Band:	The Opposed
Album:	Initiate
Style:	Metalcore
Release date:	2009

01. Reason For Life
02. What Love Is
03. Redemption
04. Untitled Secret
05. Beautiful
06. Mr. Optimist

It seems every few weeks I run into someone who tells me about their friend's cousin's next-door neighbor's gardener's younger brother's Metal band that I have to check out. Or something along those lines. Now, I am willing to give any band a listen to because...well, I am a nice guy. The sad reality is that the overwhelming majority of these bands I encounter are just flat-out terrible. They either are unskilled musically, poor songwriters or are just playing the same old boring Metalcore crap that seems to be everywhere. So when a close friend of mine told me to check out his friend's band, that old feeling came over me (kind of like watching The Godfather Part III). But like I said, I'm a nice guy, so I did.

It was great! It was such a breath of fresh air in a stale musical world! It was The Opposed!

Hailing from Nashville, Tennessee, a place know worldwide for Country music, this five piece created an amazing six song release, Initiate. Musically this is an interesting mixture; Progressive Hard Rock/Metal mixed with hints at some modern Alternative Rock and a nice sprinkling of Pop. The songs on this EP are smart; well written, diverse, interesting and original.

The Opposed have managed to do what many modern Metal bands have failed to do: write darn good songs. Vocally, Matt Singleton sours above the crunching music, creating some amazing choruses with great hooks and then smashes it with some powerful, yet subtly used, screams.

Now before you totally freak out, yes this is a Christian band. But you will not be subjected to the 'Jesus is my Girlfriend' type lyrics that pollute Contemporary Christian Music. Instead we find intelligent and smartly crafted lyrics that could fit alongside King's X or Jars of Clay.

This album gets a regular spin in my playlist because it is just so good. Initiate really was a welcome relief to much of what I had been listening to. I'd highly recommend this album to people who are fans of Dream Theater, Alter Bridge, Demon Hunter or just good melodic Hard Rock and Metal.