Ranking Whitecross Albums

Returning to classic metal:

I won’t rank the post-Rex albums because I’ve never heard them. 

I love me some Whitecross. Rex is amazing and I love their bold lyrics. Let’s go!


1. Hammer and Nail

Apart from Walk with Me, I love all these songs. One of my favorite classic metal albums.

2. Whitecross

Love the energy. I only put it lower than H&N because of my emotional attachment to the latter. I thought 1987 was a good re-record, but it just doesn’t ooze with the same energy.

3. Triumphant Return

The first Whitecross I ever heard. Apart from the ballads, every song rocks hard. I especially love the first two tracks and Heaven’s Calling Tonight.

4. High Gear

I think ItK has higher highs, but I find High Gear to be more consistent. There’s a lot of great tunes here. I think it’s underrated. 

5. In the Kingdom

There are MONSTER tunes on here but there are also some moments I’m not as big on. No Second Chances is a favorite and the title track is their best ballad. 

I’d put the first 3 at a higher level than the second 2, but I love them all.

I have all the Whitecross albums so here goes:

1. 1987 debut. Either version the original or the 2005 remnaster. Most of the songe to me are quite good on this album. 
2. Truimphant Return
3. Hammer and Nail (Truimphant Return and Hammer and Nail are interchangable where both has great song writing but Truimphant Return has better production)
4. In the Kingdom
5. High Hear
6. Unveiled
7. Flytrap (This one is less alternative and a lot of the songs are Rock or Hard Rock and a few alternative type songs. Kind of have that Aerosmith Get a Grip feel to it. This album is not very original if that what Whitecross was going for but I haven't read any articles to see what the band was going for during this period. Bit of an improvement from Equilibrium. Still not nearly as good as Unveiled or the first 5 albums)
8. Equilibrium (Horrible album with 2 or 3 decent songs. I have issues liking an album when I have trouble spelling the title Equilibrium. Full Crucifixion is one of the few good songs on this one where it is straight forward rock and don't fit under the alternative cetegory that bands like Whitecross was going for)

Overall, their first 6 albums were their better ones. They left the Ratt and Van Halen vibe of the first 5 or 6 albums and went for a different sound on the last 2.

Hammer and Nail 
In the Kingdom 
Whitecross
Triumphant Return 
High Gear 
Unveiled 
Equilibrium
Flytrap

I forgot to mention that the reason why I like the first 3 albums the best is there are less ballads, only 1 or 2. When they were signed to Star Song around 1990 In the Kingdom and High Gear had 3 or 4 ballads of the 11 songs on each album which is way too many. 1 or 2 ballads were enough. Petra wa son Star Song from 1979 to 1988 and most of their albums only had a couple of ballads. I'm not sure if Whitecross decided for themselves thet was the direction they wanted to go or of the label was putting pressure on them to do this. In the Kingdom was successful and they repeated the formula with High Gear. I don't think High Gear wasn't as successful. 

There are several examples in the past that bands didn't sell as many records after they cave to label pressure and when the record label backed off and did what they wanted that album was successfull. Example: Rush 2112 and Dream Theater Falling to Infinity (1997) was written form label pressure and in 1999 they released Metropolis Part 2: Scenes from a Memory and the bands told the label to back off. That wa sone of the most successful albums in the band's career.

In the Kingdom (despite the rap)
Hammer and Nail
Whitecross
Triumphant Return
Unveiled
High Gear
Equilibrium
Flytrap

I totally agree with Soldier777 about the ballads.  "In the Kingdom" is pretty good though so that's why I don't mind that album so much.

Whitecross 1987 - Love the rerecording, they did such a stellar job with this.
Whitecross - Top class first album from them.
High Gear - I know it's not as heavy, but I found some of the songs really catchy.
Triumphant Return - Pretty much equal with High Gear.
Hammer And Nail - I know most love this one, and it's great, but I don't listen to it as much as the others above.
In The Kingdom - Another top album, just too many slower songs  (I love the rap song)
Unveiled - Good, but no Rex
Flytrap - Okay
Equilibrium - Too modern

Triumphant Return:  Down and heaven tonight are killer tracks.  Flash point is cool too.

Hammer and nail

White cross

In the kingdom

High gear came out-- bye bye.

oh yeah, the only thing I dislike about white cross are the ballads.  They just plain sucked at doing those.  Simple man, lamb of God (the worst of all of them) and all the rest are like a stain on each album.

