On the way to the Celestial City, Fireflight stoop to
lift people out of the swamp of despair.
Now
Artist: Fireflight (www.fireflightrock.com)
Label: Essential
Length: 10 tracks/36:11 minutes
Imagine someone in the depths of despair. They have no hope.
They live in the shadows of this world. Their existence is tortured and
self-destructive. They identify with heavy music that expresses the weight they
feel.
Along comes Now
the fourth release from the female-fronted Fireflight, a voice for the
desperate. This has the characteristic heavy chords but none of the sense of
doom that other artists in the genre might project. These songs are like light
that streams into dark places.
God is that light, though he is rarely explicitly referenced
here. The band avoids being preachy. The only direct mention is on “He Weeps,”
one of two ballads, the other being “Rise Above.” That these are my two
favorites shows my bias for quieter melodies.
The rest are sometimes heavy, fast and intense. It is
sweetened by programming in the quieter moments, often at the beginning and end
of a song. The production is tight and excellent throughout.
Getting back to “He Weeps”; it is the answer to that age-old
question, “Where is God when …” You fill in the blank. God weeps when we “taste
defeat.” He is there in our darkest moments. Fireflight cheers on listeners,
especially the broken, with this message.
These songs are loaded with encouragement and hope. To
borrow from the imagery in Pilgrim’s
Progress, Fireflight is on the path that leads to the Celestial City. On
their way they purposely stoop to lift people out of the swamp of despair.
Their music and words speak the language of the despondent. The time to rise
above is now.
“Stronger Than You Think,” which directly addresses the work
of Satan, exhibits a disdain for the dark side and a confidence that those who
belong to God can know.
It was the passion that I saw and heard in a Fireflight video
that drew me to this release. As much as I like mellower music, I recognize
that rock, and in particular the heavier form of it, can be the best vehicle to
convey the desperation and turmoil in this life. Anyone who has ever seen U2’s
“Pride” video can also see rock’s ability to communicate passion. There is a
fire in this band to take the light to dark places.