KEVIN PIKE "Guitar Graffiti"

 

(c)2022 Roxx Records

1. Note Shaker
2. Guitar Graffiti
3. Ode To The King
4. Gracias Ken
5. Opus

Kevin Pike--Lead, Rhythm Guitars

Timothy Gaines--Bass

Arnaud Krakowa--Drums

Instrumental music, especially in hard rock and metal, is an interesting beast.  Sometimes, with guys like Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani, etc., the music says everything.  Really, what words could you possibly put to "Surfing With The Alien"?  But other times, the music may be fast and aggressive, but it is definitely missing something.  And that something can be so hard to pin down, but you know that it isn't there when you hear it.  For me, without lyrics, most music...well, it fails to really grab me, to be honest.  Oh, sure, there are records that grabbed me instantly.  Marty Friedman's Dragon's Kiss did that the very first time I heard it, followed by what he and Jason Becker did with Speed Metal Symphony.  Mark Wood and his speed metal electric violin completely captures my attention and imagination on Voodoo Violince.  And, in the 80s. shred metal was everywhere, especially on labels like Shrapnel Records, which pretty much cornered the market on this highly technical, typically blazing fast style of guitar playing, and I owned just about everything Shrapnel released.  Eventually, Christian metal adopted the shred metal style, with Jeff Scheetz's Woodpecker Stomp probably the most famous example of a Christian artist releasing a lyric-less album that left me slack-jawed (and the man is an incredibly nice guy to meet, as well!).  But, like so many other trends, shred fell out of favor when grunge, and later extreme metal and metalcore, moved away from the highly technical style of playing, and in many cases, moved away from any time of soloing in favor of aggressive breakdowns or short, violent guitar bursts.  So, when I first learned that Roxx Records was releasing a new shred album I have to admit I was intrigued, and a bit leery, about what would come of the project.

Kevin Pike is the long-time guitar player for 80s/90s Christian metal band, Arsenal.  While that band is noted for playing the melodic hard rock and hair metal style of the time, Guitar Graffiti is definitely not of the same ilk.  Yes, it is still high energy, hard rocking music, but this EP features a style that allows Pike to really flash his stylistic flair in a genre that really has little in the way of musical constraints.  If your heart and mind can feel it, and your fingers can do it, go for it!

The EP kicks off with "Note Shaker", a short introduction to the project complete with the sound effects of a can of spray paint being shaken at various points throughout the minute-long track, adding to the album's title of Guitar Graffiti.  No other instruments are present as Pike makes a few sweeping runs up and down the fretboard here in what amounts to a warm-up for Kevin as he sets himself up to unleash far more on the following four cuts.

The EP's title track is up next, and this time Timothy Gaines (ex-Stryper) joins the adventure on bass, with his instrument being given a full voice as it helps to lay the musical foundation for Pike to scream across.  Definitely keeping a melodic sensibility throughout the track, Pike alternates between a smooth, melodic flow, and a more frantic, aggressive playing style that features some excellent tapping work and high-speed runs.  Rather than take my word for the insane amount of talent on display here, check out this teaser video for the track.

 

"Ode To The King" is my favorite of the songs here, as it is an exquisite piece of mid-tempo melodic metal that Pike is really able to pour his emotion into.  I particularly like the section at about the 2:30 mark, where Pike's guitar takes on the role of the vocalist, seemingly "singing" to the listener in a haunting voice that begs to be heard, with Gaines' bass propping him up.  For those who want flashes of staccato playing, the section at the 3:10 mark, or thereabouts, should definitely be of interest to you, as Pike's fingers are flying by this point, only to gather themselves back in and return to the plaintive, emotional call from earlier in the song, before coming to a powerful close.  Love this song, and I have hit repeat on this track multiple times.

"Gracias, Ken" is, as you may imagine, a Spanish-styled guitar song that is expertly played on a nylon-stringed guitar.  Just Kevin and his guitar again, this is a great addition to the EP.  The acoustic Spanish guitar is one of my favorite instruments to hear outside of the metal world, yet it is an instrument that is pretty easy to sound "amateurish" on, as a lot of players lack the fluidity and nimbleness to move from note to note in rapid succession on such an unforgiveable instrument.  Pike's playing here is amazingly clean, with no string squeaks or missed notes, which is always amazing to my ear, as I have watched incredibly talented players struggle with this type of high-speed playing on this beautiful instrument.  I have always been a sucker for playing such as this, and I find myself repeating the introduction to the movie Desperado numerous times, just to hear the music!  Pike's performance here is top-notch, and I would love to hear him do more of this type of music.

