Get Your Music on Amazon!
Get Your Music - and everything else - on Amazon! All purchases made on Amazon through this link earn a commission for Jesusfreakhideout.com!

JFH Music Review



Out Of Ruin
What I Can't See



Album length: 12 tracks: 44 minutes, 6 seconds
Street Date: April 29, 2008


 
WhatICantSee
READER RATING:  WhatICantSee
/ 5.0 (0 votes)

Newly signed to Vertical Shift Records, Out Of Ruin is a new rock band founded by brothers Gram and Ben Messer. Their Vertical debut, What I Can't See, is merely a rehashing of the band's indie album, Mosaic Soul, with only a slight change in track listing.

The album starts off on a high note with four excellent tracks. "This is We" and "Lifting Me" are midtempo pop-rockers with catchy tunes and nice lyrics. "Broken Pieces" is probably the hardest track of the album, musically speaking, with its crunching guitars, and upbeat feel. Especially impressive is its use of metaphors---God picking up your broken pieces and reforming them into a "mosaic soul." "What I Can't See" is a lighter rock track. While it doesn't quite fall into ballad territory, the song has a slower pace. The middle of the album mostly runs together. A few of the songs are catchy at best, but nothing particularly memorable or special. For the most part, Out Of Ruin's style sounds too similar to fellow pop-rockers Jars Of Clay to produce anything unique. Besides a few certain moments (like "Broken Pieces"), the lyrics seem to fall into typical Christian territory. The songs rarely venture into anything more than typical clichés.

The album picks up again on the last few tracks, but is disappointingly not enough to redeem the whole album. "Alimente El Corazon" is the album's only instrumental song. With a latin-influenced feel, this song gives listeners a break from their now-tired pop-rock style. The other standout, "Only Half," is a catchy ballad that closes the album and is Out of Ruin at its finest.

All in all, Out of Ruin has a good thing going for them, but this album fails to show it. As a whole, the album has been done before, and gets boring after the first few songs. What I Can't See is likable at best, but Out of Ruin does little to develop their own sound, much less, a place in the music industry.

- Review date: 6/6/08, written by Matthew Watson



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!

 

Record Label: Vertical Shift Records
Album length: 12 tracks: 44 minutes, 6 seconds
Street Date: April 29, 2008
Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. Broken Pieces
  2. Lifting Me
  3. What I Can't See
  4. This is We
  5. Spirit
  6. Step On Faith
  7. Man To Be
  8. Pictures
  9. Numb
  10. Alimente El Corazon
  11. Stand For Something
  12. Only Half

 



Leave a Comment

 

 

go to main Album review page
go to Album review archive

 

 

                 
Get the new FREE JFH MP3 compilation -- Vol. 14!

Search JFH



This Friday, January 23, 2026
ALBUMS
JusJames WHIL3 U WAIT - EP [Polished Arrow]
Jamie MacDonald Jamie MacDonald [Capitol CMG]

SINGLES
Gracie Binion Hosanna - Single [BEC]
CAIN So Long Sad Songs - Single [Provident]
Dubem Lately - Single [Syntax]
Jason Dunn Divided States of America - Single (independent)
ELEOS Fool's Gold - Single [Ocean House]
Griffin Mega Church - Single [Polished Arrow]
Amber Lynn Yahweh (Your Will Your Way) - Single [Sonlite]
Ian Austin, Brice Davis Like The Prodigal (Come Home) - Single [Ocean House]
Troy Patterson Creating Something - Single [Syntax]

Heather Suzanne Kingdom Walls - Single [Ocean House]
tylerhateslife mental health (heaven's remix) - Single [Syntax]
Zane Walls NAH UH - Single (independent)
Katy Weirich The River - Single [Wings]

Next Tuesday, January 27, 2026
SINGLES
Pipe Bomb I Will Kill The Worst Parts Of Myself - Single (independent)

Next Friday, January 30, 2026
ALBUMS
Dreamers let love be your highest goal. - EP [DREAM Worship]
Kingdmusic JOY (independent)
Eddy Mann The Unveiling [MTS]
We The Kingdom Dear Jesus [Capitol CMG]

SINGLES
John Long The Perfect Love of Christ - Single [Ocean House]
Mainstream Worship & Josh Daughtry Fresh Start (Live) - Single [DREAM Worship]
Seph Schlueter Life With You - Single [Provident/Sony]


For all release dates, click here!
 

Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!
Need proofreading and editing help? We've got you covered! Click here to learn more
Check out depositphotos for royalty free images