| Musical Style: Melodic Speed Metal | Produced By: Bill Metoyer |
| Record Label: Intense | Country Of Origin: USA |
| Year Released: 1989 | Artist Website: Deliverance |
| Tracks: 10 | Rating: 85% |
| Running Time: 43:52 |
The renowned Los Angeles based speed metal band Deliverance came together in 1985 before releasing its first demo, the critically acclaimed and highly sought after Greetings Of Death, a year later. Putting together its second demo After Greetings in 1987, the band proceeded to place the tracks “A Space Called You” and “Attack” on the California Metal compilation the very same year. Deliverance got its break, however, in 1988 when it signed to Intense Records out of Chicago and released its full length self-titled debut in the summer of 1989.
Deliverance is unique in that it approaches the speed metal/thrash genre by combining very heavy and aggressive music with melodic flavored vocals. And founding member Jimmy Brown, with a voice comparable in range to Geoff Tate (Queensryche) or Rey Parra (Sacred Warrior), brings the melodic element to the bands sound. Brown, in addition, proves one of the tightest rhythm guitarist this reviewer has heard, combining with lead guitarist Glen Rogers to literally bury the album in a profusion of monstrous riffs. Rogers, a former member of Vengeance Rising who wrote six songs on the groundbreaking Human Sacrifice album, more than makes his presence felt with his lightning fast work on lead guitar. Drummer Chris Hyde and bassist Brian Khairullah comprise a rock solid rhythm section.
Deliverance hired Bill Metoyer to handle production duties. A veteran of the thrash genre, Metoyer brought experience working with the likes of Slayer, Sacred Reich, Flotsam & Jetsam and Omen to the project. The albums crisp and clean sounding sonics lack any trace of thinness or muddiness. A more than ample amount of rhythm guitar stands alongside a fluid mix of lead guitar. While the drums pack the needed punch and power, the bass guitar could have been positioned a bit more forward in the mix in places.
The album cover, displaying the bands logo over a black background with a broken chain beneath the logo, lacks in originality.
After a thrash flavored double bass driven riff launches album opener "Victory", the song advances in an upbeat manner until it crests for a chorus with a catchy refuse to go away hook. An instrumental passage beginning to several seconds of rhythm guitar harmony culminates with Rogers fiery guitar solo. As its title implies, "Victory" talks about Christ's victory on the cross:
An innocent man's blood was shed
Foretold this was in past
It will cleanse people of their sin
Forever the covering lasts...
The sacrifice has now been made
We are saved by His blood
Having done all to stand
In victory from above
The melodic rhythm guitar harmony opening "No Time" gives way to a hard hitting riff that drives the song forward at the start of its first verse. Slowing in tempo, “No Time” evenly moves on to a sweeping chorus delivered by a plethora of the bands all our raw energy. I like how subsequent to Brown stating "Speed it up", the pace of the song increases until it reaches an all out speed metal riff. "No Time" focuses on the difficulty of finding time for God:
I've been through the day and I don't have the time
To speak unto friends or to speak Lord to You
Getting underway to energetic guitar riff, the albums title track progresses at an aggressive mid-tempo pace until it attains a double bass driven chorus that ends as Brown cuts loose and screams "Deliveruuuuuunce!" Rogers closes out the songs last minute with a blistering Chris Impellitteri-like guitar solo. "Deliverance" gives prominence to the bands mission statement:
We've been sent from the Master
We've been sent with a message of hope
We've been given the keys to the Kingdom
To unlock the chains and bonds
Deliveruuuuuunce!
The powerful "If You Will" advances to a crunchy rhythm guitar carried over a rolling drum beat until it slows to a near standstill. Picking up in pace, a speed metal-like riff quickly pushes the song through its first verse before shouted vocal harmonies back its second as it details the need for salvation:
The bloody cross, it stands alone on a hill
It cries out to the souls of men
Accept Him if you will
Jesus came that you might have life
Satan comes to kill
There's really only one choice, my friend
Choose Christ if you will
Continuing at breakneck speed through its third verse, Rogers follows with a lightning fast guitar solo during the instrumental passage closing out the songs last minute and a half.
As "If You Will" ends, it segues perfectly to the mega-huge thrash influenced riff that propels "The Call" from start to finish. Brown adds a measure of grit to his vocal delivery during the songs first verse only to display the full range of his voice upon reaching its powerful hook-filled chorus. "The Call" also ends to a sweeping instrumental passage that opens to a pounding riff that gives way to Rogers blistering guitar solo. "The Call" focus' on the need for salvation:
My friend, you know the answer
But will you heed the call
I know you want to reach out and touch Him
But He can't answer if you don't ask at all
Do you hear Him
He's calling out to you
The rhythm guitar harmony at the start of "No Love" abruptly transitions to a muscular guitar riff that propels the song through its verse portions in a no-nonsense manner. Tapering off slightly, "No Love" moves on to a catchy chorus that reflects a more melodic side to the bands songwriting skills. Rogers fiery solo segues to more rhythm guitar harmony and a thrash flavored riff. "No Love" draws its lyrics from I Corinthians 13:
I don't care if you prophesy
Or have the power to heal
If His love does not abide in you
What you do is not real
The incredible "Blood Of The Covenant" ranks among the heaviest of the heavies. Commencing to a bass guitar solo, the song roars through its first verse to an all out speed metal riff as Brown delivers a message about the need for the Blood of Christ:
Without the shedding of the blood
There is no remission of sin
The hour the veil was wrent
That is when it all began
This was not the covenant that was made with our Fathers on Sinai
The Blood of the New Covenant shed for the remission of sin
"Blood Of The Covenant" storms through its second and final verse prior to pausing for an awesome two and a half minute long instrumental passage aggressively carried by super tight rhythm guitar harmony. I like how Brown screams, "The Blood of the Covenant shed for the remission of sin!" one last time before closes the song by stating, "I don't think I like that last scream."
"Jehovah Jireh", a remake of the old gospel hymn, moves in a straightforward hard rock direction and, as a result, sounds out of place in a speed metal/thrash based environment. And while the song has a meaningful message, it does not quite cut it when compared to the rest of the albums material.
Introduced to a slowly moving doom-like mix of rhythm guitar, "Temporary Insanity" takes off to a thrashy double bass driven riff that quickly conveys it to a chorus fortified by Brown's aggressive vocal delivery. The doom-like rhythm guitar returns to carry the song during its bridge and the first minute of an instrumental passage before it again takes off in a thrash influenced direction. "Temporary Insanity" deals with the issue of suicide:
I look in the mirror and what do I see
That I have become an image of Thee
To take your own life is what you have schemed
But for some reason unseen
The victim is me
The ultimate selfishness
To not care for no one else
Because all I think of is me
In my temporary insanity
"Awake" begins to over one minute of ghoulish laughter and groaning followed by another minute and a half of crunchy fast paced rhythm guitar harmony. As the song slows for its first verse, Brown describes the experience of an individual who ends up in hell but comes back to tell others about the experience:
I cry out to God Almighty
Please let me warn people of this place
So many people they won't believe they're so deceived
Then I heard and felt the voice of One say...
"Awake" picks up in pace upon attaining a brief chorus in which its title is repeated in a heavy handed fashion over a thrashy riff. The rhythm guitar carries the first half of a minute long instrumental passage ending to more fast paced lead guitar work from Rogers.
Deliverance's self-titled debut gets off to a great start with seven songs that stand the test of time as nothing less than classics in the annals of Christian metal. And while I might skip over "Jehovah Jireh", the two that follow, "Temporary Insanity" and "Awake", are both quite good. When combining Jimmy Brown's melodic based lead vocal abilities and Glen Rogers fiery riffing with the albums solid production job, Deliverance comes with a very high recommendation.
Review by: Andrew Rockwell
Track Listing: "Victory" (3:44), "No Time" (4:28), "Deliverance" (3:03), "If You Will" (4:43), "The Call" (3:40), "No Love" (3:20), "Blood Of The Covenant" (4:50), "Jehovah Jireh" (3:35), "Temporary Insanity" (5:25), "Awake" (6:03)
Musicians
Jimmy P. Brown II – Lead Vocals & Guitars
Glenn Rogers – Guitars
Brian Khairullah – Bass
Chris Hyde - Drums
Also Reviewed: Deliverance - Weapons Of Our Warfare, Deliverance - Stay Of Execution, Deliverance - River Disturbance, Deliverance - Assimilation, Deliverance - As Above - So Below, Deliverance - The First Four Years, Deliverance - Greetings Of Death, Fearful Symmetry - This Sad Veil Of Tears, Jupiter VI - Back From Mars, Various Artists - California Metal
Reference List
Rocker, Randy. "Deliverance Review." Take A Stand (September 1989): 2.
Van Pelt, Doug. "The Temporarily Insane Deliverance Interview." Heaven's Metal 23 (1990): 16-18.
"Deliverance Review." White Throne 6 (1990): 23.
"Delivering Us From Wimpy Music: Deliverance!" Heaven's Metal 17 (1989): 11-14.
"Metal Tracks." Heaven's Metal 19 (1989): 11.
"Staying With Deliverance." Heaven's Metal 37 (1992): 8-10.
