Leviticus

Item: Setting Fire to the Earth
Author: Daniel Baillod

Setting Fire to the Earth

(1987)

Reviewed by Daniel Baillod

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Label Royal MusicAdonai Metal Rock #3July 1989

heavy metal melodic metal

Translated from the original French

"Setting Fire To The earth" (SFTTE), though it dates from 1987, remains one of the best White Metal LPs to date. The band's third album, "SFTTE" offers a good melodic heavy metal. Because of the personnel change within the band, this third LP is totally different from the previous "The Strongest Power": because "SFTTE", from the sound alone, is very classy. But the essential difference is LEVITICUS's musical colour, totally transformed by the two new members: Terry H on vocals and Ez GOMER on bass. These two elements have given LEVITICUS the particular signature it has on this album. Between "Flames Of Fire" and "Love Is Love", by way of "Elijah On Carmel" and "Get Up", LEVITICUS offers a clean metal, well constructed. The album's strong points are many: Terry H's vocals (that is what leaps straight to the ears!!) are among the best on the Christian hard scene. Terry H has good command of his powerful voice, and for those who like hollering, Terry offers it galore...!!! Of "yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!", there is as much as you could want!! ("Flames Of Fire", "Saved", "The First And The Last", "I'm A Believer", "Don't Go Out", "Elijah On carmel", "The Suffering Servant", "Get Up",... In short, on every track we get screams executed with excellence!! On the bass side, Ez GOMER is also one of the best bassists in Christian hard. He has a very saturated sound, and therefore a very recognisable one ("Don't Go Out", "I'm A Believer", "Get Up",...): "Elijah On Carmel" is the track on which Ez has the most fun, with a breathtaking bass line... Excellent bassist. On the combine-harvester side, Kjell ANDERSSON is a good heavy drummer ("Don't Go Out", "Saved", "The First And The Last", "Elijah On Carmel"...). In my opinion, the drums would have deserved a big sound in the BARREN CROSS style for example... But the sound is entirely correct. Because Peo PETTERSSON (who has since become LEVITICUS's vocalist) gave it his all in producing this "SFTTE". The result is of a very high level. Björn STIGSSON, for his part, does not play the super-guitar-hero (and their 18,000 notes a second), but plays with his guts, something many axemen have forgotten. Now he laughs ("Don't Go Out"), now he weeps ("The Suffering Servant"), now he cries with joy ("Saved"), now he attacks ("The First And The Last")... Björn knows how to put across what he feels: that is what we call feeling. Hats off, Björn!! The album is varied: between the metallic hit "Saved", the biting "The First And The Last", the harrowing "The Suffering Servant", the aggressive "Elijah On Carmel" and the slow "Love Is Love", LEVITICUS has put out one of the best albums in Christian metal, on a par with "Soldiers Under Command" (STRYPER), "Atomic Arena" (BARREN CROSS) and "Detonation" (BLOODGOOD). The lyrics are all (or nearly all) drawn directly from the Bible: an excellent result (the biblical references are printed on the sleeve). And does it still surprise you that two years on, "Setting fire To The earth" is still well placed in the White Metal charts...??? It remains to be seen whether the new LEVITICUS album will be as good as "SFTTE", given that Terry H and Ez GOMER are no longer in LEVITICUS... The answer next August...! In the meantime, "SFTTE" is one of the musts for your Christian metal record collection, alongside "Soldiers Under Command", "Atomic Arena" and "Detonation". Noted?