The basic tenets of theology and philosophy concern discerning right from wrong, good from evil. There will never be any clear answer to this, but as humans we're going to keep guessing and muddling through. At least partly as a result of its ambiguous nature, morality will always be a topic that's ripe for exploration and dissection. This isn't the first time rock music has been used as a vehicle for trying to figure out some resolution to these themes, but in Dustin Kensrue's case Carry The Fire is his most cohesive effort yet.
It's been a busy couple of months for Kensrue: he left his position as the director of worship at the since disbanded Christian 'mega-church' Mars Hill, moved back to California and has immediate plans to get the band he fronts, Thrice, to come back from their three-year hiatus. Carry The Fire has innocuous beginnings, with pop-rock love song "Ruby" belying the weighty themes that develop further into this LP.
"Back To Back" is perhaps in part a throwback to his days in Mars Hill. Kensrue criss-crosses between willing servitude and supportiveness, and he implores "Let me be the one that's walking with you through the night/ When the morning comes with its brash and blinding light." This is delivered with some electric guitar noodling, yet you can feel the aching in the song.
On the melodic acoustic piece "What Beautiful Things", Kensrue manages to make the song sound depressing but uplifting (yes, really). This is owed to his low, lilting vocals as he unconvincingly sings "oh what beautiful things I've seen" like he's in a funeral procession where everything has come to its final end, then the life kicks back into the song in a tumult of keyboards and drums as Kensrue's voice is at its best: raised and with passion.
The main intention of Carry The Fire appears to be skirting through the maze that links morality and theology, and while the subject matter obviously deals with Christian beliefs it's not alienating. Kensrue's previous album The Water & The Blood was very clearly a worship record, but on this LP the Thrice frontman leaves a little room to manoeuvre and is a bit more obscure.
He's not preaching, instead Carry The Fire is like a look into the list of things that keep Kensrue awake at night. He confronts his failings and fears as he admits that he's "always running scared" on "In The Darkness" and the apocalyptic "Death Or Glory" sees him declare "I feel something's coming for me/ Is this death or glory that hangs like lightening in the air?" There's something endearing about someone laying bare what they perceive to be their worst qualities, and it doesn't hurt when it's backed by some unwavering electric guitar squalls and delivered with a gravelly, commanding vocal.
Musically Carry The Fire is largely a collection of middling songs, but it's much more accessible than Kensrue's last solo album. It's an insight into the darkness Kensrue grapples with but it's mixed with unrelenting optimism. On "There's Something Dark" he sings about a "jagged hole that twists and rips through my soul", but "Juggernaut" is the polar opposite, a carefree radio-friendly lovesong proclaiming "The only way this ends is with you in my arms." The album is an instantly relateable look into the human condition, presented with an undulating mix of jagged electric guitars and soaring vocals. More of this, please.
