I used to love these huge bins at stores of bargain CDs where you could get music cheap. Sometimes they were real stinkers, but sometimes I got lucky just because the store didn’t know any better or just that the local market wasn’t interested. It was like playing musical roulette.
These resurrected albums from long-lost bands are like that. Why were they long-lost bands? Were they bad or just unlucky? These are the questions I asked when I was given Disciple’s “The Lost Disciple” to review. It felt like those days of grabbing a CD from the bargain bin. Given that Roxx Records picked and Bombworks polished, I was feeling rather hopeful.
Some background first: Disciple was a melodic metal/hard rock band from Australia before the well-known US Christian Rock band Disciple came into being by a whole decade. The Aussies started back in 1982 as a metal cover band. They went through a series of changes in lineup, band name and musical direction before returning to the name Disciple with their newfound Christian faith. It is this iteration of the band that produced a demo tape called “Sacred Knights” on cassette in May 1988. It sold above expectations and got national distribution in Australia. Following this success, they recorded a single, “The Foot of the Cross/I Wanna See ‘Em There,” on vinyl later that year. One of their career highlights was to open for Stryper when they played in Adelaide. After this flash in the pan, the band struggled with keeping momentum and went into obscurity.
“The Lost Disciple” is the complete collection of Disciple’s recordings: the nine-song demo/full-length “Sacred Knights,” their vinyl single, and a bonus song from an abandoned sequel album for a total of 12 songs. The music screams of long hair, ripped jeans, leather jackets and the rest of what made the 80s metal scene back in the day. After the opening riffs, I could tell why this was picked up by Roxx Records: it captures this musical time period perfectly well with a band that showed promise. We have galloping riffs, melodic vocals, screaming guitar solos, and an active drum kit. Lyrically, this is bold Christian music that doesn’t shy from the truth.
The “Sacred Knights” demo has some rough edges still attached and some questionable musical decisions in a few places, but is a surprisingly enjoyable and endearing. The lead vocalist hits his notes well, but sounds like he is holding back, lacking passion. The rhythm section is quite solid and keeps the pace together well. The lead guitar work is surprisingly good for a demo and shreds like the big dogs. The songs are very evangelical and proclaiming boldly of their hope in Christ, although sometimes bordering on cheesy. On the whole, it sounds like a band with promise.
There is a good variety of genres making the demo a fun listen. There are some melodic metal tracks like “Always on My Mind” and “Sacred Knights.” They also show a flair for catchy hard rock like on “Don’t Give Up” and “Kingdom of the Lord.” And an 80s album wouldn’t be complete without a power ballad, which comes in “Meant To Be.” What shines the most in the demo is the singing that is catchy and the lead guitar fireworks. Out of these first nine tracks, my favorite is “Power and Glory.” It has galloping riffs, catchy melody, and a great display of some solo guitar pyrotechnics. I also really like the closing track, “Kingdom of the Lord,” that showcases a bass solo that leads in to the final chorus of the song.
From the demo come the two songs from their single. “The Foot of the Cross” is a heavy brooding track that almost sounds like it is going to be a lovesick ballad with lines like, “I can see by the look of your eye that you are looking for love.” and “I can tell by your touch that you need love.” Instead of a sappy ballad, they lay down some heavy chugging guitars proclaiming the foot of the Cross as the answer to the lovesickness. The song builds up from the melancholic beginnings with some nice lead work and a much more passionate lead vocal performance.
“I Wanna See ‘Em There” is a brighter rock track. It has some pop flavor and optimism using peppy lead guitar arpeggios. The song abjures the pleasures of this world and to look to heaven by offering his prayer that he “wants to see ’em there.” There is a great tasty solo on this song that has happy vibes all around. These two songs from the single definitely show a band turning in the right direction and finding their sound.
The bonus track is a foot stomping, head bobbing rock track that has an infectious beat, but it fails to fully deliver in my opinion. There aren’t as many layers and the lead guitar work gets confined to a pretty good technical guitar solo.
Given the amount of dust that must have been on these recordings, Bombworks Studio did a great job of polishing these songs up to save some classic Christian Metal from being forgotten. They capture the spirit and energy to give a clear picture of this band, warts and all. It reminds me of the raw grit in the old “Metal Massacre” compilations, but within a nicely polished modern package. This is perfectly preserved nostalgia.
If you are a musical archaeologist and love to hear something new from the past, this is a great album to check out. I think that it plays rather well next to other 80s era melodic metal/hard rock releases particularly from bands in their fledgling stage.
Rating: 8.0/10
Written by Sean Bailey
Tracklist
1 – Always on My Mind
2 – Don’t Give Up
3 – Sacred Knights
4 – Meant to Be
5 – Victory
6 – Power And Glory
7 – Never Too Far Gone
8 – The Only Love
9 – Kingdom of the Lord
10 – The Foot of the Cross
11 – I Wanna To See ’em There
12 – No More Losin’
Disciple is:
Darren Hills – bass
Mark Drilling – drums
Neil Haigh – guitars
Glenn Johnson – guitars
Niels Johnson – vocals
Release Date: January 26, 2024
Record Label: Roxx Records
Discography:
Sacred Knights (1988)
I Wanna See ’em There/Foot of the Cross – Single (1988)
Video (audio) for Sacred Knights
Video for Always on my Mind (live)