''From Water to War'' is the third studio album by the American

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band

Nine Lashes Nine Lashes is an American Christian rock band from Birmingham, Alabama formed in 2006. They independently released their first album, '' Escape'', in 2009 before Trevor McNevan of Thousand Foot Krutch brought them to the attention of Tooth & N ...

. The album was released on January 21, 2014, through

Tooth & Nail Records Tooth & Nail Records is a Christian rock record label founded by Brandon Ebel in California in November 1993. The label later moved to Seattle, Washington where it is situated today. It is home to many well-known musical acts, including Underoat ...

. It was produced by

Jasen Rauch Jasen Ryan Rauch () (born April 24, 1981) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. He is the current lead guitarist of the rock band Breaking Benjamin and was the former lead guitarist of the Christian rock band Red. Rauch was al ...

and

Aaron Sprinkle Aaron Sprinkle (born March 20, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer from Seattle, Washington. Career His career in music began in high school with a group called BellBangVilla. BellBangVilla became Poor Old Lu and the ...

Background

The album is releasing on January 21, 2014 by

, which this is the third studio album for the band, and it was produced by

and

Music and lyrics

The music has shifted somewhat from their former album ''

World We View ''World We View'' is the second studio album by the American Christian rock band Nine Lashes, released on February 14, 2012, through Tooth & Nail Records. It is the follow-up to their independent debut album ''Escape'' and was co-produced by Aaro ...

'' by adding in some electronic elements into the sound that is described as

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

, and a "blend of rock, a dash of electronic, and a slight touch of pop". Lead singer Jeremy Dunn stated that they have enhanced their sound for the album.

Singles and early releases

The track "Break the World" was released as a single on October 29, 2013. It peaked No. 1 on BDSradio.com's Christian Rock National Airplay chart on January 15, 2014. Also, "Surrender" was released on Tooth and Nail's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel a month before the album was set to release. Nine Lashes also posted an exclusive stream on

RadioU WUFM (88.7 FM, "RadioU") is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Columbus, Ohio. The station retransmits its signal to several FM stations and FM translators nationwide including KRQZ, a full-service FM station licensed to Lompoc, Califo ...

of the entire album about a week before the release date, because the band "couldn't wait any longer." (from official

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page, January 16, 2014).http://radiou.com/exclusives/exclusive-nine-lashes-album-stream/comment-page-1/#prettyPhoto

Critical reception

''From Water to War'' received generally positive reception from six

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

. At ''

CCM Magazine ''CCM Magazine'' is a twice-monthly online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music, published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. History ''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has bee ...

'', Andy Argyrakis rated it four stars, calling it "compelling" that expands "upon its alternative rock experimentation with electronic enhancement, the groups songwriting captures intense spiritual growth, sure to resonate with anyone seeking authenticity." Mary Nikkel of New Release Tuesday rated it likewise, noting how "The interplay between searing guitar work and chilling electronic influences make this an album to remember". At Jesus Freak Hideout, Michael Weaver rated it four stars, stating that "Nine Lashes have crafted something very interesting this time around." David Craft also of Jesus Freak Hideout rated it four stars, writing that it is a "strong album". At Indie Vision Music, Lee Brown rated it three stars, saying that it is a "solid album that had me excited to come back for more." Jordan Gonzalez of '' HM'' rated it three stars, calling the album "anticlimactic at best and generic at worst."

Track listing

Credits

*Jeremy Dunn - vocals *Adam Jefferson - guitar *Jonathan Jefferson - guitar *Jared Lankford - bass *Noah Terrell - drums Production *

- producer, engineering, additional guitars, percussion, mastering *

- producer, engineering, mixing, keyboards

Charts

References

External links

''HM'' magazine interview
{{Authority control 2014 albums Nine Lashes albums Tooth & Nail Records albums Albums produced by Aaron Sprinkle