Leviticus: Knights of Heaven

Arin Hancock: it's got like a chromatic riff or whatever, but it's it's kinda cool. I like the way that sounds I'm just gonna play that that open riff again. I I like it. Yeah, just that little dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun you know, it's great little riff And then it c kind of Slows down, but doesn't slow down tempo wise but you know, it dies off a bit and allows the rest of the band to come in for for the verses. It's kind of cool.

Kris plamondon: Yeah.

Arin Hancock: I was done in the key of E minor. You know, this is a a heavy power rock. Actually, one person had kind of noted that stylistically is that this is almost like Dokken with keyboards added into it's You know, so if you're a fan Dokken this is a probably a great song. And stuff. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the band Dokken but anyways. yeah, not bad. like it. there was very little on this record I think I don't like. This is the Rock and Metal Faith Podcast. All right, and welcome to the Rock and Metal Faith Podcast, where it's all about the rock that makes me sing. Christian rock and metal from the classics to the new bands. I'm your host, Arin Hancock, joined as always with Kris Plamondon how are you doing?

Kris plamondon: I'm doing good, how are you?

Arin Hancock: Good, good. Yes, doing good. It's well been an exciting time, a little bit of news to talk about. first, you know, we got a few comments. On our hot topic episode that we did there, with the guys from From to Hell with a podcast. End of summer. They're talking about anyways, we got some comments on that. Says great discussion. I have no trouble finding bands via Spotify. Yeah, that was one of the things that came up in that. How do people discover new bands nowadays? Spotify gives a lot of recommendations. It seems a lot of people want other people to tell what to listen to. There was You know, they're always asking on Facebook, hey, what should I listen to if I like these bands and and all that? I don't know. People do your own homework.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, that's right. The that's the way it is now, youth. And artists are are doing a lot better job advertising themselves.

Arin Hancock: Well they have to, you know, it's it's become basically you have to promote yourselves like back in you know in the old days or you had a manager who would do a lot of that work. Nowadays you have to be the band manager and promoter as well as writer,

Kris plamondon: That's right.

Arin Hancock: performer and and all that, you know, a lot more work.

Kris plamondon: And you gotta do your own. So many artists are doing the really cool idea, picking the single they like, making a short video clip of it.

Arin Hancock: Right. yeah. Well you know and we've done that too. I'll find a neat clip from the the episode and release that. That's the way things are, you know, these days. Is it good or is it bad? I don't know. It it's just the way it is. So anyways, the last episode we did was talking all about the so-called tribute album to Stryper, Sweet Family Music. we got one comment on there actually. It says, you gave me a good laugh. I liked about six songs and the rest were terrible. Well, you

Kris plamondon: Yeah.

Arin Hancock: liked you liked more than what we liked.

Kris plamondon: Did you see that somebody else was doing the exact episode that we were that we just did?

Arin Hancock: you sure it wasn't me?

Kris plamondon: There's somebody who's copying us.

Arin Hancock: You sure it wasn't me posting about the episode?

Kris plamondon: I I can't remember. I'll I'll have to look for it. But I'm like, Well that's interesting. He puts it out like a week after we did ours. Like

Arin Hancock: That was probably me throwing out a a clip or something like that. but anyways, actually you know what? One of the things I want to talk about that too is it to do a little bit of promotion is I will take record covers that we have covered, whether they're old ones in the past or this time around, I I did a fairly new one that we just covered. And I'll throw our little mascot guy on the record cover. I don't know if anybody's noticing that this mascot guy is is in the picture or on the cover. Doesn't really matter. It and and then I'll throw that on Facebook in in the Christian rock metal groups. And people will comment on usually they come on on on the record itself, which is fine. I'm not really looking, you know. and I like hearing those comments. So I did that with the last episode, the last record that we did. And people were commenting about that record actually. someone actually did comment that, you know, there is a a new one out, which we've talked about. I like that one. I just wanted to run down Facebook here and a few comments about the sweet family music that I got off of that. one guy said that was just awful. that was so terrible. One guy said, I bought it the first day, listened once, don't think I listened to it again. Boy, that's horrible. what a disappointment. I remember like the covers done by Grandma Train and Dinner Mint. I I can't remember what song Dinner Mint did. Worst ever.

Kris plamondon: I still wanna know why they didn't ask the great bands like White Cross and and and Ken Tamplin.

Arin Hancock: Because because by this time it was the late nineties. So you're trying to get some of the late nineties on this thing. Or

Kris plamondon: No

Arin Hancock: some of the some of the bands of the nineties on there. That was the problem. Yeah.

