Christians who number the Vince Neil-era Motley Crue among their guilty pleasures will find in Whitecross's "new" sound an acceptable substitute. Scott Wenzel still sings like Neil, and, if anything, the production of Jimmy Lee Sloas (who's produced such un-Crue-like acts as the Imperials and PFR) enhances, rather than smoothes out, the band's metallic contours. Between crunchy nuggets like "Salt City"—which apparently has nothing to do with Mormonism—and "Right Before Your Eyes," one almost expects Wenzel and Co. to go into "Smokin' In The Boy's Room."
Not that Whitecross would ever record such a tribute to venial sin. For all but two or three songs, they stick with tried-and-true Christianese. "King Of Angels" is about You-Know-Who, "Home In Heaven" is about You-Know-Where, and "No Other Love" is about You-Know-Who again. Considering how their previous six recordings have averaged sales of 100, 000 units, the band probably feels no need to act like fishers of men in deep waters when the shallow waters contain plenty of those willing to get, or at least stay, hooked.
Still, VII: Unveiled does contain a few exploratory probes. "Angel's Disguise" a ballad, pays tribute to those whose meaningful but small deeds most people overlook. "I Keep Praying," almost a ballad, faces up to the possibility of backsliding and maybe apostasy. And in "Goodbye Cruel World," Wenzel briefly mourns a just-departed friends before he starts to envy his buddy's life in Heaven so much he wants to die himself.
The question the Motley Crue-loving Christian music consumer faces is whether these few brushes with life's less joyful aspects on an album that mainly address non-Christians as potential converts make VII: Unveiled worth the money.
3.5/5
Other coverage for this album
The Phantom Tollbooth 2005Reviewed by Brian A. SmithHair metal returns with the re-release of Unveiled, one in a series of reissues from Retroactive Records. Scott Wenzel and company sound really dated here, but the disc is a fine example of the style of the day -- big guitar solos, pounding drums, chanted choruses, and the like. Two demos from the original session that got Whitecross signed are added as bonus tracks. "If You Believe" is standard…The Lighthouse October 1994Reviewed by Rob SzarkaLet's get this right out in the open: Whitecross' Unveiled, like so many Christian albums, is an album full of derivative and unexceptional tunes. There is nothing here that hasn't been done at least as well elsewhere. Having said that, Unveiled does have its modest charms. While most songs are reminiscent-sometimes uncannily so-of earlier tunes from AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, or the like,…Heaven's Metal #49Reviewed by Brent HersheyMake no mistake, this new release by Whitecross qualifies as a comeback attempt. All of the ingredients are here: new members, new record label, and, most of all, a couple of disappointing (even, at times, boring) records in dire need of a rebound. Unlike many, Whitecross has much to rebound to. Namely, its status as one of Christian metal's most successful bands. But, with the departure of crowd…
