Back in 2012 Thousand Foot Krutch released The End Is Where We Begin which was the first album that they released as a newly independent artist. Now a little over two years later they come back with a new album titled Oxygen: Inhale which was released independently on August 26th.
When the album first dropped some fans were saying that they were disappointed because it showcased too much of the soft side of TFK, 'Where's the rawk!?" commented one fan. Now I will admit that leading up to the release of this album, I expected a classic TFK rock record. So after I first listened to the album I was slightly disappointed too, because about half of the album is softer in nature. However, after really listening to the album and giving the softer songs a chance I loved them!
Oxygen: Inhale might not be what you'd expect from TFK, but in my opinion that is not a bad thing. You still have some classic TFK rawking songs, like Give It To Me, Born This Way and Like A Machine. All of these songs bring the rawk, and rank up there as some of my favorite TFK songs to date! With so much energy packed in the recorded studio versions of these songs, I seriously can't wait to hear these live! There are a couple other rock songs on the album, but in my opinion these are the highlights.
Then you have the second half of the album, which is the lighter side of the album. For the most part these songs are more heartfelt and thought provoking. In My Room being one of those songs, telling the story of someone having a real honest unapologetic conversation with God, and as Trevor put it... basically saying, "I know we've never spoke before, but I have no one else, and I need to talk. I think I believe in You, but this is the only place I feel safe, so can You meet me in my room?"
It took me listening to it a few times but I have started to really like the slower side of the album too. Some of the songs like Light Up and In My Room reminded me a lot of something you might hear from FM Static, which is Trevor and Steve's side project band. I am a big fan of FM Static as well, so I appreciate these songs. I do wish that they were on an FM Static album though, and not so much on a TFK album.
My biggest complaint with Oxygen: Inhale is that I don't really like how the whole first half of the album is rock and the second half is mellow. I don't know if that was the bands intention or if it just turned out that way, but I personally would like it better if they were mixed up more throughout the album. I feel like their are quite a few really strong songs on the album, but the album as a whole just isn't as strong and doesn't have a clear message.
All in all, I really enjoyed this album! Is it my favorite TFK record? No. But it is still really good. I think that any true TFK fan will dig this record, or at least a few of the songs. I will say this though, the more I listen to the album the more it grows on me. I don't think it will ever grow into a favorite, but it's still a great album.
If you are a fan of Thousand Foot Krutch, I recommend that you pick up this album!
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