Album Details

• Artist: Bulletproof Messenger
• Album: Arm Yourself
• Label:
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: toddlevinsonfrank on 2010-04-01

Bulletproof Messenger’s new release Arm Yourself manages to combine Linkin Park’s energy and slick sound with the electronic touches of Nine Inch Nails and the bravado of Rage Against the Machine, but somehow comes off more melodic than those bands.

Formed in the 2000s by guitarist Voley Martin and DJ/Programmer Matt Litwin, Bulletproof Messsenger spent most of three years as an instrumental rock duo trying different singers before finally finding vocalist Marcus Klavan. In 2008, after just a few months on Sellaband.com, a website where artists can raise money from fans and supporters to finance an album, Bulletproof Messenger tallied an impressive $50,000 from individual investors around the world to record Arm Yourself.

“It’s always exciting when a band solidifies and their sound comes together in a shared vision,” says Voley in the bands' press-kit bio. “Bulletproof Messenger is right where it needs to be and our recordings are just the start because we add so much personality to the songs when we perform them live. The energy goes in a completely different way. Playing in front of a lot of people helps us feed off that and play better. I’m the guy in the band who gets to fly helicopters in his other job, but it’s like I’m still high in the air when I get to play on stage!”

One of the standout tracks is certainly “Lose It All,” as the full sound gives a sonic blast of the various elements that make up the bands' sound: thundering drums and bass pushing the crunching guitars, accented by electronic sounds and DJ scratching, with vocals soaring over it all.

“Bring Me To Life” brings on similar bad-assery, perhaps even catchier than “Lose It All.” Another highlight is “Wake Up Call,” which conjures something similar to “Bring Me To Life” but with some Rage Against The Machine riff breaks that give it a tougher edge.

One of my favorites is the slightly mellower “Step Out,” a solid tune that gives “power ballad” a good name (by contrasting the verses with a semi-rockin hook for the chorus) and proves that Bulletproof Messenger can really write and sing songs as well as they can bring the noise.

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