Reviewed by David Ashley

Once past the ear splitting cry of "Jesus!" at the beginning of the second track, 'Let Me At 'Em' sounds deceptively generic. Listen closer however and the level of writing is frankly exceptional. Now I must say by the end of the album the choruses were starting to get annoying - they all seem repetitive and somewhat clumsy (and what exactly they meant by the phrase "Jesus invented crunk" I still have no idea). Plus, sadly I expect they may loose people with the continual referencing to spiritual warfare - Demons and Satan feature regularly and this can be a lot to stomach. That aside though, this album is incredibly poignant and honest. The themes like abandonment on "Castoown Castaway" and continued struggle but ultimate victory in Christ on "Battlefield Chronicles" are expressed very succinctly and intelligently. Listen carefully and the beats are innovative and quite a break from the ordinary. This album will almost certainly divide opinions based on people's different spiritual backgrounds. I personally found it extremely encouraging and challenging but I would expect many to disagree with the in-your-face approach that seems to be Hostyle Gospel's prime directive. I'm just hoping the cogent and thought-provoking delivery of their rhymes will win through and Hostyle Gospel will get the recognition they deserve.

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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