Titanic Maiden Voyage (Collector’s Edition)
by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer
Christian metal band Titanic was another band that managed to slip through the cracks in the mid 1990s. The grunge era was hard enough for regular hard rock and heavy metal bands, but Christian bands seemed to have an even harder time weathering that particular storm (see Barren Cross). Titanic had the misfortune of trying to break into a scene that was more or less dying. 1996’s Maiden Voyage was the band’s debut offering.
Titanic’s sound is definitely rooted in classic heavy metal and thrash, but there are a couple of obvious influences – namely Pantera and Soundgarden – that give them a more current energy. Thick pounding guitar riffs slam down intense rhythms and the vocals have that Chris Cornell wail/scream/shout intensity. And then there’s the drums. On the original version of Maiden Voyage, the drums were done on a drum machine. For this reissue they have been rerecorded by none other than Robert Sweet of Stryper. If you’re only familiar with Sweet’s work in Stryper, Maiden Voyage is a very revealing look at how he handles a much heavier style of music. As thrashy and heavy as it is (and it’s pretty damned heavy), Maiden Voyage is also melodic enough to make it a fairly accessible album.
Titanic was a Christian band, but their lyrical content was never so evangelical that it would scare off the average metal fan looking for a good album regardless of the message. If you dig into the lyrics you’ll see plenty of examples of the band’s faith, but in most cases the lyrics seem open to interpretation. The manifesto “I Don’t Believe” is an obvious, and at times offensive, exception.
In addition to the re-done drum work, Retroactive Records’ 2010 reissue of Maiden Voyage features digitally remastered sound and new cover artwork (giving it a very Ensiferium/pagan metal look). The remastered and remixed audio is the real draw of this reissue, as it is a noticeable improvement over the original.
It’s probably not an essential release even in the Christian metal world, but Maiden Voyage is a totally enjoyable metal album that is well worth hearing, especially now that it has been given such a finely tuned reissue.
Genre: Christian Metal
Label: Retroactive Records
Track Listing:
1. Nightmare
2. You’ve Got Nothing On Me
3. Gods of War
4. And the Dead Shall Rise
5. Ocean of Blood
6. Hollywood Blvd.
7. I Don’t Believe
8. Fight Back
9. I Am Watching You
10. Freak Show
Hardrock Haven Rating: 7.5/10