Customer Reviews

Hammer & Nail

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Whitecross' self titled debut (1987's "Whitecross), musically speaking, can be considered extraordinary. Almost every song is a Christian metal classic. In my opinion, the only keeping it from being an all time great is its poor production. 1988's "Hammer And Nail" cd marked a slight improvement in the production however musically speaking, it isn't nearly as consistent as the debut. That isn't to suggest that this cd is terrible. On the contrary, few of the songs are throwaway and in fact, there are one or two fresh ideas and a couple of excellent songs on this release. "Living On The Edge" qualifies as both a fresh idea and an excellent song. While many metal guitarists have played slide in their leads/solos, to my knowledge, prior to this song no one had used a slide based riff on a heavy metal song. "When The Walls Tumble Down" isn't bad but it's a downgrade from "Living On The Edge". "The Hammer And The Nail" is merely a "good" Rex Carroll guitar solo (obviously styled after Eddie Van Halen's "Cathedral" from the Van Halen's "Diver Down" cd). "Take It To The Limit" is a decent song but other than Rex's incredible lead guitar sound, there's nothing distinctive on which to grab hold. "Walk With Me" is the ballad on the CD and it's fine. Scott Wenzel cleans up his vocals nicely to support the music and message. "Because Of Jesus" is by far the cd's best song and in fact is one of the best in Whitecross' entire catalog. Lyrically and musically, everything on this track works. Both "When The Clock Strikes" and "Resist Him", while not bad when listening to the cd, are forgettable almost immediately after they end. "Living In A Lost World" is pretty good but nothing about it stands out from the rest of the "ok" to "decent" songs. The cd ends nicely with the up tempo song "Top Of The World". While the subject matter of Whitecross songs is serious in nature, the self titled debut is bursting with energy and an atmosphere of the band having a good time. That seems to be missing on this cd. The saving grace of this cd (outside of "Living On The Edge", "Because Of Jesus" and "Top Of The World) is that all of the songs have an excellent to great Rex Carroll guitar solo. So if the songs don't do much for you, all is not lost. Just fast forward to the solos.

Ahh, the Christian Metal version of Ratt. This cd in my opinion was their best. Rex Carroll (Guitarist) was origianlly with Firece Heart & then formed this band with vocalist (Scott Wenzel). If you do not have this cd in your collection, get it because it is a Christian Metal classic & they are back together again (www.whitecrossmusic.com). Best songs are: Living On The Edge, The Hammer & The Nail (Instrumental) & Living In A Lost World.

In my humble opinion, there are only 4 great Whitecross CD's - 1987, Hammer and Nail, Triumphant Return and In the Kingdom - Rex Carroll makes EVH look like a school boy. Being a guitarist myself, I see the influence that he had on Rex and Rex took it to the next level - great Christian songs and well thought out phrasing with his lead guitar work. Buy at Amazon.com - the only place you can find Whitecross CD's......

Whitecross is one great band Hammer & Nail is a great CD. If you like hair metal you will love this what more can I write about this group that other reviewers have already wrote. I hope everyone finds jesus and let him into your heart. Thats why I think this type of music is great young or old, if you like metal, hair or guitar rock you will get the message. God bless and have a great day!!! Remember When the walls tumble down that's when your new life will begin, so please not for me but for you. If your wall is still up and your heart is cold as ice tear down the walls.

Whitecross's second album "Hammer & Nail" sounded at first a little bit simple but after listening to it seven times it proved to be quite a good album. Although not as good as their self-titled debut - this album has such great "hits" as "When the Clock Strikes", "Because of Jesus", "Living on the Edge" and the slow one "Walk With Me". The instrumental one "The Hammer And the Nail" is also a great track. However, "Living in a Lost World" and "Top of the World" seem to be still unopened for me.
Stars: When the Clock Strikes, Walk With Me, Because of Jesus

1988's Hammer & Nail was the second release from Christian rockers Whitecross. If you're not familiar with the band's music, they're essentially the Christian equivalent of Ratt. From Rex Carroll's guitar licks right down to Scott Wenzel's dead-on Stephen Pearcy imitation, Hammer & Nail is the Sunday School version of Dancing Undercover.

This lack of originality makes it hard to appreciate the band's music, which is actually pretty decent. Instead, Whitecross's following is owed almost entirely to their Christian message, which isn't watered down in the slightest (as was the case with crossover stars Stryper). The band's obvious dedication to their faith and considerable musical chops earned them a dedicated fanbase, but it's one that includes relatively few nonbelievers.

If you're already a Whitecross fan, you don't need me to convince you to buy this album. If you're coming at Hammer & Nail from a "Sure it's Christian, but if it's good 80's rock who cares?" point of view, you probably aren't going to get much out of this album. Chances are you already own a Ratt album or two anyway. You're better off checking out bands like Guardian or Barren Cross that don't wield their faith like a blunt instrument.