Three years ago, while I was quite new to the reviewing gig, I was given the task to review Les Carlsen’s debut solo album “He’s Coming.” This was my first experience with him and his brand of metal and it stretched me a bit as I was practically uninitiated in the early roots of Christian metal. Although I can’t say I am an expert, I have learned a thing or two about the early Christian rockers and hold the contributions of Les and Bloodgood in high regards.
Les has been making music longer than most of y’all have been alive. What that translates into is 1) although he has a core style, it has likely shifted as he has lived through sea changes in the music industry, 2) he is going to sound different than he did in 1971, and 3) songcraft is going to be mature. He started his music career doing musicals, most notably “Hair,” of which he still has a good head of it. Through his musical work he met his future wife Joyce Macek, which lead to musical collaborations between the two in the Carlsen-Macek Band. In the midst of a dark time in their lives, they found Jesus who redirected their musical talents to ministry. Les became the voice of the Christian metal band Bloodgood that helped pave the way for other faith-based rockers. Since the retirement of Bloodgood, Les has taken to solo work, forming his own band that takes cues from the past with his second album “Free Will” released in December 2025.
This album lands better than the debut because of consistent production and development of a Les Carlsen sound that plays to his strengths, pulling on the 80s style he’s known for in Bloodgood while making it uniquely his own. “Free Will” is a good batch of songs that span the hard hitting to the soft, the rocking to the dramatic, showing breadth in songwriting. Although not technically a worship album, the mission is front and center and uncompromising with great spiritual support if the music catches your fancy.
Sure, there is a clear nod to the early metal scene starting with opening one-two punch “Truth and Love” and “Free Will,” but Les mixes these metal elements with his penchant for the dramatic to make something new. “He’s God” takes a gothic turn with dramatic backing chorus and “Epic” is a theatrical grower that demonstrates Les’ dynamic control from the stage whispers to the melodic highs. I particularly enjoy “Bite My Tongue’s” use of a descending melody in the verse that mimics the repression of emotion that then explodes in the chorus. The music is not recycling vibes as it has well thought out through several layers, demonstrating mature songcraft.
The most characteristic element of the album is Les’s voice. Like many of the hard rockers of his vintage, there is a weathered element that lends itself well for hard and heavy, but it misses some of the body from his younger years. His higher pitch can waver between Brian Johnson (AC/DC) at his grittiest and Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) during the ballad moments. It took a couple of rounds for me to get a good appreciation of Les’ voice since this is not my usual fare, but it has its own niche which works well. Coming more to the forefront is Joyce’s voice which has a complimentary timbre to Les. She takes the lead on “Bite My Tongue,” which is beautifully done, and can be heard clearly in the backing vocals.
The focus of the album is on message. There are clear statements of praise and worship in “He’s God” and “Epic,” but there is also an element of the apocalyptic in “Make Way,” however my favorite and most impactful were the oddly practical lyrics in “Everyday” that highlight the importance of connecting with God every day among the mundane. With the focus on the lyrics, there was less of a focus on “being heavy” and classic metal tropes such as wild guitar solos and knotty riffs. That said, there are some nice lead guitar moments with solos that will shine for a bit in between vocal parts, but will be inadequate for the instrumentally-inclined metal head.
I see this as a step up in a new direction for Les Carlsen as he continues to give to the Christian metal community quality tunes to strengthen and embolden believers. If you have ever been curious about this godfather of Christian metal, “Free Will” is a great album to check out.
Rating: 8.5/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist
1 – Truth and Love
2 – Free Will
3 – He’s God
4 – Epic
5 – Make Way
6 – Everyday
7 – Bite My Tongue (feat. Joyce Carlsen)
8 – He Loves Deep
9 – Keep Pushin’
10 – Come To Me
Credits:
Les Carlsen – Lead & Background Vocals, Guitars & Synth Programming
Joyce Carlsen – Lead, Harmony & Background Vocals & Synth Programming
Paul Jackson – Guitars
Craig Church – Guitars & Ambient Synths
Juan Van Dunk – Bass
Dan Needham – Drums
Release Date: December 22, 2025
Record Label: Girder Records
Discography:
1971 (2019)
He’s Coming (2022) [review]
Free Will (2025)
Social Media: Website | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Bandcamp
Video Free Will