Artist: Deliveance 
   Title: As Above  - So Below
   Label: Retroactive Records

‘As Above- So Below’ is the 13^th album from Christian Metallers Deliverance and the bands heaviest to date with thrashing anthems and power driven almost anarchic displays of Metal that the likes of Slayer and Metallica would give their eye-teeth for but with a more progressive edge.

With the mighty vocals of Jimmy Brown leading the way for the rampaging guitar work of Mike Phillips, the thunderous back beat of Tim Kronyak on bass and Mike Reed on drums, this quartet will put the fear of god into any man with this most anticipated release.

The album opens up with the massive intro ‘Legum Servi Sumus Ut Liberi Esse Possimus’ before the rampage begins with ‘Cause and Effect’, it's full blown metal assault mixes the thrash elements of the Bayside scene with the more European Metal mind set and together they seem to work well, I think mainly due to Brown's ability to mix different vocal styles at ease.

Things continue along the heavy path with ‘Return To Form’, again it’s the mix of flamboyant guitars from Phillips that gets things underway before Brown reaches deep down for a darker more intense vocal performance.

It's time for the more traditional stylings of the Power Metal genre with the title track ‘As Above – So Below’, this one isn’t as intense as the previous tracks which gives Phillips the opportunity to show what a fine guitar player his is, as he abandons speed for grace.

‘Screaming’ again is more along the Power Metal style of things, a more deliberate even Scandinavian feel to this one, with Phillips once again lighting the way with some great fret-work while the backbone of the band the rhythm section of Kronyak and Reed lay down a formidable back beat.

The tempo is picked up again with the metal rampage that is ‘Should We Cross Paths’ and continues with ‘Contempt’ before slowing down once again for the instrumental ‘Thistles’, then it all guns blazing for the Metal love song ‘My Love’.

The album closes with ‘Enlightened’, my personal favourite track as it has all the elements combined to make a great metal song.  Great vocals, a pummelling bass and drum beat and slick guitar work, which when combined well bring out the metalhead in me, great stuff.

This is a must for fans of Deliverance and anyone who partakes in a little down-right full on Heavy Metal.

Tracklisting:

1 Legum Servi Sumus Ut Liberi Esse Possimus
2 Cause & Effect
3 Return To Form
4 As Above - So Below
5 Screaming
6 Should We Cross Paths
7 Contempt
8 Thistles
9 My Love
10 Enlightened

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