The EP closes with "Opus", three and a half minutes of high speed shred metal of the first degree.  Pike's guitar kicks things off with a furious scale run, spitting out notes in rapid-fire fashion.  Not to be outdone, Krakowa's drums come sprinting in at a frantic pace, challenging Pike to keep up with them as they thunder along.  For the first stretch of the song, the drums seem to be winning the race as Pike merely layers a series of stretched notes across the rhythmic pattern, effortlessly establishing the melody line of the song as it goes.  Soon enough, his guitar starts to flutter and flurry at a speed that the drums seemingly can't even keep up with, scorching their way at a break-neck pace atop Gaines' bounding bass line, swerving this way and that, sinking, climbing, twisting, and turning.  With mere seconds to go in the race, the drums stop, a single bass note from Gaines is struck, and Pike's guitar emerges the winner, bringing the song...and the EP...to a screaming halt!   

Now, THAT was a lot of fun!

Limited to just 300 units being pressed, if you are a fan of instrumental rock and metal, do not miss out on your chance to snag this!  Order your own copy from Roxx Records today (I already did!)

Rating:  Crankable, if you can keep up!  Crank this to an all-too-short 8!

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JUDEA "Out Of The Dark: The Lost Sessions"

 

(c) 2022 Roxx Productions

       Lost Pakaderm Sessions 1986

1. Heart of Stone
2. Knock
3. Turning Away
4. The Wanderer

       Final Pakaderm Session 1987

       5. Over and Done

       Demo 1985

       6. City of Gold

       7. Wanderer

        California Session 1991

        8. Don't Take Away

        Demo 2006

        9. Jaded

        Judea 2.0

        10. Not Forgotten

        11. Purple Haze

        California Metal II (1988)

        12. Heart of Stone

        13. Knock

Randall Drew Smith--Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals(All Tracks)

Norman Stevens--Guitars, Backing Vocals (1-7, 12, 13)

Dan Henry--Bass, Backing Vocals (1-7, 12, 13)

Steve Lamb--Drums (1-7, 12, 13)

Additional Musicians

John Elefante--Backing Vocals (1-4, 12, 13)

Amanda Stevens--Backing Vocals (5)

Considering Judea never made it past the demo stage...albeit the VERY professional (as in full studio) demo stage...there is a lot to unpack for this highly talented, extremely overlooked, and sadly, somewhat forgotten band.  Roxx Records has, once again, done an excellent job of pulling together as much quality material as possible to present this career retrospective of this melodic hard rock band.

Originally starting out in Oklahoma, drummer and founder, Steve Lamb, took the band on the road to see what the bright lights of LA held for him and the boys.  The cousin of Michael and Robert Sweet of Stryper, Lamb had seen that there was the opportunity, even if it was small, for a Christian metal band to succeed, so the band decided to take a chance.  Wanting to put their very best foot forward, Judea made arrangements to have their first truly professional demo recorded at Pakaderm Records' Studios, and quickly grabbed the attention of John and Dino Elefante, owners of the label and producers extraordinaire.  What resulted from those recording sessions makes up the first five cuts on this retrospective, and to a large degree, the final two cuts as well.