Kris plamondon: They should do that now. They should get Ken Tamplin

Arin Hancock: Well, listen, listen if you haven't checked it out, check out the new tribute that there is. It's called Fourtieth Anniversary Tributes to To Hell with the Devil. Okay. It's got Reign of Glory on there. It's got some really good versions, really good covers on there. Some of them bands on there are a little heavier, a little bit on the edge metal core edge. But even with that, they still would do a good version of the Stryper Songs. But hang on here. here here's a good comment about about the sweet family music though. It says, Worst ever, I sent it back to the label with a letter stating how much of a kick in the face this was to band and bands a lake. I like that one.

Kris plamondon: Whoever was in charge of that at the label, yeah. Should ha should be like sent home for the day.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, someone else said, hands down, like like that little thumbs down, this was not a tribute

Kris plamondon: Yes.

Arin Hancock: album. This was a mockery of Stryper in their music. I I think I agree. you agree with some of these artists should have been ashamed of themselves. And so I thought that was kind of funny. That we're not the only ones who feel that way about that album, put it that way. anyways. We got some news to go on though. I'm not sure if you've heard about this, but the band Demon Hunter is filing a lawsuit against Nick Netflix for the K pop Demon Hunter label. apparently, especially now that They're gonna try and take the K-pop Demon Hunter on tour. And I don't know what this is all anime, so I don't know what kind of show they're gonna do, but apparently they're taking that the idea of the show on tour, having music to it, and this and that. the band Demon Hunter and their management says there is conflict of interest. Fans are being confused as to which show they're buying tickets to. There was one fellow who spent Five hundred bucks on tickets for his kids, thinking he was buying the K-pop Demon Hunter tickets and found out that he was going to the Demon Hunter show. And stuff

Kris plamondon: Wow.

Arin Hancock: like this. So yeah, and Netflix responded saying there is absolutely no infringement or whatever, no basis for this. So we'll have to wait and see, let the courts decide how this is gonna play out, I guess.

Kris plamondon: I saw that. Yeah. That's quite

Arin Hancock: Yeah, it it it's funny. Yeah, and it's a joke there, like I'll I'll mention K-pop or not K-pop, I mentioned Demon Hunter around with my wife there and and a couple and she K pop that's a no no freaking K-pop this is Demon Hunter

Kris plamondon: Yeah.

Arin Hancock: and good news for Demon Hunter though, they've been nominated for a Dove Award for Best Rock album for their last release called There Was a Light Here.

Kris plamondon: Wow, we should have him on the show.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, if we could. I d I thought they were

Kris plamondon: That would be a rocket episode.

Arin Hancock: They'd be heavy, yeah. Well see if you can stand their music. You I know you haven't really gotten into them.

Kris plamondon: That would be like the That would be like the highlight of the year to get the Dove Award winner on the show.

Arin Hancock: really gotten into them. Well, they haven't won yet. They've just been nominated.

Kris plamondon: well, nominated that that that's

Arin Hancock: mic here. Yeah. I don't know when the dev awards actually go. if if they win.

Kris plamondon: I don't know either. Have you ever watched the Dove Wards?

Arin Hancock: No, because most of the time the bands you like don't win. And it's it's the same as the rock and roll hall of fame, the any other music awards in the mainstream, it seems to be a joke.

Kris plamondon: They're like that's right. They're difference in the sense that it I mean th they have sa sections where the artists for praise and worship they spend the half an hour and forty minutes put all the artists through. I mean it's good, it's good, but it they don't have very rare hard Christian like P. O. D. is bit was on there a couple of times.

Arin Hancock: Yeah.

Kris plamondon: disciple, obvio, but

Arin Hancock: yeah, I don't watch those kinds of shows because I spend too much time on on the pop artist and there might be one or two categories I'm interested in. I already I already could care less, you know.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, I can't see you w yeah, that's yeah, no. You could watch them on YouTube actually, which is funny.

Arin Hancock: Right.

Kris plamondon: Can go back in the two thousand and watch Amy Grant. You know, nothing wrong with Amy Grant, but you know, the old D C talk days. What

Arin Hancock: I was gonna say now we know what Kris is listening to, Kris is listening to Amy Grant.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, I know, but they're I I mean the only really rock and roll band I ever saw on on the Dove Wars was P. O. D. Ken Tamplin.

Arin Hancock: Right. Right. All right. On to other news here. Skillet is on tour. They have dismissed their opening band, Bad Wolves, from their tour. apparently Bad Wolves is a non-Christian band, I think more on the lines of a satanic type band that was o opening for Skillet on their tour. But due to backlash from the kind of act that Bad Wolves put on and fans not liking it. skillet has let them go.

Arin Rockman H: Jamie Rowe from Kalamity Kills. Remember him? I know you like the band Kalamity Kills. They had that song These Days Are Evil. Well, apparently now Jamie Rowe has left Kalamity Kills.

Kris plamondon: Really?

