Various Artists
Classic Archives
Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt
While a parade would be a bit much, a special thanks has been earned by KMG, who purchased the entire Frontline Records catalog. Many of Christian hard music's classic albums (the lion's share, in fact) were released under this umbrella. Many of the roster's best releases are doubled up here and re-released to right the "wrong" that let these titles go out of print years before their time. The only disappointment is the artwork and CD inserts. The original art and/or a collector's tribute was nixed in favor of a one-page description of the band. Disappointing decision. Sometimes getting two discs for one low price was a great decision, though. Hottest picks? Probably Vengeance Rising (Human Sacrifice & Once Dead), Mortal (Lusis & Fathom), and Tourniquet (Stop The Bleeding & Psycho Surgery). The most desirable was probably the inclusion of Scaterd-Few's Sin Disease and the previously indie released (only) Jawboneofanass. Worth checking into for those that have either lost their archive copies or wanted to upgrade to CD format only to find these titles out of print.