Okay, here's this guy that's been heavily influenced by Metallica and Queensryche - his hero Terry Taylor - and charts in new musical waters with Stay of Execution. Now, a second album later, what will it sound like? Will the earlier influences find their way back? The answer is "yes" in a funny sort of way. There's plenty of Geoff Tate-like vocal patterns and sounds, like the vocal spoken lines and the operatic highs that accent opposing verses in the lead-off vocal track - "Time."
Metallica, who themselves changed directions after years of slugging it out in the speed metal realm, can be heard as influences in the sometime brooding and heavy low-end melody lines crafted in practically every tune. (The biggest difference between the two would be the monster drum sound of Lars Ulrich is missing here.)
What we have here is a killer album that's as heavy as stink. Listen to the intro to "Who Am I" or "Desperate Cries" and tell me this isn't brutally heavy. Creeping in here and there are nasty distortion and wah-wah guitar fills that sprinkle a little grunge sound ("Renew," "1990" and the title track). One of the highlights is the full-sounding "Time" with it's string section and changing moods. Deliverance does another Daniel Amos cover. This time it's a haunting version of "Sanctuary" - a very melodic tune with a foundation of booming bass and solid drums. It works very well, especially the echoed choruses of "remember (remember)."
Lyrically we have some pretty personal lyrics penned from Jimmy Brown. In "1990," we see Jimmy repenting of selfishness and letting go of the pain that occurred that year. In "Desperate Cries" we see Jimmy dealing with the pain around him and his responsibility to speak the Father's Words to those who hurt. "Who Am I" expresses some feelings and attitudes that I myself have some trouble applying to my life (because it's so close to relativism). It begs the question: "Who am I to say what's right/or for that matter, say what's wrong?" It's a humble admission of fallen-ness, but also can be an excuse not to give a well-timed rebuke. The song isn't as simple and shallow as I've made it seem though. It is a very deep expression that evokes much thought on an important issue - pride. How can we think of ourselves as being any better that anyone else? Good song, Jimmy.
Those who have gotten over the shock that Deliverance isn't going to crank out speed metal fiestas like "Victory," "The Call" and "If You Will" are going to love this slab of hard music. For those who haven't gotten over the shock yet...wake up! Don't ignore this killer disc. It's heavy enough to slay the wicked - from a different and equally lethal approach.