Coming out of the 2000s, an all-too-familiar occurrence among heavy bands associated with the Christian metal/hard rock scene was for once devout groups to slowly fade into the mainstream or to reject affiliation with Christianity altogether. Memphis May Fire are one of the few counter examples, a massively successful metalcore band who, especially from 2014's Unconditional onward, have been openly celebrating the connection between the beliefs of various members and their musical output.

While their subsequent 2016 (This Light I Hold) and 2018 (Broken) releases maintained this personal and spiritual vulnerability and courage, they also tended to be regarded as musical compromises into the realm of radio accessibility at the sake of their original southern influenced metalcore stylings. It seemed like the beginnings of the (other) all-too-familiar occurrence of Christian hard rock groups sonically shifting into a popular, but ultimately generic sound.

Fortunately for both general fans of the genre and Christians desiring to see the further development of Christ-glorifying heavy music, the group's subsequent release of 2022's Remade In Misery and now 2025's Shapeshifter, retain both the spiritual conviction of the band's most courageous songs and the sonic energy of their earlier genre-defining works.

Like Remade In Misery, Shapeshifter emphasizes two defining elements: the vocals of band leader Matty Mullins, and the crisp, nearly artificial production mix of guitarist Kellen McGregor. Shapeshifter is a bold, immediately catchy album that combines electronic indie pop/rock sensibilities, not unlike early Imagine Dragons, with punishing riffs and a willingness to veer at a moment's notice into some of the most exciting metalcore breakdowns of recent years.

Nearly every track here contains at least one earworm of a hook to stick with listeners. Album opener "Chaotic" wastes no time, starting with a chorus hook of "I think I crave chaotic / I don't taste the pain when I stay neurotic … So why would I wanna change?" This line of questioning, how our fallen natures lead us to disharmony, exploitation of self and others, and existential wrestling with human nature, frames most of the songs on this record. It doesn't matter if we are born into a privileged expression of Christian living or into a life of social chaos and pain, we are still at risk from the spiritual, emotional, and physical uncertainty of the world until we turn towards soul-renewing redemption in Christ.

The album's third track, "Overdose," featuring recently returned Christian hardcore legends Blindside, presents the nature of this conflict in a thought-provoking way. Cultural engagement is like a drug; whether we are pursuing reformation and redemption or destructive self-satisfaction, we must be careful to not place our satisfaction and hope in worldly battles.

Title track "Shapeshifter" presents this danger in a different way, echoing Christ's condemnation of those who would exploit religion for power as whitewashed tombs, dropping into one of the album's most compelling breakdown with "blank headstone[s] when you're laid in the ground."

I'm reminded of what JFH writer Kevin Chamberlin once wrote about Project 86's excellent Picket Fence Cartel as an album of "spiritual courage." Memphis May Fire's Shapeshifter might not be an album that reinvents the heavy music scene artistically, but there's a conviction displayed in both the lyrics and music that makes this an album stocked with immediately fun metalcore moments that also asks listeners to consider their relationship with the world, God, and eternity.

- Review date: 3/28/25, written by Kevin McGuire of Jesusfreakhideout.com