Musical Style: Metal/Hard Rock	Produced By:
Record Label: Roxx Records	Country Of Origin: USA & New Zealand
Year Released: 2020	Artist Website:
Tracks: 10	Rating: 80%
Running Time: 41:53

Vocalist Dale Thompson has been on quite the roll the past year- enough to rank him among the more prolific artists within the current hard music scene.  Starting in December of 2019, he aligned with guitarist Tiago De Souza to record the metal and thrash of sophomore Perpetual Paranoia album Between The Altar & The Cross, while joining with multi instrumentalist Alan Zaring for the at times hard rocking and others modern tinged third album of The World Will Burn, Nothings As Real As It Seems.  First part of 2020 saw him unveil The Thomas Thompson Earth Project, noting the presence of multi-instrumentalist Garret Thomas, which on its debut full length Dreamland Lovecraft specializes in straight on metal imbued with aspects of thrash, groove, funk, techno and industrial metal.
 
For his most recent band We Are Resolute, Thompson unites with guitarist and keyboardist Bryan Carman and drummer, bassist and guitarist John Mokma to sign with Roxx Records for its July of 2020 debut offering Shine The Light.  When placed alongside those previously referenced, We Are Resolute takes a more accessible stance by backing from the aggressive intricacies to Perpetual Paranoia and The Thomas Thompson Earth Project, while sidestepping the outside the box inventiveness of The World Will Burn for a bluesy merging of melodic metal and hard rock.  Key word being melodic in that We Are Resolute unveils a memorable songwriting touch to the extent Thompson’s main band Bride comes to mind or at the very least one of his other projects No Other God that trended similar musical territory on its early 2019 release Take It By Storm.

BTW, when does the artist find time to eat, drink and sleep?

Opener “Inside” best embodies that choice joining of the bluesy and melodic.  With rolling drums to start soon joined by lumbering bass, the song intensifies moving forward as guitars crunch in and Thompson lends his trademark gritty but powerful vocal abilities.  Unveiled in the process is the group’s penchant for composing notable melodies.  Lyric snippet:

You can run, but you can’t hide
Try to hide what’s inside
You can lie, but God will find
Don’t fool yourself, cause God’s not blind
You can’t hid what’s inside

What you need to do is run the race
Run so you can win
Holding fast to what you believe
And as you run, keep praying

Speaking of which, “Chasing Shadows” ups melody to further heights.  It begins to dreamy wave like guitars that bring to mind Resurrection Band’s “The Return”, but just when you expect Glenn Kaiser to step forward with his scratchy voice, Thompson’s soulful penchant takes over to set the moving tone for the commercial emotion to follow, noting the catchy refrain.  Perhaps it is just me, but Bryan Carman’s lead guitar work hints of Stu Heiss, further reinforcing the Rez Band comparison.

“Crazy” impresses as a heartfelt metal piece, mid-paced with its front loaded guitars to press the bustling distance but melodic in terms of the ample ‘whoa-whoa-whoa’ backing vocals allowing a contrasting serene presence.  Several stretch of bluesy lead guitar round out a cut that proves basic but effective in terms of structuring.  Lyric snippet:

If you’re having trouble believing
Read His word and you will know’
In this life that’s filled with darkness
Shine His light and fill your soul

So if you’re lost and you are searching
In this life for what is true
Just call upon the Savior
He will come and rescue you

Albums title track maneuvers through moments quiet and forceful: passages calmly drifting to reticent guitars slowly build until impetus explodes for those on the more forward side as guitars explode to the front of the mix.  Bluesy etchings further heighten upon acquiring the reflective refrain.

“Your Enemy” rates with albums heaviest.  Song manifest a darker edge in touching upon traditional metal, resounding as hulking guitars crash in and out of the mix but also amiable for the keyboards that further enhance the engaging refrain.  John Mokma stands out with his bombastic drum rolls.  Lyric snippet:

In the end he’ll take power
Only for a moment’s time
Those who take the mark upon them
Will meet their bitter end

The trump will sound and into glory
We will reign with Jesus then
No more tears, no more sorrow
And His face we will see

“Don’t Listen” begins to a ‘one-two-three-four’ prior to acoustic guitar holding sway, intermixing bluesy rhythm guitar and literally off the charts melody as the band finds its perfect groove in making albums strongest artistic statement.  Lead guitar aligns with the songs echoing presence.

“Why I Cry” makes the perfect transition from “Don’t Listen” with a similar earthy hard rock sound but heavier in losing the acoustic guitar while derivative of every bit manifest hooks as Thompson reveals the full breadth to his voice for the
“That’s why I cry, that’s why I call out to You’ refrain.  If We Are Resolute can come up with ten songs of the quality to “When I Cry” and “Don’t Listen” it would have a mini classic on its hands to rival the hard rock genres best.  Lyric snippet:

Sometimes trouble is all I see
But I know Your’e there
If I only look to You
I’ll fee Your loving care

When You ask me, I should do
But I go my own way
Lay my burdens at Your feet
That’s when I see, You’re my God

Unfortunately, follow up cut “Mad At God” does not live up to such expectations.  Not that it is in any way bad, but rather it lacks the melody focus to the albums better material, while also including mid-point narration that sounds like some random guy in the studio speaking into a microphone, which is one of my songwriting pet peeves.   

Shine The Light regains its form for its final two cuts beginning with “Kingdom Of Heaven”.  Song takes a mid-paced ballad form, seeing the return of acoustic guitar but also joined by rhythm guitar and breathing bass after a minute, as another strong melody realizes.  In the end, this one brings a touch of AOR in similar form as Petra or Idle Cure.  Lyric snippet:

Lay down your weary head
Knowing that He loves you
And with the coming tests
They’re only there to grow you

Sent His only Son
To show He truly loves us
What else would we need
But to see His loving face…

“We Will See Him” represents another showstopper to rate with the albums best.  It moves forward from the start in atmospheric fashion, intertwining acoustic lacings with guitars on the lighter side in making a worshipful statement: ‘See His glory shining bright, we will see, we will see, we will see Him…”.  An eloquent stretch of lead guitar rounds things out.

We Are Resolute do many things well on debut Shine The Light.  The group exhibits a deft songwriting touch with proven ability to compose catchy songs that remain with you for some time, while Thompson, as ever, puts in a strong showing vocally and Mokma and Carman provide solid support.  Production might get the job done but would have improved with a touch of big budget polish.  No, not a deal breaker, but it is an area of improvement all the same.  Speaking of which, the potential displayed on Shine The Light makes me anticipate even bigger and better things from We Are Resolute on any follow up effort it might record.  

Review by Andrew Rockwell

Track Listing: “Inside” (3:10), “Chasing Shadows” (3:21), “Crazy” (5:36), “Shine The Light” (4:11), “Your Enemy” (3:21), “Don’t Listen” (3:48), “Why I Cry” (4:13), “Mad At God” (4:21), “Kingdom Of Heaven” (3:49), “We Will See Him” (5:59)

Musicians
Dale Thompson - Lead Vocals
Bryan Carman - Guitars & Keyboards
John Mokma - Drums, Bass & Guitars