Reviewed by Niazi Fetto

The sleevenotes announce that these unsigned bands - most of them North American - have "come together to tell the universe that God Rules." In most cases, I fear, the universe would do better to wait until their next attempt before listening. Whilst poor sound quality due to absence of sophisticated, expensive recording equipment is only to be expected and forgiven, it is harder to overlook the musical weaknesses of much of the material. The slower, acoustic offerings fare best, with Skatman Meredith's "Covenant Child". Azimuth's "Fallen Tears" and Ciran Grey's "Give My Love To You" standing out. Secret Archives Of The Vatican make their mark with their hard-to-pigeonhole, well mixed, industrial/jungle oomph of "Boots", and Doxa manage to sound just like Hot Pink Turtle (but without the tempo changes) on "Half The Money" - give that vocalist a cigar (or maybe don't). As for the rest, it would be kinder to pass up the opportunity to pass judgment until they have matured or retired gracefully.

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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