- Man In The Mirror
- Lion Of Judah
- Fear No Evil
For this EP, Whitecross also unveils (no pun intended) new lead singer, Dave Roberts, who has actually been performing with the band for a couple of years now. Yes, yes, I know, change is scary, but in this case, the presence of Roberts adds a lower-ranged punch that gives the new material a grittier, more muscular sound. Additionally, without long-time vocalist, Scott Wenzel on the microphone, the Ratt comparisons can finally die the death they deserved (Whitecross has NEVER sounded like Ratt minus the similarities in the singers' voices). The rest of the band, however, has been together for over two decades now, with Feighan joining up on drums in in 1991, and Ramos jumping on board in 2000.
The EP opens with a classic Whitecross guitar riff, and were it not for Robert's lower-ranged scream a few seconds into the track, you could possibly think you were listening to a track from one of the band's late-80s tracks. There is no mistaking that this is a Whitecross song through and through. A hard-driving song, "Man In The Mirror" has everything you except from Whitecross: crunchy rhythm guitar riffs, a tight bass line, and the thunderous drums that Feighan has been providing for 30 years now, Yes, there is a new voice in the band, but Roberts' deeper, slightly raspy voice fits this new material exceptionally well. While his screams may not shatter glass, there is a force behind them that projects power easily. I do not say this to belittle his predecessor at all, for I love the majority of Scott Wenzel's material up through High Gear, I don't hear Scott's vocals on this song at all. This song, to my ears, was written with Roberts' voice in mind. All this being said, Whitecross fans are likely here to feast their ears on the solos from Rex Carroll, and they are not let down here as he shreds his way through a scorching run before the final chorus section hits. With only three songs on this EP, it was important for Whitecross 2.0, as it is sometimes referred to, to come roaring out of the gates immediately; "Man In The Mirror" does not disappoint.
"The Lion Of Judah" is up next, and once again, there is no mistaking the riffing style or the guitar tone of Rex on this punchy rocker. Aggressive from the start, this again could be a throwback track, no doubt, and of the three songs here, this is really the only one I think I could hear Wenzel's voice fitting on, but I doubt it would pack the same punch that is provided by Roberts here. The man just adds an edge that was not always there, particularly on the Rex-less WC albums that followed High Gear. Again, the rhythm section is really powerful here, and you can sense the decades of work put in by Ramos and Feighan as they are in lock-step here, building the bedrock that we all know Rex is going to turn to molten rock as soon as he unleashes his guitar. And unleash, he does, as Rex rages across this track in an extended solo that instantly put a smile on my face. This is exactly what fans have been missing for twenty-plus years!
The third track here is a lyrical reworking of Psalm 23 for the intro, and is the slowest song on the EP. Don't let this fool you into believing it is a ballad or that it doesn't hit hard, because that is simply not the case. In all fairness, it does open on a slower, softer note, with a Spanish guitar intro from Rex, and it remains rather stark with Dave's husky voice and Rex's guitars going it alone until the band kicks in at about the 1:20 mark. From there, the track takes on a more aggressive, punchier style, with the lyrical phrasing and the arrangement reminding me a bit of a Dio song. Once again, Feighan is absolutely rock solid on the foundation of this song, pounding away at his kit and seemingly brutalizing his snare, while Ramos rumbles along in fine fashion. Rex's solo here is...well, it's Rex...extremely note-dense and high energy, screaming along for a full 40+ seconds before the song gives way to the softer style it started with for the last thirty seconds of the track, Roberts closing things out with the intro of the 23rd Psalm again.
I have been with Whitecross since the beginning, literally, as I bought their debut album the week it came to my local Christian bookstore, and I snapped up everything I could get my hand on throughout the years, from the Love On The Line EP on cassette, to Japanese imports and greatest hits compilations. When I had the chance to see them live in 2013, for the first time in over twenty years, and then got to meet them in person, it was truly an exceptional experience for me. Sadly, I lost my entire Whitecross collection (which I actually had autographed by the guys at SkullFest in 2013) in a flood a couple of years ago, but with my sights set upon rebuilding that collection, Fear No Evil is definitely a great place to pick things up! Available in very limited CD quantities, as well as in digital download format, at https://darkstarrecords.net/2022/09/02/whitecross-return-with-fear-no-evil-a-special-limited-edition-3-song-ep/ , this is well worth picking up before they are gone!
Oh, and for any who wonder how Roberts sounds on the band's classic material, I will just leave this here for you to feast your ears upon....
Rating: Again, it's an EP, and I'm not typically a fan of rating EPs, but it is fair to say the return of Whitecross is nothing short of crankable, even if it is a short, three-song tease! If forced to put a number to it, I'd give it a 7.5. Let's just hope a full-length album is in the works soon!
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