The way music is distributed out to the masses in this day and age is astonishing. Not only are original albums and singles being cranked out in record time (no pun intended), but bands and singers are finding new ways to reinvent their previous work. While some utilize creative measures to reinterpret their songs through today's updated trends (Switchfoot's The Beautiful Letdown re-recording, or Kutless's Twenty immediately come to mind), others are a rather stale listen. Often, it leaves listeners wondering why the band couldn't just record new material. Enter Thousand Foot Krutch's re-awakening... or should I say re-ignition? TFK is a veteran rock band that deserves so many accolades in their genre-pushing and production value, but this new version of their smash-hit The End is Where We Begin is puzzling in some ways, and altogether unnecessary in others.

The immediate concern I had when I saw them re-release this album was, "Why all of the guest vocalists?" My concerns were increased when I heard just how much some of the vocalists did not mesh at all with the style of each song. For instance, RED's lead singer, Michael Barnes, takes center stage in "I Get Wicked," which is a jarring style for him when he is more used to lyrically striking and poignant melodies paired with guttural screams. Instead, him singing, "I get wicked when you come against me/so quit tryin' to push me around" makes me scratch my head. Another jarring track is "Light Up the Sky," which is originally a fantastic rap-rock song that is completely ruined by a guest appearance by Ariel Bloomer of Icon for Hire. Again, she is no slouch when it comes to leading a good rock song, but this song does not fit her at all. In fact, her opening the song by yelling "Watch me light up the sky!" is agonizing to listen to. James Michael's addition to "We Are" actually makes the song boring, which is odd as this is one of the more raucous tracks on the album.

Something else that is sure to frustrate further is that this entire release is actually the exact same recording as the original, just with guest spots and some slightly changed intros. If the guys had re-recorded the originals with a couple of surprise guest spots, this would have gone down far easier with this listener. As it stands, though, this ultimately feels cheap and questionable in its existence.

This is not to say the guest features are completely a mess. Adam Gontier, previously of Three Days Grace and now leading Saint Asonia, provides a solid growl to "Let the Sparks Fly," while New Medicine's lead singer Jake Rose is a good pairing for "Down" (although the lyrical content of New Medicine is never something we would recommend here at JFH). Finally, the best of the bunch is when TFK gets the softest in "All I Need to Know." Eva Marie of Eva Under Fire actually elevates this song even higher than it was before, and I thought it was a terrific collaboration.

Ultimately, after listening to The End Is Where We Begin (Reignited) several times through, my thought each time was, "I'd rather listen to the original." If the guys at TFK intentionally did this, then hats off to them. But, ultimately, this is reminiscent of a perfectly well-made painting that added in things that did not need to be there, and somewhat tainting the perception of the original artwork. TFK is a terrific rock band that continues to have playtime on my workout playlists, but this one will be staying out of my rotation. I would suggest others do the same, and stick with the fantastic original.

- Review date: 8/9/24, written by Josh Egan of Jesusfreakhideout.com