If you're a Christian metal fan with any kind of social media use, you're likely familiar with For The Rock, a platform dedicated to supporting all things Christian rock and metal. You also may know that For The Rock's founder, Christopher Adam, has a one-man deathcore act called Refiner. What few knew until very recently is that Adam signed a deal with Rottweiler Records a couple of years ago. Now, 2025 is looking to be a breakout year for Refiner, and it's starting with Return To Dust.

Return To Dust isn't a big offering in terms of runtime, but what it lacks in length it makes up for in quality. Refiner has always put out good deathcore, but these two new songs are on a new level. Adam has honed his craft in the performance and production aspects, and one can't help but notice an improvement from the Firewalker EP. In other words, it's hard not to agree that this is his most well-written and best-sounding material to date.

"Return To Dust" features a powerful, dynamic vocal performance from Adam, as he uses the full range of his vocals, from deep growls to cleans to high-pitched shrieks. They're accompanied by riffs galore, symphonic synths, and nu metal-esque glitchy sounds. "Not the End" is the heavier of the two, dropping most of the electronics (save for the occasional haunting melodies) in favor of a full-on assault of guitars and double bass. As the song says, it'll "hit like a ton of bricks." The messages of the two songs work well together, too. "Return To Dust" quotes Luke 15 at the beginning and goes into the reality of searching for something other than what God has for us and the meaninglessness of life without Him. "Not the End" almost echoes this sentiment, but more from the perspective of encouraging a loved one at the end of his rope to cling to the truth ("This is the end of life as you know it / don't be consumed, there's no use / some way, somehow / you've always known the truth").

Rottweiler has added a lot of new artists to its roster over the last year, and Refiner is definitely one to be excited about. These two new songs are killer, and they're more than enough to whet the appetite as we (hopefully) prepare for more to come. I know I'll be on the lookout for it.

- Review date: 2/26/25, written by Scott Fryberger of Jesusfreakhideout.com

Record Label: Rottweiler Records
Album length: 2 tracks: 7 minutes, 17 seconds
Street Date: February 28, 2025

1. Return To Dust (3:57)
2. Not the End (3:20)