Catholic Music Network Review

A review from www.catholicmusicnetwork.com

It wasn’t that long ago that we got word that one of our favorite groups, Critical Mass, had disbanded. It looked like the group was heading toward that bright light at the end of the tunnel when lead band member David Wang took out the defibrillators and shocked the band back into existence. God wasn’t through with the Catholic band. Wang reformed with new members and with that Critical Mass has just released its new album entitled Grasping for Hope in the Darkness. This is a winner, folks! I was wondering if Wang and his fellow members could pull off again what the band did with the first two CDs, Faith Looks Up and Completely. "Grasping for Hope in the Darkness" is the bomb! I was blown away by this CD! The music – excellent…the songwriting – excellent…we may just have the best CD of 2004 here.

I have always been a sucker for the concept CD. For those of you who don’t know what I am talking about, a concept CD is one in which all of the tracks are stand-alone songs. If you take the songs and play them back to back it creates a kind of story. What Critical Mass has done is to mix modern rock and Catholic Christianity with a storyline involving a jaded man, his daughter who becomes pregnant and a priest who saves the baby's life. If I were to break down every song I'm afraid that I might give the "plot" away. It's almost like telling a friend about the ending of a movie or book. One of my favorite songs on the CD “Reverend Larebil.” It is Wang’s song to vent about religious leaders who water down God’s laws so they can fit in and find a paying public. It also deals with the doctors who teach "safe sex" that isn’t safe and spreads STDs. The only cure is to be pure. “Time Slave” is a tune that deals with the lack of time we have and how fast it seems to go by. We will never know what minute or hour God will come knocking on our door. Taking its name from the classic novel, “Dorian Gray” deals with the evils of pornography. You may seem OK on the outside but the pictures eat at your soul and mind making you numb and craving for more. Some of the songs on the CD were played at WYD 2002, such as the attempted theme song, “Make Us One,” and the pro-life anthem, “Running With Eyes Closed.” Yet, the one song that every one will know is the cover of the Kansas song, “Carry On Wayward Son.” Wang adds a modern flavor to this classic rock piece with a spiritual rap mixed in. That song was the theme to a little-known film starring Henry Winkler and Sally Fields called, “Heroes.” Critical Mass is becoming heroic with Grasping for Hope in the Darkness, as they are not shy in exploring edgy topics such as premarital sex, pornography, the abuse scandal and righteous anger, while still sending the ultimate message of hope and redemption.

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