Reader, you’re going to laugh out loud. This is the first time I’m listening to anything Stryper. You might be wondering what island I’ve been living on and all I can say sometimes it takes long for a ship to arrive on the horizon.
“God Damn Evil” has proved to be a contentious album title, but Michael Sweet says that it comes as an earnest request to God when the band reflects on what is happening in the world. “Take It To The Cross” roars, and I get the feeling that it was fun to record. The enthusiasm is palpable, and Michael’s high register is from another world! As I continue to listen to “God Damn Evil” I get a “new wave of British heavy metal” (NWOBHM) vibe, as personified by Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Saxon. There’s the lyrics that are sung, as opposed to growled, the melodic guitar solos and the choir of voices on the choruses. Sure, that’s not all that makes it sound traditional. Continue reading »
Flipping through the contributing members’ photographs, I thought I’d start by counting the number of strings on each bass guitar. Four, five, six and seven strings were all represented, including Scott Reeder’s Katana 8. That’s quite some range, which had me curious about the sonic experiments that would be undertaken on “Crush”, the debut album by Bassists Alliance.
The glockenspiel that opens “O Conto (The Tale)” makes you feel like a fairytale book is being opened, inviting you to go along on a magical journey. Take a look at the album cover and I think you’ll agree that there are elements in its design that make you think of Sleeping Beauty, for instance. Then there is the figure in the centre, who holds a doll – perhaps connecting with past memories? There is an innocence about her. She’s in a cellar, just like Bastian was when he snuck away to read The Neverending Story. Did you see the hands pressing at the window?
Linus Serholt shares such a powerful testimony in “I give up breath never spirit”, the first track on Kvit’s maiden EP called “Earth to Earth” (2016). “They may break my body but my soul’s not mine to give.” It makes me think of Daniel in the lions’ den, or Stephen, the first Christian martyr. What I also really like is how the band breaks out into an instrumental chorus, and how they use the guitars to build to a climax with the words, “Even if the walls are closing in, You won’t see me breaking.” While Kvit play alternative rock rather than heavy metal, the music is marked by a seriousness that prompts me to continue listening