Reviewed by Alex Figgis

Simon Hynes (vox/guitar), Andrew Tiffen (bass), Nick Showler (lead/rhythm guitars) and Nick Rouch (drums) all got together back in 1995 to form Cornerstone.  Their vision is profoundly simple; a heartfelt desire to communicate the gospel via the culturally relevant medium of hard-edged alternative music, directed at today’s youth.  ‘Crippled Rage’, the band’s debut album produced by Frank Parini, demonstrates Cornerstone to be an extremely tight unit.  Not only has Frank successfully encouraged the band’s raw edge to come through the mix, he has also allowed them freedom to express their creativity in a controlled manner.  The result is a refreshingly ‘live’ sounding album.  Lyrically, Cornerstone appeal mostly to those lost souls struggling to find both inner peace and a relevant hope in the midst of life’s volatile climate; this is definitely thought provoking material in the same vein as King’s X.  I am very interested in seeing how Cornerstone develop and mature.  All in all, an extremely good debut album by a promising young band from Australia.

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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