Search - Petra :: More Power to Ya

The DEFINITIVE Christian Rock Album

chris banez lim | Philippines | 04/23/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Just as 1969 single handedly spawned the biggest Rock bands of all time (LED ZEPPELIN, BLACK SABBATH, the early incarnation of URIAH HEEP called SPICE, ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, YES, SUPERTRAMP), 1982 saw one of the biggest and the last blitz of sorts for bands that came around from the advent, with releases from the likes of Toto, REO Speedwagon (their great hit album HI-INFIDELITY), 38 Special, Styx, The Who's final studio album ITS HARD; Kansas' most christian influenced album VINYL CONFESSIONS, with future Petra producer John Elefante -- along with my personal fave bands' releases from the likes of Paul McCartney's TUG OF WAR; and Supertramp releasing their last with Roger Hodgson, the gloomy album aptly titled FAMOUS LAST WORDS; Gerry Rafferty's most palatable album SLEEPWALKING; and YES' biggest commercial hit (with Trevor Rabin) the album 90125 - that along the lines, guitarist Steve Howe hooked up with others forming and unleashing their first self-titled album ASIA, that banner its thematic song for the post-disco crud era at the time called "The Heat of the Moment" -- christian rock group Petra came up with their fifth album release MORE POWER TO YA, which stands as the monumental Christian Rock album for all time.



Being as then-repented rockers who are talked away out of the dictum that rock music is satanic - and as brand new 'born-again' christian believers, I confess we are even shocked to find out back then that the album is packaged in a real heavy rock format from its very endearingly Christ-inspiring opening track "Stand Up", to its closer, "Disciple", which comes as a predecessor to the bigger closer "Godpleaser" found on the album that've followed NOT OF THIS WORLD, and yet on a higher notch to the previous one NEVER SAY DIE's closer "Praise Ye The Lord".

The song that followed, "Second Wind" just confirmed it so, upon the first listen, that indeed Petra is really hard and heavy... so much for the restrained church standards of those days.

Perhaps only its because of being justaxposed with a lot of what sound the christian market is trying to shove upon us during in those days, that we have been expecting something a little bit tamer, ('til a more current-conforming sound have become accepted in the circles, which changed nothing on this sorry aspect regarding the domineering crud of the religious circles).



However, it has been the major thing (and a little source of controversy) with certain churches in those days who are so against the use of the Rock music format for the Christian label - have regularly posed to be among the firsts to get an album of the band whenever they come out, just to check if they'd find any backwards messages within the songs, and hence all for the aim to propagate that Rock Music is indeed EVIL per-se -- which to their disappointment, they've found none - but rather, it seems to seep time and time again that lines which sounded like "Let Jesus Come In" would suffice to appear within certain songs (quite a similar case that i kind of found a bit from STRYPER's "backslidden" effort (albeit their best) AGAINST THE LAW LP). In pun to this - Hartman included a recorded line "whatinthedevilareyoulookinginthedevilfor?--whenyououghttabelookingforthelorrrd!-" heard backwards as an intro to the song "Judas Kiss", which speaks of the pain that Christ would feel whenever his flock would turn against him, that is followed by a song that laments church hypocrisy, giving an example of a song that contains some very powerful lyrics, while equalled along with its remarkable melodical delivery - the track "Rose Coloured Stained Glass Windows", which I believe to be as one of the best tracks which Hartman have ever came up with for the band. It packs an indispensable relevance to this day with its message.



"Out on your doorstep

lay the masses in decay,

Ignore them long enough

maybe they'll go away,

When you have so much you think

you have so much to lose,

you think you have no lack,

when you're really destitute."





The album also featured Volz' own written work, a rock'n'roller worship song called "Let Everything That Hath Breath" - and for a celtic mood-like tranquility to serve as a companion to the undisputed classic title track, there's M. Hudson's "Road To Zion", showcasing Volz' diverse vocal capabilities.

The second one to appear with the space-guitar ship on its cover, perhaps recuperating from the previous album, being re-energized and not only reconstructed good but better than new, as improvised with additional metal constructions before it takes its flight anew - the artwork seem to paint a metaphor for the band's sound in this album, wherein the original LP sleeve the band is pictured marching away going aboard into the ship complete with their instruments rocking away going into battle, for the crusade of heralding their Saviour's arsenal through Rock.



I always thought that Petra back then sounded a lot like Boston (which are among those to have a guitar ship on their record sleeve, along with southern rockers Outlaws (who's bassist Ric Cua is among those who've turned Christian in latter years, amidst suicides for some of its members) in its album the rollickin' GHOST RIDERS lp), but I've read sometime ago that Hartman's actually vying for a Journey-meets-Rush kind of a sound of sorts, whilst some say they're worth comparable with Nazareth.



Whatever, Petra in those early days with the classic absolute line-up of Greg X. Volz on vocals, John Slick on Keys, Bob Hartman on guitars, Mark Kelly on bass, and Louie Weaver on drums is a band which is competitively great on their own right... Christian, or no.



Petra's MORE POWER TO YA is indeed a monumental rock classic.

"

Surprisingly "crankable" Christian or not

eric_the_redder | Los Angeles | 10/30/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been selling a lot of old CDs recently, but not this one. This is just a great album, and you don't need to preface "great" with "Christian rock"I really like every single song on the album, and think I agree with Jay Cook, I love "Let Everything That Hath Breath" which really jams, and "Judas Kiss" which sounds like it almost could have been recorded by Judas Priest (OK, if they only had one guitarist)The sound is better than you would expect for 1980s, tape based, no doubt low budget recording. The sound is not muddy at all, unlike so many multitrack recordings. Praise to the recording engineers! The CD sound somewhat bright, but it is not grossly full of treble like so many early CDs which simply dumped master tapes equalizedfor making vinyl records straight onto digital. by the way, I also really like Petra's live album "Captured In Time and Space" (note: it has some of the songs from this album, but I'm keeping this album because the versions and the flow are really good here)."

This Album Rles

Jay Cook | Bossier City, LA USA | 08/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the best "early Petra " album, I love the two ballads "More Power To Ya" and "Road to Zion" along with the rest of the rockers espesially "Judas Kiss"(Best guitar solo ever),It rocks!!My favorite song is Let Everything That Hath Breath written by Greg x.Volz"