Reviewed by Paul S Ganney

If you don't know your Christian rock history, Jimmy P Brown II is the veteran frontman for progressive thrash metal legends Deliverance. The first thing you notice about this album is the vocal, which has a distinct theatrical feel - it made me think of what The Divine Comedy might sound like if they embraced rock with a metal tinge. It makes for very interesting listening therefore as it's not at all straightforward. I loved the solid backing with the soaring guitar lines: the drumming is so solid and precise you could use it as a time signal. The rhythmic shifts suited the material well, underlining the theatricity mentioned earlier. I found it hard to find solid reference points: the band sounded a bit like Pain, with slices of early Evanescence, Def Leppard, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and My Chemical Romance, whereas the vocal veered from The Cure to Disturbed to Marillion then back to The Damned. Then just as you think you've got them pegged, they throw in a seriously singable chorus in "Entertaining Angels" and a gorgeous guitar hook in "Memoria". If you like your rock metally but with less predictability then this is well worth a shot.

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