Customer Reviews

God Fixation

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One of the most dangerous things you can do is criticize a craftsman who takes great pride in his craft. "Gulp" - here goes.

I have been a Petra fan since "More Power To Ya" (1982). I have even purchased the albums prior to that, and have all the studio (non "best-of") collections since then (except "Double Take"). My opinion is that the strongest efforts came between 1988 and 1993 ("On Fire", "Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out", "Beyond Belief", "Unseen Power", and "Wake-up Call"). The band has changed drastically since then a couple of times, and the present line-up is the umpteenth "new" band in several years. No offense, but that takes a toll on the quality of music released.

Gone is the full-time creative genius of Bob Hartman. He still plays on the albums and contributes songs, but his efforts are limited now. Also gone are the musical wizardry of John Lawry (keyboards) and adept writing skills of Ronnie Cates (bass). Even Jim Cooper's (more keyboards) and David Lichens' (more guitars) talents have moved on to other directions. Hopefully, the new nucleus of Pete Orta, Lonnie Chapin, and Kevin Brandow will gel with John Schlitt and Louie Weaver to produce the quality of music Petra fans have come to love during the past three decades (not just years).

What these guys need to do is to rock. Fulfill your potential! Let go of the reigns that hold you down to the level of a pop outfit. Kick loose the straps that bind you and allow the aggressiveness of distorted guitars, the energy of thumping basses and drums, and the uninhibited sounds of imaginative keyboards return to the Petra sound. John Schlitt's voice can handle it. Shucks, he's been singing hard rock for what? ... 30 years?

All sarcasm aside, "God Fixation" is a decent pop/rock album. The song writing is good although a little more attention to melody can be gained by the next new release. The lyrics, again, point to the Father and do a great justice to encourage us to relate with God. What we need are more straight-ahead rockers like "A Matter of Time", playful guitars ("St. Augustine's Pears"), and up-tempo energy ("God Fixation").

Petra still ranks as a solidly popular rock-n-roll outfit. Parents, they are safe for your kids. In fact, I believe they still have a heart for youth which may explain some of their experimentation with styles recently. Unfortunately, Petra needs to get a little bit more aggressive because groups like Third Day, Audio Adrenaline, and P.O.D. (who are all good Christian bands too) are setting the style standards right now. By-the-way Petra, don't try rap-core!

Yeah, better than Petra Praise 2 and Double Take, but not better than those older late 80's and early 90's albums. The songs on here were great though. I LOVEEEEEEEED "A Matter of Time" (which totally ROCKED! TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS HERE). But I wish there were more hard rocking songs. But Petra is good, they can adapt to any kind of music and do a pretty good job at it. I did expect more, though. But one CLASSIC song on here (written all by Bob Hartman, of course) is "St. Augustine's Pears". Man that song starts off awesome and it's so cool. The last song was pretty good (Invitation). It's what you should expect from 1998 bands. Anyway, if you are one of those people that LOVE the rock they used to have, don't worry, they aren't done for yet. If you think DOUBLE TAKE was their last effort, just wait til what John Schlitt has promised to be the "ROCKER"! ....Which they are working on right now! I know you can't wait, this one is gonna bring them back,I tell ya!

Quite frankly, when I first dropped the cd in my player and turned the volume up, I was wondering who kidnapped my favorite band? I've got all the Petra albums, and have been a huge fan since 1983. Yet here was something I wasn't ready for: Petra - Unplugged! But, I have my standards, and I gave it my usual 7 listens before passing judgement. The result? One of their best! Yeah it doesn't rock your brains out, but they've put out plenty in the last few years to do that. This album does something totally new: It grows on you! The more you listen, the more you can't stop relistening! If you like anything old or new of Petra (even going back to the early days) go buy this one! I predict it will become an underground classic.

"God Fixation" is probably the lightest, most pop rock sounding album that I've ever heard by Petra. Like every other Petra album I have listened to, though, it gets better with each listen. Initially I was turned off by the restraint of John Schlitt's voice as he sang tunes like "If I Had To Die For Someone" and "Magnet Of The World." I wanted to reach into my stereo and tell Schlitt to start wailing away on most of the songs on this album. After a few more listens, however, I actually began to appreciate the fact that Schlitt didn't kick up his vocals.

