Reviewed by Ian Webber

This collection of musicians based in Finland have waited a full seven years to build on their debut release. In that time, the style of what they deliver has not changed too much, but a couple of extra vocalists have been introduced to add some texture to the recordings. In many ways this album sits closer to power rock and AOR rather than metal, but delivers a well-produced, punchy and melodic take on 12 well-known hymns and choruses. Opening with "There Is Power In The Name Of Jesus", some promising driving guitars and rapid doubled-pedalled bass is spoilt by an unnecessary keyboard part that does not match the grungy feel to the track. A much more successful rendition of a hymn is the power rock of "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms" as layers of guitars push the Elisha Hoffman classic along with pace. Vocals on "Mighty To Save" have a pleasing haunting edge to their delivery which lifts a track that sticks fairly closely to the original setting. I was more impressed with the tweaks added to "Jesus What A Beautiful Name" that accentuated the minor feel to this modern favourite. I was initially intrigued by this collection and the entire album is well played but I could not find any musician credits anywhere so am unaware of the pedigree of the performers. After a couple of sittings I was left feeling that I had heard more accomplished and exciting packages in the past. Even as far back as the '80s, Petra were releasing 'Petra Praise' and the Rock Power Praise series featured a raft of classy guest musicians delivering similar renditions. There is nothing that is particularly bad with this recording, but I am sure that there are places you could go to hear comparable tracks pulled off with more originality. The recording is, however, free to download from the group's website, so you really have nothing to lose by investigating it yourself.

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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