Strongarm - The Advent of a Miracle (1997)^{Release ID: 32550}

Around the time when Zao was uniting Christian metal with hardcore, Strongarm was doing the same with a more melodic approach. It's a shame this band was short-lived, but like other bands that have only lived for a short time, they left behind a strong legacy...

Anyone who likes the intense heaviness of Earth Crisis should not have a problem with this album. It stays intense throughout with deep intelligence. The rhythm section makes amazing twists in sync with the rest of the band. Drummer Chris Carbonell switched to vocals for this album, and his extreme voice is the key to the album's quality, though sometimes he adds in a bit of spoken word like other bands in the hardcore league. The lyrics are interesting in understandable thought.

"These Times That Try Men's Souls" takes on those lyrics of pure desire for truth, "The price paid for living in light, is that of gold in the crucible, ever melting, straining, striving to be made pure". Another track that can cut through lyrics is "Supplication". The inspiring "Council of Perfection" is my favorite, having some more amazing lyrics.

"More Bitter Than Death" continues those excellent lyrics as well. The trio suite of the title track, "Measure of Consequence", and "Sorrow is a Sage" all fit together with a lyrical story of the eponymous "Advent of a Miracle", "the breath of God", and longing for truth. Incredible!

"Increase" once again places Strongarm on the path to the Christian metalcore throne that's taken by Zao. "The Fall of Babylon" once again shows the band's Earth Crisis-like sound that would plant the seed for later melodic metalcore bands like Shadows Fall. The cool hidden track "Together" is a cover of a song by Endure, the previous band of guitarists Nick Dominguez and Joshua Colbert.

Those two guitarists, bassist Chad Neptune, and drummer Steve Kleisath moved on to a different emo-rock band Further Seems Forever. Chris Carbonell couldn't join because of his inability to do cleans as greatly as his screams. Despite breaking up, Strongarm shall be known as an impressive metalcore band with effective words!

Favorites: "Council of Perfection", "The Advent of a Miracle", "Measure of Consequence", "Sorrow is a Sage", "The Fall of Babylon"