All of the early Rez ablums were groundbreaking.
This was their fifth release, and their third and final for Light Records. D.M.Z. was the hardest rock that they had given us yet, and it fit the early 80s metal age perfectly.
Opening with a high energy track, Military Man, and pulling out a relentless guitar solo intro on White Noise, they sounded exactly like rock was supposed to in 1982.
The CCM industry at the time couldn’t figure this out but Resurrection band could.
== 1 ==
Military Man
Military Man was the opening track and it became a signature piece for their live shows and a central part of their ceatalogue. The era was still post-Viet Nam. The movie First Blood came out in 1982, Missing in Action in 1984, and Rambo in 1985. Sympathy for soldiers was strong and Glenn’s writing reflected that. A call for pacifism was not the mainstream, but that’s what was different about the CCM world.
== 2 ==
Reluctance
Wendi takes the lead on this song, as she does with three of the ten tracks on this album. She brought energy to the band that Glenn’s vocals, for all their intensity, could not. There were a few critics of Wendi’s vocal style, but there is no doubt she was an integral part of Rez.
== 3 ==
Babylon
Typical Rez fashion was a hard sound like this paired with Glenn’s lyrics about human suffering. In Bablyon his desire to reach lost souls comes through again. The band had a ministry that always returned to the needs of the people, and the desire to share the gospel. At the same time, this is another great rock song from the earliest, hardest Christian rock band of substance.
== 4 ==
I Need Your Love
A rough voice streaming out smooth vocals over a guitar ringing with a mean-streets tone is exactly what we expect from Rez Band. There is energy in the playing, the singing and the writing. This didn’t become one of their most popular tracks but it is just as strong, and a great part of the structure of this album.
== 5 ==
Area 312
Area 312 is the area code for Chicago’s core, in case you didn’t know. Kids that are born there, grow up there, and need to find hope there are what Rez was about. JPUSA was the birthplace of Rez, and JPUSA was essentially a commune in a needy part of Chicago.
== 6 ==
No Alibi
Almost a hymn of confession, this connects with yet another part of the faith they professed. The process of confession is central to the Christian faith, and whether it is a formal part of your church service or not, here it is, right on your record player ready to bring you into it. Every Rez concert had an altar call where people came forward and members of the band would preach and pray with the people in small groups. This fits perfectly with their message.
== 7 ==
White Noise is a CCM guitar classic. I remember I was listenting to it and someone asked me, “Is this AC/DC?” I answered that no, it was Rez. “Reall? This isn’t Rez. This is For Those About To Rock.”
It wasn’t AC/DC, and I don’t think a music fan should be able to mix the two songs up, but you get the idea of what kind of music this is. It’s hard rock. It’s what the kids were doing in the 80s. Rez gave us an alternative to following the weird path of Ozzy Osborne, Iron Maiden, Motley Crue, all the way to Twisted Sister. We were proud of the music we listened to because it was different, it was ours, and it was better.
== 8 ==
Lonely Hearts
Loneliness is part of living in a city of 2 million people. It’s a different kind of loneliness, where people are surrounded and alone. Once again bringing the inner city message, this song connects.
Looking back at it from 2018, we look at this as a Tinder attempt to connect with people and finding everything hollow. Emotions stay relevant forever regardless of technology.
== 9 ==
The Prisoner
Rez did a lot of “cause” songs. This one is written from the perspective of a wheelchair bound human being, struggling to be seen as such. I don’t know the back story but it seems clear there is one, and Glenn connected with it. Rez made a big effort to humanize marginalized people, whether it was the poor, the Black South Africans, or the wheelchair-bound.
== 10 ==
So In Love With You
In with everything else, Resurrection Band also wrote praise songs. The Psalms are more blues (lament) than praise, but the praise is there and they never forgot to incldue some of that on their albums. This is a joyful sound, created in the style of Rez.
Tracklist
1 – Military Man – 3:39
2 – Reluctance – 2:14
3 – Babylon – 2:36
4 – I Need Your Love – 3:24
5 – Area 312 – 3:56
6 – No Alibi – 4:39
7 – White Noise – 3:41
8 – Lonely Hearts – 3:00
9 – The Prisoner – 2:54
10 – So In Love With You – 3:38
Credits
Artwork By [Other Art & Layout] – JPUSA Graphics
Artwork, Cover – Dick Randall
Bass [Fretless Bass], Synthesizer, Backing Vocals – Jim Denton
Drums – John Herrin
Engineer – Roger Heiss
Guitar, Keyboards – Stu Heiss
Mastered By – Steve Hall
Photography By – Denise Omernick, Linda Dillon (2), Pat Peterson (2)
Producer – Resurrection Band
Saxophone – Steve Eisen
Vocals – Wendi Kaiser
Vocals, Guitar – Glenn Kaiser
Companies, etc.
Manufactured By – Word Records Limited
