Worship Review // Dustin Kensrue // The Water & The Blood

Album: The Water & The Blood
Artist: Dustin Kensrue
Label: Mars Hill Music/BEC Recordings
Release: September 30th, 2013

Welcome to yet another worship album review from The Church Collective. If you are not aware of the church or the music, Mars Hill Church in Seattle was founded in 1996 by Mark Driscoll and now has 15 campuses, in 4 states (including the new Phoenix, AZ location launching this coming January), and with that has a host of worship bands and artists.
Recently Dustin Kensrue, the former frontman for critically acclaimed alternative rock band Thrice, has taken the position of worship pastor at Mars Hill Church in Ballard, Washington. He brings with him his musical expertise, his knack for crafty songwriting, and a whole lot of indie rock flare. His very first worship album, The Water & The Blood, is a fantastic combination of deep theology and Thrice-like guitar riffs, yet is accessible by the worshiper and unbeliever alike, evidenced by current favorable reviews from secular music mags such as Alternative Press. Now that you have some background on the artist, lets break down the album track by track.

Rejoice // The first track on the album sets the tone for this upbeat indie rock worship album. It begins simply, leaving room for the coming chorus. The beginning of the song fits musically with what is happening lyrically. “Come and stand before your Maker / Full of wonder, full of fear / Come behold His power and glory / Yet with confidence draw near” The lyrics as well as the light musical intro beg for a tone of invitation to come forward and begin to worship. The song is singable congregationally, playable musically, and can teach the congregation about the nature of God while they rejoice in His grace.

Rock Of Ages // The second track on the album is a redone version of this classic hymn written in 1763. If you know the hymn, you know the powerful lyrical content of the song highlighting the biblical theme of God being our rock and solid foundation. On the album Kensrue puts a classic Thrice vibe on the hymn giving it a very Northwest grunge feel, which is appropriate considering the congregation he is leading. He also released an acoustic based version of the song via a music video with no electric guitars and an upright piano instead of synth. You can watch that video here if you’d like as it is more adept, in my opinion, to leading the song congregationally: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV5sJenevhI

Suffering Servant // This song, about the crucifixion of Christ, starts out with a minor key piano ballad, which fits the lyrical content very well. It quickly brings in some overdriven guitar, bass and drums which drives the lyrics and the emotional response to the song. The track climaxes at the last chorus which has Kensrue shouting, “On high, exalted, lifted up / The righteous servant raised above  / His mighty hand shall work the will of God / The nations all shall hear and see  / Astonished at his victory / The kings of men shall shut their mouths in awe.”

My One Comfort // The song begins with driving drums and Kensrue’s vocals. It picks up when the rest of the band kicks in and a Coldplay/Thrice-esque guitar riffs takes us to the second verse. He sings of the sacrifice of Christ being our one and true comfort in this life. The song is short, upbeat, and a great reminder of Jesus work in saving us.

God Is Good // As you might expect, a song about God’s goodness would be peppy, upbeat and light. However, in the beginning at least, Kensrue takes a different approach. He once again utilizes a minor key based piano intro to keep the tone mellow but picks it up in the chorus which is an anthem of God’s goodness complete with a poppy synth and guitar riff. The chorus simply sings “God is good all of the time / All of the time God is good / God is good all of the time / God is good.” It’s a fun, very singable, very teachable song for congregational singing that reminds us the goodness of our great God.

Grace Alone // This track, originally written and recorded by Kensrue’s first Mars Hill project The Modern Post, is chalked full of deep lyrics. It includes themes such as God’s election of his chosen people, His sovereignty, grace and love. It’s moving the whole time musically and lyrically to climax in the ending which states “I will reach the end by grace and grace alone.”

The Voice Of The Lord // For you diehard Thrice fans out there, you’ll like this track. For the rest of you it might take some getting used to. The song begins with a very minor sounding melodic riff soaked in reverb backed by drums and bass. The song then kicks into full grunge rock at the chorus and continues for the rest of the song. If the lyrics were less obvious, this track could have easily have been on a Thrice album.

It’s Not Enough // The only song on the album not designed for congregational singing, this is a ballad decrying the modern search for wealth, success, and power. The song is powerful and moving. Originally written for a Thrice album, Kensrue finally finished the song for The Water & The Blood. It’s a great track that forces the listener to hear the agony in Kensrue’s voice as he cries out, “It’s not enough, it’s not enough / I could walk the world forever / Till my shoes were filled with blood / It’s not enough, it’s not enough.”

Come Lord Jesus // This is a great track that will have you singing along almost immediately. One because it repeats “come Lord Jesus come” many times and two because the melody is very accessible. The song begins with drums and piano and builds throughout. It adds a clean electric riff and some sweet harmonizing backups as it nears the end.

O God // This is a powerful track that now has three separate recorded versions. Two by Citizens (another Mars Hill band) and one by Kensrue. Originally penned by Pastor Zach Bolen and lead singer for Citizens (the worship band at Mars Hill U-District) it is a gripping track that speaks of God’s faithfulness. Bolen has implored Romans 8:39 in the writing of the song as it describes that “neither height nor depth nor anything else can separate us from the love of God.” Kensrue takes the song, originally just Bolen and a clean electric guitar, and turns it into a full on rock anthem.

It Is Finished // By far my favorite track on the album. This song is just flat out fun. The keyboard riff, driving drums, and backing guitars keep the song moving and get in a groove right out of the gate. The song is also a commentary on the atonement of Christ for our sins on the cross, hence the title of the song. This is quickly becoming a favorite in our college ministry.