Mortification

Christianity and metal don't mix for the simple reason that once you get a bunch of guys preaching to you about how we're all going to hell, their music has likely already been there for a while. The concentration on message, and not music, is the one thing that kills any effectiveness a Christian metal/punk band may have and the last Mortification disc was probably the best example in years. With retarded song titles like "Liberal Mediocrity," "God Rulz," "Metal Crusade," "Ride the Light" and the freaking hilarity of "Daniel was a Mosher,” one would expect the worst, but they wouldn't necessarily get it. Steve Rowe and Mortification may never match up to the scene's heavyweights, but this album is diverse enough to warrant attention. They shift between some Iron Maiden stylings, to ’80s thrash, to goofy power metal, to mosh metal and a touch of hardcore. It's a long album, so there are a few stinkers included, but it's surprisingly not half bad.