Project 86- Picket Fence Cartel

Thirteen years and seven albums later, you could say Project 86 has gained some experience doing what they're doing. And with that experience most often comes maturity. Project's latest, Picket Fence Cartel, goes to show how far they've come, and how much respect they really are deserving of. But they've made it very clear with the theme of this album. With fame comes power. And with power comes corruption. And they are in no way ready to give in to this corruption. The eighth track on the album, "Two Glass Eyes," puts it best--"Fame is infamy."

While not all songs carry this theme, an idea spawned off of this one does carry on throughout the album. As Project 86 explains it, our society is so driven to get fame in one way or another. But once someone gets what they've wanted (power), they end up being controlled by it, to where it is their sole obsession. The question that Project explores in this album is "Who do I belong to?"

Front-man Andrew Shwab's oftentimes genius lyrics help us discover the answer to this topic. Songs like "The Butcher" use powerful lyrics, declaring that "There is no weapon, there is no blade, you'll never kill Him that lives inside of me." The track obviously points out that if we belong to God, "Who can be against us?"

Picket Fence Cartel has some of the most spiritual lyrics to date. Project 86 is, of course, a Christian band, but sometimes oblique lyricism takes away from any meaning to the listener. Most, if not all of the songs on this album can be easily interpreted to have some sort of spiritual meaning. The opener, "Destroyer," tells of the end times, and the demise of Satan--"The lives that you thought that were your to devour, Destroyer, the tables have turned in this hour." "Cement Shoes" is a song that comes across as downright worshipful, screaming "And so we bow it to, bow it to, kneel before You, just like a child here, I'm not ashamed." "Two Glass Eyes" cries out to God to "Rescue me!" "Cyclonus," the following track, opens with a Bible verse, and afterwards commands that "Devastator, Complicator, Bringer of Pain, why won't you fly away." The track following that, "The Black Brigade," reinforces its predecessor, asking God for deliverance from the evil that chases us. But the finale is the strongest, lyrically, and the most worshipful track on the album--maybe even the most worshipful ever to come from Project 86. The track says that "We've lost all our control, our faces fall to the ground, we're powerless to Your voice, surrender to the sound," and after answers the question we've been pondering the entire album. "Who do I belong to? Not earth, not world, not evil, not mortals, not wretches, not horrors. Who do I belong to? Unchanging, Unbreaking, Unfailing, Creator, Immortal, Eternal." It's an extremely powerful song, and even if you're not a fan of Project, it's worth giving a listen to.

I'm vaguely familiar with Project's older work--mainly their singles such as "Spy Hunter" or "Evil (A Chorus of Resistance)." But I have heard the majority of 2007's Rival Factions, and I must say this album is much heavier than the synth-laced style of their last album. While the synths are present in a few songs, such as a little in the background of the chorus of "Dark Angel Dragnet," and predominantly in "A John Hancock With The Safety Off," most of the songs are more metal than their last attempt. With only three members, I'm not sure who they have on the drums, but some of those beats are pretty amazing. The start of "Dark Angel Dragnet" has a very interesting drum piece, and songs like "Cold and Calculated" and "Two Glass Eyes" have intense rhythm that almost come across as catchy. The most interesting part of the album, musically, is halfway though "To Sand We Return," where there is a short acoustic break, accompanied by vocals that will give you goosebumps at one point or another.

So overall, Picket Fence Cartel is a great improvement--musically, lyrically, and spiritually. The theme is fantastic, and the songs help to very well portray it. And it can only be uphill from here, as we watch and see where this band will take us next.