Chill Worship, Wild Earth| Posted September 03, 2014
Late last year Micah Bentley, former frontman of pop punk outfit A Change of Pace, felt the call to do just that... by writing creative worship music. By joining forces with session guitarist Jason Richard and a group of talented friends, he started the project Wild Earth as a "vehicle" to "[live] out the wild and counter-cultural life in the Kingdom that Jesus has called us into."
With its new EP, Wild Earth hopes to extend the boundaries of worship music with a fresh sound that they have cited as influenced by alternative rock groups Radiohead, Mutemath, and Minus the Bear. This self-titled project is a five-song teaser of what is to come as they campaign through Indiegogo to bring us their first full-length album.
As a whole, Wild Earth creates a dynamic soundscape with its broad range of synth and guitar tones that is very pleasing to the ear. Adding to the EP's auditory appeal is that the songs gradually flow from jubilant to prayerful and meditative very smoothly. This flow begins with the lead single, "Majestic," and immediately my attention was caught by the exciting instrumental intro. Bentley then praises God for His majesty made evident throughout all nature and contemplates his own worth compared to God's amazing creation.
Chill tunes "Craters" and "Molecules" rely on gentle reverb effects and lyrical analogies as the band admits their need for God in their lives. The former says that "There are craters in our hearts...Lord you are the missing part," while the latter is a request for God to "rearrange our molecules", that is, to transform who we are into who He is.
As things simmer down, the percussion-driven "Death Nor Life" pulls from Romans 8 by declaring that neither death nor life can separate us from the love of God. The EP comes to a close with the ethereal "Reveal" which brings the listener into a deep place of worship as it builds to a crashing climax with Bentley petitioning God: "Reveal yourself to me, it's you I seek, it's you I feel." This ending to the EP encourages listeners to continue in a worshipful state even after the music concludes.
Closing Thoughts:
Wild Earth's self-titled EP is an enjoyable debut from the group. Its refreshingly calm sound and lyrical content definitely has appeal to modern worship fans. If the hope of this project is to extend the boundaries of worship music, I don't think they are quite there. However, I do think they are standing right at outer walls waiting for a little push to break through. I hope we will hear more soon from Wild Earth with a full-length album, but until then this EP will be a good addition to worship music fans' collections.
Song to Download Now:
"Majestic" (Get it on iTunes here.)
to add lyrics if not listed.
