THROWBACK - Pillar: “Where Do We Go From Here” Album Review
In the early 2000s, Christian rock was on the rise with bands like Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, Pax 217 and others making their way up the charts. On the forefront was Pillar, a four-piece Christian rock band out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, who burst out on the scene with Fireproof in 2002 and then again with the release of Where Do We Go From Here in 2003. Pillar is a Christian rock band that incorporated some hip-hop into the earlier projects, but would evolve their style into a complete rock sound. They would experiment with incorporating different musical elements, like a drawn out, southern rock guitar riff that we heard on The Reckoning or a systematic pop rock sound that we heard on Confessions. On Where Do We Go From Here, they unleash that signature rock sound you can't help but sing along to.
The build up to this album was memorable. Pillar released the Broken Down EP about six months before and it featured the early mix of their first single off the new album, “Bring Me Down.” This song was everywhere! It was featured on the EP, they were playing it live on tour, and it was a highlight of other compilation CDs. The excitement built to a frenzy leading to the album release, for good reason! I honestly believe that this is one of Pillar’s best releases. It featured two number one singles in “Bring Me Down” and “Frontline” and kicked off a headlining tour with Project 86, Falling Up and Subseven that included a stop in Lancaster County.
Where Do We Go From Here Album Review
Tracks: 12 (14 on the Limited Edition)
Length: 42 minutes
Release Date: June 15, 2004
Label: Flicker
The first song, “Hypnotized,” kicks off the album with a bang, featuring an incredible, recognizable opening groove. Rob’s melodies weave in and out of Noah’s driving guitar riffs and Kalel’s dynamic bass lines. The momentum is sustained between the rhythmic guitar in the first track to the aggressive, in-your-face rock riffs heard in the next song, “Bring Me Down.” As mentioned earlier, this song was everywhere. Compilation CDs, video game soundtracks, music video countdowns. This song highlights Rob’s screams, Noah’s thunderous guitar hooks and Lester’s masterwork on the drums. It shows how Pillar continues to develop their sound from where they were with Fireproof to where they are with “Bring Me Down.”
With its driving chorus, 'Holding On' is a song that immediately gets your head bobbing. In contrast, “Let It Out” seems to do the opposite. It’s not exactly a power ballad, but it provides a quiet intro with a mellow guitar riff until it launches into a rocky push in the chorus, where the audience is encouraged to cry out to God asking where He is in the midst of frustrating times. The chorus encourages the audience to shout along with the catchy chorus:
“Let it out, can you hear me? Can you hear me cry? Let it out, don’t hold back! All this I got inside.”
We move from the anguish of wondering where God is in the troubles, to screaming out about how God’s unrelenting love is there for us despite our mistakes. “Simply” is that anthem. The passion in Rob’s voice pushes that message of God’s desire for His creation. Three simple words are the focus of this song, “You Simply Love.” The album continues with “Rewind,” a song that holds a very personal connection for me, as it was played at my uncle’s funeral. A beautifully written ballad, the song explores the desire to travel back in time to correct past mistakes and acknowledge the impact of our actions, even to our Father in heaven. The emotion of the lyrics is carried in the musicianship of the song, with soaring guitar licks, melodic fingerwork in the verses, and heavy rhythm guitar in the chorus.
Next is “Frontline,” standing out as one of the album’s most popular tracks. This song was used for the Battlecry rallies with TeenMania and is overall a driving force to encourage people to be there on the frontline, standing up for their faith.
“Everybody, with your fists raised high, let me hear your battlecry tonight! Stand beside, or step aside, we’re on the frontline!”
This song serves as the album's climax, fueled by its aggressive guitar and energetic vocals. This includes a fierce scream at the highest point in this song that would send any mosh pit into full gear.
The album keeps rocking with “Underneath It All.” I appreciate the portion of this song where the drums are highlighted and the depth that you hear in Lester’s musical ability. “Dirty Little Secret” starts with a quick tempo and deals with the heavy topic of pornography. The song focuses on the feeling that we are isolated in our sins. Rob highlights this mindset with the lines,
“You’ve got this dirty little secret. You’re trying hard to keep it. Out of sight, out of mind. But you can’t hide.”
If this is something that you are struggling with, there are resources available. Freedom Fight is one resource aimed at helping men break through. Hopefully this song is a powerful reminder that you are not alone in your struggles and you can break free.
As the album wraps up, with “Staring Back,” “One Thing” and “Aftershock,” these songs have a tendency to overlap in style and tempo. Little details separate the songs, whether it's the distortion on the guitar riffs in “One Thing” or the unique drum pattern in “Staring Back.'“ Overall these three songs kept the energy progressing and ended the album on a good note. I remember in the build up to the release of this album, the band teased that there was a hidden track after one of the songs. At the end of “One Thing,” we found ourselves hearing Noah hammering out a blistering guitar solo that shows off his technical prowess.
Though Fireproof was a tough act to follow, Where Do We Go From Here proves to be a more than suitable successor. While Fireproof featured a gritty sound, Where Do We Go From Here offers a cleaner tone that still delivers the same energy and rock-out factor. Pillar would continue to experiment with their sound on the next album, The Reckoning, where they unleashed “Tragedy,” a track that consisted of almost entirely raw screamed vocals. "The change was short-lived; after one album, they returned to their signature style—the one that secured them video game soundtrack spots and radio time with For The Love of the Game. As for Where Do We Go From Here, it received mostly positive reviews with some critics responding positively, but others thought the album was good, but nothing special. They would also release a limited edition of this album that featured a remixed version of “Bring Me Down” and their cover of “Sunday Bloody Sunday.”
The main question I seek to answer is: “Does this album hold up over time?” Released over twenty years ago, this album is a time capsule—you can put it on and be immediately taken back in time to hear some great rock. The lyrics are catchy and make it impossible not to sing along. The guitar riffs are methodical and powerful, a force to be reckoned with. Personally, this is one of my all-time favorite albums and for those who miss the great sounds of Christian rock in the mid-2000s, Where Do We Go From Here holds up remarkably twenty years after its release.
