01. Tenacious Volition
02. Divination
03. When You Said Goodbye
04. Holly
05. Exaltation
06. The Witching Hour
07. Seance
08. Spend My Life With You
09. Unchanging Love
10. Blood Of The Lamb
11. Once Upon A Time
Kevin Ayers - Lead & Backing Vocals, Rhythm Guitars
Kevin Ayers - Electric, Acoustic
Kevin Ayers - Classical Guitars
Tim Benton - Drums, Percussion
Andy Bruner -Lead & Rhythm Guitars,12 String Acoustic,Classical Guitar
Andrew Bruner - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Ed Bruner Piano - Classical Guitar, Bass
John Farrell Lead - Rhythm, Electric, Classical Guitars
1991's Age of Darkness is the second (and final) album from Christian metallers Haven. Before you conjure up images of Stryper and move on to another album, you'd do well to give this one a chance. Where a band like Barren Cross drew its influences from Dio and Iron Maiden, Haven's sound owes more to a certain Seattle sound (no, not that one). I'm talking about bands like Queensryche, Fifth Angel, and Metal Church.
Age of Darkness is a very impressive traditional/power metal album, full of great melodies, shredding guitars, and a Geoff Tate-inspired vocal style. There are a couple instances of Dokken-style balladeering, but for the most part this is a fast paced power metal album that should please fans of Apocrypha, Powersurge, Crimson Glory, and any of the bands mentioned earlier. Haven is a Christian band, but they're not overly "churchy" with their lyrics, so Age of Darkness shouldn't alienate the average metal fan. Believe me; this one's much more likely to induce headbanging than Bible-thumping!
The 2005 reissue of Age of Darkness features 6 bonus tracks by vocalist Kevin Ayres' new band Thunder Bucket, which is pretty straightforward (and not terribly memorable) hard rock. I'd much rather the label had figured out a way to fit Haven's self-titled debut on here, but I guess beggars can't be choosers. Besides, it's good to know that this lost classic is back in print.