Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Every album tells a story. Here both the album's theme, the book of Revelation no less, and the story behind 'Revelation"s recording are attention-grabbing enough to make even the most jaded reviewer take a second look and listen. Here's the album's background. Senior nursing officer Anthony Ray had been writing music for a hobby when, in 1990, after getting himself converted, he got the idea to write an album based on the book of Revelation (ambitious or what?). After several months researching this most mysterious of prophetic books, Anthony approached a large studio in Leeds and began recording, hiring in session musicians and singers and running up, by Christian music standards, a mega-bill of 10,000 smackers. Anthony was skint and the album was still only half finished, but such was the vision he'd managed to impart about the project that the studio took over financing it and when completed released it on their own label Active Records. But what about the music, you ask? To be honest, being no fan of Rick Wakeman-style pomp-rock, I viewed a 19-track concept CD with skant enthusiasm expecting all kinds of overblown excess. But what my ears heard delighted me, and by half way in I was reaching for the CD booklet. The songs, far from being as dense and inaccessible as John's apocalyptic visions, are eminently access-able, full of punchy hooks, good melodies and catchy arrangements, while the bevy of vocalists used are outstanding (particularly Steve Ancliffe, Stephen Lee and Hazel Walker) as Anthony deftly takes us from the vision of "One Like A Son Of Man" to the breaking of "The Sixth Seal". If you're looking for a musical with vastly more musical integrity than Andrew Lloyd Webber and one which will draw you into some stunning Biblical revelation, look no further.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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