The Petra Zone

I was first introduced to Petra from a friend at my church at the time. He was big into christian hard rock/heavy metal and he gave me a cassette tape featuring some of it. On one side, was Petra's "This Means War!" and on the flip side, was "On Fire!" I was instantly hooked! Since Petra was the very first christian hard rock band I heard, I was immediately floored by this band! They introduced me to ROCK music and I loved it! I cannot say that everyone around me shared my enthusiasm for Petra. In fact, most of the older people at my church and other people I know...could not stand them! They questioned this thing called "christian rock"! I never questioned it...I just listened to it! And LOUDLY I might add!

I was 14 and the first song I ever heard was the coloring song. The 5th caller into WOTW in Nashua NH back in 1981 would win Petra's new album lp I might add of Never Say Die. I won and that is how I first heard of Petra. That was the only album I had until summer of 1984 and I went out and bought the other 5 cassettes then beat the systyem came out january of 85. I was totally hooked and finally saw Petra Oct 1st of 1987 and the previous year I saw Greg Volz and pieces of eight and he did the praise medly from citas. It was awsome.

I was 13 in the 8th grade (I think).

My youth pastors son (who was older and "very cool") was driving me to church from the Sunday School campus, and I was telling him about wanting to get a Metallica tape, and he popped in Petra "On Fire!". That was IT. I was hooked. One reading through the liner notes for my mom, and she not only approved, but became a big fan too.

Creation 86.

Petra didn't play that year but I bought "Beat the System" and listened to it all weekend in my walkman.

It was summer of 1990 and I was 11 years old at ToJo's Christian Family Campground in Elmvale, Ontario Canada. I was hanging around with my friend Mike Thompson and we had to go back to his trailer for something and when we walked up a song was playing on a radio his mom had outside on the deck. I had never heard the song before and couldn't believe how good it sounded. I have older brothers and all I ever heard was GNR, Def Leppard, Rolling Stones and so many others, but I was shocked to be hearing this music and at ToJo's with no complaints.

Mike said that's Petra and the song is "I am on the Rock". That was the beginning of the rest of my life with Petra. From that point on I was Mr. Petra and no band could take my attention away from the album Beyond Belief. Soon after hearing the album and copying it from Mike's parents I found out that the main office to the camp had the Beyond Belief movie. I hands down wore that video out.

Petra will always be "my band!"

James
petraband.ca

i was at home, hehehehe. at church i rented the video wake up call and put it at home, i heard from petra for the first time in my parents bedroom while i saw my first video: midnigh oil

Sometime in 1990, a friend gave me a compliation cassette of Christian hard rock/heavy metal bands to listen to. To be honest, most of the bands (and their songs) sounded like crap, except for two...Petra's "Mine Field" and Rez's "Love Comes Down".

I couldn't believe how heavy that song starts out...Louie's drums, John's scream, then Bob's jackhammer riffing. "Smell the burning powder, there's danger in the air...". I thought, "Wow! A Christian rock band that doesn't suck!". Unfortunately, I didn't become a Christian until September 3, 1999.

Now I have 4 Petra CDs...
* FAREWELL
* JEKYLL & HYDE
* GOD FIXATION
* BEYOND BELIEF
The next 2 Petra CDs I plan to buy are REVIVAL and BACK TO THE STREET...unless I buy John's third solo album first!

I first heard a Petra LP in 9th grade in 1979 at a Christian boarding school and one of the guys down the hallway had "Washes Whiter Than".

One concert that I wished I never missed was the Servant tour that Petra opened up for (back in the Never Say Die era when Jesus music was just starting to become "CCM"). I heard from friends that Petra just rocked the house and blew away everyone else.

That dates me, doesn't it.

I first heard Petra on the radio in the 1980s...I think "The Coloring Song" was probably the first song I heard. My first Petra album (yes, back in the days when there were still LPs) was "Beat The System". I've been a Petra fan since then, and I added the rest of their LP/tapes to my collection pretty quickly.

The first concert I went to was in 1984.

Man.... judging from everyone else's year stamp, I guess I'm the "newbie" to Petra! lol! (but I'm making up for lost time, by golly!)

I first heard them in Fall of 1992.... driving into work. I heard the tune "Why Should the Father Bother" and I couldn't believe that there was a band that put into music the question I had been asking for a very long time.

I kept listening to this station, and heard all of Petra's slow material, like "Coloring Song," "First Love," "More Power To Ya," etc. I'm guessing it was because that was the time that Petraphonics was released, and this station was playing them all.

I went to the bookstore and was faced with two choices: Petraphonics or Unseen Power. I went with Petraphonics, because I recognized a song or two.

I thought that was what Petra was about - nice, slow, melodic ballads!

(I know I'm rambling - but I gotta tell you the rest of the story)

I liked this album so much, that I went back to get Unseen Power. But before I buy, I always listen. So I plugged in the cassette to the listening station, skipping around to various songs.

ALL the songs I skipped to (on both sides of the cassette, no less) were the slow, melodic ballad-types, which suited me just fine (tell me what are the chances of THAT happening?). Slow A/C tunes... THAT is what I was into.

I had heard of Christian rock, but was still of the mindset that something about blazing ROCK music and CHRISTIAN faith just didn't seem right... bordering on heretical... you know the type.

Imagine my surprise when I plugged that cassette in and DESTINY came screaming out at me!! I was horrified..... had NO idea that was gonna be on there - or any of the other rockers, for that matter.

My kid loved it - he was 7 at the time, and thought it was SO cool. I thought it stunk.

BUT, being the cheapskate that I am, I figured I can't take it back now, so I might as well listen to it and try to get my money's worth outta it.

Funny thing is... the more I listened, the more I liked!

... and the rest is history.....

I do not actually remember first hearing Petra, but I am told by my parents that they played Petra for me in the womb! Which would be some time before April '85.

Wow! It is great to know how you all came to hear about Petra...thanks for all of the wonderful replies and ROCK ON!!

When I was 11 years old I think, my mom put on a cassette with 'On Fire!', and she said: I think you shouldlike this song! And the song "Somebodys gonna praise his name" started. That song is still my favorite song, and PETRA is my favoriteband since then! Now I have all the studiorecordings of Petra and I've seen them five times. At the moment I work on a tribute to BobH/PETRA-guitarsolo-recording with my BH SuperS-guitar and Boss-gt6

On Fire is a great album and the song "Somebody's Gonna Praise His Name" rocks! That is cool that you are working on a Tribute to Petra!

I think I was around 12-13 my sister and her friend were listening to this "christian" band named petra. At the time I hated it cause I was kinda taught (being a new christian) that rock -n- roll music was bad, bad, bad...

I eventually wised up and started listening to them.