Album Reviews
Movie Reviews
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Time Wasters
Contact Us

Downpour, Chronos' highly talented worship debut, shows a seasoned band on the rise. Chronos is known as an independent band in nature, yet it offers its collective creativity up to the Lord. Downpour is an easy-to-listen-to CD.

Take the band's instruments for example--violin, guitar, bass, saxophone, keyboard, and drums--and mix them all up to see a touch of creativity in development. The closest thing Chronos could be compared to is Jars of Clay, without the pop sensibilities and feel-good-radio trim. Lead vocalist Doug Ray can stretch himself a little bit, with some SC2, some higher-up Mac Powell vocals, and, of course, Dave Matthews.

What is Downpour? It is worship music--just as simple as that--made upbeat by a very talented band, Chronos. Coffee shops should easily eat these guys up, and the Christian music industry should allow the band to create heartfelt and touching worship music. Chronos is a step away from worship, plus more added in (i.e. violin, sax, etc.). Check out Chronos on indieheaven.com for more information.

Len Nash   2/20/2005

With a style all their own in the Christian music marketplace, Chronos certainly has the potential of being a fun and enjoyable act.  I sense a great amount of energy and enthusiasm in their first nationwide release, Downpour.  These guys would make a good, kid-friendly concert.  

Unfortunately, the song composition on Downpour is not very good.  What could have been an appreciable effort at blending folk, funk, rock and pop into a cohesive style turns into a mess of cliché song structure and contrived themes that dominate the record.  A song about a Roman soldier changing his life after hammering in the nails of Jesus’ crucifixion would probably be a hit on Christian contemporary radio, but it lacks any musical depth.  “Dime” is a metaphorical song about an American ten-cent piece’s journey in the pocket of a pair of pants; the dime finally escapes from its dingy living quarters after being spun out of the pants in a washing machine.  The song, and others like it, lacks subtlety and artistic taste.  

Chronos has their hearts in the right place.  They do have a style that is fairly unique in Christian music circles and their high energy as expressed in Downpour is certainly promising.  But if they wish their artistry to be taken seriously, I believe they need to step back to the drawing board, take a deep breath, erase their preconceived musical goals, and start over again.  If they can retain their high energy and overall style while reconstructing their song composition and musical goals, I believe they can become a truly enjoyable act worth checking out.  

Jonathan Avants 4/14/05