Victory (Bethel Music album)

Victory (stylized in capital letters) is the eleventh live album by California-based worship collective Bethel Music, and their sixteenth full-length release overall.

[1] The album is inspired by the biblical account of King Jehoshaphat's victory over the Moabite alliance in war by sending out a group of worshipers as a vanguard for his army.

[2] The featured worship leaders on the album are Josh Baldwin, Cory Asbury, Jonathan David & Melissa Helser, Bethany Wohrle, Sean Feucht, Emmy Rose, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Kalley Heiligenthal, Paul McClure, Hannah McClure and Hunter G K Thompson with Molly Skaggs, Daniel Bashta and Harvest as guests.

To promote the album, the collective is embarking on the Victory Tour, which began on February 4, 2019, at The Fillmore in Miami, Florida, and concluded on October 16, 2019, at the Ovens Auditorium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

[6] The album was written, recorded and produced in 2018, which proved to be an tumultuous year for the Bethel Church community, as Jaxon Taylor (son of Bethel Music CEO Joel Taylor) was in a life-threatening health situation having contracted Hemolytic-uremic syndrome, and the near-month-long devastating Carr Fire, a wildfire which had made its way to Redding.

[11][12] Stephen James Hart, the art director and visual worship leader for Bethel Music, shared on his blog the story of the album artwork for Victory.

[30] The tour began on February 4, 2019, with a sold-out show at The Fillmore in Miami, Florida, less than two weeks after the album was released.

James Christopher Monger of AllMusic described the album as "a galvanizing set of songs," and that it features "stirring pieces.

"[33] CCM Magazine's Andrew Greenlagh said that Victory was "worship music at its finest" and that it is one of Bethel's strongest releases to date.

"[12] Rating the album nine out of ten squares for in a positive review for Cross Rhythms, Tony Cummings said the commented that "Like King Jehosophat, they have seized a victory by sending worshippers to the frontline of battle.

"[10] Timothy Yap, bestowing the album a four-out-of-five score in a Hallels Review, complimented that the sound is "impeccable," but complained that the songs "can also be a tad formulaic.

"[11] In a favorable review by Luchae William of Gateway News, having "thoroughly enjoyed" the album, commended its musical production, and said it was "one of the better Bethel worship releases that has crossed my desk in a while.

"[35] Jasmin Patterson praised the album in a NewReleaseToday review, concluding that "is a collection of songs that will bring you into an encounter with God, empower you to sing His promises over your circumstances, and give you a variety of musical styles to enjoy while you do it.