The first four tracks here were all recorded in 1986, with the first two being the songs that eventually found their way onto the California Metal II release, alongside bands such as Recon, Emerald, Soldier, and others.  Fans of the 1980s Christian metal scene have no doubt heard both "Heart of Stone" and "Knock", and are well aware of the strength of these two highly polished, melodic rockers.  "Heart of Stone" features an excellent melodic guitar solo, some excellent layered backing vocals, and a strong mid-tempo structure that really should have garnered a lot more attention from people who love what bands such as Dokken were doing at the time.  Lamb's drum work is powerful throughout the demo, but especially hard-hitting on "Heart...", and the mid-range vocals of Randall Drew Smith worked perfectly on a track such as this, standing out from the pack as he was not trying to unleash high-pitched screams or use massive amounts of falsetto.  "Knock", the other track that made it to California Metal II, is a punchier rock track with a strong bass presence from Dan Henry, more thunderous drum work from Lamb, and those killer backing vocals!  I am not sure who provided the supporting keyboard work on this track, but my guess is John Elefante, who also supplied backing vocals to what I think is one of the catchiest tracks of the entire 1980s Christian metal scene, period.  I have ALWAYS loved this song, and to hear it in this professional demo stage is a real treat!  Not enough can be said about how well-written this track is, especially the structure of that chorus, and the way the BGVs are layered is very much in the vein of what we will later hear from Pakaderm bands such as Mastedon and Halo.  Love, love, love this song!   

What people may not realize is these songs were not the only tracks Judea recorded while at Pakaderm, largely because very few people ever managed to get hold of the entire demo.  In fact, I'm not 100% sure it was ever packaged in such a way that fans could buy it out of Heaven's Metal magazine or anywhere else.  I know I have never owned it, and I own a lot of demos from those days.  Regardless, "Turning Away" starts off as another mid-tempo number, lumbering along with a guitar tone on the opening few riffs that will remind people of something Iron Maiden might have done.  Once the verse sections kick in, however, the tempo picks up and we are treated to a pretty straight-forward hard rock track with some tight rhythm guitar work from Norman Stevens, who also supplies a solid solo here, as well.  Once again, some supporting keyboard work can be heard in the background, and there is a nice tempo change coming out of another beautifully layered chorus section that leads into the solo I mentioned a moment ago.  There was definitely a lot of talent in this band.  "The Wanderer" is a drack that appears twice on this package, and is actually one of the songs that travelled from Oklahoma to LA with the band.  A keyboard/synth intro opens this song, soon accompanied by Lamb's drums and Henry's bass, with Smith's vocals joining shortly.  Unlike the rest of the songs here, we really don't get any guitar until about the 1:45 mark of this ballad-esque track that never really sweeps into "power ballad" territory...and really, this song was recorded a couple of years before what we now know as the power ballad came into vogue.  Again, there is some strong song writing and structuring on this song that I think could have ended up being a pretty big song for Judea had it received that final production polish before being dropped onto an album.

Track 5 is a great hard rocker, very much in the vein of the more uptempo stuff melodic rockers like Dokken were putting out at this point.  The guitar work is top notch, the vocals are powerful, the drums nice and tight...there was just no audience.  Lamb has indicated to me that they just had a hard time getting their music heard with the way the LA club scene was structured back in the mid-to-late-80s, otherwise we might be listening to "Over And Done" on a Greatest Hits package, rather than on a career retrospective compilation.      

Tracks 6 and 7 were songs that the band had put together before departing Oklahoma, and while they don't have quite the polish the Pakaderm tracks do, they are definitely of solid quality and show that the foundation for the band was already firmly in place.  The version of "The Wanderer" from this demo is largely the same as far as tempo and approach, although the difference in production values is night and day, as is to be expected.  I like hearing this version, however, as it shows that the band wasn't simply a studio product; these guys had the chops and the songwriting talent to make the jump that they chose to make, and it really shows on the two tracks from Soonerville (that's Norman, OK, for those of you not in touch with the college sports world).  "City of Gold" is only found on this demo, and I wonder why the band chose to discard it from the Pakaderm recordings, as I think it is an excellent hard rocking track that had the potential to fit in nicely with the other songs they had fully worked up.  Starting off with some wind sound effects, "City of Gold" is pretty stark at the beginning, just Smith's vocals and the drums and percussion from Lamb, before the whole band kicks in at about the 1:10 mark.  Obviously of lower quality than the Pakaderm tracks on this set, this is still very listenable and shows a band that was coming into their own and likely dominated their local scene in Oklahoma.  I really wish we had been given a full-production version of this track; perhaps someday we will get the chance to hear it fully worked up.    

