This Too Shall Pass

Sounds like … melodic and guitar-driven modern rock similar to Jimmy Eat World, Saves the Day, Weezer, and Fall Out BoyAt a glance … though the style isn't completely original, This Too Shall Pass still excels with thoughtful songwriting, stellar production, and great pacing between songsTrack Listing Gravity Backseat Drivers New City The Title Track What Is Right Going for My Lungs Evermore Remnant Rid of Me Stay With You, I Sink We've Been at This Surrounded I Believe You

This Too Shall Pass could've been just another catchy rock disc with a positive message that parents would approve of in light of the alternatives. But instead, Chicago-based The Fold ups the ante and gives listeners a little meat with the melody, resulting in a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience.

Kicking off with the full-on guitar assault of "Gravity," the lyrics firmly establish our depravity without Christ: "So let's start at the beginning of the story/I was a boy with nowhere to call home." That theme resonates throughout the disc, but the way the band addresses it differently in each song keeps the redemptive message from growing old.

Like rock peers Relient K, The Fold also isn't afraid to get a bit sardonic in its honesty, particularly in "Rid of Me," addressing the issue of intimacy with God: "I suppose that I should get a little deeper with You now/It's kind of like the feeling of watching everything around you tumble down/But you don't seem to mind/In fact the ashes seem to be too beautiful for words."

Speaking of Relient K, frontman Matt Thiessen's familiar vocals appear on "I Believe You," one of the disc's standout tracks. And if the band keeps churning out great songs like the infectiously catchy "Backseat Drivers" and "Going for My Lungs," The Fold could see its career on a Relient K-esque trajectory, with acceptance in both Christian and mainstream markets.

Ultimately, the faster, louder songs rank as the album's best, but The Fold proves it can slow things down a little on "New City" and "With You I Sink" and still have the same punch, which should serve them well in multiple radio formats.