Cost: $2.00
Yikes...Just a quick glance at the tracklisting shows how ridiculous that "The Best of Christian Metal" subtitle is. Still, this ended up being way more valuable than I thought and I wasn't terribly familiar with some of the bands on here, so I went ahead and got it.
Even keeping in mind this CD was released on Arrival Records, the Christian sub-label of K-Tel--who are no stranger to shoehorning all sorts of rock and hair band stuff on their "metal" compilations--it's quite the stretch to call some of this metal (and yes, I'm fully aware the bands probably had no say about being on this compilation). Let's see just how off-topic things get:
1. Barren Cross - King of Kings
I find this to be one of the tamer, less interesting tracks off Atomic Arena, but I have a feeling it's gonna be one of the heavier tracks on here...
2. Shout - Winners or Losers
AOR. Nothing to pique the interest here except the solo.
3. Whitecross - Love on the Line
Seems kind of plodding at first but catchy chorus. This is from an EP between their first two albums and they still had some (L.A. style) heaviness to them. Vocals remind me a lot of Stephen Pearcy.
4. Jerusalem - Dancing on the Head of the Serpent
I'm only familiar with a few songs of earlier stuff, which were hard rock, but heavier than this. The synths make this overly poppy, though I will say I'm amused what a happy and jubilant-sounding song it is given the title.
5. Mark Farner - Judgement Day Blues
Blues rock. Definitely the strangest inclusion.
6. Ruscha - Come Alive
More AOR. This band had two Russian brothers whose parents were supposedly exiled to the Siberian coal mines (the dad became a Christian there), and eventually the family fled the U.S.S.R. to escape religious persecution. Always sounded like an exaggerated tall tale to aid in their evangelizing. I believe the entirety of their backstory as much as I believe Ruscha is metal.
7. Bloodgood - She's Gone
I would have much rather heard something heavy from one of the first 2 Bloodgood albums, but if they had to pick something from the then-current (and much more commercial) Rock in a Hard Place album, this power ballad was probably one of the better choices.
8. Neon Cross - (This Is The) Right Time
Very poor song choice. Just about anything else from their debut would have wiped the floor with the rest of the comp., but Arrival had to pick the token commercial track. Even so, it still sounds super heavy compared to the pure AOR stuff. That chorus, though. Yech.
9. Mastedon - Wasn't It Love
Commercial hard rock. This was also on the California Metal compilation, but it stands out much less negatively here in the company of some other lighter stuff.
10. Gardian - I'll Never Leave You
On the commercial side--not the heaviest of their material but not quite the lightest, either. Splits the difference between melodic metal and L.A. hair band stuff (especially the saccharine chorus).
No comments:
Post a Comment