Full Album Stream: Times Of Grace: The Hymn Of A Broken Man – new album

ArtistDirect is streaming the entire TIMES OF GRACE's upcoming debut album ‘The Hymn Of A Broken Man’ at this location. ‘The Hymn Of A Broken Man’ is set for January 18th, 2011 release via Roadrunner Records.

When touring the UK with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz required emergency surgery on his back: “I thought my career as a performing artist was over,” recalls Dutkiewicz. “If I can’t walk on my own, I can’t play.” He started writing what would become the TIMES OF GRACE album, in his head, from his hospital bed. Dutkiewicz later contacted former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bandmate and singer Jesse Leach about writing the lyrics and recording the vocals: “One of the main themes with a lot of the stuff I was writing was about how easy it is to take life for granted and how easily you can lose everything you’ve worked for in a second,” explains Adam D. “It can be given to you and taken away at the snap of a finger. But I don’t think I’m the best lyricist on my own, so the first person who came to mind for me was Jesse. We write together easily. The cool thing with these songs is that they are about negative situations, but there’s always a positive twist on it, talking about how you have the power to turn it around yourself.”

Commented Jesse Leach: “This whole album was born out of a necessity to express ourselves and overcome tribulation. This record is a testament to personal and spiritual growth. I am honestly still moved when I listen to this record, I know it may sound strange to some being moved by ones own work… This record was completed about a year ago and since then has served as a sort of therapy for us and for the close family we allowed to hear it. … Regardless of what you know or feel about our past bands and work, I hope all of you are able to hear this record with new ears. This record is an honest record and was created without the thoughts of success, touring, fame, money and expectations.  To me there is enough pressure and expectation put behind music and often times can affect the music and people involved… Regardless how well this record sells or how it is received we know we did what we had to do…”

TRIVIUM's frontman Matt Heafy listened to the record and wrote: “The record feels “perfect”. Sonically, it captures everything that is Adam and Jesse - ridiculously tight (but still emotive) guitars and drums; displaying Adam's fusion of melodic death metal/hardcore/metal rhythms, Gothenburg/post-hardcore/emo/punk-laced melodies, mesmerizing post-metal/atmospheric arpeggiated cleans; while Jesse is more versatile than ever: ranging from low emotive singing into a blisteringly high singing range that will surely leave other vocalists feeling like they were born with the wrong range. Jesse's classic scream is back as well - but this time it feels even more visceral.  His voice just makes you feel he really means what he is singing. … This CD will be impossible to define in one bracket of genre-defining, but that’s what is so great about every time Adam and Jesse create together is that they make something new.  I hope this record can change the scenes in the same way that AOJB [‘Alive Or Just Breathing’ – KILLSWITCH ENGAGE album] did.  This is an important album.  Roadrunner [Records] needs to push this album, TIMES OF GRACE needs to tour, bands need to tour with TOG. The music world needs a band like TIMES OF GRACE. ‘The Hymn Of A Broken Man’ is without a doubt, one of the best albums of our time.”

TIMES OF GRACE debut video ‘Strength In Numbers’, shot and directed by Robby Starbuck, was released in December 2010 and is available below. The band released videos for ‘Where The Spirit Leads Me’ and ‘The Forgotten One’ shortly after as two of 13 total artistic visual aids that will appear on the special edition of the album, released January 18th, 2011 . You can pre-view some other clips-in-the-making here (YouTube – Roadrunner Records).