The Christian Manifesto

GENRE:  ROCK

LABEL: SLANTED RECORDS

RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 26, 2008

RATING: 2.5 OUT OF 5

Nutshell Version:

Opening is “Thank God”, sounding somewhat like Jimmy Eat World’s “Bleed American” with bass lines from Daft Punk. Most of the record follows in the footsteps of this track, a few slow, a few heavy hitting, still sounding somewhat like Jimmy Eat World.

Full Version:

Welcome to After Edmund, a five-some hailing from the southern sunny state of Georgia. Produced by Grammy nominated Scotty Wilbanks (DecemberRadio, Third Day); the group of twenty-something’s are attempting to break into a scene, in which they’ll have to compete for listeners amongst heavyweights such as Kutless, Mae, and Nevertheless. Like it or not, such competition exists even in the Christian marketplace, whether band’s see themselves as a simple ministry or not, record companies will always see profit, and this means selling records in a market simply overflowing with abundances of music. With that said, hopefully it can be understood why After Edmund will have to compete for listeners, just as every other band in the scene today.

Opening is “Thank God”, sounding somewhat like Jimmy Eat World’s “Bleed American” with bass lines from Daft Punk. Most of the record follows in the footsteps of this track, a few slow, a few heavy hitting, still sounding somewhat like Jimmy Eat World. It’s not that bands need to be entirely original to be good, far from that, it’s simply that After Edmund does not stand out from the rest of the pack. Tracks such as “Stealing Away”, “Come and Rain Down”, and “Like a Dream” work, but they’re not memorable.

Everything is not bad; in fact there were a few moments on the record which really stood out, ironically enough. The short but sweet “Go Oboe!” and the following “Clouds” will surely make listeners question whether they’re listening to the same band. Unfortunately the truth may come across a little rough, as After Edmund doesn’t do much to stand out among many of today’s top act. It’s going to be hard for bands such as After Edmund to progress, in today’s music scene without growth, as they’ve all been done so many times before.

Track Listing

1. Thank God
2. Fighting For Your Heart
3. Everyone
4. Like a Dream
5. Darkest Room
6. Come and Rain Down
7. Tears
8. Stealing Away
9. Go Oboe!
10. Clouds
11. It’s Alright
12. To See You Leave