Horseshoes & Handgrenades

Nearly two decades into their career, Disciple clinches their hold on the hearts of Christian rock fans with Horseshoes & Handgrenades. After returning to their Tennessee roots for 2008’s Southern Hospitality, the band goes for a broader-based sound in this collection of snarling rockers and searing ballads. Though they’ve tempered their sound over the years, Disciple has never retreated from its militant brand of metallic testimony — this time out, tracks like “Dear X, You Don’t Own Me” and “The Ballad of St. Augustine” spit defiance in the face of the Evil One. Lead singer Kevin Young wails righteously as he proclaims the power of salvation, backed by the twin-guitar assault of Andrew Welch and Micah Sannan. Ferocious riffage drives home “Shot Heard ‘Round the World” and spurs on the near-boogie tempo of “Battle Lines.” The album’s message of inner struggle and redemption reaches its climax on the string-draped “Worth the Pain.” This is spiritual warfare in the trenches, captured by a veteran band that knows the fight first-hand.