Review: Thousand Foot Krutch- Exhale

Two years after releasing Oxygen:Inhale, Thousand Foot Krutch are back with a vengeance in Exhale. While Oxygen: Inhale had a few hard-hitters on it, the overall sound of the record saw the band taking a lighter approach, showing their softer side and creating an album that was as beautiful as it was powerful. And though impressive and a strong release, you could tell the band was just waiting to unleash and that\’s exactly what they do with Exhale. Of the 12 songs, only one of them is a ballad and that\’s “Honesty” and it\’s definitely one of the stand out tracks and also one of the most personal. TFK have always had killer ballads though- “Moment of the Day,” “Breathe You In,” the list goes on. The bread and butter of this album lies in the incredible lyrics Trevor McNevan. If you really sit and dig into his lyrics, he\’s always had a knack for writing lyrics that make you think and also lyrics that are just witty, genius and metaphorical. They released “Running With Giants,” “Born Again” and “Incomplete” early just to give fans a taste of what was coming and the rest of the album is exactly what you\’d expect. It hits hard. Along with the three early tracks there\’s “Give Up The Ghost,” “A Different Kind of Dynamite, “Off The Rails, “The River,” “Can\’t Stop This” and “Lifeline” for fans to sink their teeth into and fall in love with. Is there a single weak track on Exhale? Nope, not one. Musically, this is one of their strongest albums and has every making to be one of their biggest. Is it a better album than, say, Welcome to the Masquerade, Phenomenon or The Art of Breaking? That\’s hard to say because no two TFK albums sound alike. Some say The End is Where We Begin is their stronest while others- the longtime fans stick with Set it Off. They all have their advantages. One thing is for sure, though, Exhale has a little bit of every TFK strength and is a well-thought-out, powerful, aggressive, anthem-filled rock album that lives up to every expectation going in. Rating: 9/10 -Reggie Edwards