The band that
Holy Soldier found itself compared to more than anyone was
Stryper, which also used heavy metal/hard rock to promote Christianity. The style on this obscure CD is rooted in Gothic metal -- sort of
Judas Priest meets
Ronnie James Dio meets
Grim Reaper. But while tunes like "Eyes of Innocence," "When the Reign Comes Down" and "See No Evil" bear some resemblance to those bands musically, Holy Soldier's lyrics are obviously coming from an overtly Christian perspective. You won't find any endorsements of promiscuity or wild, all-night parties on this release, and you certainly won't encounter any pro-occult messages here. Most of the material is quite good;
Holy Soldier had potential, but what it didn't have was
Stryper's commercial success. The album bombed, and the vast majority of headbangers never even heard of the band. Nonetheless, metalheads would do well to grab a copy of this CD if they can find one. ~ Alex Henderson