Diamonds To Dust: “Echoes Of Grace And Strife” Album Review

New York metal heavyweights Diamonds to Dust have hit the scene full force with their latest masterwork, Echoes Of Grace And Strife. This five-piece brings the heat with their sixth release on Manifest Records. It’s been three years since their last release and Echoes picks right up where Amidst the Hallowed and the Vanquished left off. We had the opportunity to review the album early, before it releases on Friday, December 19th.

Echoes Of Grace And Strife Album Review

Tracks: 14

Release: December 15, 2025

Label: Manifest Records

Similar to the thematic intro on their previous album, this album starts “Child of the King,” a thematic piece that pairs nicely with Christian’s deep guttural growls, enhancing the brutality of this album. Throughout the song, it has a subtle climb in tempo, going from steady to fast paced, between the aggressive guitars to the drum pattern. I love the combo of Christian’s screams and Barry’s clean vocals. Another aspect of this song that I enjoyed is the declaration at the end,

“So when I’m asked who am I. I will only give one answer. I’m a child of The Almighty King!”

The next song “A Shadow Cast Eternally” keeps the pace moving with the thunderous guitar riffs, alongside the drums blasting through. The technical finger placement on the electrics is incredible. The talent that is showcased on these first two songs is mind-blowing. We move onto track three, “Bond Servant.” The opening is aggressive and absolutely sick. You can’t stick Christian’s vocals into one category. He goes high, low and everywhere in between. Between the double bass of the drums and the progressions of the electric guitars, this has to be one of the best songs on the album.

“Enough is Enough” goes straight into the action. This song has no rest. The aggressiveness of the music matches the brutal nature of the lyrics as the band tackles the issues of abuse, with lyrics talking about overcoming the injustices and growing to be a better person.

“Deny Thyself” is the next song. Between the fast-paced, slamming drum beats that have the double bass going overtime and smashing everything in sight. If you want a definition of a metal worship song, this is that song. Between the drums and deep guttural screams, this is as metal as you can get. I love the lyrics,

“Holy Holy Holy is the uncreated God. Holy Holy Holy. Who is, who was, who is to come.”

Did I mention that this album is fast? There seems to be no slowdown in the pace. The next song on this crash course of Christian metal is “Inheritor of Silence.” It seems that the guys are writing from various stages in their life. There are stories of triumph, stories of worship and stories of heartbreak. This song is centered around dealing with a loved one who has cancer. This track captures the struggle of loss while showcasing the hope found in leaning on God to move through the stages of grief.

“God save me from this fall from grace. I fight to move forward but I’m stuck in rewind.”

The album continues with “Consequence of Our Transgressions.” This song was the first single released last month. Along with the brutal, fast paced nature of the music, you find the lyrics are just as aggressive. This is a song that serves more of a warning than pointing the finger at anything. The lyrics read:

“This is a present day Sodom and Gomorrah. Captivating the soul and leading it to a euphoric demise causing us to denounce what truly keeps us alive.”

Throughout this song, I loved the breakdowns along with the cinematic background. It really adds to the song and the rest of the album. We go from “Consequence” to the next song “Voices Beneath the Noise.” It highlights the different parts of the band from driven bass lines to methodic drum beats to that absolutely deep guttural breakdown. This song, while it’s short, sends a message that we are meant for so much more.

“Brainwashed to accept forsaken conditions. These chains were created to hold us in a place and strip us of our light.”

Moving forward, we get to track nine, “Dissonant Truth.” Defined by pure chaos, this track is destined to ignite a massive pit.  You hear it and you can picture the room turning into a circle of chaos with hardcore dancers or moshers. I was curious about the title, so I looked up the definition of dissonant, which means lacking harmony. Looking at the lyrics, it makes sense as to why they went in this direction. There is this combat between the world and the gospel.

“The world hates this worldview, it hates this dissonant truth.”

The next track is the third single from the album, “The White Rabbit’s Nightmare.” This song features Mike Felker from Convictions on guest vocals. At first when you hear the opening segment, it seems confusing, but as you listen to the song it makes sense. As stated throughout, these guys are pulling from some deep places of hurt for the record. This song is centered around watching a loved one fighting through addiction before succumbing to the illness.

“I hate myself for thinking this is what it took for you to be free. I don’t hate you. I understand that addiction is a disease.”

Compared to the rest of the album, this track offers a change of pace. It sounds like there are some nu-metal influences in the sound both vocally and musically. There are some electronic elements along with the almost rap style screams. Going from a nu-metal influenced song back to the deep guttural styles in “You Will Suffer,” the band is pulling in different elements into this album and I love it. For instance, in this song we get those electronic samples which add a techno aspect to the song. It makes this song feel dark, but when you look at the lyrics the music matches the lyrics.

“Branded with words that I’ve yet forgotten. Tarnished by a soul, a soul so darkened. You plagued my mind, betrayed my innocence.”

Throughout this album, this band is pulling from all kinds of personal pain. The pain of losing someone to cancer and addiction and now suffering through child abuse. Christian’s vocal range just impresses me how he can go from a deep guttural growl to a high pitch scream that pierces you with the brutal breakdown and impactful lyrics.

Next song is “Overstayed Welcome.” This is another song that features a guest vocal as this time we get Vincent Cezar of Asuna. Transitioning from a methodical, breakdown-heavy opening, the track shifts gears into a high-tempo, driving chorus. As mentioned with “Dissant Truth,” this is a song that could get the hardcore dancers going. I appreciate hearing the shakeups in tempo, it offers something new on the record, rather than hearing the same thing song after song.

“A Light Beyond the Ruins” offers something different than the rest of the album. A slower start paired with some clean vocals. This album has an incredible pace and is so aggressive. The screams in this song are really crisp and clean and definitely give that mid-2000s post-hardcore influence. These guys have made themselves vulnerable throughout the album with the topics they tackle. This is another example showcasing that vulnerability. This time they tackle struggling in their faith. Despite the struggles, they realize that God is still there for them despite those moments of doubt.

“The familiar voice expresses my unworthiness. Yet you find it so easy to forgive my offenses. Lord, you welcome me home when I lose sight and drift.”

We’ve reached the last song and this is another song that features guest vocals and this time it’s Bobbi Vanet. This song accompanies a video that was released last year. The song absolutely showcases the level of talent from drums to guitars to vocals. You can appreciate the musicianship of the guitar riffs and solos as well as the pounding of the double bass. Christian’s vocals continue to impress me on this album and the range that he can go on a moment’s notice. Bobbi’s vocals add to that guttural depth and it’s always impressive to see that screaming isn’t just for the boys!

“Embrace hostility; forgive your enemies. Honor be to the king.”

This band isn’t afraid to tell you how they feel about their faith. They ended this album on a great note with that declaration of Jesus Christ as King.

When I heard the announcement of this release, I was so excited. I had heard good things about Diamonds To Dust. I heard that they can break it down, shred it and give it their absolute all. I had mentioned it last month that I believed Demon Hunter’s “There Was A Light Here” was the front-runner for album of the year, but there’s a good possibility that this could contend for that title. Between the aggressive nature and distortion that we hear on the guitars and Christian’s vocal scream range, the music matches the depth with the lyrical content, whether it is something simple as recognizing Jesus Christ as King or tackling some deep, difficult issues like child abuse, cancer and addiction. Diamonds To Dust showcases their musical and lyrical talent and should be recognized as a force to be reckoned with. This album is three years in the making and worth waiting for. If you’re looking for a band and album that will get you moving, Echoes of Grace and Strife is one to add to your playlist.