Cool Hand Luke The Fires of Li

Cool Hand Luke The Fires of Life Reviewed By: Nicole Sobers
When one hears the name Cool Hand Luke, the first thought that may come to ones mind may be the film released in 1967 starring Paul Newman. However, the Christian band "Cool Hand Luke" has nothing to do with the film. The only aspect that somewhat ties in is that the main character in the movie is said to have been interpreted as a Christ figure, which is probably where the band got their name. They’ve been around since 1998, with an EP and a 7 inch that are out of print, and three albums. Their latest album, The Fires of Life, is definitely a deviation from their earlier albums musically, but not creatively or spiritually. This band since their beginnings have always pointed to Jesus Christ first and foremost and even stated in an interview once that they often prayed that their songs would lead whoever listened into worship with God.
The Fires of Life is so different from their first three releases. Just from listening to their first full length album released in 2001 called I Fought Against Myself, compared to the latest The Fires of Life album which was released in 2004, one may think that there are two totally different bands performing. Their earlier albums had a more poppy punk screamo feel, but the latest two albums that were released after signing to Floodgate Records in 2002 have a more mellow experimental feel musically, which could be compared to the secular bands Coldplay or Radiohead. Their first album released on Floodgate was Wake Up O Sleeper which had a softer feel than their earlier albums, with more singing than screaming, but definitely more of a rock feel than the more toned down The Fires of Life.
The album title is taken from the Bible passage Isaiah 43:2:
“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.”

   This is a very encouraging promise to the Lord's people. It is spoken to Israel, but assures God's children that through trials their Lord will be right there with them. Throughout the cd insert there are also Bible verses tied in with the artwork and placed next to the song lyrics.
   The songs on this album each tell a story that correlates with the aspects of a Christian's faith journey. The first half of the album is more intense musically, and in the latter half the songs slow down a bit. The first song, "Skydive," seems to be alluding to a man that has given up hope, ready to commit suicide by jumping off of a skyscraper. Proverbs 13:12 is mentioned because it seems like the man's hope is deferred. Towards the end of the song, the lyrics start to say that the man is jumping, but Mark Nicks (the vocalist and drummer for the band) sings "he's falling into Your arms," which implies that the Lord has caught him. Perhaps the song is metaphoric for a non-believer being saved or for a Christian who has been backslidden and remembers who he or she is in Christ, and that only He is to be clung to and relied upon. The next song on the album,
"The Foster" has the lyrics "go where the peace is," encouraging a Christian to keep seeking Jesus, and Ephesians 2:18 is mentioned in the lyrics "You have access by one Spirit." The title of the third song on the album, "Rats in the Cellar," is taken from the Book Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, a popular book amongst many Christians. It seems like 'the rats' are metaphors for sins in a Christians life, when one who is seeking Jesus in all things may act non-Christ like when caught off guard, which is what C.S. Lewis mentions in that section of his book, comparing it to suddenly seeing rats in a cellar. Mark screams for the first and only time in the album when he states: "I can't clean my charcoal soul; what I need is the hand of an exterminator." The fourth track, titled "Cinematic," opens with a very nice piano intro. In this song Mark is singing about how if his life was a movie, Jesus would be the hero who would save him. The lyrics go: "If my life was cinematic, with a soundtrack so dramatic, You'd be the hero and You would save me, and it would have the sweetest ending." A really awesome lyric in the song is also "But in my heart I know it's only true; if I'm supporting actor than the Oscar goes to You." The song implies that Jesus saved Mark from hell and is the true Hero in the 'movie of his life,' so to speak.
   In the second half of the album, song number five which is titled "Im not ready," has some lyrics that really hit me personally as a listener the first time that I heard them. The song starts off "Every time I read that story again, I wanna run and take the nails out. You remind me that those nails are mine, once and for all to the end," and Hebrews 9:26 is referenced in the cd insert: "For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” In the song it seems that the narrator also has issues with pride and needs to go deeper in his walk with God. "Im not ready for this ending, but its not over yet." So often in the Christian life we may become content with minimal information, but the Lord is always willing to take us deeper into the Word to show unchanging truths revealed about Himself. Some lyrics are quoted from one of their earlier albums "I’ve been fighting against myself, and I’ve torn myself to pieces." He then sings " I hear You calling, God , I hear You calling. Stand up, stand up, and spend yourself for Jesus. Too long have I been chained, I’m ready Jesus, set me free." While I’m not totally sure what the lyrics mean, they really hit me hard when I first heard them because we should never be content in our walks with Christ and should always want more of Him. The sixth song on the album titled "Sequence Number three" starts off with the words "I never truly lived until I died with You." Its speaking of dying to ourselves as Christians so that Christ can live in us (Philippians 1:21). Some latin in the song is sung too, with the words "Veni Sancte Spiritus," which means "Come, Holy Spirit." This is another great song where the lyrics and music were really enjoyable for me. Its a great song to worship to. Psalm 116:1-2 and Psalm 16:2 are referenced. Mark sings towards the end of the song "I almost forgot, You’re my One good thing. You’re my reason, my reason to sing."
