Reviewed by Tony Cummings

This band from North Virginia are clearly not to every hard music buff's taste. One of Cross Rhythms followers of modern hard music suggested these guys had a "clumsy, preachy lyrical style" while another suggested they weren't "bringing anything new to the table". I would suggest that such perspectives rather miss the point. As Cross Rhythms reviewer Peter John Willoughby wrote when reviewing Messenger's 2008 album 'I'm Talking To You', the musicianship "is great, especially the twin guitar attack". The same can be said about this 2010 album, though being a live recording one has to suffer a rather muddy sound on some tracks but there's still enough here if you're a devotee of old school metal and long for the days when riffing long-hairs with powerful evangelistic messages ruled the Christian rock roost you'll find much to enjoy in 'On Delivery'. Standout tracks are the heavy rock blues "So Good" which is a tad predictable, but still works as a powerful song of praise to God; "The Risen Christ" and "Rulemaker", both of which offer catchy melodies. Not as good overall as their studio offering, but still demonstrating that old style white metal can still pack a spiritual wallop.

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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