Arin Rockman H: Yeah. he actually left as of June 17th, but kept it quiet and didn't say anything until the band found a new vocalist, which

Kris plamondon: of

Arin Rockman H: so which they have now. They've actually cut a new single. It's a cover song that they've already covered, but they've recut it again with the new vocalist. I I don't remember his name. that just came out, actually. So it looks like Jamie. Yeah.

Kris plamondon: That's our first breaking news! Wow!

Arin Rockman H: And it looks like Jamie Rowe might be back with Guardian. stuff. So if you've been following him on the social medias and all that, he's been throwing up a lot of clips of him singing old Guardian songs. So maybe we can see a Guardian reunion? I don't know.

Kris plamondon: Maybe?

Arin Hancock: So and th there's one big piece of news and this is kind of the reason why we're getting into the episode we're gonna be getting into. Thursday, August sixth, this year twenty twenty six, Bjorn Stiggson, who is the guitarist and founding member of Leviticus, has gone to be with his Lord, our Lord. So we are gonna be covering one of the Leviticus albums and get into that. Before we do get into that, we usually this is about the time where we usually do our what was it? Plug it in statement. And we're kinda changing streams a little bit. We're going to do something different. we're gonna do some striper trivia and then get into our main episode. Alright, straight for trivia. And the way it works is like I said, I'll play that little bit of music. I'll say the question. I'm gonna play a little bit of more music. And if you want more time to think of the answer, it's kinda like a Jeopardy. Only I'm not playing the Jeopardy music. And if you want more time to think of the answer, pause the episode because I'll be giving the answer right after the music's done playing. So let's see here. How high did the music video for the song free reach on Dial MTV? So back in the day, there was a program on MTV called Dial MTV where you could phone up MTV, request videos that you wanted played. That's where Stryper got a lot of their support from. Their fans were constantly phoning in, saying play more Stryper and this and that. So it's actually a multiple choice. I'll even Since it's multiple choice, I'll give you a chance to think about it and answer Kris. So the video free. How high did it reach on Dial MTV? The choices are one, three, five, or seven. Just think about it for a sec. Okay. How high do you think the song free reached on MTV?

Kris plamondon: Seven.

Arin Hancock: I'm gonna say one and I'm saying this I have not looked at the answers. I look at the answers just before I actually announce them. So let's see what it what the answer says here. Number one

Kris plamondon: truck.

Arin Hancock: Think about it. This is where Stryper got a lot of their popularity on MTV. I think MTV was not gonna play Stryper videos, but people kept requesting it on MTV and especially the dial MTV. All right.

Kris plamondon: I was always mad about that as a teenager. That they didn't like here in Canada they had what was it when you went home got home from school? It was on C

Arin Hancock: that

Kris plamondon: B C

Arin Hancock: yeah, yeah. was it four o'clock rock? No, there was I remember yeah, coming home and watching the video half hour

Kris plamondon: Y yeah. what was it called?

Arin Hancock: Video hits.

Kris plamondon: Something like yeah. So like that with with John, that big tall guy.

Arin Hancock: I don't know that. I there was there

Kris plamondon: okay. Yeah, so anyway.

Arin Hancock: was a female host at for a while there too, I know that much.

Kris plamondon: And then there was much music. In the

Arin Hancock: Yes.

Kris plamondon: States on TVN, which was a Christian network, they had a Christian show every Friday night at midnight. And it was called Real Videos. That was really good. They occasionally had

Arin Hancock: Okay, yeah. Where is

Kris plamondon: P. O. D. on there, Ken Tamplin.

Arin Hancock: Hang on a second. before we get too far into the program, let's do our housekeeping here. Thanks for joining us. And don't forget we have a Facebook page, a Facebook group page. If you know we just talked about comments, we love hearing comments wherever you are on Spotify or YouTube. I think Apple does it, I don't know, but wherever you listen, leave comments.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, yeah, I just send those messages everywhere.

