Reviewed by Russell Rook

Welcome to a walk on the darker side of Christian music. I am not aligning Under Midnight with anything remotely occultic or demonic, just that their recent album 'Void' is many millions of light years away from the kind of 'Praise Him On The Harmonica' type of Christian music that finds itself colouring the background of many Christian charts over Sunday lunch. To call this Chicago-based band hard-edged would be a masterpiece of understatement as their work is never unfocussed, even if it is sometimes obscure. The album mixes a great deal of metal and industrial elements with many ingredients from club-dance music, but having said all this 'Void' never commits the sin of being over-produced. Consumed with the fear that mega-bytes are taking over the world this band have some very interesting observations and almost prophetic insights into our age of communication. The opening track "Lie To Me" welcomes us to "Dystopia", a world where the need for superficial gratification and momentary sensation rules. The greatest strength is the poetry of lyrics, here we see Under Midnight's part in a message revolution that dates back to U2. The greatest weakness is that all the tracks sound the same. I found myself wanting to experience something new on the 'Void'. It's new, it's creative and it's not at all safe. I look forward to seeing the band evolve more.

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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