This is a long post. Stop reading now if you don't care. My opinions stated below are just based on personal taste. Don't be offended. I think there's just a lot of folks out there that want a Petra revival tour that's just not going to happen, unfortunately, and any criticism is met with emotion instead of facts.
I love Greg's voice and his time with the band. My first record was CITAS and then went forward, so I didn't get to hear the classics until later in their original format. But, I loved them when I finally did give them a listen. I still prefer the This Means War - Wake Up Call era, but that being said, I thought that they did a really good job on the first CP record. I think the new version of Bema Seat was worth the price of the CD by itself. But, it was a lot of fun listening to all of the songs with updated production and sounds. I didn't write a review of that one at the time, so I'm not going to try to go back now and hurry through it.
But, on the new one, here's my review, since no one probably cares and since everyone else has said their peace about it:
Album Sound:
The sound is very diverse and enjoyable with a good pair of surround headphones. There's a lot of neat sound effects and vibes in the songs that you get. At lower volumes in the car and in the office, though, you miss a lot of the added, subtle instruments if you aren't careful and that turns good arrangements into fair and then so on and so forth.
The Good: These tracks are all updated, faithful versions to their classic counterparts but with more complex instruments and arrangements (some more than others). I like these, in other words.
Hollow Eyes - updated, better sounding that the original.
The Coloring Song - cool song with live sounding background voices.
Not Of This World - not as "not of this world" sounding as the original. If you've listened to it, you'll know what I mean. But, it's a neat take on it.
Beat the System - this is a lot better to me than the original.
For Annie - updated, better sounding that the original.
In Between: These songs aren't bad but neither am I sure they are better or go the opposite way, sound wise, than I wish they'd gone. I can live with them, but would probably play the orignal or live versions first.
All Over Me - on one hand, I like the extra guitars and the more updated instruments. On the other, the guitar in the normal flow of the song seems to be back further in the mix so it doesn't stick out as much as before. That I miss. I also miss the seemingly desparate sound in Greg's voice, as if in agony that he is the cause of Christ's death. That seems to get lost or at least muffled down a little bit in this version and I also miss that. I guess it's not bad, but it's not as good as I'd hoped and not as good to me as the live version that they had done on tour with Classic Petra.
Judas Kiss - on one hand, I like the guitar being up front more in some spots. On the other, the faster pace and keyboard sounds in between verses I'm not sure that I like in every scenario. I do like the synth sound on the keyboards but the instrumental keyboard parts in between the verses just doesn't sound "right" to me. It's not bad, but it's not as good as I'd hoped and, once again, not as good to me as the version that they had just done on tour with Classic Petra.
It is Finished - I like the new sounds at the beginning and at the end, very cool sounding. This is one of the things I am referring to with the headphones. I was hoping we'd get the more rock heavy version or at least a rockier version than the original album version and instead we got the more pop rock sounding version of the song. Once again, it's not bad, but it's not as good as I'd hoped and not as good to me as the version that they had just done on tour with Classic Petra.
Missed the Mark: these just didn't do it for me.
Dream On - what I call a pop rock version of a classic rock song. It's just not as good and, unfortunately, comes off as cheesy to some fans and most outsiders who like the original and regard it as a classic. Part of me wishes they'd done GGRRTY instead since it was a Petra version of a classic rock song. Well, never mind on that given what happened to that song on Beat the System versus Come and Join Us. I've tried everything in my power to like this song, especially since I love Greg and his voice, and the fact that he can even sing this song. But there's no replacing the original, especially not with what I call a pop rock version. I'd rather him just do a karaoke version of the original. I'd pay for that single by itself.
Praise Ye The Lord - This is one of my all time favorite Petra songs. I was very much looking forward to hearing their take on this song. Unfortunately, it's a major disappointment. I like the faster pace but what was once a simple rockin' song and good for it, has too many instruments to me it seems. I could get over that but the high, extra vocals Greg does are detrimental to the song. Then, my goodness, the end of the bridge forward to the end of the song are, I'll just say it, a terrible way to treat such a classic song. I've tried listening to it several times to somehow get over it like someone else said things grow on you, well, that does not help. It should have ended without all the extra stuff at the end.
Should you buy it?
Once gain, this is all just my personal opinion/taste. Yes. I believe in supporting these guys, our guys, through thick and thin. It takes guts to go out and do what they did here. The album has some good and bad moments but worth the journey in my opinion. It's still better than DT