Last Saturday on 5/15/10, I attended the "Christian Metal-Rock Alliance" Festival in Blakely, PA at the Peckville Assembly of God. It was organized by Norm "Ski" Kiersznowski, vocalist of Faith Factor. While not a Christian myself, I've been to a handful of other events gotten together by Ski, some all Christian bands, others a mix, but all of them have been awesome shows with great music, so I wasn't about to miss this Fest. Unfortunately Faith Factor was not able to perform as a band due to recent changes in their lineup, but three members were in attendance and two did perform with other bands.

   This was the first time I'd seen a concert in a church, other than classical music. The Peckville Assembly of God really was the perfect place. It looks as much a concert venue as a church. The building is very modern, built only a few years ago. It's a beautiful place with large restrooms, a balcony, comfortable seats (not pews) and there's even the "Solid Rock Cafe" out in the main hall which served up pizza, hot dogs, etc.

   The ever present Ski was up on stage getting things ready and called out my name as I entered the church. He could be seen buzzing around throughout the concert, keeping things running smoothly.

   The majority of the bands were more on the rock side of the musical spectrum, in my opinion

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   First on stage was "Common Destiny" featuring Steve Yost on guitar and special guest vocalist Ski of Faith Factor. It was a nice surprise to hear Ski sing even though his band was not performing. He sounded cool and comfortable with Common Destiny, who had a classic heavy rock sound.

   Next up was "Fair Warning" who had a nice groove to their hard rock sound. The bass parts were uncommonly interesting, I remember. More than filler. I listened to their album that I picked up, on the way home. They sound like a Christian Van Halen. It rocks!

   All the way from Washington D.C. came "Under Command", who played an impressive blend of rock and metal. Guitarist / lead vocalist Wayne Johnson used a wireless mike, which allowed him plenty of movement around stage. Their drummer looked very young, but performed like a veteran. Bassist Julie Johnson spoke some little sermons and offered a prayer in between their sets.

   Fourth up was "Coriolis", who I had seen only once before, but had become a big fan of. If it weren't for mp3 conversion I'd have worn out their disc by now. Their music has an infectious industrial/metal flavor. The guys are great live performers and have a distinctive gothic/industrial look. Bandleader Jonathan Stamets makes an impression with his moody vocals as well as his visual postures. They featured two new songs from their second album that is due to release in a few weeks. Jonathan told me the material for "The Endless Funeral" is something he's been working on for five years. The style is somewhat different than their last album and has an encompassing theme binding it all together.

   On next was "Main Line Riders" whose lead guitarist stole the show with his over-the-top rock and roll showmanship as well as his fretwork. For their last song, they invited the crowd on stage and Cliffy even handed his guitar over to Blaine Booth of Faith Factor who proceeded to jam with the band. What a finish!

   After a break for dinner, "The Forgiven Band" took the stage. They played an uplifting variety of spiritual covers which opened with the 1969 Norman Greenbaum classic "Spirit in the Sky". They also featured one original song "Nothing Without You" Nice! Let's hear some more!

   "Dropveil" had good stage presence and rocked the church with their grungy metallic sound. Their style is something new to me, but I picked up their debut album "Through the Narrow", released last year, and I'm digging it.

   Last on was headliner "Rivera / Bomma", fronted by John Bomma on vocals and Rod Rivera guitar. Their sound is great epic power metal. Definitely check out this New Jersey talent. The band has good stage presence, John in particular. And John sounded even better live than on their last album, which I picked up.

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   Many thanks to the Peckville Assembly of God for hosting the event in your wonderful church. Thanks to the sound guy, good job. And a big thanks to Norm "Ski" Kiersznowski of Faith Factor for another awesome offering in his tireless musical metal ministry!

                              -----------Karl