| Musical Style: Heavy Metal | Produced By: Matt Harding & Glenn Kaiser |
| Record Label: Independent / Retroactive | Country Of Origin: USA |
| Year Released: 1988 / 2026 | Artist Website: |
| Tracks: 9 | Rating: 90% |
| Running Time: 27:18 |
With high-end vocals, virtuoso guitar playing and complex song structuring, Apostle 1988 custom cassette release Hymns offers a neo-classical take on the power meets traditional metal blueprint. The Jacksonville, Florida based power trio represents one of the mainstays in the independent eighties ‘white metal’ scene, ranking alongside Soldier, Paradox, Taker, Crossforce and a host of others as one of the top unsigned acts of the time. A lack of productivity, however, is not the reason Apostle failed to land a label deal when factoring its 1984 self-titled debut EP and full length follow up releases
White Metal (1985), King Of The Saints (1986) and Chariots Of Iron (1987), and finally Hymns.
A favorable review of Hymns in White Throne Magazine issue #5 not to mention appearance of the standout track “The Sword” on the 1988 East Coast Metal compilation prompted me to order the tape from the band. I might not have been the most active tape collector, but Hymns ranks alongside Soldier’s Babylon and Revelation’s Spiritual Wind (both also from 1988) as one of the finest self-financed demos I heard from the era. Whereas Babylon and Spiritual Wind each received quality CD reissues over the years, Hymns much to my chagrin remained an out of print and hard to find collectors item- that is until now.
Enter Retroactive Records, whom reissued Hymns for the first time on CD (June 4, 2026 release) and vinyl (July 15, 2026) as part of the Metal Icon Series. Quality re-mastering bringing the album up to modern standards attributes to Rob Colwell and eye catching new cover art and layout and design including an Apostle band history, rare photos and write up detailing the story behind Hymns to Scott Waters (NLTM Graphics). Due to lack of a working cassette player, I am unable to offer a re-master comparison, but I wish to attest to the professional production to Hymns, which is by no means a rudimentarily recorded late eighties demo.
Please note that on the same above noted dates, 1989 follow up effort Metal For The Master also saw Retroactive CD and vinyl reissue, while White Metal and Chariots Of Iron were reissued by Retroactive on February 25, 2026 (CD) and March 31, 2026 (vinyl). White Metal includes the Apostle EP as bonus tracks.
What impresses me about Apostle is a technical inventiveness and creativity in which it composes a choice sampling of instrumental and vocal tracks. Hymns follows suite by opening to three consecutive instrumentals beginning with its classically influenced title track. “Hymns” radiates its two minutes to a medieval tinged procession of classical keyboards, pipe organ and harpsichord that while not metal, brings an exalted and ennobled essence that sets the stage for heavier things to follow.
Second instrumental “Vanguard” is one such track, a rapid-fire outburst of speed metal hardwired to double bass, neo-classical harmonies and darker overtures that combine for a Sacred Warrior like feel. Classical keyboards return for a brief cameo appearance at the mid-point.
“Dragon Slayer” might be only forty seconds but makes effective use of its time, carrying over the banshee like tempo to “Vanguard” ahead of morphing into an “Eruption” style open air guitar solo in which founding member, vocalist and guitarist Matt Harding bestows his mercurial (and masterly) licks and chops. There is a specific reason why the Retroactive press material compares him to Chris Impellitteri (Impellitteri) and Carl Grimmark (Narnia)!
