What would happen if, instead of Fred Durst or Chester Bennington, bands like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park where fronted by militant, Bible-thumping preachers?

If you can imagine that scenario, you're well on your way to grasping the dynamics behind the Christian rap/rock band Pillar. One of the first signees to Audio Adrenaline's label Flicker Records, the group has achieved a fair amount of notoriety in the Christian Rock scene despite their debut album Above being rather weakly produced and lyrically trite. Two years and one guitarist later, their sophomore album, Fireproof, serves as a pretty fair example of what happens when you take the typical, trendy rap/rock sound and translate its attitude into Christian subculture.

Now, I don't mean to knock the band or anything - they're good at what they do. Lead vocalist Rob Beckley can toss off a rapid-fire rap verse with incredible ease, and he and his cronies can actually provide some quite melodic vocals when the situation calls for it. New guitarist Noah Henson is no slouch, either, peppering nearly all of the band's songs with a thick, "Don't-mess-with-us" sort of attitude. I'm just warning you that if you're not into this genre, you're really not going to be persuaded to like it by Pillar's in-your-face, evangelistic lyrics. While there are certainly times, especially in this genre, when in your face lyrics, are called for, I always feel the need to point out when someone could be using a little more tact - and that's probably the only bad thing about this album.

Well, that and the fact that it's a bit repetitive. That's another criticism often leveled at a genre whose bands already have a hard time differentiating themselves from one another. If repetition of themes and musical ideas doesn't bug you, and you enjoy a good head-banging slab of ear candy, then you'll probably find this album to be a blast. I've obviously enjoyed it enough to continue listening to it even though I think some of their songs are just dumb. I guess I'm a sucker for this sort of stuff, musically speaking, even though I recognize that the genre's totally overdone and Pillar isn't really adding anything new to it.

Before I get too negative about Pillar, I should point out that when they're hot, they're really hot. Given that Rob Beckley is a member of the army reserves, it makes sense that he would adopt such a "no-bull" lyrical style, because that's probably the manner in which he hears his superiors barking at him. The man's obviously very passionate in his love for God and his country, and that's totally admirable (except in cases where one starts to get confused with the other). The band's been through the proverbial fire in the last year or so, trying to write meaningful songs in the aftermath of 9-11, which no doubt only added to their sense of urgency in preaching the Gospel. In fact, the record's title track was completed on that date, and I'd say that along with most of the record, it must have been a good, constructive way for the boys to get their aggressions out. To their credit, Fireproof is more of an urgent call to Christians to be strong and tough and unashamed of their faith, rather than the type of diatribe about how someone else is going to Hell and they're not that you might expect from the title.

Fireproof
I won't compromise, and I realize it's my time to rise...
It's great that the band got their wish to lead the album off with the powerful title track - apparently there was a dispute over its placement. It works well to set things up, starting off with a crunchy, stone-cold guitar riff which soon develops into something more "incendiary" (to borrow a term from the young music journalist in Almost Famous). Based on the story of those three guys in the Bible who were thrown into a furnace for refusing to renounce their faith in God (you know, Meatshack, Hatrack, and Indigo), this song pulls no punches in spitting resistant words in the face of those who would oppress Christians. "You can't turn me or deter me/No matter how you try/You can't burn me!", Rob urgently signs in the massive hit that surprisingly, has no rap parts whatsoever. The chorus is a solid call and response with appropriately toughened lyrics - "I know where I stand and what'll happen if you try it/I AM FIREPROOF!" The bridge, while confusing at first, oozes coolness with its time signature change that knocks off a beat here and there just to keep you guessing, as the guys blast out these words: "You'll never take me in the fire/You'll never take my own desire!" I also love the sudden, frenetic ending - fun stuff for head banging.

Just to Get By
Step out holdin' up the crown like a title belt
It's one bout the devil wish he never dealt...
Giving you a few seconds' worth of a breather before Noah's guitar blasts and a fierce rap verse suddenly lunge for your jugular, this track is another keeper, though it's noticeably a little more preachy. Rob is addressing an individual who seems to be a Sunday-only Christian, explaining to him that he can't fool everybody into "thinking that you live the right life". I'll give Rob credit for not actually questioning this person's salvation - the implication is more that he just isn't gonna grow. Non-Christians would likely be offended by having these orders barked at them, but I can usually turn my "seeker sensitive" mode off and just enjoy it as a song that challenges me not to be complacent regarding a lack of spiritual maturity... and as a song that just flat out rocks. Especially when Rob screams during the bridge and the guitars are laid on thick. It's too bad that the band wasted an opportunity at a sweet transition by having this track cut off suddenly and filling nearly a minute with what sounds like a military troupe doing role call during their morning jog... the eerie keyboards behind it give it an effect much like the intro and outro to Creed's "Who's Got My Back?", though it's even more abrupt here.

