Faith in Rock

Kingdom Come (Independent)

Mile7

By Kory Wilcoxson

As Christian rock matures and finds its place in the larger tapestry of the American music scene, more bands are taking the risk of wearing their faith on their sleeve and promoting their beliefs in their music. That used to be a sure ticket to church concerts and bargain bins, but in today's climate faith-based music is growing in acceptance and popularity.

Mile7 is hoping to grab a board and ride that wave. The Southern Indiana band is honest in its goal of making "Christ-centered music," and Kingdom Come is saturated with statements of faith and praise. It helps that the disc rocks, as well.

The blessing and the curse of Kingdom Come is Mile7's diverse sound. It's a blessing because of the versatility of the songs. The album starts strong with "Innocent," a Skillet-style rocker, then moves quickly into the worshipful title track. The band slides back and forth between those two styles, crunching down on "Let It Go" and then bowing down on "Hallelujah."

The curse is in the inability to pinpoint Mile7's signature sound. Are they bound for the mainstream, like Switchfoot? More Christian rock-oriented, like Third Day? Headed toward the worship section at Walmart, alongside MercyMe? The good news is that Mile7 can do all these styles well. The downside is that listeners may always be able to find a few songs they don't like. As Mile7 continues to develop, a more refined focus will help them further their goal of rocking the good news to a wider audience.

Learn more at www.mile7musicnews.net.