For almost ten years now, Rapture Ruckus has been making rap/rock tunes in New Zealand. They're making such an impression over there that they've even headlined the well-known Parachute Music Festival a couple of times. Since their emergence in 2001, the band has put out a handful of releases and more recently signed onto BEC Recordings with this, their very first release here in the States. Unfortunately to the hopeful ears of new listeners, this full-length album was eventually cut back to just a six track EP.

The album opens strong with "No Matter What," and right off the bat the listener will notice two things: the first being Rapture Ruckus' boldness in expressing their faith, and the second, the similarities in their sound to fellow BEC artist Manafest. Both the production on this track and the remainder of the EP overall, is done well and blends nicely with Brad's voice. "Tonight" delivers more of a club feel, while "Hold On" displays the bold lyrical content mentioned before with words like "You gotta hold on, help is coming" - referring to Christ. They both give off the radio-play hip-hop sound, a characteristic that sadly makes them just a little weaker than the other tracks on here.

Wrapping up the EP is "I Believe," a song in which the guitars are more prevalent and the music and rapping move together in a similar pace, a combination that results in a most excellent song. The content of this track is powerful, and the bold message is about Brad's belief in Christ. All in all, this six track release is pretty good. The notably faith-filled lyrics, sweet beats, and overall sound all make the listener look forward to a full-length release and the future of Rapture Ruckus in the US.

- Review date: 5/23/10, written by Kevin Hoskins of Jesusfreakhideout.com