Arin Hancock: There you go. Yes. And if you're not aware, we do have a Patreon page. I've been no, I didn't throw up an early episode or an unedited episode of the last ep episode, the Sweet Family Music, but I usually throw up essentially an unedited episode early. When we record an episode, I usually download it, maybe fix the sound and then send it up. And we might get into some special episodes for the higher tier on on the p Patreon. We have a basic tier that's just for those who feel like they want to support the podcast financially. We also have a link to buy me a coffee now. So if you feel obliged, you don't have to, but if you do feel obliged, y there are ways of supporting us now. Okay. So on to Leviticus. They were formed in Scovid Sweden, nineteen eighty one, led by guitarist Bjorn Stigson. They managed to tour internationally, playing in in England a number of times in and also the United States. In 88, they opened up for Larry Norman, also served as his backing band. Then later that year, they toured Europe with Bloodgood. We're gonna be talking about the album Knights of Heaven, which came out in nineteen eighty-nine. It's the band's fourth album. And kind of the final run of their main part of their career. They did I think a few albums recently after long Hiatus. essentially the Leviticus is the four albums. And Knights of Heaven, it apparently is a shift in sound. They went from straight ahead metal to a more melodic AOR sound for this record. this one features, you know, you'll find on this record lots of big vocal harmonies, melodic choruses, keyboards, polished guitars. We're we're gonna get into that anyways. very actually I think it's great rec we're covering th this one 'cause out of the four I think this is my favorite of of theirs. the other stuff is good, but I think this is kind of my favorite. the lineup for and I think they've gone through a couple lineup changes. but the lineup on this record is Bjorn Stigson on guitars, Peo Peterson on lead vocals and keyboards, Kajell Anderson on drums, and Nicholas Franklin on bass. And this album was produced by John and Dino Elefante. So There you go. the you probably hear their influence on here. Your thoughts on the album overall?

Kris plamondon: On the album

Arin Hancock: Yes.

Kris plamondon: I was surprised. I was surprised. I remember Leviticus back in the day when me and you were hanging out a lot and they were pretty heavy back then. So when I listened to this I was like, Wow. It's different. It's different. It's not bad. It is not bad.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, no, I like it. yeah, I don't know. I know through the start of this podcast I've you know always looked at bands that I didn't know from back in the day. I didn't know much about Leviticus other than hearing the name. And I think I've listened to him a little bit now through Spotify and going, you know these guys aren't bad. And then I'm buying a lot of music off of Amazon because I can't afford the shipping charges. We're not in the United States. for those who are in the States, the shipping is not that much. for those outside the states, yes it is. And you know, bands know this. Like I know I was commenting on this Saint had a post about some shirts up for sale, but they weren't and I said, Well, they're not shipping to Canada. The reason for that is it's twice as much to ship. you know you're paying just as much for shipping as you're for the the product he says I don't think you want to spend thirty bucks on shipping and he's right I don't

Kris plamondon: Yeah, yeah.

Arin Hancock: so the point of that being is I buy a lot of stuff I can find through Amazon. You know if a lot of bands will put their stuff available there that way I'm still buying stuff from the band but I'm avoiding shipping charges. I end up finding Knights of heaven on there so That's what looks like for those who don't have it. And yeah, I I I did listen to them on Spotify, you know, and deciding is that the album of theirs I want? Do I want a different album? but overall this is the one I like best. maybe it is because of John and Dino's influence in production. D I don't know if they produced the previous ones, probably not. It might be, you know, their influence creating a shift in in style, going to this big AOR sound. And it makes a great you know, it makes great song and album. This is the kind of stuff I I was into, especially back then. Yeah,

Kris plamondon: Yeah.

Arin Hancock: like I I love everything about this. Bjorn Stigsson is a shredder, he can really play and he can really shred. But there are moments where he holds back on this record. He writes for the song. You know, if if the song doesn't require shredding, he doesn't, you know. well let's get into it then. born again.

Kris plamondon: Or boarding

Arin Hancock: Yeah, this is not born again, but just pretend it is because I gotta throw that in into the edit. All right. So Born Again the song. What do you think of that song? I think that's a great song. I love that Born Again.

Kris plamondon: I think that's a good song. Yeah, that's a pretty rocking song. The vo the vocalist shirk and hit his notes. You know.

Arin Hancock: yeah. that's Peo Peterson and man, what a voice he's got

Kris plamondon: yeah, he's got that nice strong falsato voice. Yeah.

Arin Hancock: One of the things too we're gonna talk about as we go through songs too is we're gonna talk about the technical writing aspect in the regards of key signatures. Is there anything they're doing guitar-wise? I kinda sat

Kris plamondon: Mm-hmm.

Arin Hancock: down and listened to it. So this song is written in E major. Actually I think most of the songs on this this record are written in major keys, which kinda listens a happy good feeling vibe. type thing. The songs are either sound happy and uplifting or sad and melancholy or downlifting and the the sad songs are in the minor keys. The happier songs uplifting sounds are in the major keys. This is written in E major. that gives it as this whole celebrational chorus feel, especially with the the big chorus that they have. I think it's great. and the leads, like I said earlier Leads are melodic, they're serving the song. He's not shredding just for the sake of shredding. Alright, anything else you want to say about Born Again?

Kris plamondon: Awesome. It's well written. It's good s like you said, a good story. You know. People will be able to hook into the story, remember the verses. And

Arin Hancock: Right. Yeah, it's catchy.