   The next couple of songs only get better in my opinion and present new challenges or things to meditate upon for growing Christians. The seventh song on the album, titled "Friendly Jas," talks about Christian brethren, where Mark mentions a good friend that has been there for him on his faith journey. Proverbs 27:17 is referenced. The song speaks of how the two friends were insanely happy initially after their conversion, but "brilliantly naïve to the Joy, and the Pain, and the days that we would see." Mark sings: "Everything has changed, but our hope remains the same. I want you to know that Ill be here, through a hundred years of rain. Together we run into what we don’t know, trusting our God who made tomorrow." Perhaps these friends grew apart or maybe they are still growing together, but maturing. Nonetheless, the song reflects upon the beauty of Christian friendships. Many Scriptures are mentioned. Proverbs 27:17, Isaiah 40:8, 1 Samuel 20:18, 1 Samuel 20:42, 1 Samuel 20:36, and Philippians 1:3. The next song on the album, "I'm not Running," also has really powerful lyrics. The song starts off with the words from 1 Corinthians 1:18, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." Mark then sings "There's no turning back, unless we're turning back to You." I love the lyrics in this song, because they encourage any Christian to focus on Christ , the true prize (1 Corinthians 9:24) in running this race of our faith journey (Hebrews 12:1). Mark sings "I'm not running away from this; I’m not falling asleep." He encourages Christians not to backslide or turn away from their first love, Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 is also referenced to in this song.
   The ninth song on this album, "The Zombie Song," has the most powerful lyrics in my opinion on this album. The lyrics start off "Were like zombies, like the walking dead, with X's (excess) in our eyes, and music in our heads. We've forgotten our first love and made it pictures of crosses and doves. Remember when we were real? Back when we could feel? Once we were in this, now we are of this, Jesus turn these tables over." The song speaks about lukewarm-ness in the church, which Jesus warns us about in Revelation 3:15-16. The lyrics at the end state "Running in this stupid circle, our souvenirs won’t be worth a single thing, and Truth will never be 'in.' " Those words could not be truer. The true way of living the Christian life will never be popular in our society or culture. The tenth song on the album, "Rest for the Weary," is my favorite song on the album, because not only is Matthew 11:28 my favorite Bible verse, but this is in my opinion the best song musically and its one of my favorites to worship to. Mark compares talking to Jesus in the beginning of the song as if he was talking to a friend on the phone. Psalm 121:4 is referenced to. The song basically states that Jesus is always there to comfort us and the only one who will never leave us. Mark is desperate for Jesus in this song and longing to be closer to Him. "You're my Jesus, You're my hero, Everything I wish that I could be," he sings.
   Finally, the last song, "The Fires of Life," is my second favorite song on the album and also goes along with the title track. Many Scriptures are referenced to in this song: Psalm 55:6, Psalm 30:5, Psalm 73:13, Psalm 73:23, Psalm 73: 26, Psalm 4:8, Psalm 65:8, Zephaniah 3:17, and Isaiah 43:2. The lyrics repeat throughout this song "Weeping may last for the night, the longest night of your life, but I can promise you that, rejoicing comes in the morning." This can also tie in with verses three and four from chapter seven of Ecclesiastes which states:"Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth(KJV)." It's so true that Christians will often be men and women of sorrows, just as Jesus was. Its easy to get discouraged by this world around us and our own sinful flesh and trials that we go through. Yet, we know that heaven is not too far away and that we must do His work here.
   This album is a really enjoyable album to listen or worship to, and the whole album really gets a Christian's mind off of temporal things and onto eternal things. I'd give this album a 10 (if there was a scale of 1-10 rating system). Nonetheless, without my ratings, the boys of Cool Hand Luke seem to be doing what the Lord has called them to do and seeking Him in their journey, which is all that matters for all of us. The band's website is http://www.coolhandlukeonline.com, and they also have a myspace and purevolume site: (http://www.purevolume.com/coolhandluke, http://www.myspace.com/therealcoolhandluke).