The Last Word Is Yours to Speak

The Last Word Is Yours to Speak is the second studio album by American metalcore band Phinehas. The album was released on July 23, 2013 through Red Cord Records.

The Last Word Is Yours to Speak
Studio album by Phinehas
Released	July 23, 2013[1]
Genre	Metalcore southern metal[2]
Length	48:09
Label	Red Cord
Producer	Joey Matthews Chris Galvez Phinehas
Phinehas chronology
The Bridge Between (2013) The Last Word Is Yours to Speak (2013) Till the End (2015)
Singles from The Last Word Is Yours to Speak
"Fleshkiller" Released: May 17, 2013[3] "Blood On My Knuckles" Released: May 19, 2014

This is the first release with bassist Bryce Kelley and the last with guitarist Jason Combs.

Sound and style

The Last Word Is Yours to Speak features a slight change in sound for the band, while still maintaining a metalcore sound. Whereas Thegodmachine featured fast-paced songs in the vein of thrash metal, this album features a strong southern metal sound. Also, Sean McCulloch's singing is more clean and less gruff than on previous releases.

Release

The album was recorded in early 2013 shortly following the release of The Bridge Between EP. The album's name was announced on May 17 with the release of lead single, "Fleshkiller".[3] A Music video was released for the song on July 19[4] through Red Cords' YouTube channel. The Last Word Is Yours to Speak was released on July 23 through Red Cords Records and proved to be successful upon release, charting on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart and Christian Albums.[5] The Last Word Is Yours to Speak was also issued as a 12" vinyl,[6] with 150 colored red and 250 colored gold.[7] A music video for "Blood On My Knuckles" was released on May 19, 2014. With the announcement of the video's release, Phinehas announced a contest in which the winner will win a signed drum head that was used in the recording of the album.[8]

Track listing

All music composed by Phinehas. All lyrics written by Sean McCulloch.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Throes" (intro)	0:54
2.	"Fleshkiller"	3:53
3.	"The Deepest of Graves"	3:32
4.	"Blood On My Knuckles"	3:32
5.	"Twisted"	3:38
6.	"De el Quatro" (instrumental)	2:13
7.	"Out of the Dust"	3:20
8.	"The Blessing and the Curse" (feat. Brennan Chaulk of Haste the Day)	3:54
9.	"Dyson Sphere" (feat. Garrett Russell of Silent Planet)	5:11
10.	"Manipulator's Wire"	3:55
11.	"Salting the Mine"	3:38
12.	"From a Burning Sun"	5:10
13.	"WWII"	5:19
Total length:		48:09

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Decoy Music	[9]
HM Magazine	[10]
Indie Vision Music	[11]

The Last Word Is Yours to Speak has received positive reviews since its release, with critics praising the album.

Decoy Music reviewer Nick Senior praised the album saying "the guitars really stand out from the crowd" and complemented the southern rock influences. Senior also noted the post-metal influences on "Dyson Sphere", saying it "really drive[s] home the power of the track". However, he did note that a few of the tracks are "standard fare" and the breakdowns (while not overused) killed the momentum of a few songs.[9] HM Magazine reviewer Wes Jaques also praised the album, saying "Fleshkiller" had "riffs in the style of Cannibal Corpse" as well as " non-rhythmic patterns like Hatebreed-gone-death metal". Jaques called the album a "solid release", citing "The Blessing and the Curse" as his favorite track.[10] Indie Vision Music reviewer Brody B. also noted the southern rock influence on "Blood On My Knuckles" and praised Humerian's drumming. Brody said the tracks "From a Burning Sun" and "The Deepest of Graves" could have easily been lift out of the album, but did say the breakdown from the former "is really slick". He concluded his review by saying the band "are the real deal and meant to break free from this monotonous music scene into the limelight."[11]

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic:[12]

Phinehas

• Sean McCulloch – lead vocals
• Jason Combs – guitar
• Bryce Kelly – bass
• Lee Humerian – drums, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• Brennan Chaulk – guest vocals on track 8[13]
• Chris Galvez – engineer, producer, additional vocals
• Joey Matthews – executive producer
• Chris McCulloch – handwriting
• Garret Russell – guest vocals on track 9
• Trent Tieso – artwork
• Drew Williams – additional vocals
• Joel Wohlitz – mastering, mixing

Chart positions

Chart	Peak positions
Heatseekers	34[14]
Christian	41[15]

References

1. "The Last Word is Yours to Speak on iTunes". Apple Inc. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
2. "Phinehas - Discography". Metal Kingdom. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
3. "Phinehas releases new single and cover artwork for "The Last Word Is Yours To Speak"". HM Magazine. May 17, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
4. "Phinehas - "Fleshkiller" (Official Music Video) - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
5. "The Last Word Is Yours to Speak - Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
6. Stagg, David (November 8, 2013). "Limited Edition vinyl pressings of Phinehas's 'The Last Word is Yours to Speak' now available". HM Magazine. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
7. "Red Cord Records - Phinehas "The Last Word Is Yours To Speak" 12" Vinyl". Red Cord Records. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
8. "There will be nothing left but the blood on my knuckles". Facebook. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
9. Senior, Nick (July 22, 2013). "Decoy Music Review". Decoy Music. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
10. Jaques, Wes (July 2, 2013). "HM Magazine Review". HM Magazine. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
11. Brody B. (July 6, 2013). "Indie Vision Music Review". Indie Vision Music. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
12. "The Last Word Is Yours to Speak - Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
13. "Phinehas - "The Blessing and the Curse" - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
14. "Phinehas - Chart history - Top Heatseekers". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2014.
15. "Phinehas - Chart history - Top Christian Albums". Billboard. Retrieved February 26, 2014.