All but one song on this album is of the light rock genre. Pretty much all of these tunes would fit in comfortably on an AC radio station. If you like your Petra with more of a punch, skip directly to "Matter Of Time," which is the heaviest tune on here. Other than that, this is one mellow disc.

The lyrics are fairly strong and there's absolutely no denying what Petra is singing about: God. More than any other Christian rock band out there, Petra never hesitated to speak the name of Jesus in their songs. Give a nod to Bob Hartman for that. His guitar work takes a back step (and he isn't featured in any of the band photos in the liner notes), but his songwriting abilities are still strong on this album.

Overall, this isn't my favorite Petra album. However, I still enjoy to listen to it every now and then. Personal favorites include "Matter Of Time," "Hello Again," and "Shadow Of A Doubt." I recommend this disc primarily to loyal Petra fans who are accustomed to the various line-up changes they've had over the years and fans of light rock.

So yea, you got the new guys joining the band but then again thats nothing new in the Petra Ministry. This is Pete Orta's and Kevin Brandow's first album with PETRA, some people think that this is also Lonnie Chapin's (from Oregon) first album but he joined the band in 96 and did work on Praise 2. I bought GOD FIXATION the very day it came out, I had the chance to see the new guys about 6 months before and I couldnt wait to hear these guys on a CD. This album had to grow on me because it was very different from other PETRA albums, I would call this album a so-called acoustic performance. But now I have had the album for 2 years and I listen to it all the time, its one of the best PETRA albums out there. Matchbox 20sh IF I HAD TO DIE FOR SOMEONE is just beautiful, the acoustic guitar work on here is amazing. HELLO AGAIN has a very catchy beat to it, and it reminds me of what we have to look forward to in the future. OVER THE HORIZON has a small taste of the 95 radio hit NO DOUBT, but this song has more electric guitar work and a better vocal performance from John Schlitt. And GOD FIXATION also has a small taste of the 95 rock hit RIGHT PLACE, Lonnie Chapin does some excellent bass guitar work. The only song I dont like on here is SHADOW OF A DOUBT because the beat is just to fast for a slow song, but other then that all the other songs are wonderful. And if you didnt know, this album received a GRAMMY NOMINATION.

Petra's a great band that knows how to put rockin' albums. This is not surprise since they've been doing so for almost 25 years, longer than I've been around!! God Fixation is no exception, although it's not as good IMO as their last 4 regular albums (from Beyond Belief to No Doubt). The important part, though, is that they still keep God's message in their songs, and if you don't believe me, read the lyrics, it's in there...KEEP ON ROCKIN' PETRA!!!!!!!

Petra never cease to amaze me by how they change the sound on every record they produce. And these songs are as good as Bob's first highest on Wake Up Call. The choruses on this album though are some of the most in your face that he has ever done and I love these kind of songs. John Schlitt is still in very good form, although probably not as high as i thought he would be but still awesome! The songs on this album are all so differnt in sound. That is why I love the album so much. None of the songs sound like each other which is brilliant! THIS ALBUM HAS INSIGHT, PASSION, BEATY AND SINGABLE SONGS THAT WILL MAKE YOU THINK FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE. My fav song is "Shadow Of A Doubt", my second favourite petra song ever.

This is by far their best album since the core players that gave us "Fired Up" through "Wake Up Call" left. Hartman seems more focused as a song writer and gives us some inspired messages to take to heart.

Though we would see more personnel changes after this album, Hartman writing, Weaver setting the time and Schlitt belting out the songs like only he can, have helped to keep the Petra boat on course through all the changes in direction.

This record is not the hard rock of yesterday... BUT it fits in great with the New sounds of today. Their message has always been key and just because they slow down a bit means nothing. This record is great!

Just because the sound changes doesn't mean that the message changes. The sound is more of a 90's type thing in what I guess is an attempt to attract more college students and teenagers to the ranks of Petra fans. "If I Had to Die For Someone" is one of the best songs on the CD. The new sound will not pound your brains out like Beyond Belief, but it will grow on you as you listen to the CD.