Daniel Band On Rock (Collector’s Edition)
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
When you think about the early Christian rock and metal bands, it’s usually popular bands like Stryper or Whitecross that come to mind, but in the early 1980s it was bands like Petra, Jerusalem, Resurrection Band and Canada’s Daniel Band that were blazing the trail. At that point, mixing rock and roll music with a Christian message was a bold and controversial choice, and Daniel Band did it quite well.
Daniel Band issued their first album – On Rock – in 1982. Like most of their peers in the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) scene, Daniel Band’s style was highly reflective of their more popular secular counterparts. Since it was the early ‘80s and they were a Canadian band, that meant April Wine, Triumph and Rush. Now those bands were all on top of their game at the time, so imitating them isn’t really a bad call. With On Rock, Daniel Band was delivering a version of hard rock that was melodic and commercially accessible, but with plenty of musical chops and an unwavering faith. Band leader Daniel McCabe was a steady hand at bass, but also provided a steady, higher-octave voice that brought comparisons to Rush’s Geddy Lee. Guitarist Tony Rossi was the perfect counterpart to McCabe, delivering both memorable hooks and some knockout solos.
Album opener “He’s the Creator” is a dead ringer for Rush’s “Working Man” and “Two Roads” sounds a LOT like Ted Nugent’s “Cat Scratch Fever.” The rest of the album sounds like Christian versions of April Wine and Triumph songs. It’s all good stuff, but they don’t exactly get points for originality.
Retroactive Records’ 2010 reissue of On Rock features digitally remastered sound and a pair of bonus tracks. The remastered audio is the real draw of this reissue, as it was very well done, but the bonus tracks – a pair of rare demos from 1980 – are also well worth hearing. The first – “At All Turns to Rain” is a rocking number with some great layered vocals and the second – “I Give You All” – is a sing-along praise tune that sounds like the prototype for every single song you’ve ever heard while eating at Chick-Fil-A.
If you’re a Christian rock and/or metal fan, this isn’t even an optional release, especially now that such an impressive reissue is available. Daniel Band was an essential part of the Christian Contemporary Music community/genre, and On Rock is where it all began.
Genre: Christian Metal
Label: Retroactive Records
Track Listing:
1. He’s the Creator
2. I’m Sorry
3. You Don’t Need the Blues
4. Free from Sin
5. Undercover Christian
6. Two Roads
7. Never Again
8. In the Sky
9. I Like To Rock
10. Spiritual Games
11. Somebody Loves You
12. It All Turns to Rain (bonus track)
13. I Give You All (bonus track)
Hardrock Haven Rating: 7.5/10