There's something very amusing about a Christian metal band calling one of its albums Hotter Than Hell! But you won't find any endorsements of the occult on this album.
Musically, Barren Cross sound like a combination of Judas Priest and Iron Maiden, but lyrically, the Chicago headbangers bring a strongly Christian viewpoint to "In the Eye of the Fire," "Close to the Edge" (not to be confused with the Yes classic), "Light the Flame," and other tunes on this live album.
One of Cross' best songs, "Dead Lock," provides a compelling anti-drug message.
Although Cross enjoyed some exposure on MTV, the band wasn't as well-known in the secular rock world as it was in Christian circles -- and that's regrettable because its recordings were passionate and inspired, if derivative.
For headbangers exploring Cross' music for the first time, Hotter Than Hell! Live would be the best starting point.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Imaginary MusicDino Elefante, Mike Lee | Barren Cross | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Dying DayMike Lee | Barren Cross | Play | 04:01 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Killers of the UnbornJim LaVerde, Mike Lee | Barren Cross | Play | 03:25 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Close to the EdgeMike Lee | Barren Cross | Play | 04:55 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Going NowhereJim LaVerde, Mike Lee | Barren Cross | Play | 04:53 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Dead LockMike Lee | Barren Cross | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | Opus to the Third HeavenJim LaVerde | Barren Cross | Play | 04:21 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | King of Kings | Barren Cross | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | In the Eye of the FireMike Lee | Barren Cross | Play | 04:59 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | Rock for the KingMike Lee | Barren Cross | Play | 05:24 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Light the FlameMike Lee | Barren Cross | Play | 07:39 | 17 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Terrorist Child | Barren Cross | Play | 03:32 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | Give Your Life | Barren Cross | Play | 05:10 | 11 MB | 0 MB |
| 14 | King Jesus and Blues Jam | Barren Cross | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 0 MB |
| 65 mins | 148 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gary Apodaca | Photography |
| 2 | Barren Cross | Arranger, Primary Artist |
| 3 | Alaysius Collado | Vocals |
| 4 | Dino Elefante | Composer |
| 5 | Jim (H. M.) Faraci | Engineer |
| 6 | Robert Feist | Mixing |
| 7 | Drew Fischer | Technical Advisor |
| 8 | Jim LaVerde | Bass, Composer |
| 9 | Mike Lee | Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 10 | Jeff Lipton | Remastering |
| 11 | Vince Mendoza | Guitar |
| 12 | Lisa Sutton | Design |
| 13 | Don Tittle | Mixing Assistant |
| 14 | Traditional | Composer |
| 15 | Christine Whitaker | Keyboards |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |