The release of Anberlin’s newest and final album Lowborn brought a gambit of emotions lyrical and stylistic, which has come to be expected from every Anberlin album.
Lowborn traversed existentialism in “We Are Destroyer” with the lyrical phrase, “Take our time for granted, entitled in this life. Entertain us now; we’re owed everything in sight.”
The album then turned introspective in “Armageddon,” stating: “I am my own Armageddon.” Throughout every piece of artwork on this album, the style changes from electronic beat to classic snare drum and guitar anthems.
The outlier of the entire album would have to be “Dissenter.” Vocalist Stephen Christian took a harder vocal approach than is typical for an Anberlin song. Christian has typically kept screaming as a background for more lyrically emotional songs.
“Dissenter” puts a twist on that theme by going from harder screaming to the mellow, melodic voice of Christian with soft guitar and keys abruptly in the middle. The ending suddenly alludes to its opening, which created a great atmosphere for the rest of the album’s mellow vocal tonality.
Directly following “Dissenter,” “Loosing It All” brings in another facet of Anberlin; an atypical use of kettle-sounding drums and a lengthy piano intro. The middle part of the album is satisfyingly atypical and shows how eclectic Anberlin can be. Overtime, the band has kept its diversity in lyrical style, retained its punk alternative sound and remained varied by means of instrumentality.
Finishing off the album must have been emotionally draining on the entire band. “Harbinger” reflects the most mellow and somber tones of the entire album, and possibly, every Anberlin album. The song incorporates a rare moment of acoustic usage, which sounds beautiful alongside the distorted electric backdrop.
The final song of Lowborn is shockingly beautiful. Its chorus softly chants, “We’ll live together, forever”
“I don’t want to go now but I’ve got to for you to remember me in this light,” Christian sings.
The final verse ends with, “Look back with a lighter soul, harbor motion into the great unknown.” The members of Anberlin do not know what is ahead, but the fans and band members will always have a place “together, forever.”
