American Dance Rock: Audio Adrenaline's Until My Heart Caves In

When Mark Stuart screams, “I’m a warrior,” over a stunted guitar to begin “Until My Heart Caves In” on Audio Adrenaline’s album of the same name, his voice sounds like a wounded warrior. Stuart has regularly sounded scraggly and gravely since the early pseudo-pop albums, but you can almost see the tears on those vocal chords when you look at your stereo speaker.

As the song kicks in with a Who-like guitar/drum fill repetition, it leads to the lyric, “I will sing Your Name until my heart caves in.” Stuart is clearly a faith warrior, singing praises to Christ while raising the eyes of the crowds to see the Savior. Stuart is managing to maintain his voice in the face of rock ‘n’ roll-induced hoarseness. I have no doubt that he will continue to offer his screams, shouts, and rock growls until the very last.

However, youngster Tyler Burkum (guitars, keyboards) takes over the lead vocals on many tracks, utilizing his clear-throated charm to raise up the praise choruses. Stuart jumps in to thrash out the sound, such as on “King” which could easily become just another CCM anthem if Stuart didn’t add that Audio Adrenaline element in his shouts.

And there’s the problem. Audio Adrenaline is still here doing their thing, but that thing is dangerously close to being smoothed over. Burkum is a great singer, but he’s not Stuart. Stuart’s rap-sing, thrashy, skate punk charm combined with worshipful intuition has always made Audio Adrenaline just different enough from the rest of the Christian rockers. How will Audio Adrenaline maintain that which makes them Audio Adrenaline as Stuart clearly finds himself shaking the tambourine more than checking on the mic?

I didn’t watch Rock Star: INXS as they did an American Idol-like search for a new lead singer for INXS to replace Michael Hutchence. I’m not convinced that filling the spot with a reality-TV-winning-contestant really means that INXS is continuing. The name is there, but is that the same?

To me, Van Halen meant Eddie Van Halen shredded his guitar while David Lee Roth prowled in front of the video cameras. I never really was convinced that Van Halen was Van Halen with Sammy Hagar or whoever else there’s been.

Unless there’s therapy, surgery, or a miracle that saves Stuart’s voice, Audio Adrenaline will have to decide whether they can continue to be Audio Adrenaline without that voice. If they decide they can, they will have to pull away from Until My Heart Caves In, get Burkum to funk up his delivery, and jam again on catchy, slightly-quirky rock. If they decide they can’t continue to be Audio Adrenaline, let’s just hope they don’t decide to signify the change by officially going as Audio A or A Adrenaline or Sonic Adrenaline (such as Jefferson Airplane, Jefferson Starship, Starship, etc.).

For glimmers of the old, full force of Audio Adrenaline, check out the funk dance rhythm combined with anthemic charge on “Undefeated.” The harmonica is a nice touch on “Melody (Lost Inside the Wonder).” The smashing blasts that enter the scene on “Are You Ready for Love?” could power those crowd spotlights that reveal a moshing crowd. Continuing their nods to Classic Rock co-opted for the Gospel, the band cranks out “Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher.”

Until My Heart Caves In by Audio Adrenaline is released by Forefront Records.