Reviewed by Andy Shaw

Spirit And The Bride announce their arrival on the Christian hardcore punk scene with this, their debut album. Based in Cincinnati, Ohio the four-piece are signed to the hardcore/metalcore label On The Attack Records and have drawn comparisons to some of the classic hardcore bands of the '90s including Strongarm and Zao. All the ingredients you would expect to find are present with passionate screaming vocals, machine gun riffs and explosive drums. It is definitely not a one paced, one dimensional record though, mixing as it does uptempo tracks with a sprinkling of more reflective, melodic moments. "Name Above All Names" perhaps best encapsulates the essence of the band, the ferocity of the verse making way for melodic sung vocals in the chorus and ending with gang vocals shouting "one faith, one God, one baptism!" "All Flesh Is Grass" starts our mellow but has the feel of a loaded spring with the tension building until it is released with an explosive breakdown. Musically there is a tightness beyond what you might expect from a debut album and the production strikes the right balance bringing power to the sound without over polishing things. The vocals add further variety with shouting, screaming, singing and spoken word. The album closes with a bit of a curveball, a worshipful rendition of "Doxology" giving the listener a moment to reflect. There is nothing on this record that hasn't been done before but if it ain't broke don't fix it. If you enjoy traditional hardcore you could do a lot worse than check out 'With Eyes And Ears To See And Hear'.

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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