Thomas Wilson can flat out sing like a bird when at the top of his game, contributing a melodic flavored mid-octave ranged vocal style while proving his ability to hit a high note with ease. His emotional vocal delivery helps to make the likes of "Surrender", "I’m Not Alone", and "When Love Dies", which were already very good to begin with, really shine. While Hooper delivers a mega-tight rhythm guitar sound throughout, he is at his best on lead guitar, displaying his gritty soloing abilities on "Malice" and "Echo" and a softer, bluesier side to his playing on "Land Of Dreams" and "Here I Am Again". Finally, the two prove very well rounded musicians in that Wilson also fills in on drums, bass, rhythm guitar, and keyboard, and Hooper on bass.

Production values come across crisp and polished in combining an upfront rhythm guitar sound with an even mix of lead guitar and bass. The only constructive comment worth offering, however, is that the drums could have received a somewhat cleaner mix. This is only a minor issue and in no way detracts from the album's effectiveness.

The introduction to the instrumental "Isolophobia" begins to a cacophony of voices, keyboards, and sound effects that give way to narration from Hebrews 13:5. Once a wall of crunchy rhythm guitar kicks in, the song moves ahead in catchy fashion as Hooper decorates the scene with his mega-tight guitar harmony and dazzling lead work. A very effective album opener that sets the stage for two excellent songs that follow.

In an Interview conducted with Angelic Warlord, Thomas Wilson provides the following details about the opening to "Prison Walls", which is carried by a blend of haunted voices and boiling lava:
"The idea I wanted to convey was that of a person being held in a metaphoric prison, either spiritually or emotionally. The idea is that the person has come to a realization of their imprisoned state and is desperate to find a way out. Satan is taunting the prisoner and doing his best to keep them bound in this current state, but in the end the prisoner can hear Jesus trying to show them the way out, indicating that to be free, they must take the first steps and follow Him."
Taking off to a driving riff and several seconds of lead guitar, "Prison Walls" tapers off to a pronounced bass line for its first and second verse before advancing on an emotionally charged chorus backed by a literal storm of rhythm guitar. While the melody here is quite pronounced and you will be challenged to keep it out of your head, "Prison Walls" ends somewhat abruptly and, as a result, I am left with the feeling it could have been extended an extra minute of two. All in all, still a very strong composition that ranks with the album's best.

The quietly played guitar opening "Surrender" slowly leads the way through its first and second verse in near portent fashion. Picking up in pace to an exquisite blend of rhythm and acoustic guitars, the song progresses to a sweeping chorus detailing the healing that God can bring to an individuals life. This one also showcases a notable melody along with numerous progressive-like time changes that are certain to maintain your attention.

"Brand New Day", the album's first ballad, is carried its extent by acoustic guitar and actually falls a bit flat. While by no means bad, and I can see how others might get into it, the song is on the short side at just 3:27. The good news, however, is that at the end of the album an extended version (6:40) of "Brand New Day" can be found which is done much better. More details to follow.

Unforsaken returns to its hard rocking ways on "Malice". Introduced by a pounding riff interwoven with some striking guitar leads, "Malice" slows to a mid-tempo paced blend of rhythm and acoustic guitar only to regain its momentum for a quickly moving chorus with a good catchy hook. The hard and driving manner in which the song's bridge is delivered cannot help but bring to mind Rez Band at its best. Hooper contributes a fluid guitar solo to a song talking about the need for salvation.

The album's signature track, "I’m Not Alone", is a terrific blues influenced hard rocker. Embarking to guitar feedback as rain pours in the background, a drum intro fades in before the song gradually builds in intensity and takes off to a stretch of energetic lead guitar work. "I’m Not Alone" proceeds to maintain its crunch driven impetus during its verse portions before evenly transitioning to a blues soaked chorus talking about how as Christians we are literally never alone. Hooper steps forward and spices things up with more of his shredding work on lead guitar.

"Land Of Dreams" quietly moves through its first verse and chorus to acoustic guitar blended with a pronounced bass line, the two leading the way until the rhythm guitar steps forward and drives the songs second verse and chorus in a grand and stately manner. An extensive instrumental section is shored up by a mix of guitar feedback and quietly played guitar. Very nice, laid back composition with heartfelt lyrics.

The hard rocking "Echo" immediately jumps out of the gate to a commanding riff, maintaining a wealth of ardent momentum during its verse portions prior to gaining a hold of a chorus advancing at a catchy, upbeat tempo. Hooper pulls out all the stops with a stretch of the album's best blazing lead guitar work. One of the album's heaviest tracks that stands out as a result of its metal-laced rhythm guitar sound.

Unforsaken follows with a cover of Siloam’s "Here I Am Again", a very classy track which made its inception on the band's 1991 debut "Sweet Destiny". Now, I am not always a big fan of cover songs in that more often than not a band ends up sounding too much like the artist they are attempting to "cover". So what is the point? However, on "Here I Am Again" (which was a polished melodic hard rocker as performed by Siloam), Unforsaken does a good job of adding its trademark acoustic laced signature to the song. When compared to the original, the Unforsaken version advances at a more subdued tempo to crisp acoustic guitars backed by a trace of keyboards, Hooper gracing the scene with his bluesy leads following the songs second chorus and over its final minute. Very well done.

"You Know What To Do" moves the album into guitar driven melodic rock territory. The song opens quietly before taking off at an upbeat tempo, the pace increasing until the rhythm guitar takes over and effectively leads the way to a melodic flavored chorus echoing the words of Christ. The second verse to "You Know What To Do" details the listener’s response.

The hard rock semi-ballad "When Love Dies" is by far the album's strongest track. Getting underway to several seconds of bluesy guitar, "When Love Dies" gently flows through its first verse until a succinct acoustic guitar steps forward and shores up a chorus standing out as a result of the stylish manner in which it is delivered. Momentum builds as "When Love Dies" moves through its second verse until a trace of rhythm guitar kicks in. A hard rocking environment is established following the song's second chorus as the rhythm guitar proceeds to the front of the mix and carries things forward hard and heavy. Wilson’s emotional vocal delivery really helps put this one over the top. "When Love Dies" talks about how God can heal a broken heart.

The album closes with a very fine extended remix of the ballad "Brand New Day". Acoustic guitar holds sway over the song's first and second verse until it gains tempo for a chorus which is repeated twice with just the right amount of commercial appeal. What sets the remixed version apart from the original, however, is a lengthy instrumental section carried by an amalgamation of rhythm guitar and melodic based lead guitar work. The rhythm guitar continues to carry the song and the album to its close.

In summary, "Not Alone" proves a very consistent effort musically in that I end up hitting the skip button only once. It would have been nice, on the other hand, to hear at least one more up-tempo hard rocker along the lines of "Malice" or "Echo" in that the album's final four tracks (while very well constructed and holding up under repeated play) are of the acoustic laced/ballad variety. Not that there is anything wrong with this - once more, my favorite number here is the hard rock semi-ballad "When Love Dies". That being said, some of the album's finest moments take place on guitar driven tracks such as "Isolophobia", "Prison Walls" and "Surrender". All in all, "Not Alone" does a good job showcasing the abilities of a talented duo in Thomas Wilson and Jon Hooper. Based upon the potential shown here, I am avidly looking forward to the band's follow up effort.