Reviewed by Jonathan Cairns

For almost any musical genre you can find a Christian equivalent these days. Some people would probably have no idea that, during the days of bands like Guns 'N Roses and Aerosmith, Christian rock bands were giving their side of heavy, guitar-based rock, complete with screeching vocals and face-melting guitar solos. This is a short trip down memory lane as we find bands such as Petra, Whitecross, Messiah Prophet, White Heart and King James at their productive peaks in the '80s and '90s. They are faithful to the genre and faithful to God. While the bands would not have obliterated the charts at the time, they certainly sound the part: just listen to the opening of "Blinded" by Messiah Prophet or the stunning guitar work on "Stand Up And Fight" by King James and you can't fail to be impressed. Some songs are more overtly Christian than others, but it's interesting to hear a vibrato-infused scream of "the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" and other such nuggets of wisdom that fly in the face of the pronouncements of the secular bands of the era. As an album 'Righteous Rock' is a bit one-dimensional, but it does that dimension very well and delivers only what it promises: righteous rock. So dust off the motorbike jacket and get practising your air guitar.

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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