Reviewed by Rod Lobaugh

Rumours and hopes regarding The Way Sect Bloom have churned for the past few years. Different songs have appeared on various compilation albums, always leaving interested listeners desperate to find a full length CD. At last hungry appetites can be quenched, Flaming Fish Records have released 'Effloresce', a collection of the best Way Sect Bloom songs. Jeff Bruce, the architect of The Way Sect Bloom, deserves mountains of credit for the quality of musical composition of "Effloresce'. Even the couple of songs that suffer from poor production quality probably would have been excellent if Bruce had had a little more money and equipment to see his vision come to its full extent. Yet, overwhelmingly, this album is an exquisite find. From the harsh drive of "Worldgod" to the beautiful darkwave influenced "Washed". The Way Sect Bloom are quite bold to proclaim the victory of the Gospel in inventive ways that meld perfectly with the industrial genre. From songs of worship to darker tones of broken relationships to a plea from God in the form of the gothic organs and acoustic guitars of "Washed", "Victims of the past/Flesh no longer bound in sin/Taken up in victory/I have sown your wound," The Way Sect Bloom deliver a powerful message that is only augmented by the passion of the music. 'Effloresce' sports everything good about the industrial underground of Christian music. Many arguments rage about the "Christianity" of the industrial genre in general, but 'Effloresce' should completely blow away any preconceptions if people will only look into what The Way Sect Bloom are saying. This is an essential album for a fan of the Christian-influenced industrial music, and good enough to add to any record collection where any type of industrial music can be found.

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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