Reviewed by Greg Sammons

Tooth & Nail a year back started its celebration of 10 years as a label (by many they are now thought of as the premier all-rock label in CCM) and still don't seemed to have stopped! The plunge into sentimental overload has provided us with yet another compilation album, this one charting some of its heavier/harder edged classics. These are classics from the earlier rather than recent era of Tooth & Nail, many from before the offshoot label Solid State (where most of the bands on this CD ended up) was formed. In fact most of the songs are over five years old and to my knowledge none of these bands exist any longer! The most notable band on the CD is probably Living Sacrifice, pioneers in the heavy metal field of the '90s. However for my money their track is not a standout on this CD; the best tracks came from Klank and Focal Point. The CD is good for what it is but surely has limited appeal. After all you'd have to have been into the Christian hard music scene five plus years ago to buy it on the strength of its bands/tracks, plus there are so many other compilation CDs around at the moment, it loses its necessity and market. The music rarely rises above the average; to my mind this doesn't present Tooth & Nail's hard music heritage in a great light. Their current Solid State roster would do a much better job of a compilation CD; buy Solid State 4 or 5 if you don't believe me!

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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