Barren Cross
Rock for the King (Remix)
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Have you wondered how the production of secular genius Ronnie Montrose might have an effect on Barren Cross's classic debut album? I sure was. The differences between this one and the original were hard to pick up at first, but definitely there. I've found that many of the songs, like "Dying Day", sound a little thicker and beefier this time. Some of the Toms are more pronounced in "He Loves You". The guitar tones in the solo are a little bit tastier. "It's All Come True" has quite a few changes. The cymbal dance intro is missing and the separation is a little sparse. The original sounds better in this case. The drum intro to "Believe" is put through intense reverb or something, as is the vocals, holding back the original passion of the first. In "Going Nowhere", the Taurus Pedals are turned down a bit during the intro and a slight reverb is added to the scream during the beginning speed-up portion. A little snap is added this way. Some of the reverb in the intro crunches of "Rock For The King" were held back, snapping the pace up a notch. The gang choruses sound a little more realistic, verses the huge, Kiss-style BGV's of the original. This one's better. Some effects are added to Mike Lee's voice during "Give Your Life", making it sound better. The time gap between "Give Your Life" and "Just A Touch" was widened, as was the separation between speakers on Mike's vocal tracks. Ray's original guitar tones are allowed more room to breathe here. This version's better. A shortened intro begins "Light The Flame", and Mike's voice is put through a filter that makes him sound a little raspier. His vocals on the chorus are padded down, restricting a passionate performance. Definitely a cleaner version, but it lost some of the magic of the first. Ray's tones on the solo seem cleaner, yet he too loses some of the passion he originally put in the solo. When I add things up, six out of nine songs were improved this time - making it a winner. Besides several songs that received good medical treatment, the CD features six bonus live tracks from the "Atomic Arena" tour, including "Deadlock" (primo version), "Killers Of The Unborn", "Cultic Regimes", "Living Dead", "Heaven Or Nothing" (Oh yes! Yes, yes!!), and "He Loves You". Definitely worth your purchase. The cassette only features two bonus live cuts, so if you've been putting off the purchase of a CD player, this is a good excuse to get one.