Time for another album review. This time I am going back to the 1990’s with Petra’s “Beyond Belief” album.
This album hold a special place in my history because it was the first Christian album I ever heard. I grew up with church music, but never had I heard “mainstream” Christian music. My best friend, Aaron, introduced me to the album. I loved it right away and I bought it shortly thereafter. It was one of the first CD’s I ever bought as well. With that said, I will move onto to discussing the songs themselves.
The album opens with “Armed and Dangerous”. The intro to this song is just great. It comes in soft and then hits on both the left then right side in stereo. It is a good rock song. It is a song about being ready for the the spiritual battle that all Christians face, and how God has armed us. The line, “His armor is worth its weight, no weapon can penetrate.” is a great reminder that while following Christ may be hard at times, His protection makes up for those hard times. I will admit that the lyrics are sometimes hard to understand in this song, and so the balance musically isn’t the best.
It flows in “I Am On the Rock”. This is a song with a little more bass. A song to remind Christians that we stand on “the sure foundation” of Jesus. There is nothing that can move us from that foundation. No matter what one is going through you can focus on the fact that Jesus is our rock, nothing can take us from Him, and therefore we are safe in eternity. This song keeps the rock rhythm going from the first track, and my foot keeps bouncing to the beat.
Up next you get “Creed”, and the opening that has the electric keyboardness of the 80’s and 90’s. This song is exactly what one would think it is – a telling of the Apostle’s Creed. It is a bit slower than the first two songs. So you get a bit of a pause from the rock beat, at least for the first 1:22 of the song. Then the song picks up the beat. The drums and guitars build in and the keyboard goes a bit into the background. “I will hold steadfast to this creed” is part of the chorus to remind us that we should think on these things and hold them close in our Christian lives. When I first heard this song I had never heard the Apostle’s Creed before. So, I had no knowledge what it was. It thought it was simply a creed for Christians that they had come up with. Then I learned that this was an actual church creed that many churches recite on a weekly or monthly basis. They do a great job of putting the Apostle’s Creed to music, and it does flow well.
Then you get the album title song “Beyond Belief”. The guitar intro to this song brings you into the uplifting words you are about to hear, and starts that foot tapping motion again. “And it takes so long, to see the change, but we look around, and it seems strange. We have come so far…” God’s plans for us is so far beyond what we can imagine that it is truly beyond belief what He has in store for us. The mix in this song is really good. You can hear the lyrics really well and still the instruments ring out as needed.
After all that rock you get a soft one with “Love”. This is a song that covers 1 Corinthians 13. It is a great song to give one a reminder of what it really mens to love someone. This passage of scripture is common at weddings, and I think this song is a great one that could be played at most weddings. “Love Forgives All We Have Done” is a great reminder that when we truly love someone that we need to forgive more. And that through the power of the Love of God we can forgive all wrongs, we can can no when we need to, we can let go when we need to, and most of all as the love grows in us we “Can show the world that the Son of love has come.”
Then back to the rock with “Underground”. A song that talks of NOT living underground. As Christians it is easy to let our faith be pushed to the side and bury it so others in the “world” don’t see it. But that isn’t the way Christ wants us to live. The song starts off reminding us that everywhere around us, news and TV, we are told to hide our faith. This is a song recorded nearly 30 years ago and it is still so true today. Then in verse two it sounds like so many areas of the world right now – persecution, fear of being arrested, having our number – it all can be traced to things happening right now. Oh how this song predicted where the future was going. Of course, the Bible told us this was going to happen as well. The song ends with the third verse reminding us that the power to NOT go underground comes from the Holy Spirit living inside us.
Moving into “Seen and Not Heard” is another song about who we are supposed to be as Christians in the world. So many people have heard the stories from the Bible, and have heard the preachers/evangelist talk about God, but then they see Christians not acting like what the Bible teaches. This song is all about us living our lives in the same way we talk. “Actions speak a little louder than words” is a recurring line in the song and it is so true. Whether in ones home, at work, at school, at the store, or anywhere else we need to remember that our actions are what so many people see and remember. in this song I also love the guitars and drums. I think the balance again works well in this song.
The album continues with “Last Daze” and it is a chilling song. This song is all about people that think they are Christians, ones that are “safe” but have been deceived by the lies of the world and have fallen into a “daze”. Lines like “believe the lie”, “cold as ice”, “follow…the fables men devise” are stark reminders that not all the claim to be Christians are, and that some will walk down those paths where the devil leads and won’t return. As it says in scripture, Christ will say, “I never knew you.” (Matt. 7:21-23). The beat is uplifting and strong, but the message is bleak.
Then the album comes to “What’s In A Name”. This song simply goes through many “names” that Jesus is given through out the Bible. It is based on Phil. 2:9-10. There are other references in there as well from the Bible. Just a great song to remind us of the power of Jesus and how just His name carries so much in it. He is the “Alpha and Omega”. He is the one to whom all will kneel and bow.
And finally you another soft song to end the album with “Prayer”. I really enjoy this song as a great ending to a great album. It is a prayer. It starts with being thankful towards God. Just like we should always start prayer with thanks this songs starts with a declaration of just thanking God for Who He is. What a great thing to tell the listener right from the start. Moving into to prayer for others and self is the next section. But isn’t for stuff as so many of us pray for; it is for peace. The prayer moves into praying for those that don’t know God and asking to be used to show others God’s love. Praying for our country and keeping us from evil. It is a great complete prayer. I look at this structured prayer and I realize that I don’t pray like this very often, but I should. It takes the focus off self and directs it to God. It is all about Him and how His will shall be done. And this is all done with a very nice and quite underlay of music. They did a great job with the keyboards to not overpower the lyrics. One can fully embrace what is being said, and not get overwhelmed by the instruments.
This is an overall great 90’s rock album. Yes, it is highly religious, and that isn’t a bad thing. It hits all the great sounds of the 90’s rock sound.