Surprised by the fact that neither Tooth & Nail nor Solidstate did release this album, I put this record into my CD player. The speakers overwhelmed me with this beautiful straightforward (Christian) rock music. Musically influenced by bands such as Quicksand and Fugazi, Stavesacre offers us their fourth epos.

Stavesacre was named after a beautiful, but poisonous flower and was formed in 1995 by artists from Orange County. After releasing three albums on Tooth & Nail, touring with bands like P.O.D. and Project 86, they thought it was time for something new. Stavesacre deserves the attention of a larger group of rock fans. Their contemporary music is driven by great guitarwork, stunning melodies and intelligent song structures.

My personal favorites are “Night Town” and “Yes”. Both vocally and musically the best song on this album is “Yes”: a violin, a viola and a cello support the additional female vocals on this beautiful song. This piece of art has been produced by David Bianco of Danzig and Tom Petty fame.

Frontman Mark Salomon combines melody with powerful and raw singing. His vocal range varies from Chris Cornell to Ozzy Osbourne. If you think this is a strange, but interesting mix, it’s time to find out for yourself! This Nitro Records debut is available now. So what are you waiting for?