Album Review - Acceptance - Colliding By Design
Have you ever had a friend or colleague tell you that a band released music and you sort of let the information filter slowly into the back of your head without any emotion? Maybe you even feigned excitement as you really imagined what you'd be eating later for dinner while you watched Netflix alone in the dark?
That's the exact opposite of how I felt when Acceptance announced the release of their newest album, Colliding By Design. Considering how many years it's been since they'd released something, I had long given up holding my breath.
I didn't know what to expect beyond that they were way overdue on delivering on a promise. When I was first reminded that the album was released, I didn't rush to listen. Played it cool, gave it a few days.
When I finally did give it a first listen through, I was beating myself up for waiting. That day alone, I had listened through at least a dozen times.
Not only was it good, but it was good. I mean, this album was quickly becoming AOTY for me and suffice to say one of my personal favorites.
Acceptance outdid themselves. It would have been easy for them to just bank on the fact that longtime fans were at the edge of their seats waiting for a release. They could have been lazy and thrown something together that passed as an album.
Instead, what was delivered was a neatly wrapped package of musical gold. Each song told a part of a larger story, and at the end of each track you'd likely find yourself at the edge of your seat waiting for the next chapter.
Each song is hand selected and flows together with such a smooth, harmonious quality that left me wanting more. There's no skipping tracks here, only sitting back for the full 47 minutes.
It was an emotional ride that left me feeling tightly wrapped in a warm blanket with only Acceptance to thank.
