Halo (USA)

[Horex]

Halo - Halo (1990)











Year : 1990
Style : Christian Melodic Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 111 mb

Bio:

Halo was a Christian rock band formed in Alabama in 1980. Touring in the South for almost a decade before a chance meeting with an encouraging Bob Hartman of Petra fame, Halo was signed by Pakaderm Records and recorded their first album in 1989. Another album followed in 1992 before the group disbanded in 1993.Said to be an acronym for "Heavenly Angelic Light Orchestra," Halo began in Alabama in 1980 when drummer Mike Graham, age 14 at the time, was introduced to vocalist and bass player Scott Springer and guitarist Keith Mims, both seven years older than Graham. Mims and Springer made it clear to Graham that their interest was in pursuing Christian music. Graham, who had already played drums in a Southern Gospel group for two years without taking up the Christian faith, had his reservations, but he liked the music Springer and Mims were playing and assumed he could play with them, just like he had in the Southern Gospel group, without any conflicts of interest.After playing in Halo for only two years, Graham was won over to the Christian faith in January 1982, and, with a unified mission to be a Christian band with a ministry, it was at this point that the group really started to take form. Working to get their stride, Halo toured the Southern United States, performing mostly in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. While playing the circuit, members of the band and friend Ken Headley (acting booking agent) were asked to attend a Petra concert in hope to meet the band and discuss Halo's desire to possible pursue ministry full-time. The guys were told the band was on a tight schedule and could not make a meeting. Ken, who had attended Samford University, ran into a past little sister in his fraternity, Kim Whisonant Hartman, now Bob Harmon's wife. She was able to get a brief meeting and the guys handed him a demo tape. A short time after the band received a call from Bob Hartman, founder and guitarist for perennial favorites in the Christian music industry, Petra. Hartman acted as a mentor to Halo, providing advice on song-writing as well as sound equipment. Despite their efforts and advice, Halo was still unsigned after nine years of touring, and their performances were effectively equal to a diversion that consumed many hours.In 1989, Springer announced that God was calling him to full-time ministry. Originally, it appeared that he was going to head off to seminary to become a youth pastor. However, around the same time, Bob Hartman told Graham that he had given a Halo demo tape, recorded in Hartman's studio, to brothers John Elefante and Dino Elefante, owners of Pakaderm Records in Los Alamos, CA and the producers of the last few Petra albums. Not long thereafter, Pakaderm offered Halo a recording contract.By 1990, Halo had released their self-titled debut album, featuring ten tracks written and played by Springer, Mims, Graham, and the Elefante brothers, with arrangements by Bob Hartman and session players, guitarist Tony Palacios (Guardian) and keyboardist John Andrew Schreiner (Carman, Steve Camp, Petra).Altogether, the album is said to exude the "sound of a cohesive power pop band", drawing likenesses to both secular and Christian artists, such as Foreigner, Journey, Kansas, Petra, and Mastedon.In 1991, Halo released their second album with Pakaderm: Heaven Calling. Following work with Rick Cua, Barry Graul (later to become a frequent session player in the Christian music industry and member of MercyMe) replaced Keith Mims on guitar, and Scott Springer and John Elefante teamed up to write lyrics and music, respectively, for all the songs on Heaven Calling, except "It's Your Decision" and "Secret to Love", to which Mike Graham contributed.This musical pairing proved to be successful because on November 2, 1991, the title-cut, "Heaven Calling," debuted on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian chart at No. 21.Additionally, online reports show that Halo had four number one Christian Rock hits in its career,[citation needed] and although no verification has been found at the time of this writing to prove it, high probability is that a majority of those hits came from Heaven Calling. The album also garnered success outside the U.S. In touring, Halo found an amazingly receptive audience in South America in places like Guatemala, where they played in Christmas 1991.Halo's concerts were said to have included a powerful, aggressive, and energetic air; a compact sound and light system that was surprisingly impressive without overpowering the show; vocalist Scott Springer's comments about the songs' messages before playing them; sermons about living a pure life without sex and drugs; prayer; altar calls while getting the audience to join in praise choruses, and the distribution of Bibles. Despite the band's evangelistic tone, Springer was reported as humbly saying, at least once, that he could not force anyone to live a life of Christ, but that it must be a person's own decision.In an interview in February 1993, drummer Mike Graham is reported talking about their new guitarist P.J. Marx and the recording of Halo's third album that, at the time of the interview, Springer was working on in Pakaderm's studios, laying down vocal tracks. Graham says the album was slated for release in May or June of that same year;however, no records show that the album ever came to fruition. Rather, Scott Springer put out a solo album in 1993 called Hello Forever that credited Graham on drums but no mention of a P.J. Marx. The compositions on this solo effort, like Heaven Calling before, were the work primarily of Springer and the Elefantes., and again, the combination gave Springer four No. 1 songs on Christian Hit Radio.As of April 2020 Halo's CD's have been remastered and reissued by Girder Music. Also for the first time there's a CD of Halo demos. Lastly, Scott Springer's solo CD is also reissued.After 1993, no other Halo albums or tours are reported, but Scott Springer continued to tour as a self-proclaimed artist and preacher—although an executive hand in the business is also suspected considering its name - for Halo Productions, a booking agency representing ministry-minded Christian recording artists and bands.As Springer began touring with Hello Forever, he took a part-time Student Minister position at a small church. This eventually led him to a full-time youth ministry position, where he took a break from the road, was ordained as a minister, and began teaching and evangelizing youth in his community. He also became chaplain of local youth sports teams.In 2004, Springer became head pastor of a new church with a casual atmosphere in Clanton, AL called New Life Community Church.

