As the official follow-up to her Billboard Topping debut album, Life Screams, in 2015, Lacey Sturm’s return offers a deeply personal look into a matured season of the singer’s storied career. “All these songs have been for my own heart,” Lacey offers. “When David sings the Psalms, a lot of the time he’s telling his soul what to do. That’s me too in this: telling my soul, singing what I know to be true.” Right from the opening ‘Intro’ listeners are treated to some industrial, heavy metal sounds with her husband, Josh, providing some epic guitar riffs. ‘State of Me’ crashes into being with the singer looking at the state of her life. The song motors along with some thumping beats. ‘Are You Listening’ is a little slower in pace, but the sound remains the same, as Lacey’s vocals soar over the cacophony of instruments. She screams over the start of ‘The Decree.’ If my memory serves me well, this track is a few years old, but still fits in well with the rest of the songs. ‘Terrible Mistake’ and ‘Wonderful’ both show glimpses of Lacey’s lighter vocals, but not for long! ‘Thief’ bursts into life with more chugging guitars accompanying the singer’s attack minded voice. My ears weren’t ready for the marriage of orchestral sounds with metal guitars, on ‘Awaken Love.’ I fell in love with this song on first listen and I’ve played it many times since. Of the remaining songs, the recent single ‘Breathe With Me’ (featuring Lindsey Stirling) is a highlight. The beautiful violin playing works so well, weaving in and out of the vocal delivery. I don’t think that I can compare Lacey Sturm with any other artist but, if you enjoy metal music, you need to give this a listen. 8/10.
Never for Nothing 