The Incoherant Ramblings of a Poetic Compulsive: Music Review: Petra's "Jekyll & Hyde"

The Return of Petra

Writing a review on Petra’s latest album, Jekyll and Hyde is a bit like writing a follow-up piece about the impossible surprise comeback of the Yankees-Red Sox championship series of 2004. You can’t really encapsulate the magnitude of the situation without explaining decades of history first.

Anyone that has any exposure to Christian rock music knows that Petra’s been around since the early 70’s. Most people have heard that the band Bob Hartman started back then was more country than rock and roll (Bob himself played a banjo on the debut album). I don’t think anyone argues that Petra ‘wrote the book’ for Christian rock music, pioneering it back in the days of Larry Norman and Randy Stonehill. Likely nobody is surprised to find Petra’s won four Grammy awards and ten Dove awards, or that the band has sold over 7 million records worldwide in multiple languages. And while I’m not really sure anyone realizes just how many tribute albums, ‘best of’ and ‘great hits’ collections there are of this iconic rock superhero, it takes Google 0.47 seconds to discover just how many fansites exist for the die-hard Petra crazed. But the same fans that would quote you these statistics like a gum-chewing twelve year old rattles off batting averages, would likely tell you, Petra has seen at least three different incarnations and everyone has a different opinion about which was Petra’s ‘hay day’. But they all pretty much agree it wasn’t 1995-2003, and they all pretty much concur that Jekyll and Hyde pulled Petra out of what many fans thought was the slow and painful death of a great band. It was hard to watch happen and even harder to listen to.

On August 19, 2003, Christian music chat rooms, discussion forums, bulletin board services and newsgroups exploded with activity over the new arrival of an old friend’s return to roots. Early John Schlitt era Petra fans everywhere were able to take in a fresh new sound reminiscent of Petra’s ‘glory days’ after holding their breath for eight long years. Since the departure of the band’s founder and guitarist Bob Hartman in 1995, Petra had released five albums, all of them a vast departure from the previous sound and style fans of two generations had come to adore. Lead singer John Schlitt joined the band in 1986 and appeared on that year’s release Back to the Street. That snowballed into a seven year/seven album smorgasbord of arena anthem rock with social relevance and tantalizing musical genius that found Petra not just keeping up with their secular counterparts, but in many circles surpassing them on pure, nonpartisan symphonic merits.

And then in the early to mid 90’s, a succession of events took place that had Petra seemingly groping in search of musical identity. As their recent album, Wake-Up Call received sporadic radio play and mediocre reviews at best, a new sound was taking the mainstream stage (as well as the Christian rock market) and the entire scene was shifting into what would become known as the grunge movement, which peaked in popularity around 1995.

Though in all their years, Petra has never compromised their message of hope through Christ and challenged its listeners to pursue the godly life of obedience outlined in biblical principles, Petra’s musical experimentation in an obvious attempt to appeal to a younger audience, alienated their most loyal of fans wishing for the return of Bob Hartman’s trademark guitar work and the days of “Beyond Belief”, “Destiny” and “Sleeping Giant”. On August 19, 2003, the fans got what they’d been waiting for. Jekyll and Hyde (Inpop Records), as you’ve guessed by now, is a return to the hard-hitting riffs, driving rhythms, and of course Bob Hartman’s ‘pull no punches’ lyrics. It’s also Bob’s and frontman John Schlitt’s first known collaborative effort with producer and Newsboys lead singer Peter Furler. Furler’s influence is notable on this album and his contributions advantageous to the project. Peter not only produces the album but offers his talents on drums and backing vocals for several songs. Cameo appearances are also made by Newsboys bass player Phil Joel who lays down some bass lines and sings some beautiful backing vocals, Jeff Frankenstein performs the programming, and ex-Guardian members Jamie Rowe (backing vocals) and Tony Palacios, who mixed the album. As you would imagine, having half of the Newsboys in studio with you is going to leave a mark. And while the Aussie influence is noticeable, it’s subtle. This album is most definitely ‘all Petra’.

