Arsenal

Christian rock band, Arsenal, began in the decade of the eighties, when the outpouring of "white metal" bands, mostly male fronted, had hit the scene following the commercial success of Stryper. A couple of female fronted groups made their mark, for instance, Barnabas and Ransom. Florida based, female fronted band, Arsenal, with Christine Steel on lead vocals, appeared around this same time.
Arsenal began recording demos and Christine got busy contacting record labels. One demo, containing the songs "Reaching For The Truth", "Golden Love" and "Don't Let It Pass You By", began circulating throughout the Christian music industry and by God's grace, Arsenal was beginning to get noticed.
In the mid to late 80's, Arsenal's songs, "Message Of Love" and "Stand Strong" were released on two CD's, "Metal Mercenaries" and "East Coast Metal". A third CD, "Classic Metal", also containing Arsenal material, was later released. In 1990, Arsenal released Its first solo debut CD entitled, "Armored Choir".
Shortly following the release of Armored Choir, Arsenal hired two new guitarists:
Kevin Pike, on lead guitar. Kevin is a G.I.T., Guitar Institute of Technology, graduate. He has been featured in Guitar for the Practicing Musician Magazine (Editor in Chief, John Stix), "Resume Column", on Guitar Nine's "Resume Column", and "Top Featured Artists", just to name a few. Kevin had spent several years on the road prior to joining Arsenal.
Brien DeChristopher, on rhythm and lead guitar. Brien's background includes extensive guitar study stemming back to the 70's. He has been in multiple top rated band's throughout the East.
Both strong men of God, Kevin and Brien breathed new life into the band. They changed and improved the sound, adding a much harder edge, while at the same time incorporating a bluesy feel to Arsenal's sound.
Along with original founding member, Christine Steel, Arsenal continued to perform and record. During this time the band recorded a side project. The five song Arsenal demo was entitled, "Peace Child". The music moved in a blues based, hard-classic rock groove. One online magazine reviewer said:
"Heavier at times and more acoustic laced, in comparison to Armored Choir, this demo brings to mind Kinetic Faith by Bride but replace Dale Thompson with a searing female lead vocalist. Yes, the music here is that good in reflecting the significant growth and maturity made by Christine (Steel) and company in terms of not only their musicianship but abilities in the studio as well. The demo showcases a sound which is much more balanced and professional. What stands out most about the project, nonetheless, is the incredible guitar work of (Kevin) Pike and (Brien) DeChristopher, both acoustic and lead of a bluesy and fiery variety, in addition to the fact that all five tracks are carried out past five minutes, which helps lend to their depth and long term lasting value. All in all, the overall feeling I get here is that I wish Christine had recorded a full length album along this line. In other words, I want to hear more. And that is a very good thing."
Arsenal continued to receive similar reviews and listeners around the globe urged the band to continue to incorporate this fresh and exciting sound into new material.