It's no longer startling to hear an intense young band harnessing big guitar noise in the service of a Christian witness. It's not even surprising when the band kicks butt -- the days when the term "Christian rock" elicited universal snorts of derision are long since past. Even in an increasingly crowded field of devout young rockers, though,
Forever Changed stands out; on their full-length debut, the Florida-based band displays an impressive combination of mature songcraft and youthful energy, and lead singer Dan Cole has the kind of off-handedly perfect voice that is easy to overlook until he pulls a vocal stunt that makes you stop and listen more carefully. The less devout might not be entirely comfortable with some of the lyrics ("The enemy is alive/There is only one truth out there/We will win the fight"), but then, making unbelievers (and believers, for that matter) uncomfortable is a big part of the reason bands like this sing lyrics like these, and there's nothing wrong with that. On the other hand, even the most unrepentant infidel will have a hard time resisting the pure pop bliss of "Great Divide" or the band's clever update of "You're So Vain" ("Vanity Letter"). Very, very nice.