Scott Wenzel and Rex Carroll return to the Christian metal scene with the second release from Whitecross, titled Hammer And Nail. Several of the songs are much heavier and softer than Whitecross' self-titled debut. Some of the best heavy rock anthems on this release include "When The Walls Tumble Down," "Take To The Limit," and "Because of Jesus." The instrumental guitar track "The Hammer And The Nail" is very reminiscent to "Nagasake" from the self-titled debut. You can tell the band tried to put together more of a raw and extremely better album than their previous release and it shows on over half of the songs on this release.

One of the major turnoffs on the album is the ballad "Walk With Me." The song is primarily about God informing the listener that He wants to be a part of their life, but the style of this ballad is so different from the rest of the album that it feels out of place and probably should have been left out. Other tracks, such as "Living On The Edge," "When The Clock Strikes," and "Livin' In A Lost World," almost nearly sound the same and the choruses do not hold the songs together.

Overall, Whitecross has put together another good metal album that needs to be added to any 80's Christian fan's music collection.

- Review date: 7/2/08, written by Fred Keel of Jesusfreakhideout.com