Reviewed by Owen Jones

There has been plenty of debate on the role of hard music in the CCM scene. Although standing firmly in the "pro" camp, I can also see sense in certain arguments about aspects such as inappropriate vocal style and lyrical content. As far as I could tell, Symphony In Peril could have been roaring about anything under the sun - it took a good look at the words on their inlay to see that they were in fact "roaring" about issues faced by plenty of Christians around the globe. It is a shame about the delivery though. I know that screaming is kinda the point of a lot of hardcore music, but not one song contains clean "singing", and as a result the challenging and often poetic lyrics are lost in a misleading jumble which unfortunately does no justice to the magnificent instrumental components. Ranging from thrash to metalcore, and even some punk, the band pound through some quite epic riffs and rhythmic structures. Track eight ("The Whore's Trophy II") builds dangerously heavily, and following the haunting acoustic first track, "For Now We See In A Mirror, Dimly, But Then Face To Face" bursts in with double kick drums that could knock your teeth out from a mile away! Like much in this genre, it takes a few listens to comprehend the vicious impact of the music, but given time this could blow your mind! If it wasn't for the disappointing vocals this would get eight squares.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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