Jerusalem
Dancing on the Head of the Serpent
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
This Swedish quartet has definitely hit its stride with this, their sixth release. Jerusalem's deep dedication to Jesus is felt in every groove of this record. The lyrics reflect their commitment to God and their experience with His power. "I couldn't just sit there pretending everything was nice/ So I stood up on a chair and I started to preach Jesus Christ/ I talked about the real life, talked about the real thing/ And they said we have been waiting, been waiting for the real King/ And the power of God made the whole place rock and shake/ Heaven or Hell is a choice every kid's gotta make." - "Plunder Hell and Populate Heaven". Featured here are several pop-metal anthems: "Plunder Hell..."; "Rebels of Jesus Christ"; "Covered by Blood"; and "Catch the Devil, Catch the Thief". They all have gigantic choruses with arena-sized vocals, similar to recent Poison or Kiss. The overall victorious spiritual warfare message and the aggressive music are every bit as shocking and militant as the album cover artwork. The rhythm tracks are "strong, bold as a lion." Michael Ulvsgard's drums are "stronger than a bull," and Ulf Christiansson's vocals are passionate and gut-level. Here's a singer that doesn't try to prove his manhood by screaming two octaves out of his range. "Listen to Me" is a presentation of truth. It's kind of like a musical book of Proverbs. It's very forthright in saying, "Wisdom is better than chosen gold/ Knowledge from Heaven gives a fruit hundredfold/ Don't let your feet walk the wicked way/ Let your heart be corrected, and you won't go astray." One of my favorite moments on the album comes after the first chorus in "Rebels of Jesus Christ". The shouting chorus and pounding rhythm stops and Ulf grunts out, "Salvation, miracles, and we love you!" This album should have been on the Pure Metal label rather than Refuge. Like the "Warrior" album, Jerusalem plays some hot and heavy metal. Ulf's guitar leads are flashy, crunchy and soaring, while Redar Paulsen's keyboards are gutsy and energetic. This is one of the year's best. Don't miss it.