Track 9, "Don't Take Away" was kind of a last gasp for the band before shutting things down for several years, although I am not completely sure who is playing at this time.  I am almost positive Lamb is not drumming here, as I believe he had already made the decision to move on from the band for family reasons.  None of the song's co-writers show up in the credits as being musicians, so I really don't know who comprises Judea at this time.  Regardless, "Don't Take Away" is a high-quality sounding demo track...not of the Pakaderm quality, but it sounds to be professionally done...and the track is more of a bluesy hard rock track than the polished melodic rock Judea was recording just a half-dozen years prior.  Led Zeppelin is definitely felt in the way this song is delivered, especially in the stark songwriting structure and Smith's vocals, which take on a Robert Plant yowl quality on the chorus sections.  This anti-suicide track has some strong lyrics, and I find myself really appreciating what the band is working at here musically.  I would put this song in the top four or five songs on this package, no question, and again, I think full studio production would have made a huge difference in the final product here.

Fast forward 15 years, and in 2006, a new demo surfaced with a song called "Jaded".  With presumably only Randall is still in the band at this point (it was recorded in RDS Production Studio), and considering more than 20 years had passed since that 1985 demo and there had been a lot of changes in technology, it is not surprising that the sound is not at all classic Judea.  In fact, this song shares a lot more with "Don't Take Away" than it does a song like "Knock" or "Heart of Stone", but there is also an undeniable modern rock quality about the song.  The guitar work here is excellent, honestly, and I love the solo, although it is far too short.  I wish I knew who was playing and maybe the story behind the why and how this is still called Judea, but even without that information this is still an enjoyable rocker.

Adding to some of my confusion about the band are the two songs included here from "Judea 2.0", which, again, is presumably Randall Drew Smith and a new band, as Lamb stated that he knew nothing about these songs and didn't play on them.  "Not Forgotten" is a gritty, classic rock-sounding track with a sludgy bass sound, a very sparse drum line, and a chunky rhythm guitar line that really hearkens back to the mid-70s hard rock scene. It fits quite well with "Purple Haze" (yes, THAT "Purple Haze"), which is a pretty faithful rendition of the classic rock standard from Hendrix and not some out of left field take on the track, a la Winger on their debut album.

The last two tracks here are the two songs most likely known by people who previously knew of the band.  The versions here are as they sounded on the Regency Records California Metal II release from 1988, and were the songs that were my introduction to this very talented band.  Polished up from the Pakaderm demos that start this package, there is a slickness to the tracks that was a big part of the era in which they were recorded, but I kind of think I like the rougher versions from Pakaderm Studio (if you can call anything the Elefantes touched "rough").  I do still love hearing these songs in this fashion, however, as I fondly recall playing both of the California Metal albums, as well as the related East Coast Metal album from back in the day.  Sadly, those compilation albums were the only exposure some of the bands ever really got, and the two songs from Judea were pretty much all anyone had heard from the band until Roxx Records put this package together, so they serve as the perfect way to round out this collection.

The total package here is absolutely top notch, from the remastering work done by Rob Colwell of Bombworks Studios, to the excellent booklet, which was laid out in great detail by Scott Waters from NoLifeTilMetal.  Lyrics to all of the bands' original songs are included, as are the lyrics to "Jaded", with writing and performance credits, thank yous, and a large number of band pictures, flyers, and live shots included.  As seems to generally be the case, Roxx Records has once again shown the industry how a retrospective anthology should be done.  Excellent stuff here!

Unfortunately, as Lamb pointed out in his interview here on PositiveRockReview, the scene became as much about the look as the sound, and Judea was never really able to overcome the "pay-to-play" live scene in LA.  It's easy to wonder what might have been, especially when so much evidence is laid out for wondering fans to feast their ears upon.  If you haven't done so yet, I strongly encourage fans of the 1980's Christian metal scene, or fans of mid-80s melodic metal in general, to check this CD out at Roxx Records.  I firmly believe you will not be disappointed.

Rating:  This is definitely a crankable package that I am very happy has come together in a great way!  Crank this to an excellent 8!

