The fusion of thrash metal and hard rap has been an inviting combination, which has generally failed to succeed in the Christian market--that is, until now. Rap artist XL and his thrash band Death Before Dishonor (DBD) have exploded on the metal scene with an album that is aggressive, hard and powerful, yet with a vocal style all its own. Though many people would call DBD the Christian Bodycount, the comparison is inaccurate, except that in both cases a former rap artist is doing metal. More accurate comparisons would be to Faith No More, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer and Anthrax. However, the same comparisons are not applicable to every song, because each song is significantly different. For example, while one song might seem more rap oriented, many others do not sound like rap at all. Those who cringe at the thought of rap music need not fear, because this record is thrash metal through and through. Additionally, Sodom and America features special musical appearances by thrash artists like Mark Salomon, Greg Minier and Jimmy Brown. Sodom and America, which has already been picked up by Epic for mainstream distribution, is a landmark in the progression of quality Christian metal.
Other coverage for this album
The Lighthouse June 1993Reviewed by Roger AppelinskiIf you like the secular group Living Colour, then this is an album to check out. XL & Death Before Dishonor have created an exciting, aggressive Rap/Rock/Hip-Hop/Thrash/Punk album that you might find if you mixed up Mike-E, D.C. Talk, and One Bad Pig. The album's pace is great, blending heavy bass with harsh electric guitars. It mixes tunes emphasizing each of these influences into a hard hitting…Similar sounding releases
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