Confessions

Since the band dubbed 2008's For the Love of the Game as "100 percent old-school Pillar," it implies that their next effort takes them in a new direction. And indeed, Confessions finds Pillar not just going through the motions but rather carving out a surprisingly intimate niche for themselves in the melodic rock world. The songwriting core of lead singer Rob Beckley and guitarist Noah Henson collaborated for the first time with writers outside of the band, including Copper's Keith Wallen, Red's Jasen Rauch, Building 429's Jason Roy, Chris Stevens (tobyMac, Sanctus Real), and Skidd Mills (Saving Abel, Skillet). Lyrically, the album focuses on admitting to and dealing with our most personal struggles. The album's first few tracks do so in a made-for-radio rock format, exploring the feelings that typically come from diving deep into one's self. With such a loud, muscular edge, it's surprising how melodic tunes like "Fire on the Inside" and "Secrets and Regrets" come off. Other highlights are the unquenchable riffs of "Whatever It Takes" and the true-to-form cover of Collective Soul's "Shine."