Pillar- Confessions

I'm sure by now you've heard me say once or twice that settling for the ordinary these days is just not enough. Newer bands such as Since October or Decyfer Down have a style that just screams bland. They stick to the formula of rock and they don't do much to switch things up or add their own flair. Unfortunately, long time Chrisitian rock band, Pillar, has fallen into that category one too many times. Yes, they're very well known in Christian music, but they've never really done anything that lasts for long. The eleven years they've been around has increased veneration among Christian music fans, but nothing they've done has drastically changed the genre. Lyrically they're decent, and musically just they're your typical rock. There isn't anything too unique about it. Their newest album, Confessions, has a few exceptions, but not enough to make a very big difference for the band's reputation.

"Fire on the Inside" kicks off the album after a short intro, bringing your average Pillar rock to the table. No surprise. The follwoing two songs, however, caught me a little off guard. They both seem a lot bigger and better. It feels like Pillar suddenly gained a ton of confidence in themselves and realized they can make great music! "Whatever It Takes" and "Secrets and Regrets" are remeniscent of RED, or another band that has been singled out because of their talent. But sadly, the mood doesn't continue for long.

The record has the normal ballads that you would expect from Pillar. Out of the three, I don't find any of them particularly attractive. All other songs are heavy and aren't bad, just not anything people should be raving about. I really wish Pillar could maybe pull off something fantastic, because they have the potential--they just don't really know how to put that to use. "Not Without a Fight" is the best of the heavier tracks (besides the earlier mentioned two), full of screams courtesy of Rob Beckley. Longtime fans are sure to find that track to their liking, especially those who were into "Bring Me Down" from their Where Do We Go From Here? album. The rest of the songs seem to run together a bit too much.

I was hoping Pillar could pull off something good. The album is decent--don't get me wrong--but it's nothing that'll drastically change the way Pillar is viewed. Maybe if they keep up the style of a few songs with a tad more tweaking, they can achieve something a bit more impacting. Until then, we'll just have to wait and see what the future holds for this long-time rock band, and hope they can change into something great... which we all know they're perfectly capable of.