As Christian rock came of age in the 1980s, hair band Petra became one of the industry's first definitively successful groups. Their name means rock, and they brought the sonic edge of mainstream hard rock into the nascent Christian music industry. For this article, we look back at three of their landmark albums celebrating milestone anniversaries this year, which also work together to help us chart an evolution of their sound through the years.
More Power To Ya (1982)
In 1982, Petra had been making music for nearly a decade. Singer Greg Volz had only been the lead vocalist since 1979. The popular Petra project More Power To Ya was Greg's third album on vocals. In the '80s and before, bands and musicians released albums on a regular basis. Unlike the 2020s, where singles and EPs have become the norm.
More Power To Ya came after the band scored their biggest hit yet, "The Coloring Song," on their previous album. So, the pressure to build on that success was high. Hindsight shows that the band met that challenge, as this album is fondly remembered among the top tier of the band's prolific collection.
Rock anthems like "Judas' Kiss" and "Second Wind" are legit Petra classics. Balancing catchy choruses with gritty riffs, the band reminds us on these tracks that they are a rock band. But even rock bands know how to slow it down with a beautiful ballad, and the title track feels that roll here in iconic fashion.
"Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows" is the best song on this album. It has a slow-building structure that starts with a rather haunting acoustic guitar riff, which builds into a more full-fledged rock sound. Thematically, this song boasts some heft, speaking directly to the members of the Church who don't let their faith go beyond the four walls of their church building.
More Power To Ya turns a whopping 40 years old in 2022.
This Means War (1987)
The 1987 album This Means War was the second release with artist John Schlitt as lead singer. John took over vocal duties from Greg Volz a year before, in 1986. John's first album as lead vocalist, Back to the Streets, saw an immediate swing in the band's sound. The album also cemented Petra's new direction. The band was now firmly planted in the arena rock realm, with John's powerful vocals driving the band's anthemic sound to new heights.
Songs like the title track and "Dead Reckoning" hammered home the rocking roots with some of the heaviest cuts to come from the band yet. "He Came, He Saw, He Conquered" is a rocking Easter classic, while the band's love for a good ballad was on full display in songs like "I Am Available."
While the album screams '80s rock in retrospect, the album brought the band into the popular rock sounds of the time. But instead of just some of the empty musings on broken relationships populating secular radio, Petra gave listeners a bold, direct, and unabashed Biblical worldview.
This album defined the band's spiritual warfare themes. The title track brings a rebuke directly to the enemy, while songs like "Get On Your Knees and Fight Like A Man" point to the true source of strength in times of trouble. While some of the boldness may come off as cheesy to today's audiences, its frankness is also refreshing in its unambiguity.
This Means War turns 35 years old in 2022.
Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus (1997)
Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus was the first Petra album I remember hearing growing up. It was released just before the band finished their initial run. Brothers John and Dino Elefante produced most of Petra's output of the 1990s (their production hallmarks are all over this album).
Petra dropped their first praise album several years earlier. And it was a decidedly more rocking approach than this more laid-back offering. However, compared to the current megachurch influence of the increasingly dominating genre of worship music, this praise music comes off as quite dynamic in approach.
Perhaps the best-known cut from Petra Praise 2 is the band's energetic cover of "Lord, I Lift Your Name On High," a soaring high point that saw the band's rock style peeking through in sound. "Ancient of Days" follows a similar energetic worship pattern.
But this album offered several slower worship cuts like the haunting "Let Our Voices Rise Like Incense," the soothing "I Love You Lord" or the emotive "Lovely Lord." The album finishes with a stirring cover of the Elefante-penned "We Need Jesus." The album shows us some interesting sonic developments of the worship music genre that we see today.
Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus turns 25 years old in 2022.
Overall, as these classic albums turn 40, 35, and 25 years old respectively, we get to see one of Christian rock's most iconic bands go through several different sounds. While Petra may not be quite as relevant to today's generation of Christian music fans, their career and contribution to Christian music are undeniable and their influence can still be felt to this day.
J.J. Francesco is a long-time contributor to the NRT Staff. He's published the novel 'Because of Austin' and regularly seeks new ways to engage faith, life, and community. He is currently working on releasing a brand new novel.
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