Children of Fire is the third album made by the American metalcore band, Oh, Sleeper. It was released on September 6, 2011, in the United States through Solid State Records.[6] Produced by Andreas Magnusson, the first and only single was "Endseekers" released on September 6, 2011, available on iTunes and the official music video is available on YouTube.
| Children of Fire | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 6, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | February 21 – Summer 2011 | |||
| Studio | Planet Red Studios, Richmond, Virginia Machine Shop Studios, Weehawken, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Metalcore[1] | |||
| Length | 36:44 | |||
| Label | Solid State | |||
| Producer | Andreas Magnusson | |||
| Oh, Sleeper chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Children of Fire | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Indie Vision Music | 5/5[2] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout |   [3] |
| Pop Matters | 5/10[4] |
| Sputnik Music | 5/5[5] |
The album cover features the band logo, the broken pentagram with a child inside of it. It is the band's last album for almost eight years, with their next album, Bloodied/Unbowed, being released in 2019.
Concept edit
The concept of the album mainly focuses on the aftermath of the battle between God and Satan.[7] It begins by continuing from the end of "The Finisher," which is the last track on their previous album Son of the Morning. "The Finisher" describes the final battle between God and Satan, and it ends in God severing the horns of Satan. Now, as the starting of the aftermath in this album, Satan's horns have fallen to the ground, and both God and Satan vanish. Now all of humanity is left wondering what happened, so the first half of the album describes everyone coming to the general consensus that God and Satan are both dead and that they have killed each other in battle; thus, now there is no fear of Hell or reward of Heaven.
The album also follows two characters, one being an overzealous religious type who feels betrayed that he had devoted his life to God and that God has abandoned him. This drives his faith to unfurl, and it reveals that he had a shallow understanding of God. The other character is his daughter, who was a profound atheist, but became proven wrong after witnessing the battle between God and Satan. This delays her questioning of Christians and why they read God and Satan in different, less violent ways than she has just seen them. Towards the end of the album, she finds a group of believers who give her all the answers to her questions. The album ends with the destruction of the world, which occurs due to everything that has happened.
Historical tracks edit
Oh, Sleeper wrote two songs that are based on past murders. The fourth track, "Hush Yael," narrates the story of Samir Kuntar and the murders that he committed at the age of 16. The sixth track, "Dealers of Fame," is a first-person narrative telling of the Dnepropetrovsk maniacs, who are infamous for their leaked online video that depicts their torture of an elderly man in a forest.
Track listing edit
All lyrics are written by Micah Kinard, except where noted; all music is composed by Oh, Sleeper
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Endseekers" | 3:06 | |
| 2. | "Shed Your Soul" | 2:36 | |
| 3. | "The Marriage of Steel and Skin" | 2:56 | |
| 4. | "Hush Yael" | 4:29 | |
| 5. | "The Conscience Speaks" | 1:13 | |
| 6. | "Dealers of Fame" | 2:57 | |
| 7. | "Means to Believe" | Shane Blay, Micah Kinard | 3:14 |
| 8. | "In the Wake of Pigs" | 3:10 | |
| 9. | "Claws of a God" | 2:42 | |
| 10. | "The Family Ruin" | 3:31 | |
| 11. | "Chewing the Stitch" | 3:08 | |
| 12. | "Children of Fire" | 3:29 | |
| Total length: | 36:44 | ||
Chart performance edit
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 142 |
| US Top Christian Albums[8] | 7 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums | 1 |
| US Top Rock Albums | 32 |
Personnel edit
Oh, Sleeper
- Micah Kinard – lead vocals, programming
- Shane Blay – lead guitar, clean vocals
- James Erwin – rhythm guitar
- Nate Grady – bass guitar
- Zac Mayfield – drums, percussion
Production
- Andreas Lars Magnusson – producer
- Scott Bradford – legal counsel
- Ryan Clark – design
- Chris Dowen – production assistant
- Troy Glessner – mastering
- Jerad Knudson – photography
- Machine – mixing
- Brandon Day – A&R
References edit
- ^ "Oh, Sleeper - Children Of Fire". Alternative Press. September 30, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ "Album Review: Oh Sleeper - Children of Fire". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Estabrooks, Timothy (September 26, 2011). "Oh, Sleeper, "Children of Fire" Review". Jesus Freak Hideout. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Ezell, Brice (September 25, 2011). "Oh, Sleeper: Children of Fire". Pop Matters. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ White, Tyler (August 10, 2018). "Review: Oh, Sleeper - Children of Fire". Sputnik Music. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Solid State Records | Artist Archived September 27, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Oh, Sleeper Explains New Album "Children Of Fire"". Metal Underground. September 21, 2011. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
- ^ Billboard. "Oh, Sleeper - Chart history: Christian Albums". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 19, 2016.[dead link]