The vocals by original singer/bassist Håkan Andersson really make this a work of art. The album has a dynamic range that extends from mid-tempo rockers to an almost peaceful, Pink Floyd kind of style on some songs. In any case, the album is raw, unpolished, and sometimes uneven, but I love the unpretentious sound and feel of it. Upon reflection, we understand all these years later that the album was written in Swedish and then transposed to English later on. I remember shaking my head as a 15-year-old confused as to why musically it sounded so good but the lyrics felt a bit out of place. It'll also might help you understand why many of the lyrics didn't rhyme. The band’s first EP was released in 1982, called Stå och titta på, with all lyrics in Swedish and later in 1983 Jag Skall Segra!, which Google translates as "I'll Win.” I'm not sure how accurate Google translations are because in 1983 Leviticus released an English version of that album titled I Shall Conquer (1984), which was most of America's first experience of the band. Thankfully, their albums were released in the United States on labels such as Pure Metal, Refuge, Spectra, and Solid Rock. LEVITICUS amassed a huge following in Europe but attracted a much smaller following among Christian headbangers in America who had to scramble to find their products pre-internet. There have been a few bands, most notably Blindside, Crimson Moonlight, Divinefire, Jerusalem, Narnia, Pantokrator, Veni Domine, XT and of course Leviticus founded by Björn Stigsson, Håkan Andersson and Kjell Andersson in the early 80′s. Unlike the USA, not a lot of Christian Heavy Metal came out of Sweden. Leviticus interweaved a foundation of melodic metal with tendencies towards power metal with I Shall Conquer, The Strongest Powerand Setting Fire to the Earth along with some brilliant AOR moments with Knights of Heaven, thanks to John and Dino Elefante, to only be topped off with one of the best live performances ever (yeah, I just said that) Live at BobFest, which has none of what we all hated about live albums. More on that later. Leviticus could sure school the current generation of metal fans a few things, starting with the longevity that goes hand in hand with creating quality art that has stood the test of time.
0 kommentar(er)
