HAVEN: Age Of Darknes (re-release) CD

1991's Age of Darkness is the second (and final) album from Christian metallers Haven. Before you conjure up images of Stryper, you'd do well to give this one a chance. Where a band like Barren Cross drew its influences from Dio and Iron Maiden, Haven's sound owes more to a certain Seattle sound (no, not that one). I'm talking about bands like Queensryche, Fifth Angel, and Metal Church.

Age of Darkness is a very impressive traditional/power metal album, full of great melodies, shredding guitars, and a Geoff Tate-inspired vocal style. There are a couple instances of Dokken-style balladeering, but for the most part this is a fast paced power metal album that should please fans of Apocrypha, Powersurge, Crimson Glory, and any of the bands mentioned earlier. Haven is a Christian band, but they're not overly "churchy" with their lyrics, so Age of Darkness shouldn't alienate the average metal fan. Believe me; this one's much more likely to induce headbanging than Bible-thumping!

This is the RARE 2005 version with bonus tracks!