Search - Gretchen :: In The Mean Time

The best band you haven't heard of...

sketchturner | Texas | 11/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been truly blown away by this band. I listen to a lot of underground music, but somehow this one managed to escape my notice until they happened to come do a concert at my college. I bought their CD and absolutely fell in love with it! I cannot believe the production quality on this album. And what makes it better is that, having seen them live, I know that they really DO sound that good!



The best musical-style comparison would be to a mixture of Benjamin Gate, Plumb, and Evanescence. However, Gretchen manages to have more variety to their music [imo] than most of the songs from any of those bands. There is more variety mixed into each song. Rather than settling for basic chord progressions, there are plenty of awesome riffs thrown into the mix. I also enjoy the fact that while Gretchen *definitely* knows how to rock hard, they manage to still work in catchy melodies. It's a combination that's difficult to achieve well without coming off as cheesy, and I have to give props to Gretchen for pulling it off so well.



My favorite songs on the album are "Fading", "In the Meantime", "Don't Wanna Be", & "Passion". The entire album flows nicely. There is an obvious variety of flow from song to song, yet it all is very cohesive and actually *feels* like an album, unlike so many CDs that feel like a disjointed conglomeration of songs.



Lyrically, the band manages to be artistic without going over the top with obscure poetic stylings that can mean anything to anybody. The lyrics are meaningful and thought-provoking. This is a Christian band, which means the lyrics are clean. At the same time, the lyrics are not preachy, never directly naming Jesus or God, which some could consider either a positive or a negative thing. Essentially, the lyrics address life experiences that are meaningful to the band, something I personally appreciate.



Honestly, I could very easily see Gretchen becoming the next big thing in music. Now that Evanescence has lost Ben Moody [the genius behind the band] and now that people realize that Amy sounds awesome in studio but not so hot live, the time is ripe for a similar band to one-up Evanescence. Gretchen IS that band.



Lastly, I just have to say that the band members are AWESOME people. I had the opportunity to hang out with them after the show b/c I sold merchandise for them, and they were a refreshing change from the typical conceited rock band. They know how to rock hard and put on a good show, yet at the end of the day they are very down to earth people. We need more of that in the world of rock music."

WOW This music is amazing

T. Dombowsky | 12/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you like the band Flyleaf then you will love this. They are similar but Gretchen is even better. Don't wait! This is good stuff!"

In the Mean Time

Jason Vlietstra | Grand Rapids, MI | 03/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This band rocks. If you like Pillar or Skillet this has a simular sound. Only difference is it has a female singer. This can also be compared to Benjamin Gate with more of an edge. Only 4 stars because only a few really rocky songs that I like. Gretchen has upside potential. Hopefully they continue releasing cds. If they keep being produced by Travis Wyrick they can't go wrong. All they need is to tour with a couple larger name bands to get their name out. I'd be about the only one at the show to see them."