July 14, 2016 / by Danny Mavis

Hillsong is most likely the biggest worship band in the entire world. It’s newest release Hilsong Open Heaven was recorded at their conference in Sydney, sometime earlier this year. The origins of Hillsong take place in the early 80’s in Sydney Australia, with their most popular songs thus far being “I give you my heart”, “Shout to the Lord” and “Mighty to save”. Their songs are popular all over the world so it’s no surprise that each and every one of their albums went gold in Australia. Hillsong Open Heaven is the first of their albums that is recorded in front of a massive audience at the annual conference in Sydney, which features worship leaders like Reuben Morgan, Aryel Murphy and Chris Davenport.

After listening to the Hillsong Open Heaven / River Wild album, it was quite easy to notice all the changes in style that they had for over 20 years of annual album releases. The key reason why they have been the standard-setter for this type of music however, is their timeless aesthetic. The main goal of Hillsong is to create easily accessible and singable music for the church choir. Almost anyone can sing and play majority of their songs without having to worry about complex and weird structures and key changes. With the release of each album, they also create cord sheets and video tutorials which makes their songs very easy to learn and make them a part of their Sunday mornings.

The best thing about Hillsong is that they are not trying to force an agenda on people other than the freedom in worship. They managed to put together an album that feels right even if you play it at home. It’s not an easy task to pick a favourite song off the album, since it’s a masterpiece as a whole, there are a few songs that stand out, in my opinion. Open Heaven/River Wild is one of the songs that I expect to be very popular at the church.

The title of the album according to Hillsong is about something special about understanding the encounter with Christ, and that we all live under an Open Heaven. Overall, the album is great, and most of its songs will become staples in churches all over the world over the upcoming years. So if you are craving for something fresh and new, yet somewhat familiar, buying this album is a must!