Reviewed by Richard Clark

Bristol is fast becoming the happening place as far as Christian metal goes. First we had Detritus, now Gethsemane Rose. That's where the similarities end though; Gethsemane Rose are a far cry from Detritus' brand of "speed metal" offering instead a tough "sleaze metal" sound. When I heard this demo I was extremely surprised, considering that the band have only been together for just over a year. I wasn't expecting quite such a polished sound. The three tracks here display great promise and a potential to not only do well in the Christian marketplace but also to cross over into the mainstream "sleaze" scene. Often a demo can lose a band's energy, but Paul Hodson's production, whilst being clean, has left it intact. The standout track has to be the opener "Jimmy's Luck" but "Not So Bad" and "Mr Scarecrow" don't come that far behind. This is a very good demo, a glimpse of the future perhaps? A must for all metal enthusiasts.

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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