Reviewed by Stella Redburn

Skellig have been going since 1996 in various lineups but a move from the UK to Ladysmith, Canada produced the present group. This is one of those albums that reaches out and grabs you by the throat as soon as it kicks off: a raunchy electric guitar riff and a pounding rhythm announce the album's track one and Skellig never really let up. The sound is rock with strong Celtic overtones and with the gorgeous soaring violin of Lisa Burness its effect is joyfully immediate. Husband and wife team Lisa and Chris write the songs and they are joined here by five others. Their lyrics are interesting; overtly Christian but not in a hackneyed way. I loved "Radiate", with its canny insistent guitar and its oh-so-catchy chorus. They have achieved a very full sound while there is some mean electric guitar from Dylan Wickham on "Fragile", some nifty keyboards from Will O'Shaughnessy on "Further On" and just enough vocal harmony to complement the authentic rock vocals Chris delivers. I love this album and it makes for one of the most unexpected and welcome returns to the scene for many a long year.

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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