In 1982, Christian rock music was still at a very early stage. Christian rock was having a tough time trying to gain exposure in the mainstream or even in the Christian music scene at the time. Petra had one unique brand of art by having five albums embellished with a guitar that conformed to transportation device, and in this case, it takes on the role of a space ship. Judging by the album cover, if someone had never heard this album, they might deem this as an 80s metal band. Besides the Resurrection Band, this was as close to hard rock as one could get in those days.

"Stand Up" was a good choice for an album opener. It's not the strongest song on the album, however, it is very lively and inviting. This song, in addition to most of the album, could easily be considered praise and worship as it talks about taking a stand for Jesus. You got to love the organ-like sound effects used via keyboards on classics like "Second Wind" and "Let Everything That Hath Breath." A band like Petra always seems to have that ballad which is truly unforgettable, and "More Power to Ya" easily earns this description. Parents, for the first time, fell in love with Petra as this song was played by countless of radio stations in the 80s.

Another feature on this album was the controversial song, "Judas Kiss." The beginning of the song contains what was called back-masking (having audio played backwards) which was a popular topic with many hard rock bands in the early 80s, although this song included a positive message. "Rose Colored Stained Glass Windows" is one of my favorite Petra songs of all time. It begins with some beautiful acoustic guitarwork before delving into some serious rock music. The song covers the topic of people who remain in a church and just don't feel the need to talk to the outside world, "Looking through rose-colored stained glass windows / Never allowing the world to come in/ Seeing no evil and feeling no pain/ Making the light as it comes from within so dim." The album contains some real classic rockers towards the second half of the album, such as "Run for the Prize" and "Let Everything That Hath Breath."

Like many of Petra's releases, the band was not shy about expressing their faith with songs mostly written by founding member, Bob Hartman. This album ranks among one of Petra's best releases and has managed to hold well after 26 years. This record is recommended to those who enjoy music similar to Def Leppard, Journey, Foreigner, or classic 80's rock music in general.

- Review date: 2/18/08, written by Wayne Myatt for Jesusfreakhideout.com