After listening to Betrayal's first album, Renaissance By Death, the first thing that came to my mind when listening to The Passing was that these guys matured in production and in music skill. Gone is the tin can drumming, in is the beefy guitars, and the bass is even audible. However, what Betrayal gained in production, they left behind the very thing that made Renaissance so good for me. What made the first album so good was that it was raw and emotional, and rebellious while attacking the listener.
That said, I can't really complain about this album. Those great double kicks are there, the guitars are heavier and fuller, and the vocals are sung this time instead of spoken. Most people will probably disagree with me and say that The Passing is the better of the two albums, but I just love the raw fury of the first disc. Don't get me wrong, I do like this cd, as shown by my rating. There are some great solos, and track 11 slammed me against the wall the first second it started. So hurry and add this to your collection before it goes out of print as does every cool christian album these days.
7/10
Other coverage for this album
Dead Zine 2003Reviewed by D_ListerTechnically I'd have to say that the second effort by Betrayal is a better album than their first, but on a level of pure enjoyment I simply can't bring myself to say that. Listening to the album the guitar work is better, the drums are amazingly better, and bass is better, the vocals change up from the fast spoken style they started to full singing now. Yet Renaissance By Death gets more spins…The Lighthouse February 1994Reviewed by Michael KleinThe Passing is the latest offering from the thrash/speed metal band Betrayal. This is a challenging format for a band of Christians to carry out successfully. Combining screaming guitars, pounding drums, and harsh yelling vocals in a manner that glorifies God is not easily accomplished. Yet, in this release, I feel Betrayal does it quite well. Technically, the guitar work is amazing in its…Heaven's Metal #43Reviewed by Doug Van PeltBetrayal has improved quite a bit since its debut--"RENAISSANCE BY DEATH"--last year. This album finds 'em matured in the songwriting and current in today's scene. Most of the tunes are heavy-duty doses of intensity--a la The Crucified. It's almost a regular all-star jam, since there's several guest vocalists here. One tune sounds uncannily like Precious Death--musically and vocally. This comes…Similar sounding releases
1992DeliveranceStay of Execution
1988Vengeance RisingHuman Sacrifice
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1993PossessionThe Unnameable Suffering
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Reviling Darkness
1999Leaving Nevermore
1991Renaissance by Death
2002In Remembrance Of Me
2001The Passing Of Time
