Favoutite album without the "Dream team"

[separateunion]

Petra wasn't really playing heavy rock when they had Volz, therefore, his style hit what they were playing. During that era, Petra was pop/rock at its hardest.

[executioner]

Petra wasn't really playing heavy rock when they had Volz, therefore, his style hit what they were playing. During that era, Petra was pop/rock at its hardest.

His voice fit on the WWT album and maybe a one or two songs off of each album, but that was it.

[Preacherman777]

That's just hogwash. Enough said.

[brent]

Volz's voice is what put Petra on the map IMO. They had a completely unique sound. Their sound memorable! The first time that I saw them live, I thought that Greg was the coolest Christian singer I had heard. When he and Bob did the dual (his pipes vs. Bob's guitar) that was cool for that time.

I think Greg's most enviable trait it his ability to cut through a mix, and pack nice, tight, multitracked backing vocals. This is the reason I wanted him for PDC's Amen tune. Queen won't have anything on us when this is done.

[executioner]

I know you all think I'm out in left field here, and I'm probably in the minority, but I know some Petra fans that was glad to see him go.
BTW I was not at all excited to see him at the Farewell taping; I would have rather seen Lawry, Cates, Kelly, Slick, and Weaver.

[separateunion]

With the Volz departure, Petra went from being an A/C band to a hard rock band. I'm sure at the time of the vocalist change, Petra lost as many fans as it gained. It's impossible to say if Petra would have been any less popular later on with Volz as the lead singer.

[Boray]

My first thought when I heard "Back to the street" was: What has he done to his voice? Maybe singing too much on too many tours has ruined his voice

[brent]

With the Volz departure, Petra went from being an A/C band to a hard rock band. I'm sure at the time of the vocalist change, Petra lost as many fans as it gained. It's impossible to say if Petra would have been any less popular later on with Volz as the lead singer.

There was a paradigm shift in music and audiences. Older people were listening more in the beginning in my town and on the stations I worked for. The people listening were from the same age and experience as the band. When they went harder, there were younger listeners coming on board, and Christian music was hardening up as well. Prior to that era of Petra, Christian music did not have a whole lot to offer us compared to the secular markets.

Personally, I thought Petra was doomed when I heard BTTS. I could not believe the difference, and it was not living up to the hype. Immediately BTTS sounded like a continuation in the evolution of NOTW, written for Greg. I could hear Greg singing them all. When the next record came out, I was happier. That was an album for John.

[Preacherman777]

I've always felt the same way. BTTS sounded like it was written for Greg and sounded like a reasonable progression from NOTW. BTS was a bit of an anomaly, but I also hear elements of what they did on BTS in the BTTS album. They didn't really adjust to John's style until TMW and the adjustments were exactly what they needed to do at the time.

Rock music was a different animal in the Greg X Volz years and singers like Greg were far more common in rock music. Times have changed and so Greg probably doesn't sound like a rock singer anymore, but there was a time that many rock bands would have killed for a singer who could sing like that.

[Mountain Man]

As far as I'm concerned, there were two "Dream Teams" in Petra's history:

Volz, Hartman, Slick, Kelly, Weaver

and

Schlitt, Hartman, Lawry, Cates, Weaver

So outside of albums featuring either of those line-ups, I'd have to go with Jekyll & Hyde as my favorite.