Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

At last Yfriday have delivered an album that reflects the energetic strength of their live performances. Choosing an organic, stripped down rock sound rather than a highly polished over-production, this fits nicely into the current sound of the British mainstream rock fraternity. There are swathes of guitars, plenty of hard riffing and excellent keyboard work adding extra textures. Built around the group's solid rhythm section, a lot of these songs have already been road tested and explode with fresh exuberance on disc. As usual the band's modus operandi is to pen inspiring anthems to lift their audience closer to God though this album is less worship and more performance than previous outings but lyrics are still vertical. The band is committed to encouraging the emerging generation to get off its collective bottom and make a difference instead of simply sinking into the perpetual bless up of fabulous worship times. The title cut and the pin you back in your seat opener, "Rise", are amazing and I love the way they've added some soulful gospel vocals to "Hands Up". At the other extreme, "Lift" is a gorgeous, gentle worship song springing out of thankfulness. I believe they still haven't hit their peak. In the meantime, this is simply excellent.

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.