Various Artists

Item: California Metal 2
Author: Daniel Baillod

California Metal 2

(1988)

Reviewed by Daniel Baillod

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Label Regency RecordingsAdonai Metal Rock #3July 1989

glam metal heavy metal melodic metal power metal

Translated from the original French

Wouaw! Here is the second compilation offered to us by SANCTUARY, the Christian churches of heavy metal. Once again, what we have here are Californian bands.

VISION (ex-MALACHIA) opens the compilation with "Runaway", a track far better than their album ("Red Sunrise" - MALACHIA): melodic heavy where the keyboards are omnipresent; the Geoff Tate-style vocals are very good. In short VISION comes back in force with a track that is a proper smash.

EMERALD appears on this compilation with two excellent new tracks: "Traitor" and "Born To Die". "Traitor" is a properly fast track, very heavy, a real smash: bravo, that is a good wallop from this band. "He gave you grace, but you spat in His face, using your gift for the Beast. TRAITOR!!" "Born To Die" is much slower, but every bit as heavy, and nicely four-square: "He gave Himself for us, crucified on the Cross". EMERALD leaves an excellent impression: a very heavy band, perhaps to be set alongside SAINT.

JUDEA is also one of the "happy few" on this compilation. Their sound is very soft, vocals without extravagance, a discreet guitar sound, and a good bass/drums duel. The choruses of the two tracks ("Knock" and "Heart Of Stone") are very catchy. Clean work, without being extraordinary.

SOLDIER, who are among the favourites of the Californian Christian metal scene, are of course on this compilation, with two tracks that are among the best on this album; "Tears" and "Borderline" fall into the calibre of metallic hits: good vocals, properly beefy rhythm work, choruses that are easy to remember, good solos,... In short, everything to please fans of commercial metal (without keyboards, let us be precise).

MASTEDON, the band of John and Dino ELEFANTE, is present, as on CALIFORNIA METAL I. This time it is "GetUp", good hard FM... What am I saying? Excellent hard FM!! A good foretaste of MASTEDON's first album "It's A Jungle Out There".

RANSOM makes its first appearance on vinyl, with a very good melodic heavy track: "Sin Killer". The band's strong point is Lisa FAXON's excellent vocals: which goes to show that the white metal women are starting to get into it too!! Lisa is without any doubt the best female vocalist on the Christian metal scene (alongside Christine SCOTT of ARSENAL). Excellent.

But the band that made me crack on this compilation is RECON. Until now totally unknown to the battalion of Christian metal, RECON arrives with two absolutely insane tracks ("Light The Fire" and "Dreams")...!! Melodic heavy metal, with players who are visibly very beefy, and extremely good vocals. "Light The Fire" is a fast track, very melodic, with very rich guitar work, and seriously beefy rhythm work. The vocals are high-perched, mastered to perfection. "Dreams" is cooler, but every bit as crisp, and musically very rich. In short RECON is the best band on this compilation, and at the same time, RECON is the revelation of this year on the Christian metal scene. The band comes out of the SANCTUARY churches (the bassist is a pastor), and there is no doubt about it: we will have the opportunity (and the duty!!) to talk to you about them soon in AMR.

CALIFORNIA METAL II is a highly interesting compilation, and one that proves Christian hard is becoming more and more beefy, at every level. The only small regret: a representative of Christian speed would have been welcome on this compilation (I don't know... MARTYR for example...?)