Jesus Christ is anything but safe and charming.  Crown Him as Lord and you will find fiery darts of persecution flying your way.  Talk to the great-grandfather of the Russian members of Everfound.  During the time of the Soviet Union Christianity was heavily persecuted under the guise that Christianity bolstered bourgeois and materialistic ideologies.  Persecution was teased out to such an extreme that their great-grandfather was imprisoned for 20 years just for owning a Bible.  As these boys were growing up they heard stories from their dad how he and his youth group were harassed by the police dogs after being caught having Bible studies in the middle of a forest.   The Communists tried by crook and hook to silence the voice of Jesus Christ.  But little did they realize that before the name of Jesus could even be chipped, the high and mighty Soviet Union fell into smithereens.  A generation removed you have a group of Russian siblings by the name of Everfound blasting through the airwaves about Jesus Christ.  

Everfound consists of four Odnoralor brothers  --- Nikita (lead vocals/keys), Ruslan (guitar/keys), Yan (drums) and Ilarion (bass).  Though the oldest is still in his early twenties, they already have recorded four independent albums.  They came on the International platform when their song "What Love Means" was included in "The Bible" miniseries soundtrack.  Having now signed to Word Records, "Everfound" their eponymous album is their debut for a major label.  With the backing of Word, "Everfound" is blessed with a more polished sound courtesy of co-produced by Seth Mosley (Francesca Battistelli and Newsboys) and Pete Kipley (Phil Wickham and MercyMe).  After siphoning through about 75 self-written songs, they have come down to these fourteen cuts, two of which are instrumental interludes. Sonically, they fall under the rock-alternative Christian genre with stringently pop sensibilities calling to mind Foo Fighters, Switchfoot and Audio Adrenaline.  

Destined to be a classic is "God of the Impossible."  With an arresting melody that rings in your head way after the song is over, "God of the Impossible" is an infectious prayer of faith.  Utilizing Isaiah 6:8 as their template, the quartet proclaims: "I won't back down 'cause I believe / You are the God of the impossible / Here I am, send me." Inspired by a friend who felt that she was beyond God's gracious grip, the current single "Never Beyond Repair" is Everfound's response.  And their answer is encouraging, Godly , Gospel-centered and such a delight to the ears.  With blazing wall of drums, guitar and Auto-voicing, "Torch" is a garage rock number that speaks of our need to stand up for Christ in our society. Considering the band's context of their family being persecuted, "Torch" is even more encouraging.  "Go" and "Unless" find the boys at their rocking best: mixing together a punk-rock tempo, Brit synth-driven beats and infectious hooks, they have perfected the modern rock sound.

Among the slower songs, "Take This City" is a highlight.  Calling to mind lyrically Chris Tomlin's "God of the City," this Brit-Rock beat ballad is a call for Christ to revive our cities.  The cinematic effects, the use of Auto-voicing, the crashing use of drums at its climatic moments, make this song a work of art itself.  While the fragile techno-folk "Hurt" finds the boys at their most heartfelt moments.  Though this record is stellar with well crafted tunes and creative production, it could be even more unique if they were to bring in more of their Russian heritage.  If they could somehow hype up their Russian sensibilities, their sound would have given them an even greater distinction.  Nevertheless, after generations of being gagged, it is wonderful to hear these lads sing at the top of their lungs, "So let's take this city / Our souls are singing / There's a fire in our bones / I know we won't be defeated if love is leading / We're laying down our stones."