Holy Soldier - Holy Soldier (1990)

hudební novinky 1990 / music news 1990
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Horex
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Holy Soldier - Holy Soldier (1990)

Príspevokod užívateľa Horex » 15 Jan 2021, 16:01

Holy Soldier - Holy Soldier (1990)

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Year : 1990
Style : Hard Rock , Christian Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 132 mb


Info:

Holy Soldier came out of the mid-eighties Los Angeles club circuit when founding members bassist Andy Robbins and guitarist Jamie Cramer joined forces with drummer Pete Kerney, guitarist Larry Farkus (Vengeance Rising) and vocalist Robbie Braunz. Kerney left the group after eight months only to be replaced by Terry Russell while Michael Cutting supplanted Farkus six months later. When Braunz decided to call it quits, Holy Soldier embarked on a nationwide search for a vocalist that culminated in the talented Steven Patrick. Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Patrick got his start by recording an EP under the name Victory with his brother Sean, but when he read an ad from a Christian band looking for a vocalist, he placed a copy of the tape in the mail. Liking what they heard, Holy Soldier flew Patrick out to Los Angeles for an audition and the rest, as they say, is history.Holy Soldier proceeded to record a five song demo with the goal of obtaining a secular recording contract but ended up signing with Myrrh Records- becoming the first “white metal” band to join the label (and ending Myrrh’s year long search for the right metal band to sign). Originally released in 1990, Holy Soldier’s self-titled debut was re-issued in 2005 by Spaceport Records and again in 2008 by the Brazilian label Silent Music Records (with live versions of “Virtue And Vice and “When The Reign Comes Down” as bonus tracks along with a video of “See No Evil”).The best way to describe Holy Soldier would be commercial melodic metal heavily influenced by the eighties. The album stands out with its consistency in that each of its tracks brings the needed inspiration to hold up under repeated play. Things get underway with “Stranger” and “See No Evil”, two energetic hard rockers, before the spine tingling ballad “The Pain Inside Of Me” is obtained. The raw and gritty “Cry Out For Love” gives way to one of the albums heavier pieces, “Tear Down The Walls” while the stylish “When The Reign Comes Down” perfectly complements the acoustic laced “Lies” and mega-melodic ballad “Eyes Of Innocence”. Closing things out are two upbeat tracks, the emotionally charged “Love Me” and metal anthem “We Are Young, We Are Strong”.Vocalist Steven Patrick, when at the top of his game, proves one of the better frontmen of his era. Doug Van Pelt had the following to say about Steven in his review of Holy Soldier from Heaven’s Metal 23 (1990): “Lead vocalist Steven Patrick gives the band the distinction that they need to compete in this market. Try blending Axl Rose, Don Dokken and Joe Elliott together, and you’ll get a good idea of his raspy, yet melodic style”.1 Distinct but raspy and melodic- I could not have said it better myself.Doug went on to describe the guitar team of Jamie Cramer and Michael Cutting as “excellent throughout most of the album. The best guitar moments come on side two with the awesome ballad, “Eyes Of Innocence”, and the rockin’ “We Are Young, We Are Strong”.2 I might also mention “Tear Down The Walls”, which features a lead guitar duel between the two, and the bluesy soloing found on “Lies”. “Stranger” includes a fiery lead break as well.The rhythm section of Andy Robbins and Terry Russell also receives praise from Doug: “Andy Robbins’ bass is really punchin’ throughout this disk. Standout bass lines are featured in “See No Evil”, “Love Me” and especially the intro to “When The Reign Comes Down”. Drummer Terry Russell gets his shot at getting noticed with his bass drum attack on “We Are Young”… and cracks his snare loudly on Cry Out For Love”. The whole rhythm section rocks tight on “Tear Down The Walls”.Holy Soldier showcases immaculate production values allowing each member of the band to shine. The lead guitar and bass, both distinctly rising above the mix, underscore a crisp sounding rhythm guitar. The drums pack the needed punch and power.It is worth pointing out the professional standards to the packaging. The album cover features an eye catching band photo over a yellow and black background with dog taps displaying the bands name in the foreground. A six page “mini booklet” includes professionally done band photos alongside lyrics printed in an easy to read front. The back of the insert includes additional concert photos of the band as well.Packaging for the Silent Music re-issue was revamped, which makes purchasing a copy a necessity. While maintaining the same album artwork, the re-issue comes with a fold out insert – as opposed to the mini booklet – featuring a band biography along with several never before seen band photos. Inside the jewel case (located behind the CD) is a photo montage of Holy Soldier memorabilia- including magazine covers, concert advertisements and tickets and a copy of the ad that led them to Steven Patrick.Set in motion by vocal harmonies repeating its title, “Stranger” advances at an upbeat tempo to a blend of punchy bass lines and edgy rhythm guitar. The vocal harmonies in question return as the song gains further momentum for a succinct chorus on the resolute side of things. Several seconds of flashy lead guitar brings out the best in a number pointing to the person of Christ.

