Back when speed and thrash metal were beginning to rule the heavy metal airwaves, a little known Christian thrash band called Deliverance put out an album and video by the name of Weapons of Our Warfare that gained them the respect and sore necks of their peers. Decades later, it still sells so well that it is on its third CD re-issue (not counting the vinyl re-issue a few years ago).
Title: Weapons of Our Warfare (The Originals Remastered)
Artist: Deliverance
Label: Bombworks Records
Time: 10 tracks/42:36 min.
You might be asking yourself: "why another re-issue of Weapons of Our Warfare? Didn't they just re-issue this?" Yes, "they" did, but yes, this album is worth another re-issue. There are really two types of re-issues: one that releases an album on CD for the first time, and one that puts more copies of a high-demand CD back into circulation once supplies have gone low. Weapons of Our Warfare is the second kind - a high demand album that tends to sell out for good reasons. Back in the late 80s/early 90s, I watched Head Bangers Ball every weekend that I could get away with it (until my parents got tired of the late night noise). I remember seeing the video for the title song played quite often on the Ball - it was that good. The guys had the looks, the chops, and the ferocity to be played alongside any other speed/thrash band of the day. Well, Jimmy P, Brown II, George Ochoa, Brian Khairullah, and Chris Hyde still have the chops and are probably still handsome fellas to this day... but they just didn't look like a bunch of church people that one day decided to "reach the kids these days for the Lord" like many other Christian bands did. In fact, it wasn't until after a few times seeing the video that I realized they were a "Christian" band. The only other Christian band I knew of at the time was Stryper, so I thought t was good they were getting some company (I wasn't a Christian at the time, so little did I know...). It was a few years later before I even found a way to get albums by Deliverance. I found that Deliverance's self-titled debut album was a killer thrash album with a few speed metal leanings, Weapons of Our Warfare was a bit slicker-produced album that combined thrash and speed, and the follow up What a Joke went more speed with a good dose of thrash still on board. Speed and thrash (and any combinations thereof ) bands were "hot" in the late 80s and early 90s - and Deliverance could stand toe to toe with most of the best of them. Listening again to this album, I tend to gravitate towards the crunchier thrash of songs like "Weapons of Our Warfare," "Slay the Wicked," and "If We Faint Not"... but there isn't a track to skip on the whole album. The re-issue is top notch as usual - the remaster sounds excellent, and the packaging is full of lyrics and tons of band photos from the day. No write up of the album, though - but I am assuming most people that know the album already know anything that could be written up. If you need to replace an old, worn-out CD, or never had a chance to get a copy in the first place - now is the time to grab this seminal album before it sells out again.
By Matt Crosslin (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) (March 20, 2018)
5 of 5 of tocks
