Anberlin Band • Page 21

Dark is a great record.

 

I'm not talking about opinions about the albums from the people still listening. I'm talking about their profile dipping with every release. This thread is a small ecosystem.

 

Dark always felt a bit like a diluted cities to me, in a good way

 

Dark was a rough time for Stephen's lyrics.

 

Yeah I'm still a huge fan of that record

 

my main argument against it. closer couldve been as good of a song as anything off of cities, but the chorus was overly simplified. theres a time and a place for a chorus like that, but it seemed to happen way too often on that album. Impossible is a jam still.

 

Closer should've been the band's biggest hit. I mean that in a good way. It summed up Anberlin's melodic strengths to a T but it was also just the right amount of accessible. Dark has some weak lyrics, but I don't understand why people single out that song just because the chorus is simple.

 

I like 2 songs on Dark and even those are both worse than anything on Cities of NTFP. Such a disappointing album for me, even compared to New Surrender which was also a big disappointment.

 

I still really dig Dark and NS. Not sure where I'd rank everything but I like them both.

 

Dark is fantastic, on some days I think it's their 2nd best record (changes with Vital often)

 

Dark didn't hit me at first, but in recent years it grew on me and I think it's fantastic abum.

 

Dark is my second favorite (behind Cities).

 

Dark was them tapping into a U2 influence and realizing they didn't need heavy-ass guitars in every song. Only a few songs on that record are heavy, which I think is where a lot of people got turned off. But damn the percussion on songs like "Pray Tell" is huge.

 

I just think the songwriting is very bad on that album and I honestly can't understand what people like about it, haha. Usually even when I dislike something I can see why people are fans of it but not that.

 

Dark is lower tier Anberlin for me (still good) but Art of War is a phenomenal song.

 

Is that true though? New Surrender only had a few songs that had loud/heavy guitars I thought. Dark was definitely more tone down, but I don't think that's where it started. I agree on Prey Tell, I love that song.

Speaking of heavy guitar, it always struck me as weird that they seemed to love those type of songs and always jammed their live sets with those, but on each album only a few were on each.

 

Speaking of heavy Anberlin songs I always forget how absolutely massive the chorus to Desire is.

 

The stuff off of Dark sounded great live. Much better than on record in my opinion. I'd put Dark in the middle of their discography ranking-wise.

 

This is how I feel about it

 

One of their best choruses imo, and the second best on Vital after modern age

As for Dark, I think closer, to the wolves, impossible, and down would all be on a best-of list of anberlin songs for me. I think take me and you belong here are a little boring, and the rest are solid. its a worthy discog entry. And possibly the best artwork.

 

Type Three for me is the most underrated song in their discography

 

"I look to Heaven to save me and you call me naïve.
Rather be a hopeless lover, than cursed with disbelief."
i'm not religious but that's one of my favorite moments on the album

 

Yes! Great lyrics there!

 

The live acoustic versions of those songs off Devotion made me appreciate those songs so much more. They really are a better live band than on album. Makes you wonder why they weren't recorded better.

I remember hearing We Are Destroyer live on the final tour and oh man did it rock. It sounds so tamed on the album.....

 

Their heavy songs always sound great live, and make the album versions sound so tame