Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Punk is dead! Didn't anybody tell the American Christian music industry1.' Even the '90s wave of alternative rock and punk is dead and yet the market continues to be flooded by American bands wanting to be Green Day or al least MXPX. Value Pac are a decent enough band with plenty of energy, chunky relentless rhythms, short blasts of songs and chanted lyrics but yawn! Purlease! The yoof of America may go a bundle on this stuff but to English ears it all seems so tired and the worst kind of retro. Too old wave to get in on what was the new wave of punk revival in the mid-'9()s! If Christian bands are going lo attract the rebellious youth of the UK. it's going lo have lo be by doing more than a pedestrian tread through half a dozen obvious punk/alternative cliches. There's even the occasional affected English accent! Oh Dear! So there are some bright spots, this isn't badly produced and the band play and sing well, songs like "Preacher Man" and "Homesick" have raw energy and a splash of fun. "Inch High" is a serious attempt at creating a wall of sound and "We Are The Ones" cashes in on the ska revival currently happening in America. Value Pac seem comfortable enough to go along with the crowd and this album is okay. Probably best to wait until you can snap it up for two quid in your local Christian bookshop bargain bin.

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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