Okay. You can stop laughing at that album title, now.
I'm a symphonic metal fan. I'm also a Christian. That means, as much as I may enjoy the overall sound of much of Nightwish's music, I also tend to be… discomfited by some of their lyrics. HB takes the sound of Nightwish and Within Temptation and adds explicitly Christian lyrics. Slightly off-kilter lyrics, sometimes, because the band originally releases its albums in Finnish, but excellent ones all the same.
The beginning of "Joy Upon the Lord" takes a tad too long to take off. (There's a bit of something in there, note-wise but it's too quiet to hear without making the rest of the song too loud.) The music overall sounds like something from Nightwish or Visions of Atlantis, with definite power metal influence. If you're a fan of either band, you'll like the sound of this.
That's not to say the vocalist Johanna Aaltonen uses the operatic vocals characteristic of those bands. Her voice actually sounds more like a combo of Cristina Scabbia from Lacuna Coil and Liv Kristine from Leaves' Eyes. Johanna does a great job at adjusting her vocals to suit different points of the song.
Lyricwise, the song reminds us that our strength and joy come from the Lord God. The grammar sounds a bit slaughtered, but hey, that's what happens when you're having to translate a song you originally wrote and produced in another language.
Overall, if you're a Christian (or don't mind explicitly Christian lyrics), and a fan of gothic, symphonic, or power metal, I suggest you give this song a try. If you don't like those genres only due to the commonly "dark" lyrics, try giving HB a shot. I know the more I listen, the more I pick up from their lyrics, and the fonder I get of the band.
Lyrics: 5/5
Music: 4/5
Vocal(s): 4/5
Overall: 9/10
Check out "Joy Upon The Lord
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