Kris plamondon: all through the album they do a really good job most of the time with that, with having verses you won't forget.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, everything is is w written well and all cat and catchy. Alright. We're going on now to The World Goes Round. The world goes round. Your thoughts on that one?

Kris plamondon: That was the s only least favorite song. I I didn't really get on board with that song a at all. I was just like,

Arin Hancock: Okay, it was just kinda meh to you? No? Okay.

Kris plamondon: No, it didn't. It didn't grab me like like some of the others did.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, I thought this one was was alright. you might have pointer where it's it's not in your face catchy. it is catchy. but you're right, maybe it doesn't quite grab i I thought this was okay. I have no problem with it. it was written in a major. I think it had a good crunchy rhythm. You know, I think the guitars were were were good. And there were moments where he laid back and allowed the the keyboard to have their moment. And you know the guitar w supported the vocals very well. It's not like anybody's trying to outdo anyone or cover up the other parts of the song. They're all allowing, you know, the whole song to to breathe. I think it's okay. is my favorite. I don't know I don't hate it, put it that way. Alright, on to Isn't it love? There we go. Your thoughts on that one?

Kris plamondon: I I really like that they got the all the s the the rest of the band the sing on the chorus. I thought that was a good little what's the a little a addition to that.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, th that whole big chorus gain vocal style during the chorus. It's it's definitely part of this whole AOR sound that they went for. This one's written in G major, it's a very AOR c chord progression, using the one four five, which is also a blues progression, but then they bring in the minor six chord. And you know, then the lead guitars are in the major key. Guitars aren't heavily distorted, they've just got s slight distortion on it. you know, this is but so we're talking about this whole AOR sound that they went for this record. This is definitely a great example of that. This really has that journey inspired sound to it, I I would say. What do you think?

Kris plamondon: Yeah, I agree, totally. It's it's different, it's unique, it's yeah.

Arin Hancock: Alright, and then we get into O Lord. Actually, I want to go to the solo on this song. because when we play clips songs, I want to kind of highlight something about the song, something specific. And should shoot, I forgot to write down some of these what keys they were in. but the O Lord, there's the first ballad on This album? What are your thoughts on that? Before we play the clip here.

Kris plamondon: I I like it. I was actually impressed with the words, the different angle the guitar solo and I marked on here that Arin may have issues with it. But

Arin Hancock: Yeah, you're you're about right there. I think I'd agree with everything, including the last statement. you're right. this was a ballad, not my favorite on on the album just because it's a ballad. There are some good things about it though, like I said, now the the lead solo is very melodic. He brings in a lot of long bend slow sustain vibrato and I'm gonna play part of the s solo with part of the chorus just to kinda highlight how he writes the the solo

Kris plamondon: Unique.

Arin Hancock: for a ballad. So yeah.

Kris plamondon: Yeah. I I see what you mean. It's definitely I like it too. I d I think they could have made it more dramatic if you had a little more bass in there, a little but I can see what they were I li I I like the song. That's one of the songs I actually added to my playlist. So

Arin Hancock: Okay. Yeah, it's it's not bad. And as far as ballads go, like I said, I don't hate all ballads And this one is okay. I don't know if I put on my top my list. It's not bad. It's not a sappy ballad put it that way. So that that's a plus.

Kris plamondon: Yeah. It's it's it's definitely not a barn jewelry ballad, like

Arin Hancock: Yes. Or too many as much as I like that band, too many of their ballads were too sappy. Yeah, you know. But you know, and then if you want to pace the record well, okay, so we have some good rockers, we went into a ballad, time to speed it up again with feels so good.

Kris plamondon: Yeah.

Arin Hancock: Your thoughts on that one?

Kris plamondon: not bad, but it's not the best. I mean it it it's it it's meant for that time, right? In eighty nine. It it definitely has that feel. But

Arin Hancock: Yeah, no, this this is one of my probably one of my favorite songs off the record. I like this.

Kris plamondon: deep.

Arin Hancock: I like the these really super fast upbeat sounds. You know, if you go back to Stripers Against the Law, the last song on there was this double time song, Rock the Hell Outta You. This is almost that same kind of feel to it. you know, not quite as fast as as that one. But you I I like it. It's especially coming off after ballad, great place to put the song. It's fun, it's fast, it's got this great riff throughout the whole song. it's almost a white cross type of s a riff. I I could hear, you know, this being a white cross song. And, you know, throughout the whole song it's got all these little minor pentatonic riffs. you know, typical eighties rock song, fast rock song for the time. Short little song, I think it's probably the shortest song on the record. But yeah, no, I I like it. I think it it's definitely one of my favorites on there.

Kris plamondon: Right on.

Arin Hancock: Alright Okay, on to Strong Love. Alright, your thoughts on that one? Strong love?

