Conquering the Fear (CD - 2007)

Ironically, the Mississippi-based Christian rock band's claim that they don't advertise themselves as "some crazy, new thing" was precisely what made their debut album stand out. Wavorly didn't set out to change the world, and yet had they been just slightly more aspirational they may have been within a stone's throw of doing just that. Their mix of modern rock and religious imagery presented itself at best as reprieving a tired genre and, at a minimum, an enjoyable listen. the blend is equal parts Mae, Muse, the Killers, Panic at the Disco, and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Dave Stovall's vocal theatrics match the vivid landscape of C.S. Lewis' The Great Divorce, from which the band claims inspiration on at least two numbers ("Part One" and "Endless Day"). An entire layer of meaning exists under the surface for those who care to dig deeper into the band's messages of hope and reliance on a higher power. The single "Praise and Adore (Some Live Without It") is the most generic track, which is unfortunate considering potential fans may pass over this jewel of a band for something more striking. Listeners might be recaptured, however, if they catch wind of "Tale of the Dragon's Defeat," a self-contained epic that comes in under four minutes but has the makings of a full-length feature film. ~ Jared Johnson minimize