Jekyll and Hyde, is a ten song collection of hard rock. Its opening title track, sets the tone for the album with a monstrous “wall of guitar”, explosive dynamic and keen pregnant pause placement. It takes a split personality perspective on the duality of human nature that Paul writes about in Romans 7:15 with its ear-catching phrasing and poignant metaphors. Good luck singing along with this one folks. John Schlitt is in top-notch form.

“All About Who You Know” follows the title track and gives validity to the cliché calling for a departure of the seeking of worldly advancement and refocusing on “knowing” Jesus. The unique use of overdriven bass, a chorus of backing vocals, wah-wah pedal texturing and a brief showing of a drum machine for flavor all contribute to a great arrangement that screams Peter Furler in this short, two minute thirty-five second song.

While the chorus melody of the third song, “Stand” seems a bit repetitive by the second time through, at about two minutes through the song, it breaks out with a great musical divergence in the bridge. The song exemplifies Bob Hartman’s skills throughout as a strong (if not poetic), courageous and challenging lyricist. “Woulda Shoulda Coulda” stands out as the album’s trademark mid-tempo, almost pop, tune. An insightful but upbeat Newsboys-esque chorus chants, “Would’a, should’a, could’a done this and that / Don’t wanna live life with another regret”. Its simplicity makes it a great tune and an easy one to get stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

“Perfect World” opens with ethereal verse instrumentation and Schlitt’s vocals forefront in the arrangement. John’s melody dances lightly on top of the bouncy chord progression in a playful collection of sound effects and stellar programming. The chorus explodes through with a catchy, tenacious, and carefully composed series of overdrive guitar-laden riffs, leaving the listener reaching for the “repeat” button.

“Test of Time” has a borderline heavy metal feel. This is a rocking good example of the right kind of experimentation in a direction that utilizes all the strengths of the writing and musicians’ abilities. The backing vocals add a whole new dimension of depth to the song and leave room for Bob’s guitars to venture into something other than power chords, which ultimately adds color to the song. This sixth song rehashes a Petra theme seen in other songs, gracefully confronting the listener regarding the brevity of the time we have on this earth and the ever-present challenge to make the most of it. “I Will Seek You” smacks of a praise song that’s been skillfully converted to rock in all the right places. Melodious choruses of worshipful lyrics atop a very Petra musical arrangement seem almost in conflict at times. And yet, the easily heard worship message cuts through the sea of hard rock guitars and drum fills courtesy of Palacios’ mixing adeptness. “I will seek You / I will find You / I will follow what I know is true / I will seek You / Like I used to / I will worship You”.

“Till Everything I Do” is the closest Jekyll and Hyde comes to a ballad with its acoustic guitars and a tempo actually below 150 beats per minute. This single break in the non-stop intensity gives us a look at the heart of Petra in this introspective song of even more praise to their God. “One by one You chip away at the edges of my heart / Till You see the hardness and the willfulness depart”. John Schlitt sings of the universal themes: pride, righteous living, and a desire to “grow closer to the image You intended for me”. At just over three minutes, the only complaint I really have is that the song is too short.

While much of the album’s lyrics are simplistic in form and cliché in presentation, they’re true to the Petra legacy. That’s part of what Petra fans have come to love and enjoy listening to. There’s nothing difficult to understand, nothing vague or ambiguous about these songs. They’re out front just like Petra has always been. Fans of the late 80’s and early 90’s Petra records such as “This Means War”, “Beyond Belief”, and “Unseen Power” will enjoy this album, as their last full-length release and as a return to the Petra they grew up with (Petra officially announced their retirement in 2005) . While Jekyll and Hyde may not rank amongst the greatest accomplishments of the 33 year career of the band, it would be an understatement to say that with the help of a few Aussie friends, Petra went out with a bang.

Bazooka-Joe made it so at 9:41 AM

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Monday, August 01, 2005

Music Review: Petra's "Jekyll & Hyde"

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