Boasting an older style of rock and roll with a self-defined "southern fried" sound, Stratiotis is a band that with a bluntness that is often hard to find in the Christian music industry. Their second album, Testify, calls out Christians for watering down the message of the Gospel ("Testify"), preachers for being corrupt ("Preacherman") and young men playing with the hearts of young women ("Daughter"). These topics are all handled with a righteous anger, but the messages are even more powerful in the context of the album because lead singer Jarrod Donnan is not afraid to fess up to his own shortcomings as well. For example, on "Rundown" Jarrod sings with his deep southern/post-grunge vocals "Thought I was a wise man / knew what was best for me... but the Lord gonna run me down." All these convictions are born out of a sense of deep gratitude for Jesus' sacrifice on the cross--a message that is boldly proclaimed on every song. The mixing on Testify is balanced with every instrument being clear, while still allowing each musical element to shine at the right time (such as highlighting the explosive guitar solo on "Judge") but the production quality isn't up to 2016 standards. Unfortunately, this quality, along with Jarrod's post-grunge vocals, the style of music, and the bluntness of the lyrics (most of which are good things), gives this album a somewhat dated feel. If you don't mind that, this album is an absolute gem.

- Review date: 9/5/16, written by Christopher Smith of Jesusfreakhideout.com

 

 Record Label: None
 Album length: 9 tracks: 32 minutes, 00 seconds
 Street Date: August 10, 2016
 Buy It: iTunes
 Buy It: Amazon Music

Testify (3:41) Boy (3:26) Rundown (3:15) Daughter (3:49) Judge (3:41) Preacherman (4:00) Slave (3:34) Stuff (3:38) Seed (3:14)