| The Hymn of a Broken Man | ||
|---|---|---|
| Studio album by Times of Grace | ||
| Released | January 18, 2011 | |
| Genre | Metalcore, heavy metal, hard rock, post-rock | |
| Length | 52:57 | |
| Label | Roadrunner | |
| Producer | Adam Dutkiewicz | |
| Alternative cover | ||
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Strengh In Numbers
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The Hymn of a Broken Man is the debut album by American metalcore duo Times of Grace, released on January 18, 2011 through Roadrunner Records.
Contents |
When touring the UK with Killswitch Engage,[1] guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz required emergency surgery on his back.[1] While in hospital, he wrote new material which he later recorded and demoed at home.[1] Dutkiewicz later contacted former Killswitch Engage band mate and singer Jesse Leach about writing lyrics and recording vocals[1] feeling that he "[doesn't] think [he is] the greatest vocalist and lyricist" and "wanted a little help in that department."[1] Under the moniker Times of Grace, they began recording material in 2008[2] with Dutkiewicz stating on the group's Myspace that the songs were "an epic mix of Metal/Rock/Pop/Shoe gaze & Punk. All of your metal expectations will be incorrect, we are pushing genre boundaries".[2] They hoped to release an album of finished material by the summer of 2009.[2]
After completing the recording of material in 2009,[3] Times of Grace returned in 2010[4][5][6] to release their debut album.[4] Dutkiewicz recorded vocals,[1] guitars and drums for the album[1] with Leach providing lead vocals and lyrics.[1] In September, they filmed a video for the single "Strength in Numbers",[7] with debut album The Hymn of a Broken Man scheduled for release on November 9.[7] However, the album's release was delayed[8] with a new release date of January 18, 2011.[3][9]
Upon release, The Hymn of a Broken Man charted at number 44 on the Billboard 200, selling nearly 10,000 copies.[10] It also debuted at number 2 on the Hard Rock charts and number 13 on the Rock album chart overall as well.
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | (69/100)[11] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| About.com | [12] |
| AbsolutePunk | (80%)[13] |
| Allmusic | [14] |
| Artistdirect | [15] |
| BBC | (Positive)[16] |
| Blistering | [17] |
| PopMatters | [18] |
| Rock Sound | [19] |
| Sputnikmusic | [20] |
| Ultimate Guitar Archive | [21] |
The Hymn of a Broken Man received generally positive reviews, scoring a 69 out of 100 ("generally favorable reviews") on Metacritic based on seven reviews.[11] Allmusic reviewer Phil Freeman commented that "Anyone who thought Times of Grace was going to represent some radical departure is bound to be disappointed. Anybody who comes to it expecting melodic metal with hardcore crunch, occasional bits of post-rock guitar, and angsty yet ultimately life-affirming lyrics, on the other hand, will be pleased." Rick Florino of Artistdirect gave the album a perfect score of five out of five, commenting that "The Hymn of a Broken Man functions as a heavy, heartfelt journey through pain," and that "Times Of Grace are the future. Let another new age begin."
However, staff reviewer Jared Ponton of Sputnikmusic scored the album two out of five ("poor"), describing it as a "broken man with broken songwriting writes broken album." Ponton criticized the flow of the album, writing that "the thing that really prevents The Hymn of a Broken Man from being great, in any sense of the word, is its problems with dynamic, tempo, and melody usage, vocal or instrumental. The flow of Times of Grace’s debut is so jagged and stop-start, the chore of listening to it makes the gems that appear later on in the tracklisting, like the purely acoustic and slowed-down 'The Forgotten One', easily the strongest and most enjoyable track of the bunch, almost not worth the effort of discovering," which is mainly because "the vocal melodies here aren’t strong enough on their own, let alone when matched up with untraditional guitar riffs that are meant to supplement their effect in the music."
All lyrics written by Jesse Leach and Adam Dutkiewicz, all music composed by Adam Dutkiewicz.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Strength in Numbers" | 4:16 |
| 2. | "Fight for Life" | 3:36 |
| 3. | "Willing" | 3:23 |
| 4. | "Where the Spirit Leads Me" | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Until the End of Days" | 4:21 |
| 6. | "Live in Love" | 3:49 |
| 7. | "In the Arms of Mercy" | 1:54 |
| 8. | "Hymn of a Broken Man" | 3:13 |
| 9. | "The Forgotten One" | 4:38 |
| 10. | "Hope Remains" | 4:49 |
| 11. | "The End of Eternity" | 5:52 |
| 12. | "Worlds Apart" | 4:33 |
| 13. | "Fall from Grace" | 4:57 |
|
Total length:
|
52:56 | |
| Deluxe Edition, Bonus Track | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 14. | "Willing" (acoustic version) | 3:26 | |||||||
|
Total length:
|
56:23 | ||||||||
| Deluxe Edition, Bonus DVD | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 1. | "A visual interpretation of the album by Agata Alexander featuring 13 companion videos [One for each track]." | ||||||||
| 2. | "Strength In Numbers (music video)." | ||||||||
| Japanese Edition, Bonus Track | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 14. | "Willing" (acoustic version) | 3:26 | |||||||
|
Total length:
|
56:23 | ||||||||
| Chart (2011) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| German Newcomer Chart[22] | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[10] | 44 |
The album's credits and personnel can be obtained from Allmusic.[23]