THE DEVIL MADE THEM DO IT! OK, so what you have here is a chance to download the latest, and best album by the christian AORsters, Cry Holy. But how did we get here? I'll tell you how - hard work, that's how! Cry Holy have plied their trade all over the United States, from playing live all over Seattle to their label on the east coast. Why? Because they believe, that's why. From their humble beginnings as Sahara Rain, through to the present day, Cry Holy have never wavered in the belief of their music. When I first came across this band in 2001 they were unsigned and trying their hardest to gain as much recognition as they could via their simply titled "Ten From Two" CDR. As the title sugests it was a combination of tracks from two independently released cassettes from a year or two back. Alongside Steelwind, they were one of the strongest christian bands around at that moment. For a demo the level of recording was of a very high quality, with songs like "History", "Masquerade Ball"' and "Turnin' Around" being the pick of a very good bunch. The subsequent attention that the CDR drew garnered them a deal with the European label - AOR Heaven, and "Ten From Two" was released professionally. What "Ten From Two" actually did was give them a platform to launch themselves, and launch themselves they did, in considerable style. Signing with Metal Mayhem Music, Cry Holy released their second album "Alienation" and caught the rock press off guard. It saw them in fine form, delivering their brand of AOR in a very slick and polished fashion, it was head and shoulders above "Ten From Two". A strong blend of harmonies, keyboards and guitars, all coupled with the majestic vocals of Randy Loran (Steve Perry, or what!), went into making this one of the best Christian rock albums of the last five years. Take a listen to the awesome "Shine", or the breathtaking "Strangers To This World" and marvel at the stunning "I Wanna Be Free" and if they aren't good enough for ya, then how about the pomp-rock masterpiece that is "Masquerade Ball", pure Red Dawn, and then some! Which brings us to the present day and the re-release of "Alienation". So why a re-release? Well, due to the album not getting a release in Europe (In 2004 a deal was signed, but it never materialised) the album was not allowed to be exported over to these shores. With the demise of the said label, the contracts ceased to exist and only now can the album be released worldwide, on the internet, in all of its glory. With that in mind, and as a stop-gap between albums, Cry Holy have bypassed the indie lables to bring you this reissue. This is the all-singing, all-dancing version that has been remastered (by J.K. Northrup), contains bonus tracks, four videos which can be seen on their new myspace page, and a radio interview. What all of these extras do is enhance an already great album, to that of an exceptional one. So there you have it, an uplifting album, from a truly gifted set of musicians who can hold their heads up high and rightly take their place next to the likes of Petra, White Heart, Mass and Stryper as the cream of christian AOR. When Mike Maxwell first sent me that CDR he appologised, and I quote "Sorry it's not fancier with lyrics and pictures and stuff". Well Mike, I think you've redeemed yourself with this release, and redeemed yourself in style. In Cry Holy, we have a very gifted AOR band, long may they reign! ROB (667....The Neighbour of The Priest) EVANS. POWERPLAY MAGAZINE - CHESTER U.K, APRIL 2007.

 

Check out our new myspace page at myspace.com/cryholyband