Album:

By 1990, Halo had released their self-titled debut album, featuring ten tracks written and played by Springer, Mims, Graham, and the Elefante brothers, with arrangements by Bob Hartman and session players, guitarist Tony Palacios (Guardian) and keyboardist John Andrew Schreiner (Carman, Steve Camp, Petra).Altogether, the album is said to exude the "sound of a cohesive power pop band", drawing likenesses to both secular and Christian artists, such as Foreigner, Journey, Kansas, Petra, and Mastedon.Halo are a second-rate Petra rip off. With titles such as "Jesus Music", "Lord Of All" and "Sing (Of His Glory)", the band are obviously pitching exclusively at the Christian market. The lyrics are straight to the point, or to take the cynics point of view, triumphalistic and shallow. One song which is lyrically thoughtful is "Language Barrier", but its arrangement is just too slushy to carry the point home. To add to the depression Tony Palacius, of Guardian, the nearest thing Christian music comes to a genuine guitar great, is featured on the track "Skyrocket" and doesn't even get a solo! Roll on the new Mastedon album.

Line-Up:

Scott Springer - bass, lead vocals
Barry Graul - guitar, vocals
Mike Graham - drums, keyboards, vocals

production:

John Elefante co-producer
Dino Elefante co-producer

Tracklist:

01. Jesus Music 4:20
02. Lord of All 4:39
03. Good Feeling 4:13
04. Language Barrier 5:09
05. Skyrocket 3:45
06. Lose to Live 4:33
07. Sing (of His Glory) 4:21
08. Soul Searcher 3:49
09. Time to Run 4:01
10. Timeless 1:07




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Halo - Heaven Calling (1991)











Year : 1991
Style : Christian Melodic Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + all scans
Size : 101 mb

Bio:

Halo was a Christian rock band formed in Alabama in 1980. Touring in the South for almost a decade before a chance meeting with an encouraging Bob Hartman of Petra fame, Halo was signed by Pakaderm Records and recorded their first album in 1989. Another album followed in 1992 before the group disbanded in 1993.Said to be an acronym for "Heavenly Angelic Light Orchestra," Halo began in Alabama in 1980 when drummer Mike Graham, age 14 at the time, was introduced to vocalist and bass player Scott Springer and guitarist Keith Mims, both seven years older than Graham. Mims and Springer made it clear to Graham that their interest was in pursuing Christian music. Graham, who had already played drums in a Southern Gospel group for two years without taking up the Christian faith, had his reservations, but he liked the music Springer and Mims were playing and assumed he could play with them, just like he had in the Southern Gospel group, without any conflicts of interest.After playing in Halo for only two years, Graham was won over to the Christian faith in January 1982, and, with a unified mission to be a Christian band with a ministry, it was at this point that the group really started to take form. Working to get their stride, Halo toured the Southern United States, performing mostly in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. While playing the circuit, members of the band and friend Ken Headley (acting booking agent) were asked to attend a Petra concert in hope to meet the band and discuss Halo's desire to possible pursue ministry full-time. The guys were told the band was on a tight schedule and could not make a meeting. Ken, who had attended Samford University, ran into a past little sister in his fraternity, Kim Whisonant Hartman, now Bob Harmon's wife. She was able to get a brief meeting and the guys handed him a demo tape. A short time after the band received a call from Bob Hartman, founder and guitarist for perennial favorites in the Christian music industry, Petra. Hartman acted as a mentor to Halo, providing advice on song-writing as well as sound equipment. Despite their efforts and advice, Halo was still unsigned after nine years of touring, and their performances were effectively equal to a diversion that consumed many hours.In 1989, Springer announced that God was calling him to full-time ministry. Originally, it appeared that he was going to head off to seminary to become a youth pastor. However, around the same time, Bob Hartman told Graham that he had given a Halo demo tape, recorded in Hartman's studio, to brothers John Elefante and Dino Elefante, owners of Pakaderm Records in Los Alamos, CA and the producers of the last few Petra albums. Not long thereafter, Pakaderm offered Halo a recording contract.By 1990, Halo had released their self-titled debut album, featuring ten tracks written and played by Springer, Mims, Graham, and the Elefante brothers, with arrangements by Bob Hartman and session players, guitarist Tony Palacios (Guardian) and keyboardist John Andrew Schreiner (Carman, Steve Camp, Petra).Altogether, the album is said to exude the "sound of a cohesive power pop band", drawing likenesses to both secular and Christian artists, such as Foreigner, Journey, Kansas, Petra, and Mastedon.In 1991, Halo released their second album with Pakaderm: Heaven Calling. Following work with Rick Cua, Barry Graul (later to become a frequent session player in the Christian music industry and member of MercyMe) replaced Keith Mims on guitar, and Scott Springer and John Elefante teamed up to write lyrics and music, respectively, for all the songs on Heaven Calling, except "It's Your Decision" and "Secret to Love", to which Mike Graham contributed.This musical pairing proved to be successful because on November 2, 1991, the title-cut, "Heaven Calling," debuted on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian chart at No. 21.Additionally, online reports show that Halo had four number one Christian Rock hits in its career,[citation needed] and although no verification has been found at the time of this writing to prove it, high probability is that a majority of those hits came from Heaven Calling. The album also garnered success outside the U.S. In touring, Halo found an amazingly receptive audience in South America in places like Guatemala, where they played in Christmas 1991.Halo's concerts were said to have included a powerful, aggressive, and energetic air; a compact sound and light system that was surprisingly impressive without overpowering the show; vocalist Scott Springer's comments about the songs' messages before playing them; sermons about living a pure life without sex and drugs; prayer; altar calls while getting the audience to join in praise choruses, and the distribution of Bibles. Despite the band's evangelistic tone, Springer was reported as humbly saying, at least once, that he could not force anyone to live a life of Christ, but that it must be a person's own decision.In an interview in February 1993, drummer Mike Graham is reported talking about their new guitarist P.J. Marx and the recording of Halo's third album that, at the time of the interview, Springer was working on in Pakaderm's studios, laying down vocal tracks. Graham says the album was slated for release in May or June of that same year;however, no records show that the album ever came to fruition. Rather, Scott Springer put out a solo album in 1993 called Hello Forever that credited Graham on drums but no mention of a P.J. Marx. The compositions on this solo effort, like Heaven Calling before, were the work primarily of Springer and the Elefantes., and again, the combination gave Springer four No. 1 songs on Christian Hit Radio.As of April 2020 Halo's CD's have been remastered and reissued by Girder Music. Also for the first time there's a CD of Halo demos. Lastly, Scott Springer's solo CD is also reissued.After 1993, no other Halo albums or tours are reported, but Scott Springer continued to tour as a self-proclaimed artist and preacher—although an executive hand in the business is also suspected considering its name - for Halo Productions, a booking agency representing ministry-minded Christian recording artists and bands.As Springer began touring with Hello Forever, he took a part-time Student Minister position at a small church. This eventually led him to a full-time youth ministry position, where he took a break from the road, was ordained as a minister, and began teaching and evangelizing youth in his community. He also became chaplain of local youth sports teams.In 2004, Springer became head pastor of a new church with a casual atmosphere in Clanton, AL called New Life Community Church.

Album:

In 1991, Halo released their second album with Pakaderm: Heaven Calling. Following work with Rick Cua, Barry Graul (later to become a frequent session player in the Christian music industry and member of MercyMe) replaced Keith Mims on guitar, and Scott Springer and John Elefante teamed up to write lyrics and music, respectively, for all the songs on Heaven Calling, except "It's Your Decision" and "Secret to Love", to which Mike Graham contributed.This musical pairing proved to be successful because on November 2, 1991, the title-cut, "Heaven Calling," debuted on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian chart at No. 21.Additionally, online reports show that Halo had four number one Christian Rock hits in its career, and although no verification has been found at the time of this writing to prove it, high probability is that a majority of those hits came from Heaven Calling. The album also garnered success outside the U.S. In touring, Halo found an amazingly receptive audience in South America in places like Guatemala, where they played in Christmas 1991.This is Halo's second album, their first one creating quite an impact Stateside. Their style is solid, no-nonsense AOR with quite a strong Petra-influence. Still looking for a truly distinctive style, I feel in time they will no doubt identify and develop their strengths, amongst which for me, incidentally, were Scott Springer's powerful vocals and Barry Graul's superb guitar, and so establish themselves as one of the leading rock bands of the Christian counter- culture. Their method of taking verses of Scripture on which to build the lyrics of the songs generally works well and is often inspiring. Particularly worthy of note in this respect is the opener, "Jacob's Dream", based on Genesis 28:10-22, guaranteed to draw you up by the bootlaces if you find yourself on a spiritual low, as is "Climb The Mountain", in which Mr Graul lets rip with a short but spiritually stimulating guitar solo. Other tracks of special interest include "Thy Will Be Done", based on the Lord's prayer. The content is handled sensitively and is put X6 a melody which is simple but effective, giving it a PGF rating (personal goosepimple factor) of 7/10. Lastly, I have to mention the final cut "My Buddy". Being a father of three, I was reduced to floods of tears by the profound truth expressed in the words to this song which deal with our responsibility as parents to 'demonstrate' to our children what Jesus is like. Amongst the credits on the inlay card I found the following... " (We)... pray that many lives will be touched as a result of His (God's) work through us." Here's one person for whom that certainly came true.

