Kingdom Come
Artist: His Witness
Label: Retroactive Records 
Time: 10 tracks/44:52

His Witness is an '80’s metal band.

No, literally.  Kingdom Come was recorded in 1988.  It then sat “in the can” until recently. The band played music to support their ministry.  The band was an official outreach of Survival Missions, and only ever sold a handful of cassettes to fans at their occasional concerts.  

Vocalist Ken Redding was a former band mate of Titanic’s Bill Menchen.  Menchen suggested they dig this old project out & helped remix the album.  Retroactive Records are the go-to guys for this type of project and they deliver. Considering this album sat so long that the tapes had to be “baked” in order to salvage them, the quality holds up.  It sonically sounds like CCMetal discs from the same era.
 
Musically, the album harkens to a more rough metal sound reminiscent of Recon or Saint.  The lyrics are very bold about their Christianity, like the first Holy Soldier project, of which there is also stylistic similarity.  “Jesus Heals” adds a bluesy vibe to the mix, with positive results.  Other highlights are “Guard Your Heart” and “Love of God.”

The musicianship is adequate, but there is no extensive soloing.  All of the performances are solid, but not showy.  The vocals are good, but not distinctive, like many of the metal singers of that era.  Redding delivers a solid performance, but lacks a unique voice that would stand out in the crowd.   

While not a requirement, this is certainly a worthy disc for those that love that 80’s-era Christian Metal.  How sweet is it that there is a new disc made from that era?  Especially, a project with the bold Christian vocals that so many great bands of that era produced.

By Jonathan Nelson 
10-16-08