Artist: Aaron Gillespie
Album: Anthem Song
Genre: Pop Rock/Christian
Label:Tooth & Nail

Since Aaron Gillespie’s shock departure from UnderOATH in April of last year, there has been a sense of wonder as to what he would be a part of next. As the front man for the Almost while being in UnderOATH, it would have been assumed that a new release for his side project would have been next. Instead came the full length solo record, Anthem Song.

Anthem Song is Aaron Gillespie flexing his respective muscles both musically and lyrically. The songs are emotive, religiously driven, and poignant with an openly relatable nature whether you are religious or not. Gillespie’s prowess at this relatability has been a key aspect of his popularity, especially with the Almost. While marketed as a worship record, it should not be written off as such; there are definite aspects of it for the non-religious, however, it may not have the same impact.

Lead single “We Will Worship You” is a good representation of how the album is; definitely fitting with Gillespie’s style and with a sense of a wider marketability. There is an underlying soulful tone to this record, songs like “You Are Jesus” and “Your Song Goes on Forever” representative of this. The songs that work the best are those that are a little different from what would be seen as the ‘norm’ for a gospel record. They pack more of a punch and seem much more positive, which could definitely the strength of this record. Personal favourites are opener “All Things” and “You Are My Everything”- the latter of which is very catchy.

Unlike most gospel records, I think Aaron Gillespie has struck some common ground here. Obviously there is a heavier religious aspect to the songs but he has dealt with it in such a way that opens it up to other people and a wider audience. Even after putting the religious context aside, these songs are highly enjoyable and musically brilliant. If given a chance, I think a lot of people would truly enjoy this album.

Score: 8/10
Review written by: Naomi Carson

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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