Unseen Power by Petra (CD, Jan-1992, Word/Epic)

Petra has a sweet kind of sound with Bob Hartman playing his blues riffs and distorted leads on this album. I think that the lyrics can sometimes seem a little too simple at times on this particular cd but the music itself is outstanding. This did give them a cutting edge (once again) in their genre of christian rock back in the 90s..... I am glad to have the cd again finally! Overall it JAMS.

GREAT SELLER. ALOT OF GOOD SONGS ON HERE. PETRA IS GOOD. A VERY UPLIFTING CD.
GREAT GROUP 100 PERCENT. THIS BAND IS GOOD. THIS IS A MUST ALBUM ALL THE WAY.

Petra was the first rock band I ever heard and for awhile the only one, as we wanted to play it safe with our music. While I have enjoyed branching out to secular music, i still find myself loving them now as much as i did then. While their lyrics are very bluntly religious and rather juvenile, the music just kills, religious or not they are one of the better rock bands out there and I highly recommend their music to just about any rock fan! While our family's favorite growing up was their biggest hit album Beyond Belief, i actually lean toward this one more these days, though its probably just because we didn't hear it as much, but this one seems to me to be more varied and well put together.

80's Classic Rock: simple, predictable, & skilled, but often both reassuring and catchy, too. Although recorded in '91, this Petra cd embodies well the ideals of Christian Rock from the 80's. Each song: showcases good lead vocals during the verses, provides sing-alongable choruses, showcases solid guitar work, and provides positive lyrics. This is the epitome of Petra, what they excelled at: catchy rock, straight-forward lyrics, and slick production.

There are some songs (Destiny, Dance) that were intended to appeal to metalheads, classics (Lord's Side, Secret Weapon, Sight Unseen) that showcase their talents, and mellower gospel songs to substantiate their Christian roots (Hand on My Heart, Hear from You, Likeness of You).

Hartman is a great songwriter and guitarist. Schlitt can sing. Cates' keys aren't overboard. Weaver is as solid as any behind the kit. The BGV's are polished. There's even a bit of distortion here, even before distortion became an artful unto itself.

The lyrics are often preachy and perhaps not as evangelisticly effective as pre-supposed. They are theologically balanced and present the basics of the gospel. However, they sometimes seem trite in the repetitiveness that is common of this genre (as with bands like Seriah, Silaom, Warrant, etc.).