Tower – Let There Be Dark (Cruz Del Sur)

 

Tower returns in its blackest edition ever! There’s a very dark mood within this record. It’s not a complaint but an acknowledgement of an asset. “Let There Be Dark” rocks from beginning to end. It’s Tower at its best—powerful, moody, and deliberately bad!

Each song on the album creates a one-of-a-kind mood. Sarabeth Linden’s vocals often contribute to these moods. Even a little difference in her intonation or delivery takes you completely somewhere else. It keeps the album interesting and continuously spinning. As soon as it’s over, you want to play it again, and right there, that says everything!

Instrumentally, Tower is a very tight unit. The band appears to be extremely well prepared, and they show a complete ownership of this material. Guitarists James Danzo and Zak Penley display a great interaction and simply give each song what it needs. Fantastic backing from Phillipe Arman and Keith Mikus. It’s a team effort here, and it’s what makes this album already a great success. The use of Arthur Rizk in the production aspects was absolutely the right move. Tower was able to maintain their heavy edge and still sound very audible in the process.

Prior to “Let There Be Dark” even being recorded, Tower created a significant buzz with their festival appearances. They gained a lot of confidence, which translated into a very honest and powerful album. Is “Let There Be Dark” their best album so far? Absolutely! Not only that, there is already potential for bigger and better things to come!

Mark Kadzielawa

Anthony Phillips – Sail the World (Esoteric Recordings)

 

Anthony Phillips continues to amuse with his music and his (often) unusual and unpredictable choices. This one-time Genesis guitarist carved out a completely separate career for himself, and he’s managed to take plenty of left and right turns. The element of beauty and surprise is always present whenever any music is written and released.

“Sail the World” was released back in 1994, and it has a very equestrian theme. There is even involvement from Mike Rutherford, but don’t expect anything Genesis-like. It’s an instrumental music meant to illustrate visuals that have to do with sailing, boating, and whatnot. The music, however, is quite impressive on its own. It flows pleasantly and has a very calming mood.

This reissue expands the original release to a 2CD format. There’s a full disc of unreleased recordings and alternate mixes. This disc is a real treasure and could easily function on its own. It’s absolutely fantastic when the label takes the time and puts in a solid effort to truly capitalize on the reissue project. Anthony Phillips reissues are nothing but wonderful in how they are being put together and presented.

“Sail the World” is made up of music that is reminiscent of imaginary landscapes and spectacular bodies of water. It brings calmness but makes the listener long for certain places and moments when everything was special and spiritually unusual. While Anthony Phillips just creates these beautiful sounds, he unmistakably feeds your soul with the feeling they present.

Mark Kadzielawa

Barren Cross – Atomic Arena & State of Control (Dissonance Productions)

 

Barren Cross is one of the more recognizable and successful Christian metal bands. While their message is very straightforward and positive, their music follows the traditional heavy metal patterns, and these guys are simply good players and writers. Both albums came out in 1988 and 1989, which was towards the end of the golden age of hair metal. Both strong, catchy, and easy to follow.

Atomic Opera was originally released in 1988, and the album was produced by former Kansas singer, John Elefante, and his brother Dino. Both of them also contributed to the record vocally. It’s a really good melodic metal album that flows from song to song. Big choruses, skillful riffing, and melodic leads. Apart from the lyrical content, this album very much fits with everything that was going on back in 1988.

State of Control almost seems like a continuation of Atomic Opera. It has the same producers, same players, and was made only a year later. It is a very solid effort, delivered with good results. Barren Cross was definitely on a roll, and both albums can certify to that. State of Control clearly shows the band getting better at their craft and the songwriting in general.

Barren Cross appears to be a little overlooked because they navigated within the Christian metal circles, but they were a great and very capable band. In 2025, many more things are more acceptable, and people are more open to things. This is a great way to discover a band that you might have overlooked or completely dismissed. Barren Cross core fans do not need to be persuaded; they know the truth. Great band making its way into the spotlight again!

Mark Kadzielawa