FIRST OFF…

I must admit that this is the very first CHRISTIAN ROCK band I have every reviewed.   I do find it ironic or twisted that I am the son of a preacher man. So, in a way, I may be one of the best to do this review. You know they say God moves in mysterious ways and this could be one of them…so LET’S ROCK with GOD!

WHO IS DOWNPOR…

DOWNPOR is a 4 member Christian rock band from Newton, North Carolina in the United States consisting of Darrin Townsend – vocals, Duane Mullins – guitar/background vocals, Brian Santos – bass/background vocals and Carlos Rojas – drums.   The first thing I noticed was the term they use CHRISTIAN ROCK. When I was growing up in the church listening to my Dad preach, such a term was not tolerated. Rock and Roll was evil, strictly the devil’s music!   Over time I found out for myself what I believe and I definitely say the word of God is acceptable in Rock and Roll. I know now I am going to get it from both sides…LOL.

The next thing I noticed was on their Facebook page under Band Interest. You would expect any number of things from other bands to charities. Imagine my surprise as I look at the one for DOWNPOR and I see a MISSION STATEMENT. Here’s the statement so you can read it for yourself.

“Mission Statement: To minister to the Youth and others through the music & message, in order to give them a full understanding what it is to be a Christian and to let them know, that it is an incredible thing to be able to call themselves Christians in the public eye with confidence and without being afraid to do so.”

To me, this means DOWNPOR is not in this for the fame, the fortune or any other things that may come to them as the carry out their mission. This kind of drive is very rare, not just in music, but in life also. I think this may give them an extra push as they begin their journey of mixing God and Rock and Roll.

ON TO THE MUSIC…

ENDED IT ALL is loaded with 10 tracks, most are a nice mixture of heavy riffs and melodic sounds while a few are slower.   No matter which song you gravitate to, the lyrics are the main focus in all their tunes.   Check out the tracks below.

1.     ENDED IT ALL

2.     FIGHTING FOR THE LIGHT

3.     RAIN

4.     SORROWS MY FAITH

5.     CHOOSE ME

6.     THE SECRET

7.     SET ME FREE

8.     FOOLISH PRIDE

9.     RAGE

10. WILL YOU BE THERE?

At first I was not sure if this music would really be any good, I have heard so-called CHRISTIAN ROCK bands in the past and almost all of them only used the RELIGIOUS aspect as a way to tap into a new market. Heavy rock riffs and dribble for lyrics. That is NOT the case with DOWNPOR thank God, a steady theme is heard on this whole cd and that is FAITH.

ENDED IT ALL is a great first track, solid rock and roll on this one, but we warned the lyrics are going to sneak up and get you! One thing this band really does well is make you think and that is not a bad thing. This is a great rock and roll song, period.

SORROWS MY FAITH starts out with a great drum intro into a soaring riff driven monster.   The drums really stand out to me in this one. I am not sure if it’s just the intro or the sound throughout this one but I LIKE IT!

CHOOSE ME is the slowest and mellowest of all of the tracks, but I think it might be the best song on the CD. The mixture of acoustic guitar and the feeling in the lyrics is a definite winner.   A heart-felt story that we have seen played out in real life. I have three couples I know and all of them have a similar story in the past 5 years. As I said the die-hard rock and rollers will probably not like this one but what do they know?

My favorite track on ENDED IT ALL has to be THE SECRET. The guitars start you off with a great upbeat tempo and once again they seem to be able to take the feeling of the lyrics and transform them into the sound of each song perfectly. You know these guys can ROCK AND ROLL!

IN CONCLUSION…

Downpor seems to do what almost all CHRISTIAN ROCK bands fail at, the art of mixing the lyrics and the music while never losing sight of their mission statement. I know many of you may pass on this band simply because they are a CHRISTIAN ROCK band, but do not let that scare you. They are truly a great band with a positive message that is a welcome change these days. I look forward to the next CD they release. If this is what Christian Rock as turned into, it’s on a great path. Maybe we could get a little fire & brimstone mixed with some awesome riffs and heavy drums.   Hey, a fan can ask, can’t he?

Make sure you check out their Facebook page as they have links to songs and the lyrics to all the tracks on ENDED IT ALL.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

John Who am I??? I am a short, bald and slightly over weight one-eyed rock and roll FAN! I do NOT have any professional writing skills from any schools or major publications. I am SIMPLY a music fan, nothing more and nothing less...I just love to RnFnR as SLASH would say!