Reviewed by Andy Shaw

Deliverance formed in 1985 and despite some spells of inactivity they are still going strong today. Initially pioneering a thrash metal sound they have evolved over the years but remained very much a metal band. This album was put together with the help of online forum The Christian Metal Realm and the groups featured are all participants in the forum. The bands were asked to choose a song from the Deliverance back catalogue that meant something to them which they then recorded to create this double-CD tribute. In total there are 30 tracks spanning the life of the band so far along with three new recordings from Deliverance themselves. Due to the nature of the album, with many bands recording in many different studios, the sound quality is a bit uneven and the production doesn't always do the material justice. There are also a few songs that more than one band have picked and therefore appear twice on the album, but this is not a major complaint as each group has a different take. As with all albums of tributes/covers there are some that don't quite do the songs justice and there are some which stand out as excellent versions of the songs. The bands featured here include Oil, Lambs Among Wolves, those notorious horror rock exponents Grave Robber, Incarnate, Grave Forsaken and Leper. Particular standouts are the death metal version of "Weapons Of Our Warfare" by Krig and the industrial cover of "What A Joke" by Cariolis. If you're a metal fan, and especially if you are a Deliverance fan, this is definitely worth a listen. It's also ideal if you want a good introduction to a band who have been pioneering Christian metal for many years.

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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