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ETERNAL RYTE "Anthology"

(C) 2007 Roxx Productions

 Disc 1

1. Tightrope Dancer
2. Requiem
3. Someone To Love
4. Say Hello
5. The Killer
6. Surrender
7. On The Line
8. You And Me
9. The King
10. No More Lies
11. Forever Free *
12. He's A Killer (Version 2) *
13. No More Lies *
14. No Place To Hide *
15. Stand Up *
16. King Of Kings *

(* 1987 Anthem demo)

Disc 2

1. Intro **
2. Armed For Action **
3. Fight For The Light **
4. He's A Killer (Version 1) **
5. Quiet Times **
6. Run For Your Life **
7. Winners Take All **
8. On The Line (live) ***
9. Fight For The Light (live) ***
10. Someone (live) ****
11. Requiem (live) ****
12. No More Lies (live) +
13. King Of Kings (live) +
14. Tightrope Dancer (live) +

(** 1986 unreleased demo, *** Live Metal Mardi Gras, **** Live 10/28/89, +Live Metal Meltdown)

Limited Edition DVD (only 100 copies made)

1. Fight For the Light (live)
2. King Of Kings (live)
3. No More Lies (live)
4. On The Line (live)
5. World Requiem (live)
6. Someone (live)
7. Tight Rope Dancer (live)

Phil St. Vincent--Vocals
Bobby Smith--Guitars
Fred Gustavson--Bass
Scott Ernest--Drums

Wow.... If there is ANYTHING out there from this band that is not included on this extremely comprehensive collection, I have no idea what it could be, as here we are treated to the band's 1988 full-length album, World Requiem (remastered, no less!), two different demos, and three sets of live material. Oh...and if you pre-ordered the set, you also got a limited edition DVD called A Long Time Comin'... that was limited to just the first 100 pre-orders! That is a lot of material to sort through, but it is a treasure trove for fans of this gone-too-soon Heavenly hair metal band from Southern California!

Musically, disc one is by far the superior disc of the two, which is understandable since it contains the band's only fully produced release in 1988's World Requiem. However, people who have the original Pure Metal release would likely tell you the production on that effort is very bad, even borderline terrible in places, as it is extremely thin sounding with virtually no bottom end. That problem has been rectified here, as this version has been remastered, giving the songs a much fuller, more complete sound. As a result, songs like "Tightrope Dancer", "The Killer", and "On The Line" are really given a chance to shine like they should have originally, and they rival the quality of much of what was coming out of the Sunset Strip scene at the time. "Surrender" is another top-notch rocker, and "You And Me" sounds somewhat Stryper-esque, especially in their Yellow And Black Attack era style. One of my favorite songs by the band, "Someone To Love", comes off even more powerfully now that the mix has been beefed up, and the gang vocals have even more punch to them. Of course, the fact that Bobby Smith is a top-notch guitar hero stands out to a much greater degree now that the production and mastering has been cleaned up, and I dare say he was every bit as good as his secular contemporaries on the Strip at this time. St. Vincent's lower-tenor register is strong, but I do wish he had a bit more upper range at times, as some of the songs would have benefitted from some upper range vocals. Do not mistake this for me saying that St. Vincent couldn't scream, however, as that is definitely not the case.

As far as the demo material goes, both demos are of above-average quality for demos. I already owned the Anthem demo, but the source tape for this one was of somewhat better quality than my played-to-death copy, and it is nice to have these songs in a cleaner-sounding form. There is not a ton of difference between the demo version of these songs and those that made it onto the World Requiem album, but there are subtle differences. One of the most noticable things is that St. Vincent has a grittier, harsher vocal approach, which I think really works well. "He's A Killer", which of course morphed into "The Killer", is a prime example of where St. Vincent's vocals are actually superior in demo form. There is a bit of a tape problem on "No More Lies" on the demo, but this is the only real demo issue here. On the unreleased demo, the songs are again fairly similar, if a bit crunchier. I had a bootleg version of this demo and it was not in very good shape, but I listened to it because it contained a couple of songs not found elsewhere. "Armed For Action" is my favorite of these, but "Quiet Times" and "Fight For The Light" are pretty good, as is "Run For Your Life", although all are a bit predictable in lyrical content.

The live material is a bit hit-or-miss, basically due to the quality of the source tapes. All show the skill and tightness of the band, but I'll let you sort out your favorites from the seven live cuts here.

