Lancaster, PA natives Alex Good, Logan Maurer, Christian Royer, Ben Witkowski, and Adam Gray make up the metalcore band Texas In July. Never heard of them before? Well, get ready for some brutal breakdowns, inspiring lyrics, and amazing talent, from a very young band with big influences, on their first full-length album, I Am, released through CI Records, an independent music store based out of their hometown.
The album opens up with one of the two instrumental tracks on I Am, with a simple title: ‘Introduction’. The beginning is almost space-like, which then leads onto the next track, ‘It’s Not My First Rodeo’.
‘It’s Not My First Rodeo’ is the perfect “unofficial” opener to the album. New listeners of TIJ will get easily acquainted with the band’s unique metalcore style. Oddly enough however, this track has nothing to do with rodeos at all. Instead, it tells the story of someone who thought more of themselves over others, and was a “two-faced liar”. It is wonderfully written and is a great opener to this album, with vocals.
Perhaps one of the most powerful tracks on this album, ‘Elements’, is a song of passion and discovery. It discusses an omniscient presence in the form of “the fire, the wind and the sea”. Listeners will be moved by the power of this song, that will in turn lead them to questioning their purpose in life. It’s moving, uplifting, as well as one of the standout tracks on the album.
‘Lancaster’, the fourth track, was written in honor of their hometown of Ephrata, located not too far away from Lancaster City. It is their home, and nothing will change that, no matter how big they get. This song is bound to remind everybody who knows them and the area they come from that they are who they are, and proud of it. Essentially, it is an ode to the wonderful area that they, and several other bands in the scene call home.
‘Hook, Line and Sinner’ may sound like a heavy song, but it’s got an incredibly powerful meaning. It’s one of the heavier tracks on the album, based on breakdowns and riffs, but the message shines through like a “gold curtain.” If TIJ is to be remembered for one thing, it’s the opposite of burying themselves in their accomplishments.
‘I Am Yours’ is the second instrumental track on the album. This also is the most moving track. It’s pure, simple, and oddly enough, easy to listen to amongst the brutal breakdowns and intense screams by Good. This is by far one of the best tracks on the album, only because of its instrumental nature. In a sense, this is also the song that shows their devotion to God, as He has been one of their major influences overall.
Perhaps the one track on this album with the prettiest name is ‘Aurora’. The message that comes through with this song is to love life, no matter what. This song, as harsh as the guitar riffs and screams may make it, is perhaps the most inspirational on this album, with lyrics such as “you say ‘life is hard’, I say ‘compared to what?’ You should love this life, no matter what.”
‘Page One’ perhaps is one of the weaker tracks on the album. It’s a good song, but the lyrics are darker, and the song is shorter, compared to the rest of the tracks. But every album has its flaws.
‘Reflections’ features Carson Slovak, of the band CENTURY. Slovak also helped produce, engineer, and master the album. If one were to look in a mirror, while listening to this song, their image of themselves would be completely changed around. People see the world the way they want to, and this song is a great example of this. ”I just look back at this filthy world and I bow down, cry out…Drowning in your own disconnected reflections. We’re all torn from this.” These lyrics depict the world the way that the band members see it.
‘Satellites’ features Geoff Jenkins of Gwen Stacy, who the band absolutely adores. This is one of the standouts on the album as well. The band is fearless, and it shows, especially in the lyrics. They are “geared with Heaven’s artillery”, standing before the “hearts of [their] loved ones, [as they] shine down on [them] for pure company and comfort”. This song features amazing guitar riffs, and the meaning conveyed through the song is so powerful and moving.
‘Father Time’ is the ending track on this album, and it makes the perfect ending to an amazing first full-length by the guys. It also has some of the best lyrics; “By golly, holy cow!”, is perhaps the best line in the entire album. This features the great guitar skills by Logan Maurer and Christian Royer.
The band’s Christian influence definitely shines in this album. Listeners will be completely inspired by the lyrics, and the amazing guitar/bass/drum skills, by Mauer, Royer, Ben Witkowski, and Adam Gray, respectively, as well as Alex Good’s vocals. For a young band, they are destined for great things later on in their career, and have an amazing fan base world wide. I Am is a fantastic full-length, and even though it was just released in the past month, the band is currently working on a follow-up to this amazing, inspiring album.
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