January 29, 2013
Review by: Iain Moss
Release Date: 10/20/12
New Christian worship band, The Remission Flow released their debut album “The Light That Floods” last October, through independent record label 7 Core Music.
The Ireland based 7-piece worship band’s vision is to lead people in experiencing the radical love of God and encouraging them to return to their individual lives completely impassioned and transformed so they can impart a positive impact on the community around them. They’re also passionate about setting our churches on fire (not literally!) for God and uniting people in worship captivated by the Word of our Lord and Saviour. It’s safe to assert that with “The Light That Floods”, they’ve filtered their vision into their music.
The album has been received in high regards from the press with Louder Than The Music giving it 4.5 stars out of 5 and saying, “Rarely does a debut album offer such a rich selection of songs. Musically enjoyable, lyrically intense and thoroughly brilliant, this is an album oozing talent and quality.”
The Remission Flow don't fit neatly into any certain category and for that reason it’s very hard to identify any other bands they sound similar to. That is, however, very much to their credit as it allows them to take their completely diverse individual backgrounds and combine them in an intriguing manner. As Christian.co.uk puts it so succinctly, “Think of the album as a picture of the church: Diverse in every way, yet united for one purpose."
“The Light That Floods” kicks off with the track “Walls” and straight off the mark it’s clear that there’s something here for everyone. As with the rest of the album, each part of the band slots effortlessly together for a smooth worshiping experience. In this case the guitar riffs, the live 'edgy' feel and Darren’s soft soothing tones set the scene perfectly as they affirmatively declare, “I will go, where You go, I will follow You”.
The album quickly moves on to the up-tempo “Take Away Everything” featuring swifter vocals proudly declaring “I wanna shout my love for my Saviour” and “I wanna feel Your Spirit within me”. Subsequently, “The Father’s Love” takes a gander at Christ’s magnificent sacrifice for us.
The very simplistic “Your Word” follows which, for 40% of the track, is led only by a simple guitar riff. Drums are introduced to great effect thereafter with the lyric “There is no-one like You God” being repetitively sung with conviction throughout leaving the listener feeling content and settled in their faith.
“Light Up” starts off reasonably mellow with simple ambient piano music in the background. It doesn’t take long for the drums and cymbals to kick in to add an extra edge to the track helping it build beautifully towards the jubilant lyrics “Wake me from my sleeping soul, take me to Your Heart, Breathe life into my bones”, reminding us almost immediately of the story in Ezekiel 37 of “The Valley Of Dry Bones”.
Strong piano strokes introduce us to the almost anthemic “Wilderness”, taking a look into the theme of how God’s found us in the wild and brought us into His arms, “But there it was that You Found Me, You surrounded my ways, how it is that You’ve cared for me, All of my days”.
A whole host of instruments come together, including the delicate tones of a triangle, to create the reflective resonance of “My Saviour Lives”. Beautiful instrumental periods allow for personal songs of worship to be sung, creating the perfect relaxed worshiping experience.
Conversely, “All Creation” offers the listener strong drum rhythms to get their feet moving. Lyrically, it’s a call to arms for all of us to proclaim the wonder of our Lord and Saviour to the world, “All creation cries Your Name, Let everything with breath proclaim, That every beat of our hearts, It leads us nearer to where You are”.
The Remission Flow then offer their own alternative rock/worship take on putting the words of the classic “Psalm 121” to words. It works! “Sleeper” picks up the pace a bit with distorted guitars as the focus of the background music and contains my favourite lyrics on the album, “Shake the dust off my hands and feet, I’ve got works to do for You”.
The album is rounded off by the slow and contemplative “Holy”, taking a much closer look at who our Lord is.
Throughout the whole album, not only do you feel God’s presence but you get the sensation that these songs would be amazing to hear live, many I expect would be spine tingling. Don't just take my word for it though, go out and experience this unique style of worship for yourselves! The album is available on iTunes and other fine digital retailers worldwide.
