Reviewed by Tony Cummings

I approached this 2003 album with a certain nervousness. The last album Ulf Christiansson cut with Jerusalem, 'Prophet', was, to my mind, one of the most powerful offerings of the whole Christian rock genre yet Ulf's last solo album, 'Mighty Wave' (a compilation of tracks from 'In My Dreams' and 'Life Style From Above' plus bonus tracks), sounded to me both dated and slightly absurd with its pomp rock mannerisms. But now Sweden's veteran rocker makes a magnificent return to rock music relevancy with an edgy, bitingly astringent album of 13 powerful songs. Built on the age old theme of a life given over to utter abandonment to the lover of our souls the songs here resonate with passionate sincerity while the vortex of layered guitars Ulf builds up around these gutsy yet tender-hearted melodies is truly magnificent. A rocker who deserves to be "up there" (wherever "there" is) with all the young turks who play "cutting edge rock", this is an album which should be searched out both by Jersualem-grooving nostalgists and those who seek a prophet who (as he reminds us on his composition "Homeland") is unlikely to receive the recognition his towering talent deserves.

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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