Echelon
We're on the enemy's hit list, I'm hopin' you get this
You're takin' a risk when you resist the One who made you exist...
Thematically, the sound clip fits the song that follows it - a bass-and-beat-driven declaration that God's army ain't gonna back down. The overall sound here is a little smoother - very rap-heavy but with a more melodic underpinning, a la Linkin Park. The chorus is rapped as well this time, rather than sung - but we're still three for three in terms of catchy refrains, due to Rob's rhyme scheme and one of the other guys harmonizing behind him. The lyrics are fairly solid, sticking mostly to the whole "we're gonna beat up the devil" motif that the band pulls off with a lot less cheese than say, Carman, though there is one little snag in the second verse when Rob takes a pot-shot at evolutionists. (Sidebar: I hate it when people on both sides of the Evolution vs. Creation argument refuse to acknowledge that the two ideas don't necessarily contradict each other... the Bible was not written to be a scientific journal, people! End of sidebar.) That and the lack of a strong guitar solo or anything to change the song up in the bridge make this a slightly weaker number, but still very good.

Stay Up
So behold, He stands at the door and just knocks
But you be standin' at the door with the door locked...
Here's where things start to go downhill. The approach on this song relies a lot less on melody, going for more of a straight-up rap motif, but of course with the heavy guitars and drums and stuff added in. It just doesn't have as much of a hook, despite the guys' best attempt to make it a good party anthem. The song is about "seekin' freaks out from the underground", which I guess pays a slight homage to dc Talk in referring to "freaks" as a good thing - people who are willing to stand up for what they believe even though the rest of the world thinks they're weird or even offensive. Rapper KJ-52 gets a guest shot on this one, and he seems pretty capable - though I still think John Reuben is better in the department of white-boy Christian MC's. I really don't like the bridge, where either Rob or KJ is calling out in a reggae-inflected tone: "God people... when are you gonna rise...", etc. It's too much of a P.O.D. ripoff. I also don't like how this song gradually slows to its ending. Other than that, it's decent, but a definite drop in quality from the opening trilogy.

Behind Closed Doors
Sometimes it's so easy to cheat
But the only ones you're cheatin' are just you and the Chief
It ain't just a belief, He'll be back like a thief...
I love the beginning of this song - a chilling scream of "Break out!" jumps at you from out of nowhere as the drums and guitars start thrashing away again. It'll startle you if you're not ready for it. For the most part, the song locks into a groove similar to P.O.D.'s "Boom" - there are points when it's difficult to tell the two bands apart. Lyrically, I'll admit that the song has more depth than "Boom" - it bravely confronts a preacher or spiritual leader who is acting fake in front of other believers who can see right through his lies. Rob has no problem correcting this individual because of the damage he's doing - he's not extremely harsh, but you can tell there's a bit of "righteous anger" in his voice.

Epidemic
It's a hard concept to grasp when you're playing with fire
And you keep throwin' on gas, eventually you'll get burned with a big blast...
I always think of the movie Outbreak when I hear this song, even though I've never seen it. The boys change things up a bit on this one - bass player Kalel gets some tasty licks in as Rob raps over an unorthodox time signature. You have to appreciate that even if rap/rock ain't your style, because it's very rare that you hear someone rap over anything other than 4/4 - it's hard to do! Rob seems very intent on warning the world that "We're in the middle of an outbreak, it's no joke, it's high stakes." The epidemic he speaks of is obviously a spiritual affliction and not a physical one, and his vision of it is rather apocalyptic, obviously. Thankfully, the band is really tight on this one, pulling off some difficult transitions back and forth between the two rhythms, much like Pax217 did in their song "Yesterday" (both bands released their latest albums the exact same day, by the way, as if their styles weren't already easy enough for an innocent bystander to confuse with each other). It's not a bad piece of work even if it is a bit heavy-handed, though at this point, you begin to notice that the songs are all pretty short. It might have done the band some good if they'd used that funky rhythm as an outro and just jammed on it for a while. I have the feeling that Pillar could churn out some kicking jam sessions if they ever decided to go that route.

Hindsight
I never really thought about eternity
I just did at the time what felt good to me...
This track has always been an easy one for me to overlook, because it sounds very similar to many of the preceding tracks, without as much of a distinguishable hook to make it demand attention. That and the fact that Rob conjured up unpleasant memories of Fred Durst during his somewhat whiny verses. All of that is really a shame, because the lyrics here are some of his most personal, discussing some bad choices he made when dealing with the pressures of growing up, graduating from high school, watching his parents divorce, etc. Now many years later, he's pondering the questions of those actions and the stupidity of acting like he was invincible. It's a healthy retrospective that's unfortunately marred by a musical blending in with the crowd.

Light at My Feet
As I aimlessly wondered around
How could I ever expect to be found...
Now this was somewhat unexpected... it's a ballad. Well, sort of. The tempo is still reasonably fast, but due to the 6/8 meter and Rob's softer singing that only occasionally explodes into a scream, it resembles a cross between Pillar's radio-ready style and more of an old-school metal approach. The lyrics are basically Pillar's modern retooling of Michael W. Smith's "Thy Word" for a new generation - a simple prayer to let God lead us in being "walking electricity". I'm especially reminded of the more old-school metal approach when the band shifts into a slow, crawling 4/4 during the bridge, but unfortunately they shift back again before they can really do anything with it. Song like this one and "Epidemic" lead me to believe that the band could be more "progressive" if they really wanted to, which I think would help diversify their albums a great deal.

