Leviticus - I Shall Conquer (1985)
Leviticus started back around 1981 with Swedish guitarist Bjorn Stigsson leading the way for many Christian metal bands to follow. Bjorn has a playing style heavily influenced by early metal axemen such as Michael Schenker (MSG, UFO) with very subtle influences from guitarists like Jeff Beck and Joe Perry (Aerosmith). The style here is much akin to early Scorpions (pre "Love at First Sting" days). Very hard rock mixed with early metal, classic blues, jazz and basic rock elements. The guitar work features lots of fiery leads and catchy hooks. Leviticus came around about the same time as the NWOBHM and is also comparable to some of the bands in that scene (in its early stages) such as Saxon and Def Leppard's first cd "On Through The Night". American hard rock/metal rears it's head here as well with noticeable similarities to acts like early Bride and Quiet Riot. I would have to say that the absolute closest comparison I can make is to the 70's/80's band UFO ("Lights Out In London"). The vocal style here is very raw and straight forward and sometimes hard to understand without the lyric sheet. An unrefined sound and a bit less than perfect production give this cd a heavier edge than it actually has, so that is a plus in this case. The best thing about this band is that they somehow don't really sound like a "Christian" band but have a very "secular feel" to them making this music great for it's time as it probably appealed to (and won many souls from) the secular scene. Don't let the sound fool you though, the lyrics are bold and in your face for Christ. -- Review by Norm