Life Will Write the Words

Self-editing is a near impossibility in any creative pursuit. You need to have an extra set of ears and eyes willing to tell you with little remorse that the idea you think is genius is just plain terrible. Five albums deep into his career as the Rocket Summer, Bryce Avary has obviously pleased thousands of fans with his glammy take on Christian rock, but the poor lad is in desperate need of someone to help hone his songwriting and to beg him to rein in his instrumental efforts. As with most of his work to date, Avary packs Life Will Write the Words with noise and incidents, giving the listener little room to relax or, at the very least, breathe. Ceaseless guitar lines, busy drumbeats, and plenty of electronic intrusions abound here. The helping hand of an outside producer or some extra bandmates might help to open these tracks up a lot more. At the very least, it would do Avary a world of good to have someone to urge him to ease up on the throttle of his vocals. Every song is another excuse for him to growl, shout, and send his voice to the rafters of whatever imagined arena he is playing in.