Kutless returns

Remember the cool Christian modern rock band Kutless?  Oh, many of us have their albums but may have gotten to the point we rarely listen anymore.  I still spin my favorite albums from time to time.

Anyway, they are back with a new record called "Alpha/Omega".  Even though their last album "Surrender" returned to the more rock side with worship elements, I believe this finished the transformation of a once great rock band with something to say to just another average worship band.  They do have some of the rock guitars in the background that were missing from the 2014 worship record "Glory", but this still isn't Kutless as we grew to know and love them.  Out of 11 studio albums, you have 6 rock records, one Christmas album with some worship tracks thrown in, and 4 worship records.  I am guessing that, since the worship records are now coming more closely together, that the transformation is complete.  I probably won't keep buying their stuff as I loved the rock band Kutless.

This is one of those times that I feel like the fans are getting cheated a tad.  We're buying a Kutless record and know what we expect but find something else.  If they go full on worship, they really should change the name in my opinion.  They are changing the product so a new name is in order just for branding.  Name recognition alone isn't going to help them when many of their rock fans feel alienated from them because of the style change.  They will pick up some fans too, but I think they will see a drop overall in interest as the fans switch to something with teeth......if we can find it.

The first two CDs of Kutless were great and rockin'.
Let's rock !!!!

Don't know much about them, but this song ministered to me in a big way in a very dark time...

Oh, their worship projects are usually well done.  I actually liked the first two as they still had their rock edge.  This one hints at it.  However, they hit the scene back in 2000 or 2001 as one of the post-grunge modern rock bands.  They were a rock band that managed to get played on CCM radio.  I've seen them in concert now a couple of times.  When the occasional worship project was coming out, it was okay.  Then, these two newer worship projects are released ever closer together and they are pretty mild.  It comes off as two separate bands, really.  One album will rock and the next one is all light and fluffy.

For me, this is a band that needs to do what my parents used to tell us when we were running in and out of the house, "Either get in or get out!"  Either get into the rock stuff, or get out.  Get into the worship stuff, or get out.  Or, at least, do the worship lyrics and rock that out as this would be different these days.

I'll have to scope out some of their early releases...

Sounds like a popular band, but the name eludes me...

At that point in their beginnings, Kutless sounded like a cross between Creed and Nickleback.  But there is a HUGE difference between this sound and their light/poppy worship albums.

I wonder why Kutless after making two rockin' albums swtiched to producing worship albums.

alldatndensum wrote:

At that point in their beginnings, Kutless sounded like a cross between Creed and Nickleback.  But there is a HUGE difference between this sound and their light/poppy worship albums.

Hmm, not to me...

Gave up on this band years ago.  The only albums I even care for anymore are "Kutless" "Sea of Faces" and "To Know That You're Alive".

I got to looking up their discography today and discovered I was wrong.  They are pretty much split down the middle for rock records and worship records:


ROCK RECORDS                               WORSHIP RECORDS
Kutless 2002                                     Strong Tower 005
Sea Of Faces 2004                             It Is Well 2009
Hearts Of The Innocent 2006              Believer 2012
To Know That You're Alive 2008          Glory 2014
Surrender 2015                                 Alpha/Omega 2017

CHRISTMAS RECORD
This is Christmas 2011


I almost put the Christmas album in the worship section.  Why?  Well, musically it is more in line with those releases.  As an EP, it is a Christmas album.  If you have the extended version put out exclusively by Lifeway, then they add 4 worship tracks to round out the lineup.  So, when you look at the big picture, I guess Kutless is a worship band that occasionally masquerades as a rock band!

With that said, the songs on Alpha/Omega aren't bad, but they are tired.  Most of them are just remakes of other popular songs including a remake of "Strong Tower" that misses the mark sorely.

I miss the rock band Kutless and I thought that 2015s Surrender was signaling a return to form which they did.  Except for that one album, Kutless has become a worship project since 2009.  It is sad, but actually sitting down and looking at this will help me to make better informed buying decisions in the future--if they have a future.  Seeing that they have managed to alienate their early fanbase without building a new huge following, I don't see how they will continue to do what they do without a string of radio hits.

Sorry, Kutless.  At one time, you were one of my favorite modern rock bands.  Oh, how the mighty have fallen.  Well, at least Skillet, Seventh Day Slumber, and Disciple are still rockin' strong!