Reviewed by Chris Webb

A second offering from Haven, a four-piece band from Wesley Southbank Methodist Church in Southport. This is a good album but one of those which all the way through I found myself saying, 'That sounds just like...' That's not necessarily a bad thing, but I was left wondering what direction the band would take when they'd eventually finished exploring their influences! The production is clean and clear and I liked the vocal mix particularly on the first six tracks. A change of studio and presumably producer left the last three tracks sounding more messy and less clear vocally which made it more difficult to pick out the intelligent, thoughtful lyrics. The songs are generally strong with a clear Christian content although some songs definitely lacked a hook. With the opening track intro sounding like 10538 overture from ELO and a track called "Galadriel's Mirror" with a Barclay James Harvest sound, Wishbone Ash guitars and some Wakemanesque keyboards if you enjoyed a mid 70s AOR sound this will appeal. Sound musicianship from a bass, drums, guitar and keyboard line up this is worth checking out though I suspect live gigs do them more justice.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.