Reviewed by Simon Eden

Freedom Church, located in Hereford, is a network church of Abundant Life Ministries in Bradford who provided some input to this recording. However, the musical style is far rockier than Abundant Life, with a decibel rating akin to the Planetshakers or Tree 63. Kicking off the five-track EP with "My Anthem" the tempo of the raucous guitar is rapid and loud to match; the drums keep the driving force as the guitars drop during the vocal sections, only to build to a congregational choral crescendo. One song in and the crowd are captured. Led by Dave Thomas and Josh Snowzell on acoustic and bass guitars with a large band of seven others, this is more Christian rock than youth worship. "Messiah" is more acoustic-led and lends itself to a worship setting although the theme of the songs is generally "me and my God" that is more a performance than youth worship. "Today's The Day" starts with a gentle synth intro, but soon kicks in with up-tempo drums and a rapid synth melody line. The last track is so fast I wonder if the guitarist's fingers are bleeding by the end. In a corporate setting you know those who can take the pace are going to be jumping and singing the choruses back as loud as they can.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.