First vocal cut “I Am Persuaded” is my favorite from Apostle, having initially become acquainted with it from the 1989 White Metal Invasion tape that served as a fundraiser for White Throne. No, it is not albums heaviest - rhythm guitar almost bestows a Rush-like feel - but is by far its most melodic, abating to a worshipful mid-tempo form as Harding reaches for the sky with is ascending classic tenor vocal abilities and persuasive harmonies emanate of arresting emotion. I love how at three minutes in when you think the song is going to end, it settles down for a calmer passage to feature narration from Matthew 11:28-30 before taking off again. “I Am Persuaded” holds up when placed alongside the best from any ‘white metal’ band of the era. Lyric snippet:
Who shall separate us
From the love of Jesus
Shall trials or tribulations
Terror or swords
For I am persuaded
That neither death nor life
Nor things past or present
Shall separate us
“The Sword” is just as good but with an epic power metal context. It returns tempo to the keyed up, as timekeeper David Paul McKee commands with his correlative double bass and Harding furnishes swarthy aspects with his ominous riffing and classical overtures when referencing his lightning like leads. Again, Sacred Warrior comes to mind- place this on Rebellion or Master’s Command and it would sound at home. Lyric snippet:
I saw heaven opened
Behold a white horse
The Rider called Faithful & true
He judges & maketh war
His eyes like flames of fire
On His head were many crowns
His clothes dipped in blood
He’s called the Word of God
Albums first side musically is close to perfect as it gets and more than warrants a 95% score.
Unlimited Power” starts the second with a bang. Impressing as somewhat straightforward compared to its two predecessors, song proves a fine effort as a falsetto driven slugger innate to walloping riffs and enlivened tempo in which the best aspects of power and classic metal coalesce. Lone concern is I wish the group had extended it beyond two and half minutes. Lyric snippet:
The message of the cross
Is foolishness to men who are dying
But to us, the saved
It’s the power of God
Unlimited mercy
Unlimited power
Unlimited forgiveness
Unlimited power
“Split The Sky” is another showstopper. Song begins to a brief thrash like explosion of power riffing and concentrated drums ahead of catapulting at an expeditious tempo, sophisticated with its back and forth and back again excursions into succinct instrumental territory but also supremely catchy as the climactic refrain bleeds of the affecting. If anything, Hymns finds the Apostle songwriting in prime form. Lyric snippet:
When the Son of Man comes in His glory
And the holy angels with Him
He will sit upon the throne of His glory
All the nations will be gathered before Him
He’s coming again
He’ll split the sky
Fourth and final instrumental succeeds in “Waiting”. The superb Apostle musicianship lends to such instrumental proclivity and such is the case here, as all three of its members shine: bassist Ray Schmidt sets the convoluted low end tone with McKee’s impermeable timekeeping, while Harding lends epic harmonies and straight from the shred factory soloing. Final seconds revisit a “Hymns” like orchestral keyboard direction.
“Holy Soldier” is another classic. As its namesake implies a spiritual warfare battle anthem, song opens to a portent bass solo ahead of plowing ahead in striking metal fashion, decelerating for staggering mid-paced verse sections - adorned with salient rhythm guitar - only to intensify for the theatrical ‘be a holy soldier’ refrain. Saint could not do it any better. Lyric snippet:
Take up the whole armor of God
Withstand in the evil day
Having girded your waist with the truth
Put on the breastplate of righteousness
Take the helmet of salvation
And the sword of the Spirit
Which is the Word of God
Praying always
The second half to Hymns in my opinion does not quite reach similar heights as the first, but still warrants a solid 85%, which averages out to a well-deserved 90%. There is a specific reason why the Retroactive press material advises ‘this is not just another independent metal release from the era- Hymns stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best of its time’. I agree wholeheartedly when factoring the inspired songwriting, superlative musicianship and over the top vocals: the album in my opinion deserves to rank alongside the best from Barren Cross, Bride, Saint and Sacred Warrior. That being said I wish there were a bit more to it in that Hymns is on the abbreviated side at thirty minutes but could not make better use of its time. Over the decades Hymns remained on my ‘holy grail’ list of eighties Christian metal albums deserving a CD release- at this point give Retroactive a great deal of credit for a well timed CD and vinyl reissue. Fans of power and traditional metal are encouraged to make Hymns an immediate purchase.
Review by Andrew Rockwell
Track Listing: “Hymns” (1:45), “Vanguard” (3:24), “Dragon Slayer” (:41), “I Am Persuaded” (4:39), “The Sword” (3:49), “Unlimited Power” (2:41), “Split The Sky” (3:15), “Waiting” (3:03), “Holy Soldier” (4:00)
Musicians
Matt Harding - Lead Vocals & Guitars
Ray Schmidt - Bass
David Paul McKee - Drums
