Album Review: Anberlin - Lowborn

Anberlin aren’t beating around the bush on their final release, giving a grace of 40 seconds or so before launching headlong into that classic stadium pop rock sound.

Lowborn plays out more like a best-of, with all the roaring guitars, ironclad rhythms and trademark vocal melodies that grabbed audience attention way back in 2007.

Despite having been recorded with separate producers for each of the five members, the album sounds remarkably tight and cohesive – and the band keep things interesting sonically. Dark, gothic synth overtones refuse to let the mood settle on slower tracks Stranger Ways and Birds Of Prey, but it’s the bolder songs like Dissenter and We Are Destroyer that really shine. Though few and far between, the energy of those more bombastic numbers keeps the rest of the record from ever feeling soft.

The biggest issue with Lowborn, however, is its lyrical content. Gone are the heartbreak-on-your-sleeve narratives and angsty ruminations on ex partners; instead, the album focuses on more introspective themes of growing up and moving on. Given Lowborn is the band’s final record after a drawn-out split, this makes a lot of sense, and colours the songs as a self-eulogy to the end of Anberlin. It’s a more mature outlook, but the vocals often fail to penetrate in any meaningful way.

There is no new ground to be trodden on Lowborn, but for fans there’s no better way to go out. Solid and intriguing from start to finish, the record perfectly caps off the band’s successful career – a sweet lingering aftertaste.