Album:

A little late to the glam metal and hair band scene, Holy Soldier was no slouch. I always thought of them, at least initially, as a cross between Bloodgood and Stryper.The Bloodgood influence was obviously from producer/guitarist David Zaffiro, his signature sound smattered all over the original 10 tracks. Whereas contemporaries Les Carlson and Michael Sweet were singing more in the stratosphere during that early era of Christian metal, Steven Patrick’s voice brought a nice tempered tone to the mix. And while the guitars on the debut had that more treble cutting Zaffiro quality, Andy Robbins bass guitar packed a powerful low-end punch to round out the sound. The songs on this debut were well-crafted – a nice mixture of fast, middle-paced and more ballad-like numbers – a quality that has kept this album very listenable and still quite engaging all these years later. One thing, in my opinion, that set these guys apart from other metal bands in this genre was the care they put into the lyrical content. Most hair bands had a very narrow repertoire of thoughts and expressions, but Holy Soldier writes beautiful and insightful lyrics – very inspiring and uplifting.This long overdue reissue (available now on both CD and vinyl) is much easier on the ears, compared to the original, largely due to the enhanced low frequency boost. I A/B’d this with the 1990 Myrrh version using the same system settings. Not only has the overall volume been boosted on the remaster, but you can really feel Robbins’ bass jump out of the mix now, especially on bass heavy songs like “See No Evil” (one of the best songs from this album), “Cry Out For Love” and “When The Reign Comes Down.” These changes seem to lend more power and presence to the drums as well. The overall effect is a much more satisfying aural experience, one considerably less “ear fatiguing.” The benefit isn’t just limited to the mid-paced rockers, though, as there is just a ton more power in the speedy melodic metal rocker “Tear Down The Walls.” The CD version includes the Myrrh radio spot (the hyperbole kind of comical, in a good way) and the last song the band recorded appropriately titled, “In The End.” This acoustic guitar driven number has a more Cinderella vibe, with those raspy rock vocals, but features some very encouraging words. The 12-page booklet is glossy in true glam metal fashion with 4 pages dedicated to lyrics and then 6 pages to pictures and a few credits. The cover artwork, depicted, is slightly different from the original.The vinyl version comes with the lyric insert sheet and just the original 10 tracks. I have to say that it’s amazing to hear these songs in analog glory – particularly well-suited to this warmer, bass-enhanced media because the original mix has such a heavy treble emphasis. So for those of you who have come full circle to vinyl, or are just discovering it for the first time, you are in for a treat. Songs like “Eyes of Innocence” and “See No Evil” just really come to life in a new way. I don’t own, nor have I heard, the 1990 LP so I have nothing to compare in that regard. This edition comes in yellow (pictured here) and black versions. I would say the yellow may be sold out by now, but there should still be plenty of copies left of the black vinyl.

Line-Up:

Stephen Patrick – Lead Vocals
Jamie Cramer – Guitars
Michael Cutting – Guitars
Andy Robbins – Bass
Terry Russell - Drums

Tracklist:

01. Stranger 03:52
02. See No Evil 05:28
03. The Pain Inside of Me 06:35
04. Cry Out for Love 03:28
05. Tear Down the Walls 03:58
06. When the Reign Comes Down 05:17
07. Lies 04:58
08. Eyes of Innocence 03:55
09. Love Me 04:15
10. We Are Young, We Are Strong 05:15


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