And now let us sing the praises of the Kickstarter online fundraising platform and all the great artists that it allows to continue to make great music. In the last year or so, classic artists like Caedmon's Call, Steve Taylor, Russ Taff, and The Choir have been able to make new (or re-imagined) music and continue their artistic efforts in this brave new world of streaming and ever-changing avenues of income.

Remedy Drive has certainly benefited from the fan-funded model, as their last album, the fantastic and epic Imago Amor was one of the best releases of that year. Scars To Prove It, their latest fan-funded release, is equally rocking and epic in scope. With a veteran's sense of scale, the band seems to have taken their time to craft a heartfelt and hard-rocking album that puts a stake in the ground of what an artist can do when they have time and plenty of support.

With an electronic groove and a host of processed vocals, Remedy Drive shares sonic space with bands like Mutemath, Paper Route and Foster The People, yet sits comfortably in their own unique lane. Scars' opening number, "Cover Me," starts out with a groovy, 80's era keyboard synth line that could have been on The Breakfast Club soundtrack, but quickly segues into singer David Zach's trademark dry, gravely vocals (think John Mayer fronting Mutemath and you will start to understand the uniqueness of this band's approach) entering the scene in a worshipful plea for the Lord to hold him in the storms of life: "The big build-up / Think I'm gonna fill up / Every little hole in my heart / Came so far tried to / Tame the stars couldn't / Keep it all from falling apart / the shine fades / the walls cave / I'm left standing here / The earth shakes when The dream breaks / That's when I need you near / Oh - cover me / Cover me with your love." "Cover Me" is the sort of opening salvo that younger bands should study. It grabs the listener by the ears immediately and has a depth of lyric and emotional energy that really satisfies after multiple listens. This sort of Psalm-like plea for help is missing in much of Christian music these days, yet makes up a significant portion of scripture.

The following "Scars" (which contains the lyrics that the album title is derived from) switches the perspective and acts as a response to the previous song, with Jesus singing to the protagonist: "You've got my love / you've got my love / and you can't lose it / I've got the scars / I've got the scars / to prove it." This excellent turn of phrase takes a well-known Biblical idea (the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross for humanity) and gives this ancient (and life-changing) concept a new light, when stated from Jesus' perspective.

There is not a dull moment here. "Real Life" finds David Zach's trademark flow (not quite rapping, but rhythmically speaking pieces of dialog) backed by more industrial alternative rock. The nifty instrumental "GilEstel" (the name of the star representing "hope" in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings mythical universe) comes along at the right time to bookend the excellent opening salvo of songs, and flows nicely into the mid-tempo prayer "Steady," and then into the hopeful and rocking "Lights Up" where the repeated refrain of "the shadow holds no sway" is an epic and poetic way of illustrating a time and a place that will be radically different than the "clouded shadowlands" (a C.S. Lewis refence) we find ourselves in at present. (The references to Christian literary giants like C.S. Lewis and Tolkien are worth the price of admission alone here.) Final track "Begin Again" ends things on a pensive, piano-laden note and an admission from Zach to "breathe in the free air again" (which, again, is a line that Gandalf speaks to a friend in Tolkien's The Two Towers.)

Scars To Prove It is an epic listen from start to finish, and clearly a labor of love from the band to its long-time fans. And it is also the best album that you will likely hear this year. Thanks Kickstarter!

- Review date: 9/14/24, written by Alex Caldwell of Jesusfreakhideout.com