Reviewed by Rod Lobaugh

This hits with passion, first and foremost. Lead singer Brian McSweeney has a very good voice and he pours himself into each song. Like label males Black Eyed Sceva, Seven Day Jesus are not afraid to tackle tough issues in an honest way. "Forgive You" is a standout, as McSweeney struggles to forgive the person that raped a close friend. In the aforementioned "Ashamed", McSweeney addresses the issue of feeling shame for the Gospel from an honest, less than idealistic perspective. While the songs on 'The Hunger' often take a grim road, there remains a shaft of hope which shines as a light throughout each song. McSweeney is not the most poetic of lyricists, nor does he come up with clever lines to impress listeners. What he does is tell his feelings, plainly and clearly. Seven Day Jesus then use their collective musical talent to craft songs in such a way that words and music work together to create a sometimes beautiful, sometimes disturbingly powerful picture. The band's musical influences include Kings X and the Posies (5 Minute Walk Records' 'Take Time To Listen Vol 2' includes a Seven Day Jesus cover of the Posies' "I Can Dream All Day"), as well as touches of Seattle grunge. Filtering these different influences, the band have developed their own distinct sound. The band fuses together the grunge sound with a floating guitar, complementing McSweeney's vocals.

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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