Ashamed
You're afraid to hold out your hand
Don't be afraid to take a stand...
This is where the lyrics on the album really take a nosedive - which is not to say that they were amazingly poetic and profound before, but at least they had some tact. Here, Rob's railing against immature Christians just starts to get tiring. His singing is pretty good, with the smooth verses recalling the more melodic side of Linkin Park, but it all breaks down when you realize he's talking very condescendingly to a person who is ashamed of his faith. The band seems to think they're clever on the chorus, where they sing, "It's a shame to be ashamed" and then scream, "TO BE ASHAMED OF THE ONE THAT WE SHOULD GLORIFY!" with the intonation of a bunch of football jocks. I have no problem with the notion that Christians shouldn't be ashamed of their faith. But I think we should be ashamed of holier-than-thou attitudes, and as much as I can give Pillar the benefit of the doubt on other tracks, it's unavoidable here. Back off, will you, guys?

Indivisible
Just think a second, how long it's been going on before you
They're the ones who even helped you have the right to argue...
A very slick transition occurs between the sudden ending of the last song and the subtle electric finger picking that opens this song. I'd be just has happy if this song was all Noah and no Rob - because Rob's lyrics are just that bad. Here, once again, he's telling someone off, and this is where his politics come into play, because he's addressing a person who's badmouthing the United States and complaining about the use of the words "In God we trust" on the dollar bill. His basic message is that the person should shut their trap because they obviously don't appreciate the freedom that was bought for them by men of God in the past... or something like that. So let me get this straight, you're gonna tell someone how great this free country is by informing them that they don't have a right to talk? Brilliant. This is followed up by the declaration that "We need to get back to the ways of the days of old, one nation under God indivisible." Last I checked, the "days of old" had just as much of a mix of religious and anti-religious people as we do now, and the Founding Fathers weren't necessarily the immaculately behaved Christians the history books teach us they were. I'm all for standing in defense of a great country, but you have to realize that part of this country's greatness is that people are given the right to choose their beliefs instead of having those beliefs dictated to them. So what the band is insinuating is actually rather un-patriotic. And the song just gets plain retarded when it reaches the chorus and you have more sports-jock screaming: "All the people let me hear you give a holler! IN GOD WE TRUST, IN GOD WE TRUST!" Yeah, that's about as effective to convert the Godless masses as standing outside abortion clinics and gay pride rallies with snide remarks painted on your picket signs. End of rant.

Further
I admit that when I submit to you
I can see all of the selfish things I do...
Phew... an introspective ballad arrives and saves the day. Once again, this is a nice diversion for Pillar, and something they should explore more in the future (not that I advocate they ditch the rap/rock thing altogether, but we need more adventurous Christian bands in this genre). Rob's singing is barely a whisper over Noah's thick, Seattle-inspired guitar chords - the band actually sounds like the ghost of Grammatrain here. Rob is basically meditating on how solitude with God distances him from the harsh reality of his own sin and pain, and takes him to a peace beyond what he can accomplish on his own. It's a good ending, and I especially like the hushed rapping during the bridge, which comes to a halt just before the final chorus kicks in. It could probably be categorized as a "worship song", and it's a fitting end even though it kind of trails off at the end, leading you to believe there should be one final rock-out song to bring the house down. Oh, well.

It's a shame that two of the tracks slip into self-righteous platitudes, and that many of the other tracks flirt with them, because Pillar is a killer band that shows a lot of problem. I honestly don't mind that they have an uncompromising approach, but I have a really tough time with fingers being pointed at anyone other than the accuser himself. In other words, it means more to me when Christians write songs about their own sins rather than other people's. We all have our pet peeves, and it's far easier to notice what other people are doing wrong (at least according to our skewed rules) than others. I'm guilty of it myself; I just don't particularly enjoy hearing that on a record. Regrettably, that's the one thing that pushes me off the fence regarding whether or not I can recommend this album - I'm gonna have to go with no.

If you're really into the rap/rock thing and you don't pay as much attention to the lyrics, you'll probably love this CD, but I certainly wouldn't recommend playing it for a non-Christian friend. I can personally enjoy Fireproof and just skip over the parts that are all wet. But more discerning listeners will probably want to pass on this one.

ALBUM WORTH:
Fireproof $2
Just to Get By $1.50
Echelon $1.50
Stay Up $.50
Behind Closed Doors $1
Epidemic $1
Hindsight $.50
Light at my Feet $1
Ashamed -$.50
Indivisible -$1
Further $1.50
TOTAL: $9

Band Members:
Rob Beckley: Lead vocals
Noah Henson: Guitars
Kalel: Bass
Brad Noone: Drums

Website: http://www.pillarmusic.com

Recommended: No

Great Music to Play While: Driving