Valley of Salt’s New Record is Both Musically Ambitious and Legendary

Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness: The Story of John the Baptist is the evidence that ‘don’t knock it ‘till you try it’ works out. Being openly rooted to religion, it’s bound to create boundaries to those who don’t adhere to that belief. However, that’s the special part about this record: it’s undeniably religious and spiritual, but undeniably ajar for everyone as it is set out to tell a story and to accompany that story with solid pieces instead of changing minds completely.

There’s a bunch of words to describe how it all sounds. But one thing’s for certain: everything sounds full, like every instrument at their very best. Valley of Salt partnered up with Marty Wilson-Piper who was in charge with production, not to mention they also had help from others such as the Fort Smith Arkansas Symphony, a local Dallas gospel singing group, and other musicians. 

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At first, one may think this is purely an instrumental record with “The Love Of God Is All Around Us” starting it all off. But alas, vocals introduce themselves in the second track, “Don’t Be Afraid”. It sounds like a firm assurance. The guitar parts pull through, melodies are great. It acts like a revolutionary introduction to the person in the spotlight.

What makes this all unique and intricate is how it’s still considered as storytelling without actually having a full set of lyrics for every song. Most of it are repeated lines for emphasis, and to remain true to the aura of typical worship songs — except, this one is laced beautifully with the rock essence.

“Wilderness Interlude” features horns among everything else, and it seemingly captures both faces of the wilderness: the calm and the unease. The tempo and dynamics on these songs are something else, not to mention the lyrics, simple yet impactful; “What Did You See” features lines such as “There has not been one greater / he was in the Lord’s favor” amidst feel-good worship. “I Wait For You” has uplifting words along the lines of “Look, the lamb of God is there / to take the sin of the world”.

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“He Walks” consists of repetition of “Clear the way for our Lord”, and “His Glory” has lyrics such as “God will wipe your tears / no pain, no death, no crying”, and “There will be no pain / no fear, no hurt, no crying”. It’s all so simply put, that leaves more than enough room for expanded storytelling through mediums. For instance, if this were a musical, the instrumentals would be of great use for dialogue and any other additional input. Additionally, a visual interpretation for the story being told wouldn’t be a bad idea as well.

The last three tracks comprise the same feel, message, and flow. Specifically, “Machaerus” has lyrics such as “I show hunger no more / I show this no more / guide me in your living waters”, “Receive You” that features an acoustic-esque start, as well as lines like “Seek, and you will find it / love, and you will feel it / and I will be with you”. Lastly, “Holy Holy Is The Lord” has a catchy and Christmas-y vibe that also has great backing vocals and a solo.

To simply put it, this album is divine. The lyrics, the instrumentals; guitar melodies are phenomenal, the bassline is defined, the percussion goes well with its neighbor instruments. The tempo changes are great, as it indicates the “parts” of the track, which then suggests its overall potential in the world of imaginative storytelling. Overall, the production gives competitors a run for their money with how intricate this all is.

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