Line-Up:

Scott Springer bass, lead vocals
Barry Graul guitar, vocals
Mike Graham drums, keyboards, vocals
John Elefante keyboards, co-producer

production:

Dino Elefante co-producer

Tracklist:

01. Jacob's Dream 4:36
02. It's Your Decision 4:20
03. Saved By Grace 4:19
04. Heaven Calling 4:40
05. Thy Will Be Done 4:03
06. Secret to Love 4:38
07. Climb the Mountain 3:59
08. Eye of the Storm 4:48
09. Man From Galilee 4:03
10. My Buddy 4:16




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Halo - Life Goes On (1982) (Girder Records Edition 2020)











Year : 1982 (Girder Records Edition 2020)
Style : Christian Melodic Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 108 mb

Bio:

Halo was a Christian rock band formed in Alabama in 1980. Touring in the South for almost a decade before a chance meeting with an encouraging Bob Hartman of Petra fame, Halo was signed by Pakaderm Records and recorded their first album in 1989. Another album followed in 1992 before the group disbanded in 1993.Said to be an acronym for "Heavenly Angelic Light Orchestra," Halo began in Alabama in 1980 when drummer Mike Graham, age 14 at the time, was introduced to vocalist and bass player Scott Springer and guitarist Keith Mims, both seven years older than Graham. Mims and Springer made it clear to Graham that their interest was in pursuing Christian music. Graham, who had already played drums in a Southern Gospel group for two years without taking up the Christian faith, had his reservations, but he liked the music Springer and Mims were playing and assumed he could play with them, just like he had in the Southern Gospel group, without any conflicts of interest.After playing in Halo for only two years, Graham was won over to the Christian faith in January 1982, and, with a unified mission to be a Christian band with a ministry, it was at this point that the group really started to take form. Working to get their stride, Halo toured the Southern United States, performing mostly in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. While playing the circuit, members of the band and friend Ken Headley (acting booking agent) were asked to attend a Petra concert in hope to meet the band and discuss Halo's desire to possible pursue ministry full-time. The guys were told the band was on a tight schedule and could not make a meeting. Ken, who had attended Samford University, ran into a past little sister in his fraternity, Kim Whisonant Hartman, now Bob Harmon's wife. She was able to get a brief meeting and the guys handed him a demo tape. A short time after the band received a call from Bob Hartman, founder and guitarist for perennial favorites in the Christian music industry, Petra. Hartman acted as a mentor to Halo, providing advice on song-writing as well as sound equipment. Despite their efforts and advice, Halo was still unsigned after nine years of touring, and their performances were effectively equal to a diversion that consumed many hours.In 1989, Springer announced that God was calling him to full-time ministry. Originally, it appeared that he was going to head off to seminary to become a youth pastor. However, around the same time, Bob Hartman told Graham that he had given a Halo demo tape, recorded in Hartman's studio, to brothers John Elefante and Dino Elefante, owners of Pakaderm Records in Los Alamos, CA and the producers of the last few Petra albums. Not long thereafter, Pakaderm offered Halo a recording contract.By 1990, Halo had released their self-titled debut album, featuring ten tracks written and played by Springer, Mims, Graham, and the Elefante brothers, with arrangements by Bob Hartman and session players, guitarist Tony Palacios (Guardian) and keyboardist John Andrew Schreiner (Carman, Steve Camp, Petra).Altogether, the album is said to exude the "sound of a cohesive power pop band", drawing likenesses to both secular and Christian artists, such as Foreigner, Journey, Kansas, Petra, and Mastedon.In 1991, Halo released their second album with Pakaderm: Heaven Calling. Following work with Rick Cua, Barry Graul (later to become a frequent session player in the Christian music industry and member of MercyMe) replaced Keith Mims on guitar, and Scott Springer and John Elefante teamed up to write lyrics and music, respectively, for all the songs on Heaven Calling, except "It's Your Decision" and "Secret to Love", to which Mike Graham contributed.This musical pairing proved to be successful because on November 2, 1991, the title-cut, "Heaven Calling," debuted on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian chart at No. 21.Additionally, online reports show that Halo had four number one Christian Rock hits in its career,[citation needed] and although no verification has been found at the time of this writing to prove it, high probability is that a majority of those hits came from Heaven Calling. The album also garnered success outside the U.S. In touring, Halo found an amazingly receptive audience in South America in places like Guatemala, where they played in Christmas 1991.Halo's concerts were said to have included a powerful, aggressive, and energetic air; a compact sound and light system that was surprisingly impressive without overpowering the show; vocalist Scott Springer's comments about the songs' messages before playing them; sermons about living a pure life without sex and drugs; prayer; altar calls while getting the audience to join in praise choruses, and the distribution of Bibles. Despite the band's evangelistic tone, Springer was reported as humbly saying, at least once, that he could not force anyone to live a life of Christ, but that it must be a person's own decision.In an interview in February 1993, drummer Mike Graham is reported talking about their new guitarist P.J. Marx and the recording of Halo's third album that, at the time of the interview, Springer was working on in Pakaderm's studios, laying down vocal tracks. Graham says the album was slated for release in May or June of that same year;however, no records show that the album ever came to fruition. Rather, Scott Springer put out a solo album in 1993 called Hello Forever that credited Graham on drums but no mention of a P.J. Marx. The compositions on this solo effort, like Heaven Calling before, were the work primarily of Springer and the Elefantes., and again, the combination gave Springer four No. 1 songs on Christian Hit Radio.As of April 2020 Halo's CD's have been remastered and reissued by Girder Music. Also for the first time there's a CD of Halo demos. Lastly, Scott Springer's solo CD is also reissued.After 1993, no other Halo albums or tours are reported, but Scott Springer continued to tour as a self-proclaimed artist and preacher—although an executive hand in the business is also suspected considering its name - for Halo Productions, a booking agency representing ministry-minded Christian recording artists and bands.As Springer began touring with Hello Forever, he took a part-time Student Minister position at a small church. This eventually led him to a full-time youth ministry position, where he took a break from the road, was ordained as a minister, and began teaching and evangelizing youth in his community. He also became chaplain of local youth sports teams.In 2004, Springer became head pastor of a new church with a casual atmosphere in Clanton, AL called New Life Community Church.