As you can see from the picture, my copy is autographed as I had pre-ordered this album from Roxx when it was first being discussed. Additionally, I also received the limited edition DVD (#65/100), which features seven songs taken from a show the band did. The production on the DVD is excellent and the video quality is actually very good considering its age. While I generally am not a huge fan of "watching my music", this was a nice touch, especially for the collectors.

The only thing missing from this collection is the lyrics to the songs, which would have been a nice touch but would have also increased the size of the already-6-page insert considerably. As it stands now, numerous promo photos and poster pictures are included here, as are band thank-you's, a band history, and a write-up from Heaven's Metal writer, Jonathan Swank.

Roxx Productions really outdid themselves here and, in my opinion, set the standard for what a career retrospective should look like. Hopefully other labels that attempt to release smaller bands' material will take note and follow suit, as this is just an awesome collection to have.

Rating: I think it's unfair to rate an entire collection like this based just on sound quality, production, etc., as the history is a huge part of this package. As such, this collector's set is definitely a crankable 10, even if the music contained ranges from a 6 to an 8.5...

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LIVIN' OUT LOUD: Interview with STEVE LAMB of JUDEA

 Nearly 35 years ago, Regency Records released California Metal Volume II, a follow-up to their popular 1987 first volume.  While the first album featured more well-known Christian metal bands, such as Barren Cross, Guardian, Neon Cross, and Deliverance, a lot of up-and-coming bands were given the spotlight on volume two.  And while only Ransom, Recon, and Mastedon managed to secure proper label releases following that compilation, several others, including Emerald, Vision, and Soldier were also given a chance to shine.  For me, however, possibly the best of these unsigned bands was the seriously underappreciated Judea.  Now, thanks to our friends at Roxx Records, the world is getting a chance to hear what Regency Records heard when they asked Judea to be on the album.  Judea's founder and original drummer, Steve Lamb, was kind enough to talk to me about the band's past, their present, and if there is any kind of future for the band!

PRR:  Steve, thank you for taking the time to talk with me.  First, congratulations are in order as Judea recently saw its first official album release with our friends at Roxx Records.  That has to feel good, even if it was 35 plus years in the making!

Steve:  Thank you, Brother!  It was pretty cool!  It actually came out of the blue and happened fast!

PRR:  How long had it been since you had heard some of those songs?  There were several 35 year-old, unreleased, but fully produced, songs included in the package, and they sounded really good!

Steve:  Thanks for the kind words!  I heard “Knock” and “Heart of Stone” because those songs were on YouTube since they were on the California Metal II album.  “Wanderer”, “Turning Away”, and all the demos, I hadn’t heard those songs in years.

PRR:  So, some of those songs were from 1986, which means Judea was right there in the middle of things when metal was really blowing up.  How did Judea come together, and were you there from the start?

Steve:  Yeah, we were.  Judea formed in 1984, and I was the founding member on drums.I was in a band called Toxxin, and two members quit, which left me and the bass player, Jeff Castle.  I put an add out in the paper for a lead guitarist, and a dude named Norm Stevens, who had just hitchhiked from Florida, walked in where we were a house band and said he was there answering the ad.  He had a

Stryper Bible in his guitar case.  I am cousins with Michael and Robert Sweet, so we hit it off, and it went from there.

PRR:  Now, I’m guessing that based upon the name, Toxxin wasn’t a Christian band.  Was the plan for Judea to be Christian from the start?

Steve:  Toxxin was not a Christian band, no.  We were a cover band in a club.  Once we joined with Norm, we decided to become a Christian band after we started praying about it.  Funny enough, we were a three-piece instrumental band that just talked about Jesus until we got a singer!

PRR:  So, in 1984, were there any other Christian bands that you were aware of other than Stryper?  That pre-dates Holy Soldier and Guardian, right?  Eternal Ryte wasn’t a thing yet, were they? 

Steve:  There was Rez Band, Petra, Daniel Band…Barren Cross and Barnabas were big in the scene at that time.

PRR:  But not in LA, right? 

Steve:  At that time I wasn’t familiar with the LA scene yet, as Judea was still based in Oklahoma.

PRR:  So when did Judea make the move to California, and what prompted the move?

