Holy Soldier - Holy Soldier

Sunday 1st July 1990
Holy Soldier - Holy Soldier

STYLE: Hard Music
RATING 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
OUR PRODUCT CODE: 11309-
LABEL: Myrrh
FORMAT: CD Album
ITEMS: 1

Reviewed by Dave Caughey

This Californian five-piece hard rackin' outfit have been the subject of much media hype since their signing to Myrrh Records, and more significantly to A&M. It is worth noting that Holy Soldier are the first metal act to be signed by Myrrh (followed closely by One Bad Pig) and apparently the label have put more finance into pushing this band that any act before. All the material on this LP was written during a six week pre-production period with producer David Zaffiro, Bloodgood's former guitarist. From the kick-off Holy Soldier show that they mean real business with the storming opener "Stranger".  Immediately the band show that they are not just another metal band, but have a sound of their own, mostly thanks to lead singer Steven Patrick, whose vocals are literally breathtaking. The number of outstanding tracks on this debut offering shows that this band have got a great future ahead of them. "Pain Inside Of Me" is a hit single ballad with a lot of feeling, especially vocally, very much in the mode of Def Leppard's "Love Bites".  "Cry Out For Love" is a more up-tempo commercial rock tune which incorporates a more jangly than distorted guitar sound.  Indeed it's the variety of guitar sounds and the frequent use of acoustic guitars (no doubt largely inspired by David Zaffiro) which help to add variety to the album. Jamie Cramer and Michael Cutting, who share the guitar solos, produce sterling performances, as do the killer rhythm section of bass player Andy Robbins and drummer Terry 'Animal' Russell. Terry and Andy pull off their best performances on the stunning "When The Reign Comes Down", pounding bass, off beat drums, poetic lyrics and passionate vocals all add up to one of the most imaginative white metal songs of recent years.  Production wise David Zaffiro has done a magnificent job especially on the backing vocals which do not sound like Stryper, Def Leppard or John Elefante! Many people have named comparisons to Stryper largely due to the band's image, but I can't hear anything on this album which reminds me of the yellow and black guys. Holy Soldier both look and sound like rock stars - hopefully A&M Records will help to make this a reality. 

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

Be the first to comment on this article

We welcome your opinions but libellous and abusive comments are not allowed.












We are committed to protecting your privacy. By clicking 'Send comment' you consent to Cross Rhythms storing and processing your personal data. For more information about how we care for your data please see our privacy policy.