Album Review: Convictions – I Will Become

Tyler H. April 22, 2016 256 Comments 550 views 1 like

Conviction — defined as a firmly held belief or opinion. By taking this word as a band name, it’s important to understand the meaning behind it and live up to it; which is exactly what Ohio natives Convictions do. They brand their music as “aggressive worship” and have never been shy about the religious themes contained throughout their songs. Their convictions were put to the test all to recently, when just as they were about to embark on their first major US tour since singing to InVogue Records, their van and trailer was stolen which contained all their newly printed merchandise and instruments. With their future cloudy, they held strong with the firm belief it would all work out — and it did. A GoFundMe was created and the band raised over $11,000 in donations from fans almost overnight. A few days later, they received word that their trailer had been found along with most of their belongings thus enabling them to repair their van and join back up on their US tour. While most bands might have been tempted to give up, Convictions stayed firm and now are preparing for the release of their debut album I Will Become.

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Genre: Metalcore
Label: InVogue Records
Release: April 29, 2016
Connect: Facebook | Twitter
Purchase: iTunes | MerchNow
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I Will Become is going to sound familiar for long time fans of the band. If you are familiar with their previous releases, then I Will Become will be like hearing from an old friend. Sonically, they fall in the same veins as bands Fit for a King and Dayseeker. They blend heavy riffs and breakdowns with melodic and catchy choruses. Frontman Micheal Felker’s screams are unrelentingly brutal and heavy while sticking with mostly low to mid screams which is where his range shines the most. Bassist John Fleischmann handles the singing vocals on the record and combined with Micheal’s brutal screams, the duo provide listeners with a great balance. The singing is crisp and unique and helps provide a lot of the melody throughout. While the chugs and breakdowns are commonplace throughout the album, they also employ melodic leads and riffs throughout. It helps provide a bit of fresh air from the constant breakdowns and unrelenting heavy the instrumentation offers. That being said, I Will Become doesn’t do much to break through the mold of bands with a similar sound and employs a lot of familiar tactics found in the metalcore scene.

Convictions – House Of Lies (Official Music Video)

Off of the album “I Will Become” in stores now! CD/LP: http://store.invoguerecords.com Digital: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-will-become/id1098027545 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0PNbGkwlV3farYnmoojYAY Keep Up With Convictions: http://facebook.com/convictionsrock http://twitter.com/convictionsrock http://instagram.com/convictionsrock —- How can I become a man of God when in my mind I’m a man of a million lovers? All my secrets kept deep beneath the covers.

Lyrically, Convictions are a Christian band through and through. They tackle themes such as faith, lust, and disbelief. The religious themes are honest and handled with poise throughout while never being too abrasive or in your face. This makes the album approachable to non-believers, yet still leaves the listener no doubts about the bands strong Christian beliefs. The album also features a couple guest vocal spots that make those tracks the inevitable standouts. The song “Brother’s Blood” features Dayseeker frontman Rory Rodriguez. Rory’s crooning, melodic vocals fit perfectly with the heavy blend of Convictions and is a welcome addition to the song. The last song on the album (also the title track) “I Will Become” features ex clean vocalist Dan Gardner. The song is a fitting, emotional end to the album. It’s packed full of emotion, catchy, huge gang vocals and Dan’s cameo is the icing on the cake.

Convictions have crafted a solid debut in I Will Become. While at times it can seem to lack some originality, the band makes up for its emotion, melody and well written lyrics. Whether its the hard hitting breakdowns, monster riffs or the crisp, catchy choruses, I Will Become is sure to impress both fans old and new alike. Fans of metalcore are sure to enjoy this release from InVogue Records newcomers. Be sure to pick up the debut album on April 29th on all digital retailers.