Breaking forth into a more solidified hard rock sound, Thousand Foot Krutch releases its long-anticipated Tooth & Nail Records debut, Phenomenon. One of the coolest album covers in a while hints at the intensity imprinted onto this truly incredible disc.

The twelve tracks on Phenomenon are all about exposing listeners to the reality of the unseen spiritual world around us. Melodic, heavy rock grooves rage against the mundanes of daily life, spurring the listener on to open their spiritual eyes and see life for what it really is. Longtime fans used to the group's frequent infusions of hip-hop elements might be disappointed, since those are now gone, replaced by Aaron Sprinkle's crunchy-in-all-the-right-ways, electric guitar-heavy production.

The trio's songwriting is surprisingly hooky, full of slammingly hard grooves that find a nice middle ground that should satisfy both head-bangers and more basic alterna-rockers. Their high-octane anthems pulsate with energy and crackle with eye-opening lyrics -- a perfect marriage of word and sound. Phenomenon is fantastic.