Reviewed by Tony Cummings

A real surprise, this one. Surprise number one is that I thought this Midlands team had called it a day when Kingsway stopped recording UK Christian heavy metal albums a few years back. Surprise number two is that this isn't the recycled metal riffs of Sabbath, ACDC, et al but rather a much more sophisticated attempt to put a progressive spin on those crunching guitars so that in between spells of heavy duty guitar work we've got some deft acoustic work and satisfyingly complex changes of musical texture. Surprise number three is that despite this reviewer being no kind of prog rocker, I'm impressed by the standard of playing, the variety of the arrangements and the sheer professionalism of the project of an album produced by Stairway's gritty vocalist Graeme Leslie. If you're a rocker longing for rock which has a classic Deep Purple lilt, songs that deal with themes like the Lord's return ("Red Alert") and salvation ("And The Righteous Shall Be Saved") I reckon you should be getting a cheque off to these Christian rock veterans.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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