On Fire!

Artist: Petra
Label: Star Song Communications
Released: 1988
Type: Full-Length
Rating: This album has not yet been rated.

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On Fire! is the tenth studio album of the Christian rock band, Petra. It was released in 1988 by StarSong.
As Petra's popularity built still further, the band expanded their reach by sponsoring children through Compassion International and advocating for a Constitutional amendment allowing prayer in public schools. Applying the spiritual warfare theme explored in This Means War!, Petra formed "Prayer Warrior" groups across the country, bands of youth groups to pray for each other. The focus on shepherding Christian youth through a spiritual battle zone continued on the band's next album, On Fire!
With a cover featuring a flaming sword breaking through a pane of glass, On Fire! was Petra's heaviest album yet, the culmination of the transition begun with Back to the Street. A fully hard rock album, bordering in places on heavy metal, On Fire! made the most of songs such as "All Fired Up," "Hit You Where You Live" and "Mine Field", all of which continued the spiritual warfare theme. CCM Magazine, in praising the album, called On Fire! "the crunchiest Petra sound yet" and praised the first two tracks as "the most exciting eight minutes of rock Petra has ever put to tape." Once again, the band scored hits with its initial singles, as "First Love," the radio ballad, and "Mine Field," the rocker, hit No. 1 on three of Music Line Magazine's four Christian radio charts. "First Love" finished 1988 as the year's 10th-most-played radio single. With the album, Petra released a long-form film, tying a series of short-form music videos together with ministry segments. The film garnered the band its first Dove award, for Long Form Music Video of the Year in 1990, and its fifth consecutive Grammy nomination for its studio offerings.
The tour, meanwhile, reflected the band's increasing name recognition, with more than 100 shows and a stage set that included a 30-foot (9.1 m) steel and aluminum sword modeled after the On Fire! album cover. Touring with popular evangelist Josh McDowell Petra played to audiences of more than 8,000 each night.
On Fire! featured the first lineup change since Schlitt joined the band, as bassist Mark Kelly was replaced by Ronny Cates, ushering in the most stable lineup in Petra's history: Hartman on guitars, Schlitt on vocals, Lawry on keyboards, Weaver on drums and Cates on bass.

Lineup

John Schlitt (Head East) - Lead Vocals
Bob Hartman (Classic Petra, II Guys From Petra) - Guitar
Ronny Cates - Bass
Louie Weaver (Randy Matthews, Fireworks, Classic Petra, CPR) - Drums
John Lawry (Forerunner, Classic Petra, CPR) - Keyboards


Guests

John Andrew Schreiner (Compassion All Star Band) - Keyboards/Programming
Tim Heintz (General Kane, The Northern Lights Ensemble) - Programming
Bob Carlisle (Allies, Billy Thermal) - Background Vocals
John Elefante (Kansas, Mastedon) - Background Vocals
Rikki Michelle - Background Vocals


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