Album Review: Till The End by Phinehas

Date: July 24, 2015

If Phinehas can put out brutal music who knows what Ferb is capable of? All joking aside, Phinehas' first release on Artery Recordings is some seriously brutal Christian metalcore that will guarantee to get the blood flowing and your head banging.

Till The End is the third release from Phinehas, the first since 2013, and it is by far the strongest effort put together by the band. The thrashing, up tempo, circle pit fueling riffs and the extremely gargantuan breakdowns combined with Sean McCulloh's roaring screams is just what the doctor ordered and makes this record hit you in the face from the brutalness.

"Dead Choir," the record's first single, sets the pace for what is to come the rest of the album with its crushing sound. The lyrics are centered on the church and how it has not changed with the times. "You're a liar and a fake/ You refuse to ever change/ Without grace we would all be dead," McCulloh roars before an epic breakdown.

The title track is one of the stand out tracks that I keep going back to. The track closes off the album and ends with the repeated lines, "Live free or die/ Till the end," sending chills down your spine. McCulloh told me this is probably his favorite part of the entire album.

Other stand out tracks include "Tetelestai" which is Greek for "It is finished" and "White Livered" which features some guest guitar work by Affiance guitarist Dominic Dickinson.

I get an As I Lay Dying vibe from this album which I've gotten from their previous work as well but in no way shape or form is that a bad thing at all. The band is known for their live energy on stage and you can feel that energy throughout the record. I can only imagine how devastatingly brutal these songs will sound in a live setting.

4.5/5

Please note that the opinions expressed in this review are the opinions of the writer alone. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of WSOU, Seton Hall University, nor any of its affiliates.

Posted in: Album Review, Metal, Out of Babylon, WSOU Exclusive