Bands Music

More' is one of the best things to come from the Cuban culture. His music is timeless and is enjoyed by people of all ages. He uses the typical Cuban instruments and rythms of his day: lots of piano and flute along with the congas.

More' is one of the best things to come from the Cuban culture. His music is timeless and is enjoyed by people of all ages. He uses the typical Cuban instruments and rythms of his day: lots of piano and flute along with the congas.

There was no band like Barnabas. And there never will be again.

The band was originally formed in Southern California in 1977 by guitarist Monte Cooley and bassist/keyboardist Gary Mann. After completing their first album in 1980 Cooley left. The band ultimately settled with four members during their most popular years in the early to mid-80s: Gary Mann, vocalist Nancy Jo Mann, drummer/lyricist Kris Klingensmith and guitarist Brian Belew. Their most popular album was 1984's FEEL THE FIRE, with 1983's APPROACHING LIGHT SPEED running a close second. Barnabas developed a style of music that straddled the fence between energetic, aggressive power metal (like Iron Maiden and Metallica) and experimental prog rock (like Rush, Styx or Kansas). On top of the music soared the vocals of a singer that sounded like a cross between Heart and Pat Benatar. But Barnabas were unique in the truest sense and didn't necessarily sound like any of these bands.

FEEL THE FIRE was the first album I bought by them. I don't think I ever really heard of them before; but the Album cover hinted that they were a smoking hard rock or metal act, and that was enough for me. At the time Motley Crue had just released SHOUT AT THE DEVIL and were considered true cutting-edge metal, and rightly so (SHOUT AT THE DEVIL was ultra-heavy, catchy & dark, and before Crue flirted with glam/pop metal). When I got home and opened up FEEL THE FIRE I finally got to see a photo of the band members on the inside sleeve. My reaction was a shocked "Whoa!" Remember how wild and 'cool' Motley Crue looked on SHOUT AT THE DEVIL? Well, believe it or not, Barnabas beat 'em out. The problem with Motley Crue (at the time) was that they had a slight glam edge; hence, as 'cool' as they looked, Vince Neil and Tommy Lee almost looked like women. And, sorry, but that's really not hip (then or now). Not so with Barnabas, however. Barnabas, at the time, had a similar look to Crue, but the men all looked like real men, even primal, with a caveman-ish quality. And, of course, Nancy Jo Mann looked like a woman, or more accurately a "Whoa, man."

The startling thing is that Barnabas were an overt Christian band -- and this was 1984! Who would've thought?

But what about the music? Well, the song "Stormclouds" from 1983's APPROACHING LIGHT SPEED was and is one of the greatest metal tunes of all time. I played it on for my wife yesterday and she started crying! That's how freakin' incredible the song is. I can't remember any of the other songs on that disk but, needless to say, APPROACHING LIGHT SPEED is worth picking up for "Stormclouds" alone.

What about FEEL THE FIRE? This album starts off with the instrumental "PRELUDE" and it's one molten piece of aggressive metal, highlighted by Brian Belew's rampaging riffs and lightning fast, expert licks. The disk slows down a bit for "The Dream," which isn't a heavy song musically, buy lyrically it's exceedingly profound and potent (i.e. heavy). It ends with the intriguing thought that every person ever born had a part in Christ's death:

I killed Jesus Christ
Yes, I did, it's true
I killed Jesus Christ
And you were with me too

Next up is the emotionally potent "Breathless Wonderment" which addresses the birth, life & death of Christ and how it relates to each individual -- the captured souls, bloodied on the inside, languishing in chains they can't see. This is some heavy stuff, to say the least. Lyricist Kris Klingensmith was obviously a learned, reflective and creative individual (even though, today, he drides some of his lyrics in Barnabas, e.g. "Gospel Maniac"). Remember the Christian lyrics on Saint's TIME'S END, which came out around the same time? I'd criticize those lyrics but it'd be like drowning a kitten in a bathtub (don't get me wrong, I love Saint!). Needless to say, you don't have to worry about this with Barnabas.

The songs "Feel the Fire" and "Follow You Up" are decent, respectable tracks, although no where near the same level of greatness as the first three tunes. The rest of the CD consists of three experimental prog rock tracks, which I find weird and forgettable.

