If you’ve followed Project 86 for anytime, then you probably know about the troubles they’ve had over the last couple of years, mostly centered on the 2 labels they’ve been involved with. Well, that has been resolved and put in the past. This album was the result of that and you can hear the frustration in it.

But that doesn’t detract from it. Project 86 is arguably one of the better hard-core Christian bands around, musically speaking. And “Songs To Burn Your Bridges By” showcases this talent with richly layered instrumentation that is both complex and creative. But the lyrics are what set this CD apart from more mainstream groups.

The songs range from anger and accusation in “The Great Golden Gate Disaster” to child abuse in “Sioux Lane Spirits”. Project 86 has never been a ministry band, so don’t expect a lot of overtly spiritual lyrics. That doesn’t mean there isn’t anything spiritual in “Songs To Burn Your Bridges By”, you just have to dig for it.

The track “Circuitry” has the sense of Andrew coming to the end of himself with these lyrics, “lost, lost in this sound and lost in this dream that I’ve lived…” And from “Breakdown in 3/4″, he says, “I guess that I should thank you for freeing me from my naivete sleep.” That song also seems to speak of the realization of how fleeting life and maybe for them, fame, truly is in this world. Another deep song is “Shadow on Me” which speaks to me about coming back to the Lord.

I’ve liked Project 86’s music since I first heard them on “Drawing Black Lines.” I like the intensity and the emotion of their music. And they just keep getting better with every CD. But keep in mind; “Songs to Burn Your Bridges By” may not be for everybody. It might make you think. It might even make you take a look into yourself. I have to give them 5 stars for the emotion and sometimes brutal honesty of the album.