Album:

With the recent reissue / remasters of HALO albums, they found tape buried deep in the vaults. It’s a bunch of songs the band recorded in 1982, now 2020 for the first time ever coming to life under the title “Life Goes On“.At the time, HALO were a hard rock oriented band. The entire album is filled with Van Halen-like guitar riffs. Seriously…. every song is a guitar filled rocker and most of it actually sounds like Eddie Van Halen in the background, especially if you ever listen to Van Halen’s debut (1978) with Eruption and Runnin’ With the Devil.You get to hear early incarnations of 2 songs re-arranged for HALO’s first 1990 album, however there’s also 9 songs never before released and thought to have been missing forever.This is HALO 1982. Even after a conversation with John Elefante, he expressed that he never even knew that this recording existed but just knew the band had been touring around and playing non-stop for almost an entire decade before he signed them to the label.Overall, the sound quality is good. The songs are pretty professionally recorded but time has done its work with the tape integrity. At places there’s minor flaws but you can hear all songs perfectly.Its a very cool set of songs, a showcase of how effervescent was the American Rock scene between 1980-82, and why it finally exploded in years to come.

Line-Up:

Scott Springer – vocals
Keith Mims – guitar
Mike Graham – drums

Tracklist:

01. Time to Run
02. The Welder
03. I Love Jesus
04. The King is Alive
05. Life Goes On
06. Get Saved
07. Jesus Music
08. The Witness
09. Miracles
10. The Cross
11. Jesus Cares




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Halo - Halo (1990) (Girder Records Edition 2020)











Year : 1990 (Girder Records Edition 2020)
Style : Christian Melodic Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 128 mb

Bio:

Halo was a Christian rock band formed in Alabama in 1980. Touring in the South for almost a decade before a chance meeting with an encouraging Bob Hartman of Petra fame, Halo was signed by Pakaderm Records and recorded their first album in 1989. Another album followed in 1992 before the group disbanded in 1993.Said to be an acronym for "Heavenly Angelic Light Orchestra," Halo began in Alabama in 1980 when drummer Mike Graham, age 14 at the time, was introduced to vocalist and bass player Scott Springer and guitarist Keith Mims, both seven years older than Graham. Mims and Springer made it clear to Graham that their interest was in pursuing Christian music. Graham, who had already played drums in a Southern Gospel group for two years without taking up the Christian faith, had his reservations, but he liked the music Springer and Mims were playing and assumed he could play with them, just like he had in the Southern Gospel group, without any conflicts of interest.After playing in Halo for only two years, Graham was won over to the Christian faith in January 1982, and, with a unified mission to be a Christian band with a ministry, it was at this point that the group really started to take form. Working to get their stride, Halo toured the Southern United States, performing mostly in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. While playing the circuit, members of the band and friend Ken Headley (acting booking agent) were asked to attend a Petra concert in hope to meet the band and discuss Halo's desire to possible pursue ministry full-time. The guys were told the band was on a tight schedule and could not make a meeting. Ken, who had attended Samford University, ran into a past little sister in his fraternity, Kim Whisonant Hartman, now Bob Harmon's wife. She was able to get a brief meeting and the guys handed him a demo tape. A short time after the band received a call from Bob Hartman, founder and guitarist for perennial favorites in the Christian music industry, Petra. Hartman acted as a mentor to Halo, providing advice on song-writing as well as sound equipment. Despite their efforts and advice, Halo was still unsigned after nine years of touring, and their performances were effectively equal to a diversion that consumed many hours.In 1989, Springer announced that God was calling him to full-time ministry. Originally, it appeared that he was going to head off to seminary to become a youth pastor. However, around the same time, Bob Hartman told Graham that he had given a Halo demo tape, recorded in Hartman's studio, to brothers John Elefante and Dino Elefante, owners of Pakaderm Records in Los Alamos, CA and the producers of the last few Petra albums. Not long thereafter, Pakaderm offered Halo a recording contract.By 1990, Halo had released their self-titled debut album, featuring ten tracks written and played by Springer, Mims, Graham, and the Elefante brothers, with arrangements by Bob Hartman and session players, guitarist Tony Palacios (Guardian) and keyboardist John Andrew Schreiner (Carman, Steve Camp, Petra).Altogether, the album is said to exude the "sound of a cohesive power pop band", drawing likenesses to both secular and Christian artists, such as Foreigner, Journey, Kansas, Petra, and Mastedon.In 1991, Halo released their second album with Pakaderm: Heaven Calling. Following work with Rick Cua, Barry Graul (later to become a frequent session player in the Christian music industry and member of MercyMe) replaced Keith Mims on guitar, and Scott Springer and John Elefante teamed up to write lyrics and music, respectively, for all the songs on Heaven Calling, except "It's Your Decision" and "Secret to Love", to which Mike Graham contributed.This musical pairing proved to be successful because on November 2, 1991, the title-cut, "Heaven Calling," debuted on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian chart at No. 21.Additionally, online reports show that Halo had four number one Christian Rock hits in its career,[citation needed] and although no verification has been found at the time of this writing to prove it, high probability is that a majority of those hits came from Heaven Calling. The album also garnered success outside the U.S. In touring, Halo found an amazingly receptive audience in South America in places like Guatemala, where they played in Christmas 1991.Halo's concerts were said to have included a powerful, aggressive, and energetic air; a compact sound and light system that was surprisingly impressive without overpowering the show; vocalist Scott Springer's comments about the songs' messages before playing them; sermons about living a pure life without sex and drugs; prayer; altar calls while getting the audience to join in praise choruses, and the distribution of Bibles. Despite the band's evangelistic tone, Springer was reported as humbly saying, at least once, that he could not force anyone to live a life of Christ, but that it must be a person's own decision.In an interview in February 1993, drummer Mike Graham is reported talking about their new guitarist P.J. Marx and the recording of Halo's third album that, at the time of the interview, Springer was working on in Pakaderm's studios, laying down vocal tracks. Graham says the album was slated for release in May or June of that same year;however, no records show that the album ever came to fruition. Rather, Scott Springer put out a solo album in 1993 called Hello Forever that credited Graham on drums but no mention of a P.J. Marx. The compositions on this solo effort, like Heaven Calling before, were the work primarily of Springer and the Elefantes., and again, the combination gave Springer four No. 1 songs on Christian Hit Radio.As of April 2020 Halo's CD's have been remastered and reissued by Girder Music. Also for the first time there's a CD of Halo demos. Lastly, Scott Springer's solo CD is also reissued.After 1993, no other Halo albums or tours are reported, but Scott Springer continued to tour as a self-proclaimed artist and preacher—although an executive hand in the business is also suspected considering its name - for Halo Productions, a booking agency representing ministry-minded Christian recording artists and bands.As Springer began touring with Hello Forever, he took a part-time Student Minister position at a small church. This eventually led him to a full-time youth ministry position, where he took a break from the road, was ordained as a minister, and began teaching and evangelizing youth in his community. He also became chaplain of local youth sports teams.In 2004, Springer became head pastor of a new church with a casual atmosphere in Clanton, AL called New Life Community Church.

Album:

Formed in the early ’80s, AOR / Melodic Rock American band HALO had to wait until 1990 to release their debut album. It was 1989 when Halo’s demo was presented to John Elefante who quickly got the band into his studio to produce their first full length offering, which contained a perfect slice of classic hard-edged AOR stuff next to AVIATOR, ALLIES, JOURNEY and of course, Elefante’s MASTEDON.With heavenly layered choruses, relentless and driving guitars, swirling keyboard splashes and a tightness you could only expect from a band together for a decade, HALO’s album checks all the boxes for a classic that transcends any rock and roll era.Long time out of print, now Girder Music is remastering/reissuing this terrific album, “Halo (30th Anniversary Edition)” plus the previously unreleased demo that started it all.Seriously, this is awesome US AOR / Melodic Hard stuff…The band launched way back in 1980, when drummer Mike Graham was introduced to vocalist Scott Springer & guitarist Keith Mims. They did the club circuit and recorded a professional demo but nothing happened. However, they were together for close to a decade before a chance meeting at a Petra concert.The band handed Bob Hartman (PETRA) a home-recording cassette with some music. HALO would later get a call from Bob himself, who invited them into his home studio to record a 4-song demo, later presenting it to John Elefante of Pakaderm Records who signed them immediately.That demo with a fine sound quality, it’s added here as bonus, remastered.In 1990 HALO released this, their self-titled debut full-length self-titled album, and while initially only known among American fans of the genre, rapidly gained a cult status with requested copies from Europe, Japan and South America.Halo’s energetic AOR sound has been compared to such well known bands as Journey, Foreigner, Kansas, and Mastedon. Personally I remember wearing out my cassette copy of this album because this release was and is that good.The album blend like few the punch of late 80s US melodic hard rock with the smooth yet edgy AOR sound from the era: lots of melodies & harmonies, sharp guitars, synth / keyboard runs, and that huge, reverb-rich rhythm section.‘Skyrocket’ (featuring John Elefante on vocal duet), ‘Lose to Live’, ‘Time to Run’, ‘Soul Searcher’ are just among the gems here, but the entire album is brilliant stuff in this genre.This 30th Anniversary Edition has been remastered by audio specialist Rob Colwell of Bombworks Sound, so you know this 2020 Girder Records remaster rates as must-have ear candy.Hard-to-Get for decades, don’t delay and grab this limited 30th Anniversary Edition.

Line-Up:

Scott Springer - bass, lead vocals
Barry Graul - guitar, vocals
Mike Graham - drums, keyboards, vocals

production:

John Elefante co-producer
Dino Elefante co-producer

Tracklist:

01. Jesus Music 4:20
02. Lord of All 4:39
03. Good Feeling 4:13
04. Language Barrier 5:09
05. Skyrocket 3:45
06. Lose to Live 4:33
07. Sing (of His Glory) 4:21
08. Soul Searcher 3:49
09. Time to Run 4:01
10. Timeless 1:07
11. Gut Feeling (Bonus Track)
12. Sing (demo version) (Bonus Track)
13. Language Barrier (demo version) (Bonus Track)
14. Language Barrier (Radio Friendly Mix) (Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/

[Horex]

Halo - Heaven Calling (1991) (Girder Records Edition 2020)











Year : 1991 (Girder Records Edition 2020)
Style : Christian Melodic Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + scans
Size : 151 mb

Bio:

