These New Jerseyites apparently rose up from being a "school of rock" type cover band in 2008 to becoming a credible contemporary hard rock band, having a recent stint in the Vans Warped tour to their credit. This 2012 album is exactly what you would expect from the description above, delivering a bombastic and anthemic approach to their songs. The title song is a good example of this, building from a gentle intro into a slamming anthem by the middle of the song. If I were picking singles, it would probably be "I Believe It's Christmas Time," a more uptempo number with a slamming chorus. "It's Christmas Time" is a big noisy ballad, "One More" a bit more subdued, and "Santa's On His Way" and "Toys" are more uptempo. Near as I can tell, all those songs above are the band's originals. They take a run at some classics too, with "Jingle Bell Rock" done as you might expect to hear it on the Vans Warped tour, "Run Run Rudolph" getting a 70s glam rock arrangement, and they acquit themselves well on "Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me" and "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree." They also swing "Silent Night" way uptempo, do an acoustic rock take on "Jingle Bells" and finish up with a slow take on "O Come O Come Emanuel." This is a solid Christmas rock album you won't mind listening to all the way through.
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