Reviewed by Dancin' Dave Derbyshire

CR have given this international gaggle of musos a mention or two, we even reviewed a single, and now at last there's an album out there. It kicks off to a loud start with the heavy melodic "Bunker Pew". There is no let up on the second track as Stef Loy lets rip with the snarling vocals of "Redemption" - an exploration of the power of God's love without any of that sentimentality that is so common. I really enjoyed the riddle of "Grey Matter", even though I had to sit down with the lyrics to get all the words and even then I couldn't figure it out. Powerful tune though. Then Stef teams up with the band's female vocalist Sooi Groeneveld van der Laan for some tunes that are a little softer. The sound of the album becomes more laid back and moody with droning organs. "Me" is a relaxed song with perhaps the clearest lyrics on the album in which they cry out to the Lord about the perplexing nature of the world. There is a beautiful experimental ending to this that is just cut off a fraction of a second too soon. We are then taken back into that strong rock beat with great hooks, which gets even harder at the album progresses. I found this unusual tension between these different styles was most apparent when I am pulled back into the gentler more poetic songs straight after something heavy. But finally, I found Stef slowly building to a fine understated crescendo that rounded off an album well. Overall, if you want something different in your rock these guys are for you.

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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