The word "growth" barely begins to describe what the band World Against World, formerly known as SpudGun, has experienced in the year since their Bulletboy debut. The addition of the band's new drummer, Jason Patterson spurned what the rest of the band (Jason, Josh, and Ryan) refer to as a series of personal revivals in which they surrendered their talents and ambitions to the Lord. Now self-described as an evangelical band, World Against World has forsaken many of the punk-rock hallmarks that they and similar bands identified with.
"In fact," says bassist Ryan Weaver, "if you set our new album side by side with our first one, they're exact opposites. The first one was about a lot of punk themes: politics, social acceptance ... The new album is pure evangelism intended to lead the listeners, and the band, to repentance and a fear of the Lord."
Produced by accomplished engineer Chris Colbert, the new release features tight, strong performances of the band's now darker punk rock. The band's songs, now clocking in at over two minutes, show enormous maturity and scriptural depth, not only in comparison to their previous work, but also in comparison to other artists in their genre.
Musically, the new album, "Until the Day Breaks and the Shadows Flee Away," contains a shock or two for the band's devoted punk following -- listeners are assaulted with the usual powerful guitar riffs and driving bass, but also tickled by the Colbert-influenced droning guitars, e-bow solos and delay-laden vocals.
World Against World has put their money where their mouth is &endash; committing to tour all summer and fall, regardless of the nature or pay of their bookings, and has committed to be humble and seek God's lessons in all things, while remaining accountable to their pastor in Atlanta.
One cannot help but be moved by World Against World's hearts, as they seek to lead other young punk Christian and non-Christian youth into a proper relationship with God, and obedience and submission to His principles. So impressed was Colbert, the project's producer, with what World Against World expressed to him regarding their calling, that he "tithed" to the band a sizeable percentage of his own honorarium for the production of the record.
To introduce a listener to World Against World is to introduce them to a band that means business about the need of us all to humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, beginning with themselves.
The Adolescents, Crashdog, Sub Humans, The Clash, 90 lb wuss, (f.k.a. SpudGun), Blaster the Rocketboy, Sex Pistols
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