Meadows is a christan hardcore band from Alabama that is getting you familiar with pain with this open letter to hurt, redemption and the love of jesus. The message is strong on this record, but it's hard for me to put my finger on it, but something just feels off about the record. The thing that feels off about the record is that the songs feel like two songs swen together to make an awkward song. They have some cool elements in here, like alt-grunge riffs or ambient-like riffs that get meshed with hardcore punk drums and vocals, and so things always feel just a bit off. Another issue is that some of the songs feel a bit too long and drag a bit. Like in the song “Old Friend, New Leaf,” the song sounds freaking amazing, but because they repeat the verse another time, it just feels a bit redundant. I think a good example of the true potential of this band was on the track “Barabbas (Silence of Innocence)." The song is short and sweet and includes a lot of variation in terms of sound. You get a well-paced song with some great musical style. The unclean vocals on this record might be one of the biggest highlights with how raw, emotional, and the large amounts of conviction his vocals have. He is putting a lot into these vocals because the lyrics that are written here are coming from a true, genuine place, and thats amazing. I will say outside of “my god is strong,” the clean vocals don't sound as good as the unclean. The clean vocals sound like they need a little more practice because they don't carry as much weight and power as the unclean vocals. The gang vocals they add throughout the album are tastefully done and usually elevate the songs. The riffs are quite interesting on this record, ranging from cool grunge style to gospel worship acoustic to hardcore punk riffs. They play around with their riffs, and they do have a nice tuning to them. However, like I said before, I think when they mix these styles together in the song, it makes the song feel a bit off. The drumming hits really hard on here and does a good job of keeping a nice groove whether its a slower or faster song like on “Kudzu Guilt." The bass does a good job of adding a fat weight to the songs when they are going hard, like on “Life & Death By The Sword,“ and is able to pull back and be more relaxed on lighter songs like “What Is Truth?“. The production on these records is really well produced. All the elements of the band sound crisp and clear, and nothing seems to overpower another instrument. Lyrical, the band does not shy away from their love of Jesus and does not feel too heavy handed. They do a good job balancing the praise they want to give to the one above all and making songs that feel accessible to non-Christians going through their own personal struggles. And I think at the end of the day that is what they want to accomplish with this album, and they have done an okay job at it.