{"id":47227,"date":"2014-11-29T08:14:27","date_gmt":"2014-11-29T13:14:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=47227"},"modified":"2014-11-29T08:14:27","modified_gmt":"2014-11-29T13:14:27","slug":"reverend-play-god-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2014\/reverend-play-god-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Reverend | Play God <\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist\/News Editor —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Reverend\"Originally released in 1991, Play God was the second full-length album from Reverend, the power\/thrash metal band formed by vocalist David Wayne (R.I.P.) after his departure from Metal Church. In the year since Reverend\u2019s debut (1990\u2019s World Won\u2019t Miss You<\/em>) was released, the band brought in a new bassist and drummer, but the creative core of Wayne and guitarist Brian Korban (also known for his work in Heretic) was intact and in prime form on Play God<\/em>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not surprising that Reverend\u2019s sound brings to mind both Metal Church and Heretic given Wayne and Korban\u2019s histories, but on Play God<\/em> it\u2019s two other bands that come to mind. The cutting and cynical socio-political lyrical content is very reminiscent of Testament, and the overall musical approach \u2013 part thrash and part power metal \u2013 is right up there with prime Vicious Rumors. There\u2019s such a great heaviness here, but matched with real speed and just enough melody, and of course no one sounded quite like the late David Wayne, whose raspy wail had so much power and character.<\/p>\n

Play God<\/em> is such a tight, cohesive album it\u2019s hard to call out favorite tracks, but Reverend really seemed to shine best when they were skewering religion and censorship, as they did on \u201cWarp the Mind\u201d and \u201cBlackened Thrive.\u201d Even the anti-war message of Creedence Clearwater Revival\u2019s \u201cFortunate Son,\u201d which Reverend blisteringly metalizes here, fits perfectly with the overall tone and character of Play God.<\/p>\n

Sadly, this was the final Reverend full-length and the last time Korban and Wayne collaborated. It remains a high point in the David Wayne legacy, and a great example of the American power\/thrash sound at the time. It\u2019s obviously a must-have release for Reverend\/Metal Church\/Heretic fans, but will also appeal to fans of Testament, Vicious Rumors, Armored Saint and Helstar.<\/p>\n

Edition Notes: Divebomb\u2019s deluxe 2014 reissue of Play God gives this long out of print album a much needed upgrade. The album has been remastered by Jamie King, who has done such stellar work on previous Divebomb reissues. It also features a liner notes loaded with lyrics and band\/album historical info (including an interview with Brian Korban) and includes the full 1991 Live EP as bonus tracks. It\u2019s a very impressive reissue overall, and one that \u2013 along with their reissue of World Won\u2019t Miss You \u2013 is a worthwhile upgrade even if you already own the original version.<\/p>\n

Genre: Thrash Metal, Power Metal, Heavy Metal<\/p>\n

Lineup:
\nAngelo Espino (b)
\nBrian Korban (g)
\nDavid Wayne (v)
\nJason Ian (d)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tButcher of Baghdad
\n2.\tHeaven on Earth
\n3.\tFortunate Son
\n4.\tBlessings
\n5.\tPromised Land
\n6.\tPlay God
\n7.\tWarp the Mind
\n8.\tWhat You\u2019re Looking For
\n9.\tBlackened Thrive
\n10.\tDeath of Me
\n11.\tFar Away
\n12.\tGunpoint (live)
\n13.\tWorld Won\u2019t Miss You (live)
\n14.\tScattered Wits (live)
\n15.\tB.O.B. (live)
\n16.\tPromised Land (live)
\n17.\tThe Power of Persuasion (live)<\/p>\n

Label: Divebomb Records<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven Rating: Original album: 8.5\/10, reissue: 9\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Justin Gaines – Senior Columnist\/News Editor — Originally released in 1991, Play God was the second full-length album from Reverend, the power\/thrash metal band formed by vocalist David Wayne (R.I.P.) after his departure from […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":47228,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10848],"tags":[2317,923,2491,10355,1097,10354,1101],"class_list":{"0":"post-47227","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2014","8":"tag-cd-review","9":"tag-divebomb-records","10":"tag-heavy-metal","11":"tag-play-god","12":"tag-power-metal","13":"tag-reverend","14":"tag-thrash-metal"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47227"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47227\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/47228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}