But don't get me wrong, I love Barnabas and accept them wholeheartedly as is, but IMHO they would have been a greater and more popular band if they would have dropped their strange meanderings with experimental rock. They should have just focused on being what they were best at: an intellectual/spiritual energetic power metal band.

As for their last album, 1986's LITTLE FOXES, it sports a great cover, but I don't remember anything phenomenal from this piece. The band members later stated that they weren't getting along at this point. A fuse had obviously blown. I really can't remember anything from it, but I'm sure it has a few shining moments. With a band this talanted, how could there not be?

It goes without saying that you don't have to be a Christian to appreciate Barnabas. Whatever your belief system, Barnabas belongs in your listening arsenal, that is, if you're a fan of metal or experimental prog. The guitars are smokin' and every other instrument is top notch. Nancy Jo's vocals will leave you in a state of total breathless wonderment (sorry, I couldn't resist).

Many years ago I made a metal compilation tape for my brother that lived in Montana. I put a couple of cuts from FEEL THE FIRE on the cassette, including "Breathless Wonderment." I listed the song titles but not the bands. Anyway, a few years later my brother was walking down the streets of Helena and a car pulled up by him and stopped at a red light blasting "Breathless Wonderment" -- 'Hosanna, Hosanna; breathless wonderment; Hosanna, Hosanna; perfect sacrament.' It was THEN that he saw the greatness of that song (and the band, of course) and so the next time I saw him he naturally asked what band played that song.

Conclusion: There was no one like Barnabas. And there never will be again.

Listen and learn, my son. Listen and learn, my daughter.

Great re-release from pioneering Christian metal band. Musically, influences of Rush, Deep Purple, Marillion, and even Black Sabbath are evident. Unfortunately, the world was not ready for a band like this in the early to mid '80s. Christian metal--especially Christian metal with a chain-chompin' banshee lead singer who was all about putting her boot up Satan's backside--would have to wait until the mid-'90s to become acceptable to Christian producers. Not only that, but Barnabas' decisions to: a) remain based in the Midwest; b) not water down either their sound or their message; c) consequently, produce themselves; d) consequently, not achieve major-label distribution; e) play live shows only rarely; and f) lose an excellent guitarist/songwriter at a critical stage (Brian Belew does not appear on "Find Your Heart A Home") all contributed to the band's ultimate demise. This is too bad, as the musicianship and songwriting are both generally very good, though the sound is generally under-produced--for example, many tracks have complex construction that demands backing vocals that never appeared. I would like to see them reappear, at least to the extent of re-issuing "Approaching Light Speed" on CD. Even better, they might get together and redo selected songs ("Breathless Wonderment," "Never Felt Better," and "Way To Destruction" come to mind) with the level of production those songs deserve.

I just wanted to correct Mr. Olsen's otherwise excellent review, and point out that guitarist Brian Below does not appear on "Find Your Heart A Home" because that was the band's second albumn release and Brian Below had not yet joined the band. Brian joined the band before the release of Approaching Light Speed, and remained with the band through the recording of Feel The Fire and their final release, Little Foxes.

Otherwise his review is pretty much on-target. Barnabas was an amazing band, both because they were the heaviest Christian band of their era, and also one of the most creative, both lyrically and musically. They wrote some marvelous songs that were as musically adventurous as Rush but they would also put the hammer down and grind out some extremely heavy metal, which they were doing a couple of years before the likes of Barren Cross, Philadelphia, Saint, Messiah Prophet, Stryper, Leviticus and Bloodgood appeared.

Feel The Fire is one of the best from Barnabas. Little Foxes is not bad either, but was made at a point where the band was on the verge of breaking up. Approaching Light Speed and Feel The Fire are the two must-have cds from this band, in my opinion. Of the two, Feel the Fire is the more adventurous and experimental.

Another minor correction: Approaching Light Speed was indeed re-released on cd a few years ago. I'm not certain why it isn't available on Amazon, but you should be able to track it down if you look. Barnabas has a web site that is frequented by some of the former band members still, so that might be a good place to start.