(Melodic Neoclassical Power Metal) [CD] Golden Resurrection - Glory to My King - 2010 (Japanese Ed.), FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Christian Liljegren has been a very busy man. As you can see above, he has not only been in several bands, he also founded them. Impressive when you consider how good some of those bands are. This is pure Christian Metal. There is no doubt about it. Christian, (what an appropriate name) sings about “my savior Jesus Christ”. Finally something other than “Satan this and Satan that” blah blah blah. I get tired of Heavy Metal always being associated with the devil as if I as a fan am out sacrificing animals to the devil. GOLDEN RESURRECTION proves you can sing about God in a positive manner, and still bash the heck out of the drums and play dizzyingly fast guitar solos. There is nothing wrong at all with just a little bit of levelling the playing field it terms of religious content. I assumed before listening to the album that it would be fluff. It most certainly is not! There is some thunderous Speed Metal within. Christian being such an experienced musician really shines here. This is top notch Metal no matter what the subject matter is.

I recently reviewed REINXEED and had nothing but high praise for them. It just so happens that the man responsible for that band is in GOLDEN RESURRECTION. No wonder it sounds so great. That man is Tommy Johansson and he is as great on this record as he was on what he managed to do in REINXEED. He is the guitarist and I don’t notice any difference between his fabulous work in REINXEED and now in this band as well. There is a ton of talent involved. Heavy Metal is definitely seeing resurgence. I hope these guys can stay put, or maybe I don’t, because I would love to see more REINXEED releases as well as GOLDEN RESURRECTION. Again, I can’t state it enough; this album is absolutely blazingly fast in places. Never before in my life have I heard any Christian Metal like this. There goes the so-called stereotypes down the drain. All you need to do is listen to the fantastic “The Final Day”. Be warned, it is about Jesus Christ returning to earth. You Black Metal fans should avoid this at all costs, lest your eyes burn out of their sockets and your faces melt.

To be honest, I could do without any religion other than the mythical Roman and Ancient Greece Gods and Goddesses. That is why I gravitate towards Power Metal. No one religious or non religious gets upset when someone mentions Thor or Odin. Organized religion in music tends to turn some people off because they don’t like being preached to when listening to heavy Power Metal, or any other kind of Metal. I can see that. I mostly agree with that notion, nevertheless, it done so well, I can listen to it without rolling my eyes. The guitar work is phenomenal. The dual leads remind me of JUDAS PRIEST, only faster.The drumming is superb. The drum sound reminds me of a cross between Cozy Powell and MANOWAR. Drum sounds can make or break an album. If it sounds like a Metal spoon beating on a plastic bucket, you’re done. Once again, all the instruments are played with finesse and zeal, even the keyboards Rock. It’s hard to believe this album is the fastest thing I have heard in months and it’s a Christian Metal release. Go figure. I never know what to expect, and sometimes that’s a good thing.

Overall, if you can deal with Heavy Metal in which Jesus Christ and God are glorified instead of mocked and made fun of; then you will love this. This is a absolute must for fans of Christian Metal. It’s the best release of that kind that I have ever heard, hands down. The only thing lacking is playing time. I wish the album wasn’t so short, but each song is great. There is no filler in “Glory To My King”. Christian Metal fans go out buy this as soon as you can, you will love it.

Review written by Jonathan Maphet for www.metal-temple.com

Christian Rivel - Vocals
Olov Andersson - Keyboards
Rickard Gustafsson - Drums
Tommy Johansson - Guitars, Vocals (backing), Keyboards
Stefan Käck - Bass