Awaken Worship launched from the ministry of Catalyst, which is a united gathering of local youth ministries in the south side of Glasgow, back in 2010. The group released their debut EP Your Love Is recently and have already gathered some great reviews. The group consists of 8 people, including two drum kits, cello, violin and guitars. Less of a band, they are a team of musicians who wish to worship God and lead others into an encounter with Him. This reaches youth events, Church outreaches and charity events in clubs and pubs. The band have gathered from a... Read MoreAwaken Worship launched from the ministry of Catalyst, which is a united gathering of local youth ministries in the south side of Glasgow, back in 2010. The group released their debut EP Your Love Is recently and have already gathered some great reviews. The group consists of 8 people, including two drum kits, cello, violin and guitars. Less of a band, they are a team of musicians who wish to worship God and lead others into an encounter with Him. This reaches youth events, Church outreaches and charity events in clubs and pubs. The band have gathered from a variety of backgrounds including Church of Scotland, Baptist, Catholic and Independent Churches with the gospel of Jesus bringing them together.
Known By You opens up the four track EP with big drums and a guitar riff that can only be explained as frantic. This is pure British power rock with a big loud crashing sound, with the group singing and declaring "He's not dead, it's an empty tomb, He is alive". The big frenzied and powerful guitar sounds continue with a fantastic and strong version of There Is A Redeemer. I have to admit this is one of the best versions of the song I have ever heard. Great stuff.
The EP take on a slightly different edge with title track Your Love Is. This song takes the tempo of the whole EP down a few levels. The vocals in this song are truly stunning. Mixing together both male and female vocalists this is a haunting track, with some great orchestral instruments adding depth. The EP also ends with another softer, more acoustic sounding track, this builds beautifully into a great worship song with equally great vocal harmonies.
For this to be the first EP from Awaken, I was really surprised, but in a good way. For me the EP gets stronger the more it goes on and if this band keep working hard and writing fresh strong worship songs with great harmonies and the energy of this EP, then a full album will be well worth looking out for.
Review by Jono Davies
LTTM Rating 3.5 Out of 5 Stars Standout Tracks Your Love Is
There Is A Redeemer
