Unbroken Reign: “The Sins We Keep Alive” Album Review
Do you remember what you were doing when you were in high school? For five-piece metal band, Unbroken Reign, they are currently juggling the responsibilities of high school along with a very bright future in the Christian metal industry. These guys burst onto the scene over the past couple of years with a few singles and their full-length debut last year. At the end of 2025, they gave us the news of a new album on the way and it certainly delivers above and beyond what we expected!
Straight from the band’s website, they crafted a concept album saying, “With their latest record The Sins We Keep Alive, they deliver a concept-driven storyline that traces the story of biblical scripture from creation to the end of time. Moving through the album, it explores biblical events through shifting perspectives, placing listeners inside the struggles, failures, redemption, and hope woven throughout the Word. They strived to create something that was applicable and relatable to the listener, while also remaining biblically sound and based on His word.”
The Sins We Keep Alive Album Review
Tracks: 10
Length: 29:19
Release Date: April 13, 2026
Label: Independent
The album kicks into high gear with the opening track, “The Vault: Sky.” This song features an epic thematic opening with killer guitar riffs. To go along with this unique intro, they launch into the first of numerous breakdowns that leave you wanting more. From there, they keep on pressing forward with “A Dance Without the Devil.” This was their latest single and features Wilson Marshall of Collective Dust. The complementary screams between Jackson and Wilson give me flashbacks to the metalcore sound of the 2010s. The tempo is fast and unrelenting. You can hear a great blend between the brutality of the song and the melody of the clean vocals. As noted earlier, this is a concept album going from creation to the end of time. By the lyrics, you can hear the theme of the fall at the beginning.
“The angels and the dragon fought. The serpent was hurled to the Earth. War of flesh and of spirit. Catalyzed by pride and hate. The Son of the Morning. Outcast.”
They don’t let up as we blast into “Fighting with Flesh.” I love the electronic elements in the song, it adds so much depth. It has a groove to it that pulls you in. Following a sick breakdown, they quote Matthew 8:19-21 and it leads right back into yet another nasty breakdown. The bass solo at the end came out of nowhere and I thought it was a great addition.
The next song is one of the very first singles they released, “Birds in the Sea, Fish in the Sky.” It comes firing right out of the gate. At one point, I couldn’t believe the speed of the double bass. I was also impressed by Jackson’s ability to go from a high pitched scream into a deep guttural growl. It takes a lot of practice and will power to master this and he is certainly on his way.
“Sanctify me. Purge out my sin. Keep me afloat in the flood. (Purify us) Shower the Earth (with all your retribution). Holy Father promises this. We sinners will be free.”
The lyrics tell a story of how we are in need of a Savior and seek out the freedom that can only be found in Christ. The lyrical content of this song, paired with the incredible musical elements makes this a banger of a song!
The next song “Surviving to Death” has one of the filthiest breakdowns that I’ve heard in a long time. This song is pure full-octane energy with a tempo that refuses to quit. I loved hearing the fury that comes after the line “the sins we keep alive.” The song gave me an Ice Nine Kills vibe with the cleans and screams. I loved the lines:
“Over and over again. It claims me. Toss away morals and then I beg for mercy. My flesh doesn’t want me to change. Wake me up. Wake me up.”
It talks about how we sin and then going right back for mercy, grace and forgiveness. There’s no effective change. That inspired the title of the album, The Sins We Keep Alive. We don’t truly kill the sin until we absolutely hand it over to God and seek a complete change towards God’s will.
If you thought you were going to have an opportunity to catch your breath, think again. “A Death Like His” is aggressive and on full blast from the guttural screams to the thunderous drum blasts. These songs sound like they would keep the crowd busy and moving in the mosh pit! They do rely on the theatrical elements a lot, but they blend in with the songs and they just take it up a notch. This is a great song to listen to especially around Easter as it focuses on the cross and resurrection.
“The Air in My Lungs” flips the script with a completely unique intro. The double bass and bassline compliment each other so well and creates this dynamic opening before we get into the core of this song. I love the line in the song, “The air in my lungs is a product of Your grace.” Such a great reminder that every day we get is a gift and to cherish it well.
The back and forth of the guitars and drums gets the song, “I Left My Chains in the River & They Haven’t Written Since” started with a fight for musical supremacy. Hearing the guitars on the verses, I imagine just seeing the fingers going crazy on the tabs. Ethan really impresses me on this song between the clean vocals and the shredding guitars. His ability to go all over the place is incredible. The line, “Death won’t make me tremble. My King has conquered the grave. Laugh in the face of the devil,” is written with boldness and authority in the absolute truth in who Jesus is. I appreciate the confidence that they write with. They truly believe in what they write. You can hear Alexis from Bloodlines featured on the verses, and it’s a great match with the vocals from both Ethan and Jackson.
As we said earlier, this album is a concept album sharing the story from the beginning to the end as inspired by Scripture. The song, “Before the Throne of God,” is based on the book of Revelation. I loved the irony between the opening and the screaming. They start with somebody saying “We don’t wanna scare your children” and then it just dives right into brutal screaming. They brought in Robert Manzone of With Blood Comes Cleansing on guest vocals. The addition of Robert on this song brings a vicious tone that goes along with the aggressive content of the song. While it’s a short track, it’s completely barbaric and thematically fitting with the end times.
The album wraps up with “The Spirit and The Blade.” If you're starting an album with a thematic element, you might as well end it with some more theatrics. The track bleeds into a haunting, Victrola-style atmosphere punctuated by the faint chaos of sirens and gunshots. But it resolves with a sudden joyous sound to mark the return of Christ. It was a nice, cinematic ending to the album.
Overall, The Sins We Keep Alive is an absolutely phenomenal album. There are one or more breakdowns on every track, which sometimes begs the question, is more better? But honestly, it works. They highlight each person’s musical abilities throughout the album. There are some songs that highlight the bass and there are other songs that feature the drums. The guitars definitely grab your attention, but the real win is being able to pinpoint every instrument, proving that they’ve got an incredibly well rounded sound. It is hard to imagine that this band is full of young kids. The future is so bright for these guys.
Last month, Pipe Bomb blew us away with their debut full length album, and now we’ve got another solid contender for Album Of The Year. Word on the street is they absolutely leveled the stage opening for Wolves At The Gate recently. Unbroken Reign reportedly stole the show. It goes to show that you need to go out of your way and listen to The Sins We Keep Alive. You won’t regret it!