Steve:  We moved to Cali in 1987, with a new singer and bass player.  We had new material and were looking to see what could happen.  We were able to book some sessions at Pakaderm Studios and

Kansas singer, John Elefante, produced them.  That led us to being on the California Metal II album.

PRR:  Did Michael and Robert encourage the move, as they were blowing up big time in California?

Steve:  Judea opened up for Stryper in Oklahoma in 1985 on their “Soldiers Under Command Tour”.  That show did get us major attention, so there was some influence there.

PRR:  How old were you when you got to California?  What were your first impressions of that LA/Hollywood music scene?

Steve:  I was 22, and the LA scene was wild!  We went to all the big clubs to check out bands…the Whiskey, Gazzarri’s, the Troubadour…  Local bands had amazing support from their fans, at the time.  Of course, metal would be competing with grunge…Nirvana, Pearl Jam, etc.,…and we all know how that comes out!

PRR:  So, in 1987, Holy Soldier and Guardian were on the scene, correct?  Were there other Christian bands you can remember?  Surrender gets mentioned by a lot of people I talk to…

Steve:  Yes, they were.  In 1987 there was also Emerald, Ransom, Vision, Recon, X-Sinner, Soldier…a

lot more I can’t remember right now…

PRR:  Was the official lineup in place already, or did California bring about some shakeups?

Steve:  The lineup was in place.  We wrote “Knock” in my brother’s garage in the first two weeks we were there.

PRR:  How quickly were you able to start playing?  Do you remember where you first real show was, and who else played?

Steve:  It was at a club called Jezzebals.  It was a show to promote the release of the California Metal II album.  All the bands on the album performed. (California Metal II also featured Vision, Emerald, Recon, Soldier, Mastedon, and Ransom)

PRR:  So, you actually recorded California Metal II before you really got a chance to start playing out a lot?

Steve:  Actually, we didn’t go into a studio to record California Metal II.  We went to the studio to record the songs that we already had so that we could shop them to record labels.  While we were recording, Regency Records actually chose us to be on the album.

PRR:  Interesting!  Were you aware they were looking for bands for this new compilation?

Steve:  Not at all!

PRR:  So, how did you get involved with the Elefantes and Pakaderm Studios?  That’s where the demos were recorded, correct?

Steve:  We wanted to record at Pakaderm because it was the best studio at the time.  Once we started recording, John and Dino were behind us.

PRR:  So, you were pretty fortunate in that you had a recorded demo from a very well-known studio…did that help you get your foot in the door with some of the bigger clubs?

Steve:  No, it didn’t help a whole lot.  We played a few bigger clubs, and we did a showcase show for Enigma Records, the label Stryper was signed on.  They told us we had the sound, but a few in the band did not have “the look”.  At that time, look was more important than sound!  So, we disbanded not long after that. 

PRR:  How long did Judea try to keep things moving in LA?

Steve:  Well, I elected to leave after four or five shows.  It just wasn’t working.  I was the only one in the band with a family…I had two young daughters at that time.  The way it worked in LA, you had to buy tickets to your concert, then you tried to sell them to recoup that expense.  We simply didn’t have the following, and I worked long hours and was 40 miles away from rehearsals.  It just didn’t make sense for me to continue.  Even after I left, I think they did a few shows and that was it.

PRR:  Do you think Judea being an openly Christian band hurt the band’s potential for success in mid-80’s LA?

Steve:  No, not at all.  Look what Stryper did.  Sadly, as most bands in that era had “the sound”, a lot of bands sounded alike, so it became more about “the look”.  We had the sound, but only a few of us in the band had “the look”, at least according to labels.

PRR:  Was there ever any consideration of changing members?  Or did the whole situation just prove too much to overcome, especially with your family and work?

Steve:  No, we never considered it.  Hundreds of people told us if the original lineup had gone to California we would have gotten signed.  Our original singer actually went to Texas to audition for Pantera, and our original bass player was only 15 and was still in school. 

PRR:  Before you left, the band did record “Over And Done” at Pakaderm in 1987, and on the retrospective CD that just came out on Roxx Records, there was a 1991 demo, also.  Were you a part of that?

Steve:  I was part of the 1987, “Over And Done” track, yes.  The ’91 demo, no, and I don’t believe Norm was, either.

