Reviewed by Dave Drodge

Rather than trying to force two inherently different styles onto one CD, Prophecy Of PANIC (which incidentally stands for Peace And Newlife In Christ) have chosen to spread their funky stuff over two full length CDs. Good move. Those longing for more of the preacher driven upbeat techno that characterised debut album 'Manic Panic' won't find exactly what they're looking for, but the change in direction is a welcome one. The first CD, 'Soul', is written within the currently trendy trip hop and trance bounds and all sounds very professional, though in places it has the tendency to be so ambient as to cause 'fidgety finger over skip button' syndrome. But persevere and there's loads of enjoyable moments: check "Ciel" and "EF Generation" for some creative combinations of beats, synths and vocals. The techno CD 'Reactivator' also has an obvious underground feel to it, with rich melodic sounds and repetitive but interesting lead lines putting it on a definite par with today's secular techno. Look out for the brooding opener "Existence" and the manic "Din", in which various words for God are spoken in different languages over some shockingly fast rhythms. Overall, that elusive blending of floor filler sounds with a genuine message is achieved on both CDs to a large degree. Yeah, someone's bound to do it better in the future, but at the moment it's the most classy and credible Christian underground club music money can buy.

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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