Halo was a Christian rock band formed in Alabama in 1980. Touring in the South for almost a decade before a chance meeting with an encouraging Bob Hartman of Petra fame, Halo was signed by Pakaderm Records and recorded their first album in 1989. Another album followed in 1992 before the group disbanded in 1993.Said to be an acronym for "Heavenly Angelic Light Orchestra," Halo began in Alabama in 1980 when drummer Mike Graham, age 14 at the time, was introduced to vocalist and bass player Scott Springer and guitarist Keith Mims, both seven years older than Graham. Mims and Springer made it clear to Graham that their interest was in pursuing Christian music. Graham, who had already played drums in a Southern Gospel group for two years without taking up the Christian faith, had his reservations, but he liked the music Springer and Mims were playing and assumed he could play with them, just like he had in the Southern Gospel group, without any conflicts of interest.After playing in Halo for only two years, Graham was won over to the Christian faith in January 1982, and, with a unified mission to be a Christian band with a ministry, it was at this point that the group really started to take form. Working to get their stride, Halo toured the Southern United States, performing mostly in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and Georgia. While playing the circuit, members of the band and friend Ken Headley (acting booking agent) were asked to attend a Petra concert in hope to meet the band and discuss Halo's desire to possible pursue ministry full-time. The guys were told the band was on a tight schedule and could not make a meeting. Ken, who had attended Samford University, ran into a past little sister in his fraternity, Kim Whisonant Hartman, now Bob Harmon's wife. She was able to get a brief meeting and the guys handed him a demo tape. A short time after the band received a call from Bob Hartman, founder and guitarist for perennial favorites in the Christian music industry, Petra. Hartman acted as a mentor to Halo, providing advice on song-writing as well as sound equipment. Despite their efforts and advice, Halo was still unsigned after nine years of touring, and their performances were effectively equal to a diversion that consumed many hours.In 1989, Springer announced that God was calling him to full-time ministry. Originally, it appeared that he was going to head off to seminary to become a youth pastor. However, around the same time, Bob Hartman told Graham that he had given a Halo demo tape, recorded in Hartman's studio, to brothers John Elefante and Dino Elefante, owners of Pakaderm Records in Los Alamos, CA and the producers of the last few Petra albums. Not long thereafter, Pakaderm offered Halo a recording contract.By 1990, Halo had released their self-titled debut album, featuring ten tracks written and played by Springer, Mims, Graham, and the Elefante brothers, with arrangements by Bob Hartman and session players, guitarist Tony Palacios (Guardian) and keyboardist John Andrew Schreiner (Carman, Steve Camp, Petra).Altogether, the album is said to exude the "sound of a cohesive power pop band", drawing likenesses to both secular and Christian artists, such as Foreigner, Journey, Kansas, Petra, and Mastedon.In 1991, Halo released their second album with Pakaderm: Heaven Calling. Following work with Rick Cua, Barry Graul (later to become a frequent session player in the Christian music industry and member of MercyMe) replaced Keith Mims on guitar, and Scott Springer and John Elefante teamed up to write lyrics and music, respectively, for all the songs on Heaven Calling, except "It's Your Decision" and "Secret to Love", to which Mike Graham contributed.This musical pairing proved to be successful because on November 2, 1991, the title-cut, "Heaven Calling," debuted on Billboard's Top Contemporary Christian chart at No. 21.Additionally, online reports show that Halo had four number one Christian Rock hits in its career,[citation needed] and although no verification has been found at the time of this writing to prove it, high probability is that a majority of those hits came from Heaven Calling. The album also garnered success outside the U.S. In touring, Halo found an amazingly receptive audience in South America in places like Guatemala, where they played in Christmas 1991.Halo's concerts were said to have included a powerful, aggressive, and energetic air; a compact sound and light system that was surprisingly impressive without overpowering the show; vocalist Scott Springer's comments about the songs' messages before playing them; sermons about living a pure life without sex and drugs; prayer; altar calls while getting the audience to join in praise choruses, and the distribution of Bibles. Despite the band's evangelistic tone, Springer was reported as humbly saying, at least once, that he could not force anyone to live a life of Christ, but that it must be a person's own decision.In an interview in February 1993, drummer Mike Graham is reported talking about their new guitarist P.J. Marx and the recording of Halo's third album that, at the time of the interview, Springer was working on in Pakaderm's studios, laying down vocal tracks. Graham says the album was slated for release in May or June of that same year;however, no records show that the album ever came to fruition. Rather, Scott Springer put out a solo album in 1993 called Hello Forever that credited Graham on drums but no mention of a P.J. Marx. The compositions on this solo effort, like Heaven Calling before, were the work primarily of Springer and the Elefantes., and again, the combination gave Springer four No. 1 songs on Christian Hit Radio.As of April 2020 Halo's CD's have been remastered and reissued by Girder Music. Also for the first time there's a CD of Halo demos. Lastly, Scott Springer's solo CD is also reissued.After 1993, no other Halo albums or tours are reported, but Scott Springer continued to tour as a self-proclaimed artist and preacher—although an executive hand in the business is also suspected considering its name - for Halo Productions, a booking agency representing ministry-minded Christian recording artists and bands.As Springer began touring with Hello Forever, he took a part-time Student Minister position at a small church. This eventually led him to a full-time youth ministry position, where he took a break from the road, was ordained as a minister, and began teaching and evangelizing youth in his community. He also became chaplain of local youth sports teams.In 2004, Springer became head pastor of a new church with a casual atmosphere in Clanton, AL called New Life Community Church.

Album:

Long time out of print, Girder Music is remastering/reissuing HALO’s second album, 1991’s ”Heaven Calling”, plus 4 bonus tracks. Produced by John &Dino Elefante (MASTEDON, KANSAS) with their unmistakable pristine style, ”Heaven Calling” is more ‘early ’90s AOR’ than its predecessor, at places bringing to mind JOURNEY’s ‘Trial By Fire’ era, WHITEHEART, Canadian bands from the genre, and of course MASTEDON melodious side.This is pure, unadulterated ’90s AOR in all it’s glory, with a crystal-clear remastering job.‘Smooth’ is the keyword here, and if elaborated arrangements, sweet keyboards and clean sweet vocals is your thing,”Heaven Calling” is a must have.It’s hard to resist the melodies on songs like ‘Jacob’s Dream’, the title track, ‘Secret to Love’ or ‘Eye of the Storm’, and while overall the album moves in midtempo AOR atmosphere, there’s room for some rockers too.Girder Records has busted down the vault to bring you the best bonus tracks possible to reload this classic album like never before. Released to the public for the first time ever, you will hear a short intro from John Elefante introducing the band, the track “Saved By Grace” in both AC (smooth) and CHR (rocking) versions.A brilliant album for fans of classy early Nineties American AOR.

Line-Up:

Scott Springer bass, lead vocals
Barry Graul guitar, vocals
Mike Graham drums, keyboards, vocals
John Elefante keyboards, co-producer

production:

Dino Elefante co-producer

Tracklist:

01. Jacob's Dream 4:36
02. It's Your Decision 4:20
03. Saved By Grace 4:19
04. Heaven Calling 4:40
05. Thy Will Be Done 4:03
06. Secret to Love 4:38
07. Climb the Mountain 3:59
08. Eye of the Storm 4:48
09. Man From Galilee 4:03
10. My Buddy 4:16
11. Intro to HALO (by John Elefante) (Bonus Track)
12. Saved by Grace (AC Mix) (Bonus Track)
13. Saved by Grace (CHR Mix) (Bonus Track)
14. O’ Holy Night (Bonus Track)




Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/