Kris plamondon: It's a bad it's a bad fast and nice guitar opening and a little right.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, it's got like a chromatic riff or whatever, but it's it's kinda cool. I like the way that sounds I'm just gonna play that that open riff again. I I like it. Yeah, just that little dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun you know, it's great little riff And then it c kind of Slows down, but doesn't slow down tempo wise but you know, it dies off a bit and allows the rest of the band to come in for for the verses. It's kind of cool.

Kris plamondon: Yeah.

Arin Hancock: I was done in the key of E minor. You know, this is a a heavy power rock. Actually, one person had kind of noted that stylistically is that this is almost like Dokken with keyboards added into it's You know, so if you're a fan Dokken this is a probably a great song. And stuff. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the band Dokken but anyways. yeah, not bad. like it. there was very little on this record I think I don't like. one thing I want to mention too, since we just finished Strong Love, is how much they like using love in the title. There's three songs on this record that have love in the title.

Kris plamondon: okay.

Arin Hancock: We have Isn't It Love? That was the third song. We just finished Strong Love. The last one is called Love on Fire. And on one of the earlier records, there's this there was a song with Love in the title. So that's like four songs with Love in the title. It's an interesting little side note. I'm like, man, these are really like writing sounds about love. But hey, great.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, yeah.

Arin Hancock: All right. well, we're on to Messiah. Yeah, so once again we got another great hard driving song. So we know a couple

Kris plamondon: I like that song. That's like my absolute favorite on on the album.

Arin Hancock: so we know a couple of your picks on on the end summary here. Yeah, no, I I got no problem with this. This is done in key of A major. It combines blues rock with melodic rock, and I'll explain that there. You know, it's got a lot of melodic rock qualities to it. You know, you you get that big chorus. But this song is written in in a one four five progression. meaning, the root chord, then the the fourth chord in the scale and fifth chord and scale and that's a common blues progression actually. There's a lot of blues blues rock songs that use the same progression. And they'll have minor pentatonic leads, so taking the minor scale and playing these five notes scales as their source for the for the lead solo. They do that but then they bring in this whole big chorus, you know, gain vocals, big chorus. So they're combining two styles and and it works great.

Kris plamondon: Yeah.

Arin Hancock: And stuff. And and I like it, you know, again, catchy, simple message. You know, the lyric content on all these songs are are great, are easy to understand and yeah, another another favorite song there is not too much to hate on this really, so Okay, and where are we here? Over the hills. Your thoughts on that one?

Kris plamondon: That's up I I I like the rhythm to it. You know, it reminded me a little bit of a early Tom Cochran feel

Arin Hancock: Right.

Kris plamondon: to it. Just a little heavier, right? Like you know, and I

Arin Hancock: Yeah.

Kris plamondon: you could th the words to it sound pretty good.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, and one thing I've noticed, like s when I'm listening to this to try and prepare for the episode, I don't always have an ear closely to it. Sometimes in the background, sometimes I'm doing other things while I'm listening to the the record. Just as I played that clip, something caught my ear. They mention the fact that the or mentioned a line about the Knights of Heaven. So that's where the title for the album comes from. Knights of Heaven, out of that song. There's a line in there like said, The Knights of Heaven they're coming. And the whole th sounds like, you know, the idea of Knights of Heaven is all about, you know, if you look at the cover of the record, and w we should got into that. it sounds like, you know, the the four nights of the apocalypse coming, but it doesn't sound like a a doomsday apocalyptic type song. You know, again it's although this one is in the key of E minor, which like I said, minor keys are unusually the sad keys, except for the fact that E minor is a key key that a lot of heavy rock songs or heavy metal songs are written in if you th although a lot of those do kind of have that that whole doom thunderous misery type sound. This one's a little different. it's an E minor, but I don't think it focuses on the minor aspect of it. But yeah, like I was saying, so if you listen to words, they talk about the knights of heaven coming down and that's where that you know and then that just kinda dawned me as I was listening to that clip.

Kris plamondon: Yeah. It's not a bad saw. It pr you know, rocks. I think they could have gone on the course a little longer, but you know.

Arin Hancock: Right. Well one thing that was kind of cool about that too is or was that Messiah yeah that was Messiah. Back to Messiah that that they would s you know sing the line and then they had the lead guitar create the melody for the next line. they did that on the Messiah. You know, and and they do that on Kind of the Hills is instead of shredding and being this guitar virtuoso that you know can play faster than s speed of sound or whatever. He sits back in the pocket and creates these great melodic riffs. Alright, for once in my life and we're getting to another ballad here.

Kris plamondon: Yeah.

Arin Hancock: Just gotta throw that in there. Yes.

Kris plamondon: Okay, that was you. I was like, What the heck?

Arin Hancock: So if you listen to that that that song's probably one of my least favorites. Yeah, I know.

