When word got out that Terry Taylor was producing this album, I'm sure many people thought, "Oh no! Not a speed metal wimp out!" Well, it only takes a few seconds into the lead-off track to know that this isn't the case. The mammoth Mesa-Boogie crunch that Jimmy P. Brown II is known for is ever present, along with the confident head-ripping intensity that Deliverance fans love. What Terry Taylor has brought to this project the most has been in the vocal department. Jimmy's vocals sound a bit haunting and low-range--not too distant from a speed metal David Bowie, especially in songs like "Words to the..." You may hear a little keyboard embellishment in the background here and there, but the foundation is still that steel hard speed metal crunch. Many of the BGV's have swirling and distorted chorus effects, which is a welcome change from the overused vocal chants all too familiar with this genre. Another noticeable difference in this record from past Deliverance releases is the lyrical growth found here. Although the band does a cover of a Daniel Amos tune--"Horrendous Disc"--Jimmy Brown wrote all the lyrics but one tune: "From Once Was." Even though Terry's not credited with lyrics on the other tunes, you can bet that his songwriting skills were an inspiration for Jimmy. An already skilled songwriter has become even greater at expressing pain, hope, gratitude and salvation--all with a large degree of intelligence. "I'm tempted to judge every book by its cover/ Fail to consider the spirit within/ Give me the heart of the nail torn lover/ The bloodied and battered forgiver of sin." (from "Windows of the Soul") "I dream of youth and unrequited love/ There lies the truth, in what once was." ("From Once Was") In "Lord of Dreams," Jimmy seems to answer one of his inspirations/heroes (Queensryche), who brought up dream control in the mega-hit "Silent Lucidity." He pens: "Dream control is so hard to achieve/ Mastered through some evil scheme/ There is one way followed without fear/ Make Jesus the Lord of your dreams." "Horrendous Disc" is a relevant song, even though it was originally written in 1977, as it uncovers the truth that God sees everything we do and that there is no "hidden" sin. Jimmy's voice is hauntingly similar to Mr. Taylor's, making it sound like Daniel Amos. The band also remakes one of its own tunes: "Weapons of Our Warfare (Remix)," which was probably done to give its video longer life. It's the original recording with only another mix made on it, which subdues some of the intro guitar sounds and adds some layering effects to the lead riffs. If this is a modernization of the song, I like the power of the original better. Overall, I'm listening to a Deliverance album that I can enjoy each track of, which I can't say of any of their other albums, which always seemed to bog down in the middle. While, the rhythms in "Lord of Dreams" sound a bit like the riff the band used for "Silent Night" and "Ramming Speed" like those of "23," Deliverance overall sounds fresh here and has successfully marched on and made a direction change here that is sure not to leave behind much of its audience built up over the years.