Various Artists
The Heaven's Metal Collection
Reviewed by Phil Sterling
You'll be impressed by the packaging--you'll be amazed by all the music, you'll love the extended information inside--But what struck me at first glance was how complete this collection seems to be! Obviously, on any collection configuration, you can't include everything. If Doug Van Pelt did, we'd be listening to Metal music for eternity (not a bad idea, now that I think about it). This was one of those times when I wish I could have heard the selection process (like a "fly on the wall") and find out what material was being considered. What was kept will quickly become a quick start guide to the world of Christian Metal music, but you'll have to ask for it by its real name, "The Heaven's Metal Collection." With efforts as far back as 1978 by Rez (Oops, I mean Resurrection Band), Daniel Band and Jerusalem as an introduction, the collection spotlights 1984 with audio souvenirs by Stryper ("From Wrong to Right"), First Strike ("Loneliness Kills") and Barnabas ("Breathless Wonderment"). 1984! What a year! The same time period I was doing interviews with Barnabas, Stryper, Petra, Undercover, Rez Band (Oops! I mean Resurrection Band), Steve Taylor, et. al. Anyway, 1986 is where the Heaven's Metal time machine stops next, with Barren Cross ("It's All Come True"), Saint ("Primed and Ready") and Messiah Prophet ("Heavy Metal Thunder"). And this world of Heavy Metal, as best as I can remember it, came into its own somewhere in this mid-80's time period, forging what had been and what was to be in 1987 with Trytan ("Genesis"), Rage of Angels ("Are you Ready for Thunder"), Leviticus ("Suffering Servant"), Bloodgood ("Self-Destruction"), Neon Cross ("Son of God") and the introduction of Whitecross ("No Way I'm Goin' Down"). Our Christian Metal tour of the 80's ends with Shout ("Shout"), Vengeance Rising ("White Throne") and X-Sinner ("Lift Him Up"), straight into the 90's with Holy Soldier ("Love Me"), Jet Circus ("Step On It"), Tourniquet ("You Get What you Pray for"), Guardian ("Time and Time Again"), Believer ("Stop the Madness"), Novella ("Give me Love"), Bride ("Troubled Times"), Crucified ("Mindbender"), Ransom ("Lasting Love") and, rounding out this Metal time capsule, is Australia's own Mortification with "Destroyer Beholds." Usually, when a band puts out a "collection," or "Best of" album, it usually means the band broke up; the band is leaving the record company, or a different direction for the band, perhaps changing band members. But when the premiere magazine of Metal for the Master puts out a collection like this, you know it was not thrown together in an hour. This is an accumulation of the emergence of Christian Metal from its inception in the late 70's, to the chart-topping bands of 1992. Some of the bands are not together any longer and some of them have been crankin' it for Christ from the beginning--and still going strong. But all will leave their Metal mark on your souls in this collector's collection of the best of what Heaven's Metal has to offer.