Oxygen: Inhale

Oxygen: Inhale nudges Thousand Foot Krutch’s signature fusion of hard rock aggression and hip-hop flow a tad closer to the pop mainstream without compromising the group's core mission. Lead singer Trevor McNevan sounds reinvigorated here, coming across as both defiant and reflective as he confronts the corruptions of a fallen world. Bassist Joel Bruyere and drummer Steve Augustine combine solid command of the groove with a suppleness that keeps the songs light on their feet even as they pack a wallop. “Like a Machine,” “Untraveled Road,” and “Born This Way” (not the Lady Gaga tune) launch the album with a triple assault of passionate rhymes and unrelenting rhythms. The band crank into high gear with “Give It to Me,” an assertive soul cry set to a grinding metal riff. If the upbeat tracks are unrelenting, Oxygen: Inhale's ballads are disarmingly tender. The acoustic-centered “Light Up” and the atmospheric “In My Room” are particularly good vehicles for McNevan’s softer side. “Glow” closes this well-rounded album on an appropriately luminous note.