Reviewed by Oscar Hyde

Wovenhand have stepped up their game, fuller, darker and more uplifting than ever before, all in one. Gone are the ethereal days of 16 Horsepower, the hauntingly grim production of loneliness and despair. Here's the flip side to being terrified of abandonment by God, of existential dread: instead, the overwhelming experience, the maelstrom, of God showing up and making things right. The swirl of bass, of fuzzy guitar, of frantic low-end drums isn't in the service of minor-key laments so much this time around; instead, there are a number of gloriously awestruck major-key paeans to the wonder and majesty of God, most wondrous of which is closer "Glistening Black", alive with mind-bending metaphors and oddly beautiful expressions of God's glory. Even when the mood seems filled with foreboding, it's out of reverence, rather than fear. The standout here is "As Wool", which juxtaposes Elijah outrunning Ahab, Daniel and Revelation's vision of the Son of Man, and the ransom theory of atonement, in an increasingly frantic and fast-paced race against - something. The hound of heaven, most likely. As someone once put it, the loud, bright, scary thing chasing you, who catches you - and is God, coming just to take you home.

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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