PRR:  What about the Judea 2.0, as it is referred to on the Roxx package?  Are you a part of that?

Steve:  No, and neither is the original guitar player.  A lot took place without our knowledge, which is all I care to say about that.  But, all is good with us.

PRR:  So after you left Judea, how did you get back into music?

In 1995, I replaced Robert Sweet in Titanic, and in 1997, me and my family moved back to Oklahoma, and our guitar player moved to Nashville.  In 1998, we formed a band, Normandy, and got signed to

Kalubone Records.

PRR:  How did you end up with the Titanic gig?  Did you do any recording with the band?  I loved Maiden Voyage, by the way!

Steve:  I hadn’t played drums in seven years.  One day, Robert Sweet showed up at my house and said “come out to my truck”.  In the back was a new set of drums.  He said God told him to bless me with them.  I played for a few weeks, and since Robert had obligations to King James and touring with them, he and Titanic’s lead singer showed up at my house with the Maiden Voyage CD ad asked if I could learn it in two weeks to replace Robert, and I said yes.  The lead guitar player lived in Vegas, and we had our first rehearsal.  After the first song, they decided to hire me.  We did some recordings at practice and at live shows, but I was just mainly there for touring.

PRR:  So, between the time you left Judea and when Robert brought up the Titanic gig, had you essentially given up music?

Steve: No, I never gave up on music, but at that point I had no time.  Two kids, raising a family, and working all the time.  Even back then, in California, rent was very expensive…everything was.  By the time I joined Titanic, I had a great flexible job making $100K, I had time, and I had the means to play.

PRR:  How did Normandy come about?  I honestly don’t think I’ve heard anything by the band, which is hard to believe with the way I digest music. (Laughter)

Steve:  In 1997, me and my family moved back to Oklahoma.  The guitar player from Judea and his wife moved to Nashville.  In ’98, they formed the band Normandy, and got signed to Kalubone
Records.  They had a tour booked and asked if I was interested in joining the band.  We had known each other for years, so I said yes.  They sent me a copy of the debut album and I learned it, then headed to Nashville, rehearsed for a week, then headed out on our first of two east coast tours.

PRR:  Was it good to get out on the road again?

Steve:  It was awesome to tour again!

PRR: How did the Roxx retrospective come together?

Steve:  It all happened fast.  I had seen a post from another band using Judea’s name that was putting

out some songs with a few titles that were very similar to ours.  A few weeks later, Roxx contacted our singer, or vice versa, I’m still not clear.

PRR:  Who was the other band?  Was it former members?

Steve:  No, it was just a band who stole our name and was using it.

PRR:  With a lot of Christian metal festivals starting to pop up, especially retro-fests like ImmortalFest, would you be interested in getting Judea back together for a show like that?  Barren Cross got back together this year for ImmortalFest…Sacred Warrior reformed, the new version of Whitecross was there…what would that take, in your estimation?

Steve:  We talked about it a lot.  The guitar player lives in New Orleans, and at this time it is not possible.  Plus, I got Covid back in January, and my legs have not been the same since.  I’m in need of prayer, there.  Anyway, we did not feel it would be right if it were not all of us back together.

PRR:  Speaking of the original line-up, what stands out most to you about your time in Judea?

Steve:  Probably when we opened up for Stryper on their Soldiers Under Command Tour, out there in front of 20,000 plus people!

PRR:  That had to be a rush!  So what does Steve Lamb do today to get that rush?  Anything musical?

Steve:  Well, I haven’t played in about five years.  But…Normandy did write a new album in 2005 that we never released, and I’ve been working with the singer to remix it.  Roxx Records wants to release it, too, so that could be cool.  Other than that, I get to play school bus driver, picking up my young grandkids from school, which I love.  I’m still a metalhead, though!  (Laughter)

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So, there you have it, folks!  Steve was a very cool guy to talk with, and was very kind and giving with his time.  Hopefully we get to hear more of his work with Roxx Records, this time with his last band, Normandy.  If that project comes to light, you know we’ll have it reviewed here at Positive Rock Review!  

If you haven't picked it up yet, head over to ROXX RECORDS and snag your own copy of Out Of The Darkness: The Lost Sessions!  You can even pick up an autographed copy if you hurry!