As a devotee primarily of Classical and Renaissance music, I have been unimpressed with most of the Christian rock served up in the last twenty years. Granted, there have recently appeared a handful of non-rockish Christian popular albums that are musically distinguished, but this still is not often the case with those albums that feature an uncompromising, industrial-strength rock style. For one thing the lyrics are usually as shallow as they are banal, and the artist often seems embarrassed to convey an unvarnished Gospel message. Now comes this new contribution from the Elefante brothers, a rock album far superior to anything ever accomplished by the group Kansas, with hefty doses of both full-strength rock and Gospel allusions - all awash in splendid poetic imagery, thanks to the fine writing of the Elefante brothers. Indeed, the album's five best songs are nothing short of brilliant. 'If You Just Believe', 'Pass the Flame', 'Defying Gravity', 'The Truth, The Life', and 'Exit 39' are some of the finest products of Christian rock from the last three decades - easily superior to anything from the now lyrically defunct secular world. Savor, for example, the imagery of this line from the title song,'Defying Gravity', which captures the central irony of the Christian faith: '...Because in order to rise above this world, I have to lay my life down. And when I kneel before you, I'm defying gravity.' That's exquisite stuff. And don't miss the passionate intensity of the magnificent worship hymn 'The Truth, The Life'. By the time one reaches the hymn's chorus, one is ready to fall on one's knees. Certainly don't overlook the opening cut, 'If You Just Believe', in many ways the best crafted song on the album. One factor contributing to the effectiveness of the recording can hardly be underestimated: it fearlessly repairs to New Testament themes for its material and makes no attempt to render its message blander or more 'palatable'. This confers a spiritual power and a profundity missing from much of the sanitized drivel being hawked as 'Christian' music these days. And just compare the philosophical weight - the gravity - of this recording with anything currently available in secular music. Simply a magnificent and moving achievement.