Philadelphia is a band that I had heard of but never heard, until now. This cd is definitely one for the history books, when it came out on vinyl in 1984 it truly was one of the first Christian metal recordings that I am aware of. The cd kicks off with the title track, a killer tune with great addictive riffs and sounds very similar to early Saint and Judas Priest. The vocals are a little slurred at times so the lyric sheet was beneficial. The guy sings in a mid-range tone without any annoying shrieks, I really liked that. The musicianship is good but not anything above average (although I am quite sure that for its time it shook up a lot of conservatives) and there are quite a few nice guitar leads. The overall production sound is a bit thin but remember this is from 1984 and this is the first time this has been pressed on cd. Sadly it is not without its downfalls. One song on here reminded me of Bruce Springsteen, so needless to say the opening track I mentioned builds an expectancy that is not met on a whole. Another song "Showdown" reminded me a bit of the '80s pop band Loverboy. Although I personally enjoy this whole cd, in order to be honest I must say that most people will find it to be dated and a bit second rate even for its time. There are also some notable comparisons to be made to Rez (aka Resurrection Band) whom they toured with for a period during the mid-80's. Another highlight is an epic nine minute track titled "New Jerusalem" that speaks of the new earth described in the book of Revelation (this particular song showcases the bands power and vocal abilities, easily the best track on here). The song "The Life Inside" would have found a perfect home on any '80s movie soundtrack, it just has that feel. If you are a collector this is a gem and should not be overlooked, however if you are into only a modern sound and don't appreciate the days of old you may want to pass. ( a note: the band picture looks as if they were extras on the set of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, no offense, we all dressed that way back then!)
5/10
Other coverage for this album
Opus 2005Reviewed by Jason MoreheadOriginally released in 1985, I'm sure that this release raised some eyebrows back then. Tooth & Nail Records was still years away, and the Christian music scene was starting to realize that you could create music that could sound "secular" and yet still be "spiritual." So I'm sure that Philadelphia raised the ire of some Christian parents, convinced that their good little youth group-attending…Dead Zine 2002Reviewed by D_ListerThe early 80's...the Cars were big in the pop scene, and bands wore tight pants with flashy shirts. Philadelphia came out of left field playing a Melodic Early Heavy Metal dubbed "Righteous Rock" and they didn't get marketed to the Christian industry as much as they did the secular world. I'll be honest I had heard tell about this band, but until I popped this re-issue CD by M8 Distribution into…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Bert GanglMention '80s rock & roll and most people envision groups like Poison, Winger and any number of other bands whose slick, hook-laden pop-metal and highly visual approach locked them in as staples of both rock radio and music television. Of course, in Christian music a comparable, albeit much smaller, collection of artists were combining the sound and appearance of their mainstream counterparts with…The Phantom Tollbooth 1999Reviewed by Michial FarmerMillennium 8 Distribution is doing us all the favour of reissuing classic albums from the '80s and early '90s. So far, artists featured include Dance House Children and Lifesavers Underground. The latest in the series is the classic melodic metal album Tell the Truth..., originally released by Philadelphia in 1984. Tell the Truth... harkens back to brighter days, when the hair was big, the men…Similar sounding releases
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