4. They Can Also Make Ballads Like Nobody's Business
http://youtu.be/Of5A0jzfu8Y Rock ballads too frequently fall into the realm of bland, cheesy, and downright invaluable. They're cheap cash-ins for a band who wants a little more airplay and a chance to sit on a stool in the middle of their concerts while masking it as an "intimate" moment. But in the case of Anberlin, the songs one would classify as ballads are, for a lot of their fans, exactly what Anberlin does best. Sure, they can rock your damn socks off with some heavy-hitting riffage and bombastic vocals, but three minutes later they're going to turn around and damn near break your heart with a quieter, emotive ballad. Nowhere else does the band's attention to craft and their incredible talent for earnest songwriting shine so brightly than on song's like "Atonement." It also allows the listener to get into the nooks and crannies of Stephen's vocal flourishes, which is never a bad thing.