Pillar Fireproof CD

Taking the nod from heavy, spiritually minded bands such as P.O.D. and Creed, Pillar fuses crunchy guitars with sometimes-melodic, sometimes-rapping vocals. "Echelon," "Stay Up," and "Behind Closed Doors" all sound very closely modeled after the style forged by Rage Against The Machine and P.O.D., while "Fireproof, " "Individual," and "Hindsight" hint at a Limp Bizkit influence lurking in the band's collective psyche.

FIREPROOF boasts a thick, meaty production, courtesy of Travis Wyrick (Place Of Skulls, Disciple). The tasty syncopation in "A Shame" shows off the rhythmic chops of bassist Kalel and drummer Brad Noone. From the chunky riffing in "Epidemic" to the chilly vocals in "Further," Pillar shows great promise with their positively charged music.

Over the years, Christian rockers have embraced everything from pop-metal to new wave to thrash. So it was inevitable that some bands would use rap-metal to promote a Christian message, which is what Pillar does on Fireproof. Musically, this Kansas band mines the same rap-metal and rap-rock waters as Kid Rock, Rage Against the Machine, Fat, Limp Bizkit, and Linkin Park. But lyrically, Pillar doesn't have Rage's anti-establishment outlook any more than it shares Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit's macho bad-boy perspective; instead, Fireproof is a place where chugging, downtuned guitars are combined with a Christian-oriented message. Pillar, however, isn't in-your-face or militant about Christianity -- Fireproof isn't telling listeners, "Convert to Christianity, or else." If anything, optimistic tracks like "Echelon" and "Behind Closed Doors" are promoting Christianity in a subliminal way; to put it bluntly, Fireproof doesn't sound like a Jerry Falwell sermon. And because its lyrics aren't taking the fire-and-brimstone approach, this CD stands a good chance of crossing over to secular audiences. Musically, Fireproof isn't innovative -- anyone who spent a lot of time listening to alternative rock stations in the late '90s or early 2000s has no doubt heard a lot of similar-sounding bands. And the lyrics aren't groundbreaking either; since the early '90s, P.O.D. has been demonstrating that rap-metal lyrics can be spiritual and optimistic. Nonetheless, this more uplifting vision of rap-metal isn't an idea that has been run into the ground, and some metalheads will find it rather refreshing to hear another rap-metal band that isn't totally dark. All things considered, there is a lot to like about this solid, if derivative, CD, which originally came out on the Nashville-based Flicker label in 2002 and was re-released by MCA the following year. [The album was also pressed in bonus DVD and bonus track formats.] ~ Alex Henderson

Recorded at West Man, Nashville, Tennessee and Lake Side Studio, Knoxville, Tennessee.

Producers: Travis Wyrick, Pillar, Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock.

Pillar: Kalel (bass guitar); Lester Estelle (drums); Rob Beckley, Noah Henson.

Personnel: Rob Beckley (vocals); Noah Henson (guitar); Brad Noone (drums); Scott Gilman (programming).

Audio Mixers: Andrew Murdock; Rich Costey.

Recording information: Lake Side Studio, Knoxville, TN; West Main Studio, Nashville, TN.

Pillar: Rob Beckley (vocals); Noah Henson (guitar); Kalel (bass); Lester Estelle (drums).

Additional personnel: Scott Gilman, Brad Noone.

Additional personnel: Brad Noone (drums); Scott Gilman (programming).