Anberlin
New Surrender

Review By Matt Conner

The upward mobility afforded the guys in Anberlin has changed everything. Behind them lie their former producer (Aaron Sprinkle) and label (Tooth & Nail) giving way to new versions of each, Neal Avron and Universal respectively. Of course, they also welcomed a new budget, allowing them more time than ever in the studio. And the latter is readily apparent from the outset of New Surrender, an album with constant allusions to emotional and spiritual brokenness. Every song breaks and bends, accelerates and holds back at all the right times. “The Resistance” races out of the gates a la Cities, holding the Anberlin sound from one record to the next. “Breaking” possibly features vocalist Stephen Christian’s best work to date amid arrhythmic, catchy percussion. “Burn Out Brighter (Northern Lights)” is tailor-made for rock radio, a clear signal that Avron (Fall Out Boy) was in control in the studio. And that ready-for-the-masses sound can be applied to most of New Surrender – the most impressive, accessible work in the Florida band’s catalog.