Christian rock mainstay Kutless has released a fiery statement of faith with their new single “Words of Fire,” available on all major streaming platforms as of September 30. You can find the song at https://kutless.ffm.to/fire.
The song ‘Words of Fire’ was inspired by the story of the Two Witnesses in Revelation chapter 11,” guitarist James Mead shares.
“Around the time I wrote this song, there just seemed to be so many things that were causing tension. In my home city of Portland Oregon, there was a series of riots that lasted for several months. Then the world shut down from a pandemic. We have mourned the losses of several more horrible mass shootings.”
The song was born from Mead’s convicted sense of urgency in how to respond to widespread unrest: “When I read the story of the Two Witnesses, I can just picture a world that wants to stop them from spreading the truth. It’s an anthem for those that will continue to rise up and be bold and share their faith. The dead come back to life.”
“But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them.”
Sonically, “Words of Fire” blazes a path through the airwaves with an intensity that matches the message. A true return to form for a band that has always been based in rock and roll, the towering guitars and scorching melodies offer Kutless’s heaviest sound yet.
“We really took a hard look at what we wanted Kutless to look like moving forward,” lead singer Jon Micah Sumrall earnestly confesses. “We didn’t want to keep fighting the music industry ‘game.’ We just wanted to make music that we enjoyed. So we really got back to just making music, not worrying about radio or charts, and this brought us back to our rock roots.”
“Words of Fire” is the immediate follow-up to the retrospective EP Twenty, a collection of reimagined versions of three Kutless classics, released in honor of their debut album’s 20 year anniversary. That EP served to remind listeners of Kutless’s foundation, priming them for what’s to come with “Words of Fire” and the songs that will follow after.
“This first song is just a glimpse of what’s still to come,” Sumrall hints. “We are excited for this next chapter as we keep creating new music!”