usually so "yawn-worthy" and generic that it would really only appeal to the most devoted (or uninitiated) fans. The Christian southern metal genre simply has not ever existed... Until now.

Disciple, after an easily ignorable metal-core outing on "Scars Remain," just took the standards for Christian metal light years away. Unique in that it has a definite blues and southern rock influence throughout, "Southern Hospitality" has all the grinding riffs, pounding drums, scorching guitar solos, and gritty vocals any metal lover could ever hope for in an album. It certainly doesn't take a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan to like what's here - anyone with an ear for solid, adrenaline-pumping metal will really find a lot to love on this album; the southern rock influences only provide seasoning for an already tasty package.

There is plenty of variety to be found here on this disc, as well. "Whatever Reason" slows things down a bit, and while it is not the strongest track here, it's as solid as any critically-acclaimed contemporary Christian track to come down the line. "Right There" is a beautiful piece of guitar-driven pop-rock. "Lay My Burdens" has a fantastic southern-fried attitude to it that is sure to please anyone with a taste for rock and roll and iced tea. "Savior" slows things down for a folksy, acoustic finale.

But on the more aggressive side of things, "Romance Me" and "On My Way Down" are fast and furious pieces of raucous, late-90s heavy metal. "Southern Hospitality" breaks things down with an infectious, swinging syncopation without sacrificing fierce riffage and thick rhythms. "Liar" pounds out a darker melody and hints at speed metal at times. "321" is the penultimate stadium-rock anthem without the ever letting the lyrics feel overly contrived. "Whisper So Loud" continues the theme with one of the best southern-rock introductory riffs ever. "Pheonix Rising" and "Falling Star" are positive and upbeat in all the right ways.

In fact, if you have any interest in classic metal at all, "Southern Hospitality" hits all the marks high without sacrificing its mainstream palatability at all. Everything from the riffs to the beats to the lyrics to the production all feel thoroughly perfected. This is one of the few albums that I feel really deserves all five "rock-on" hand gestures... Out of five.

Ten-point Scale: 9.0 out of 10
Genre: Metal / Southern Rock / Christian
Objectionable Content: Minimal
Recommended: Highly

I've been a Disciple fan for some time now. With each album they've released, I've been more and more impressed. That goes for their latest album as well. "Southern Hospitality" is driving, bottom-heavy rock n' roll coupled with powerful ballads that don't slack off from the rest of the album.

The title track opens things up, giving the listener a wake-up call. From there, three more pulse-pounders, including the anthemic "321," drive home Disciple's message. After that, the wonderful ballad, "Whatever Reason," slows things down a bit only to have the speed taken right back up with rockers like "Phoenix Rising" and "On My Way Down."

Other highlights include "Liar" and "Savior."

With a name like "Southern Hospitality," you'd expect a few bluesy, Skynyrd or Molly Hatchet-inspired tunes. There's a bit of that influence throughout, but the album is primarily a culmination of Disciple's previous two albums with a hard-hitting sound and plenty of radio-ready tracks. The most southern rock song of this bunch is "Lay My Burdens."

Of note on this particular album is the absence of bassist Joey Fife. Israel Beachy takes up the strings for him and sounds great. Brad Noah contributed studio work to the album but has stopped touring with the band. Andrew Welch and Micah Sannan now share duties on the guitars. Kevin Young's vocals on this album sound solid, although there's a bit less screaming than what could be found on "Scars Remain." Tim Barrett's drums get better with each album, and he is the standout performer on this album.

If you enjoy driving rock n' roll with a positive message, check out Disciple's "Southern Hospitality." Not only does it have one of the best album covers to hit the music store in a long time, it's full of great hard rock music. Highly recommended.

Ok...
For years Christians were given mostly hard rock that was sterilized with a poser copycat sound. Nothing memorable, fake, plastic edged. Just in the past 5, 6, 8 years there have been bands and artists that have "brought it" first class. I mean better than what the world says is good (who cares what hollywood says is good anyway?)This album sets the bar again. Real guitar riffs, some guts and glory, it is awesome.

I hear this album and my first observation is that it is Cream of the Crop Rock. I have so many adjectives to use and colorful words to describe what they have done here and the accumulation up to this, but why don't we say this album just plains kicks hard, it can be played over and over and not tire of it, like the albums of old. This is an instant classic.

Good Job boys!!

I did not really care for the new sound in this disciple album but as I listened to it more it grew on me and became better the more I listened to it. These guys have been writing music forever and if you buy this album you are going to want to buy the others because these guys are Amazing musicians and great men of faith. Don't just buy this album but buy all of theirs but also go to as many shows as you can meet them talk to them to know their hearts. You will be amazed how God uses them.