Kris plamondon: I thought that was on the album and I'm like, I didn't hear that. What is going on?

Arin Hancock: So it's kind of an inside joke. If you were with us for the last episode, the sweet family music there. We really did not like the if you weren't with us for that, then you probably don't know what's going on. If if you were you understand what we just did and what was there. That album, Sweet Family music, we did not like too much. And we made the c clips fairly short, somewhere I think only ten, twenty seconds along. And I just downloaded the sound effect scratching a record needle across the record. And we would play those clips and go ten, twenty seconds in and go And so that's enough of that so I was

Kris plamondon: I have the I wanna have a response to that. I gotta find

Arin Hancock: What, okay, go ahead.

Kris plamondon: I I that would be fun.

Arin Hancock: Anyways, yeah, so I got bored of Rary for once in my life. I thought I would end that with the the record scratch.

Kris plamondon: almost it to me it almost feels like that's a incomplete song. You know? It's like they started and it's like they just That's it. That's all we can say. That's all we can say.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, you know, this was like another ballad. This is the first one was o okay. I don't know if it's great, but this one, I don't know, just this really gets into the sapiness, I think.

Kris plamondon: It feels incomplete to me. Interesting.

Arin Hancock: Okay, yeah. The way it was written is this was in C major. The guitars support the vocals in the keys, so again he's laying back. not very much on the guitars, just lets the keyboard do most in the music. And when he does bring guitars in, it's covering the melody line, covering the the keyboard line or or whatever like that. I don't know, yeah. All right, on to love on fire. All right, your thoughts on that one?

Kris plamondon: Ta well that that's probably the best way to end the album. I mean it's not the best rock song. I think they could have had more got so there's little parts in it where it's like I don't know if that was intentional to it almost feels like if you added another heavy rhythm guitar to that, that would just sound awesome. You know a little more Yeah.

Arin Hancock: Right. little more o a little more oomph or and stuff or you know, maybe this is the one where they should have l layered a second guitar track or or something. you know, if this if they were a band that had two guitars, you really could d done them a little more with the second guitar. Or you you can be like some bands and just record a second guitar in the studio or whatever. Yeah, yeah, I like the song. we'll see where it sits as far as my favorites. I actually didn't sit down and think, well, which are my two favorites, my two two least favorites. We'll have to think about that on the fly here. But this was written, you know, this is a straighthead rock song, another fast song. And and you're right, it's I think it's a good way to end the album again coming up after a ballad, throw this one on and good way good way to end the record. The only downside is if it's a record or cassette, you gotta sit through the ballad to get to this one. written in key of D major with an F thrown in the p progressions. So for those who are musically inclined or not so musically inclined, I guess I should say. The key of D doesn't usually have an F in its scale. It has an F sharp. But the natural F, in this the D scale gives the song some of this classic rock, metal, what do they call a mix Lodean met mold rock flavor. so while in music there are certain rules, you need to follow these rules, there's always times where you break the rules or or bend them. They have these different modes of scales which kind of go around that and this is an example of that. Where they're throwing in a chord that isn't normally in the the key that the song is written in because they like the way that chord creates the sound for that song. So this is what they've done here with Love on Fire, throwing an F into the chord progression. But yeah, I like it. It's good straight-ahead sound. It could actually be one of my favorites. I haven't like I said, haven't actually thought about that. I'll let you know in a couple seconds here what I think about it. Overall, like I said, most of these songs actually says here, if I can read this, all the songs were written by Bjorn except for Isn't it love, Messiah, and For once in my life, those three were written by Peo Peterson. So most of the songs were written by the guitarist, except for those three, which were written by the vocalist, who also plays keyboards. So that kind let me just think here with those ballads. Yeah, so the one ballad that we didn't like that was written by the the the vocalist Peo So maybe I don't know, maybe he needs a little more experience writing songs.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, yeah.

Arin Hancock: but yeah, so Bjorn doesn't show off as a guitar virtu or he show off like a normal guitar virtuoso does. He doesn't, you know, run wild up and down the neck, he doesn't shred all over the place. Instead he's focusing on the song. He writes he focuses on the riffs and some melodies and and then he'll focus on on the vocals and make sure everything works together and the solos are written for the song. You know, i if It doesn't require a shredding piece, he doesn't throw it in there. If it does, he'll throw it in, you know, or he'll come up with these little shredding tricks, you know, with the dive bombs or or the whammy bar techniques and and stuff like that. did a little bit of that on a couple of songs. can't remember what solo it was, probably what was it? Probably feel so good. as fast as the song it was, he you know that's the song he could have shredded on. I don't think he did a lot of shredding, if I remember correctly. He would, you know, do you know die bombs and trills and and things like that. Favorite songs on the records, Kris?

