IN REVIEW: Dustin Kensrue - "Carry the Fire"

To talk about the music of Dustin Kensrue, you almost inevitably need to talk about Christianity. A devout Christian (and, until recently, worship pastor for now defunct mega-church Mars Hill), Kensrue has always woven his beliefs into both his solo music and that which he made with Thrice.

This reached its apex in 2013 with the release of The Water & the Blood, an album of full-blown worship songs that preached to the converted. Now, I don't have a problem with worship music, it just doesn't interest me. For the sake of parity, I don't listen to Norwegians in corpse paint shouting incessantly about how awesome Satan is either. I prefer my religious undertones to be just that: under.

That said, Dustin Kensrue's fourth official solo record is his most appealing record since the last Thrice platter four years ago because it isn't waving crosses and thumping bibles. Instead, Carry the Fire puts the music ahead of the message, from the stark acoustics of There's Something Dark to the full-bodied bombast of Gallows.

It's a sparse but effective record that just so happens to occasionally make references to his faith and, while I'd take a new Thrice album over it any day, Carry the Fire proves Kensrue remains a talented songwriter and formidable lyricist. As a worshiper of good music, I'll give this record an "amen".

April 21, 2015 • Workhorse/Universal

Highlights Gallows • There's Something Dark • Of Crows and Crowns