Posted: May 18th, 2008
Contributed By: Nick

	Purchase @ Amazon.com Release Date: May 25, 2006
	Bulletproof Messenger is: Marcus (Vocals) Voley (Guitar) Scott (Guitar) Jesse (Bass) Alex (Drums) Matt (Electronics)

Overview: From the heart of New York City (Long Island to be exact) comes BulletProof Messenger. Originally calling themselves Gone to Earth, the chose to abandon their former name and adopt the moniker BulletProof Messenger to coincide with frontman Marcus’ union with the group back in 2004. Not long after the band found its newest piece, Incubus came knocking at their door, inviting the group to open for them. After the Incubus performance, the BulletProof Messenger headed into 2005 and made a significant amount of noise; a Clear Channel Battle of the Bands win, an enviable gig opening for Collective Soul’s CD release party, and a selection to open for Trapt and Blindside’s nationwide fall tour are only a few of the band’s highlights from that year. BulletProof Messenger went into the studio in 2006, fresh off their year of successes, and arrived that fall with a full length, entitled ‘The Crucial Line‘. The band is currently wrapping up the finishing touches on its new record, expected to hit the public this summer.

The Good: ‘The Crucial Line‘ is a fourteen song goliath of a rock album that has enough Aces under the table and rabbits in its hat to make Criss Angel cry to mommy. You quickly figure this out, thanks in part to the album’s leadoff song “Wake Up Call”. Living up to its billing, the bustling, energized “Wake Up Call” reveals what BulletProof Messenger is all about-easy to swallow vocals, surging guitars and bass, groove-laden drums, and well-implemented electronics; the track is a more than suitable hook to suck you in and send you on the journey that is ‘The Crucial Line‘. Where “Wake Up Call” brought you on the dance floor, the grungy, toe-tapping stomp of “Can’t Quite Call It a Fall” will urge you to shake and drop it like it’s hot. The sonic “Bring Me to Life” is in no need of help from Amy Lee or Paul McCoy, because Marcus’ shrewd delivery is more than enough to make this propulsive cut a mainstay. “Best of Me” rivals anything on rock radio, and I am continually lured to this song because of the ethereal sound the band waves in the background; well-rounded and professional, BulletProof Messenger turns the brooding persona of the song inside out in the closing seconds, as “Best of Me” crosses the finish line with ferocity. The delicate verses of “Heavenly Answer” are coupled harmoniously with glib, upbeat choruses, and a sultry bridge further espouses its eclectic badge. BulletProof Messenger borrows from H.I.M. for the opening credits of “The Way”, which is soon ripped out from underneath and you are lunged into crunchy, splitting riffage; the band retreats to its original gameplan as each chorus arrives, capturing two identities without sounding pretentious. ‘The Crucial Line‘ puts on boxing gloves for the hulky, funk-driven “Finest Hour”, the album’s punchiest, tightest romp. Vocalist Marcus remind me of David Draiman of Disturbed fame at times, with the astute “Tomorrow” paying testament. The band blasts to the past with “Save Me”, piloted by riff work circa 2000-01. Although it sounds frightening, BulletProof Messenger goes to work, tweaking the riff and weaving it into the song’s captivating verses and choruses for some added spice; the bridge of “Save Me” is catastrophic, complete with an unexpected couple measures of an arena-ready guitar solo, and shamelessly revealing itself as the album’s most complete affairs. The snare drum effects injected into “Awaken” are quite enjoyable, and although Draiman, er, Mr. Marcus comes up short, the five guys behind him pick up the slack with unflinching guitar chugs and driving verses. The pulsating “DTD” rips open in guttural and resonant fashion, machine-gunning along with catastrophic force; BulletProof Messenger cools things off with a placid bridge, which is erased as quickly as it arrived by the song’s TNT-fed outro. ‘The Crucial Line‘ wishes you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with the album’s title track, an eloquent way for the band to land this plane. Energetic, staccato bursts of energy keep the album’s vitality alive all the way to the end, without forfeiting the track’s sensitivity. ‘The Crucial Line‘ is fourteen slabs of revved up rock, but BulletProof Messenger’s funky, groovy persona, combined with glossy vocals and hooks that are easy to pick out prove this sexy sextet has an incredible amount of depth.

The Bad: ‘The Crucial Line‘ is as solid a rock album as you will run across, but there is still room to put some notches on BulletProof Messenger’s docket. As you arrive at the end of ‘The Crucial Line‘, you are invited to skip right over “The Truth” and head right for the final track; the band summersaults through the rap oriented cut, an unpleasant and unsatisfying couple of minutes that strays from what BulletProof Messenger had done so well twelve songs previously, despite their best efforts to make the song sound like it belongs. ‘The Crucial Line‘ becomes predictable rapidly, with nearly every song sticking to a two verse, three chorus, and one or two eight measure sets as a bridge. Although the songs are highly infectious and more often than not creatively performed, you are left feeling like BulletProof Messenger could have done even more to bring each and every tune to the next level, without cutting into their overall effectiveness. ‘The Crucial Line‘ is stuck in one dynamic from top to bottom; even though songs like “Heavenly Answer” and “Save Me” establish their own dynamic prowess, they are ultimately locked into the high horsepower flow of ‘The Crucial Line‘, thereby making the album’s most stand out songs fall prey to uniformity.

Bottomline: If you get your hands on ‘The Crucial Line‘ and do not enjoy the record, I will refund your money, and also make you listen again. It’s hard to believe this album was tracked by a band without a record deal in BulletProof Messenger, as this is one of the most “ready” albums from an unsigned band I have ever had the chance to hear. I find it interesting to see the way the band operates, as they can transform from an early millennium nu-metal band, to a funky, 311-type act, to a present day rock band without a trace, sounding as natural and fluent in the latter stages of ‘The Crucial Line‘ as they do in its first. Of course, some of the guitar work sounds a little hackneyed and the song structures are not the most intrepid, and this does begin to eat at you after repeated spins. Despite their faults, BulletProof Messenger have made an album in ‘The Crucial Line‘ that I can honestly say I really, really enjoy, and I’m a-ok with that. It is crucial for BulletProof Messenger to keep rolling down the line they have drawn with this disc, as it will hopefully lead them to a much deserved record deal in the near future.

Rating: 8 out of 10