Bruce Von Stiers
There is a Contemporary Christian that I have never heard of called Among Thorns. It’s not surprising; I’ve been out of the loop a little bit on most of the Contemporary Christian music that is available. It seems that the band had a self titled album out a couple of years ago, followed up by Desperate in 2001. Now Among Thorns is about to roll out their third release. The name of this new album is Draw Near. It is on the Worship Extreme label and is being distributed by Provident Music Distribution.
There are thirteen songs on Draw Near. They range from anthem style songs to a Euro Rock beat in a couple of the tunes. The album was written by members of the band along with Margaret Becker, Jay Hall and Jason Marant. It was produced by Paul Mills who has worked with artists such as Phillips Craig and Dean.
The firs song on the album is I Can’t Deny. It has a real healthy beat at the beginning. It has a style that reminds me of a U2 song. The singer realizes that everything in his life is a direct result of God’s love and he can’t deny his presence.
Home is the next song on the album. It is about God being right with us everywhere we go. The song has a little different guitar arrangement that makes it really interesting.
Rescued deals with the changes that the singer has went through and that God has rescued him from the depths of sin.
Bless The Lord is an anthem praising God for who he is and what he does for us. The Heaven’s Declare is another anthem that speaks of the power and might of God. It has some reverb type of guitar work in the middle of it.
Reach Down has a touch of Euro Rock in it. It’s about God reaching down from Heaven and rescuing people. Invitation has a strong drum beat in the background. Then it moves into some heavy guitar work.
“Life outside of you isn’t life at all” is the words that that the singer is saying to God in the title song Draw Near.
Other songs on the album are I Could Not Love You More, Falling At Your Feet (Who Am I?) and, Beautiful. The last song is We Run To You, which asks for strength to carry on in our lives as God would have us do.
Among Thorns is a refreshing Praise band. They have a strong message and great modern music that will be sure to reach across a wide range of ages. Draw Near is an uplifting album that would fit nicely in any music collection.
Draw Near has a September 10, 2002 release date. Look for it at your local Christian retailer in September. You might want to also check out the Worship Extreme web site at www.worshipextreme.com.