Kris plamondon: Messiah. Strong love

Arin Hancock: Okay. Messiah and strong love.

Kris plamondon: And yeah, and Born Again was good too.

Arin Hancock: I probably agree with you, yeah. I like Born Again, I think that's a great way. I wanna say feel so good, but yeah, you know, Messiah's good too. It's almost hard to pick a couple favorites because they're equally good. you know, the strong ones are equ really strong. There's a few that aren't so strong on here. The ones okay, two songs you did not like or the least best.

Kris plamondon: over the hills and I didn't really like for once in my life but that's me.

Arin Hancock: okay, yeah. No. For once we agree on a ballad we don't like

Kris plamondon: I know, I know. I've been debating that like well, I don't know.

Arin Hancock: Yeah, I definitely I agree with you that for once in my life just

Kris plamondon: I guess I'm spent because I mean for me, when I hear a ballad, I automatic automatically think it's gotta be like Ninkleback. Yeah.

Arin Hancock: Nickelback, they don't write that great ballads.

Kris plamondon: They write beautiful ballads, man.

Arin Hancock: I don't know what you're talking about. I don't know. No, I don't. They

Kris plamondon: you do

Arin Hancock: write some moderate sounds, they write some some slow tempo s not really ballads but the mid tempo sounds. And then when they write the the heavy stuff, the heavy stuff is great. But anyways.

Kris plamondon: they're they're well written and they're heavy and I mean they've won countless

Arin Hancock: Yeah. anyways.

Kris plamondon: awards.

Arin Hancock: Be before we we get sidetracked here. Yeah, I agree with you for once in my life. That's one of my picks for the worst songs the other one, I don't know. I almost want to say old Lord. And it's not that bad of a song but I just think everything else on here is is better. so I don't hate O Lord. But I think every other selling on here is probably better than that one. I don't know if I were to pick a hep.

Kris plamondon: I I think if you're looking for an older album that has a lot of guitar solos and good riffs and some pretty good writing, this would be the album you'd wanna check out.

Arin Hancock: Right. I can almost look up here on I was actually looking them up here Sometimes I I use Chat GTP to get information, do some research and then do my own research on top of it. But I asked them what they thought of this record. Their top two songs were from Chat GTP Feels So Good and Over the Hills. There are two worst songs according to Chat GTP. Old Lord and For Once in My Life. but what I wanted to look up here was if you were to look at the band and look at their records as a whole and which ones people should get into. Okay. According to Chat GTP, if you were to rank the albums this for someone discovering Leviticus, so they have not heard Leviticus before the albums they should start with is Knights of Heaven, which we just covered. This is a good intro for the band for anyone who is just discovering them. Then the second one would be Strongest Power, which is Essential if you want to cover the heavier classic Leviticus. Setting fire to the earth was a transitional record and it's interesting. And then the last one was I shall conquer, which is it says historically important, but much more raw. So if you were to evaluate the records, that's how AI evaluates them, put it that way.

Kris plamondon: Yeah. And this was the band I think that really opened the door for some of the bands we found we heard after that, right? The turn the

Arin Hancock: yeah, definitely. Like

Kris plamondon: tourniquet, the deliverance,

Arin Hancock: Well, Just let me look up when this band started. Okay, first album for Leviticus was eighty-three. but that was their Swedish album. The first English album was eighty-four, I shall conquer. So well, you know, maybe. They were getting their start around that time as everybody else was, put that way.

Kris plamondon: Yeah, they were 'cause I remember back eighty nine, ninety, yeah. That one in the music video packages that I bought at the Bible bookstore, they had a video of Leviticus. I don't know which song or which album, but

Arin Hancock: Okay.

Kris plamondon: in that but also with them they had Tourniquet, Deliverance, or I forget some of the other

Arin Hancock: Sounds like

Kris plamondon: bands.

Arin Hancock: you know what it sounds like that hot metal four package, but that one I've got and it did not have Leviticus, it had all these other bands. we're gonna get into that actually next year. And if you're on Patreon, stick around after the episode. We're gonna talk a little bit about upcoming stuff on the rock and metal faith. I think Well, I think that's about it for this episode, though. Otherwise, unless you had more thoughts on the record. Alright, we're gonna go out with our song here. like I said, don't forget to subscribe, like, all that good stuff. The most important thing we want you to do if you like this episode, share it out Yes.

Kris plamondon: Yes, say hi. You know, let us go you're out there.

Arin Hancock: That too. But also share it out so you know more people can listen. Share it around your favorite chat groups. share with whoever is interested in classic Christian rock and metal. So from all of us or from the two of us here at Rock and Metal Faith. God bless. Keep listening. Keep on rocking.

Kris plamondon: Keep rocket. Yeah.