Swordbearer
Hebrews 4:12
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
Praise the Lord! Here's a crunchin' power metal band with a female vocalist--who doesn't sound cheesy! I knew it was possible, yet we haven't seen a lot of female vocalists who really have been assets to their metal band's sound, rather than something to bear with. Ransom and some of Rosanna's Raiders' ballads work, because the songs are written for the vocalist's range, and the vocalist doesn't depart from that too far. Such is the key for Teresa Stevens, who sings in a predominantly low register. The producer made her voice sound nice and thick in the studio, which helped too. The band really exhibits some tightness and metallic guitar aggression. Steve Murdock's solo in "Light In Your Night" is pretty cool. The songwriting lacks a little bit in spots, like the trite/basic melody during the chorus in "Truth Of His Love". Lyrically, though, the band does a creative job. "Whosoever" is the first song I've ever heard that uses John 3:16 in its entirety in the chorus. "He Blues Me Away" is a very clever title to the band's bluesy rocker about redemption. Since the band is from Utah, I looked for a song about the Mormon cult, but didn't find any. The songs here, though, have enough about the Truth to expose any counterfeit. Fans of Barnabas should really dig this effort. I think it shows lots of potential, and isn't something to ignore at this point either. Not great, but definitely decent. For ordering info, write: Swordbearer c/o Calvary Chapel, 3104 Porter Ave, Ogden UT 84403.