1. Triumphant Return - Whitecross on top of their game
2. In The Kingdom - As has been pointed out, too many ballads but the rockers are above par
3. S/t and Hammer and Nail - both good efforts, impossible to pick one above the other for me

High Gear was a let down (for me) and I have not listened to anything beyond that and am not particularly tempted to.

Someone said it above, the ballads are horribly cheesy, give me a Stryper or Holy Soldier ballad over those any day. They are so cringe I have to skip them immediately.

Fundy wrote:(I love the rap song)

🤯

1. Whitecross - best songs, most energy, nostalgia
2. Triumphant Return - killer songs, cannon-like drums, and even an acoustic ballad that I really like (Simple Man)
3. In the Kingdom - I hated this when it came out but have grown to really enjoy it, even the ballads. And yes, I like the rap song.
4. Unveiled - I started a thread about this album a couple of months ago. I really like this album. It had a different feel than the Rex era albums had, but the songwriting was so dang good.
5. Hammer & Nail - The songwriting is good, but I hated the production. After the monster that was before it, and the monster that came after it, this album just sounds weak. The lead guitar solos, however, are scorching. This album also has my favorite Whitecross ballad, Walk With Me.
6. High Gear - There are some songs on this album, that I think stack up with the best they’ve ever done. However there are too many other songs that are utterly forgettable. I did like the slightly heavier direction on this one after ITK.

Honorable Mention:  To The Limit. This best of collection had two new songs: It’s My Life and You’re My Lord. The production and overall sound of these two new tracks make them both in my top 10 Whitecross songs ever! I so, so wished they had stayed together and recorded a new album in the same style as these two songs. The guitar tone was perfect.

The last two albums don’t interest me at all.

Are you all saying you like Holy War overall in spite of the rap or that you actually like the rap itself?
I agree that the parts when Scott sings are great.

1) Hammer and Nail - Not only do I think this was their best album, but it was also the tour I saw them on, so that plays into my choice also (still have the shirt too).

2) Whitecross 

3) Triumphant Return

4) Love On The Line EP (absolutely loved this when it came out)

5) Whitecross 1987

6) Everything else

H&N
Whitecross
Then I got off the train as they steadily got less interesting.

Pethead wrote:

Fundy wrote:(I love the rap song)

🤯

holy wars in and of itself, rap aside, is a cool tune.

Dustofyears wrote:

Pethead wrote:

Fundy wrote:(I love the rap song)

🤯

holy wars in and of itself, rap aside, is a cool tune.

It is. But the lyrics to the rap are so bad. 

“Won’t be no thing but a chicken wing.”
“Gonna park you like a car in your momma’s garage.”

 

I know, they are cheesy, and yes, the lyrics could have been better... BUT, I do love the song and the rap part.  If the lyrics to the rap part were good then I'd have liked it even more.  I also love God Gave Rock N Roll To You from Bride and DOC.  Actually I do quite like rap (although I don't own any rap albums) and they way some of those songs are written are incredibly well thought through.

As far as I'm aware the only bad music is R n B.  That is obviously a product of the curse.  But most other styles of music I like to a lesser or greater degree.
Country - Yes
Rock - Yes
Gospel - Yes
Pop - Yes
60's - Yes
70's - Yes
Rap - Yes
R n B - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Fundy wrote:As far as I'm aware the only bad music is R n B.  That is obviously a product of the curse.  But most other styles of music I like to a lesser or greater degree.
Country - Yes
Rock - Yes
Gospel - Yes
Pop - Yes
60's - Yes
70's - Yes
Rap - Yes
R n B - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

What about disco?

Staybrite wrote:

Fundy wrote:As far as I'm aware the only bad music is R n B.  That is obviously a product of the curse.  But most other styles of music I like to a lesser or greater degree.
Country - Yes
Rock - Yes
Gospel - Yes
Pop - Yes
60's - Yes
70's - Yes
Rap - Yes
R n B - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

What about disco?

Growing up in the 70's, there are actually a lot of disco songs I actually like   

Still better than country or rap

I'm surprised folks here ranked In the Kingdom as first place. That albums does have some good songs. One thing about the To the Limit compilation is the 2 new tracks You're My Lord and It's My Life has that sassy raw vibe to them. The tracks has that bluesy RATT/Van Halen/ZZ Top vibe. It's almost like its Rex's last tracks with the bands before he went out on a high note. I wish the band had more newer material on that compilation like rerecording some old demos that never made it on any older albums. It would of beeen cool to put 4 or 5 unreleased tracks on that album. Overall that is a good compilation.

8. In The Kingdom. Not only are there too many ballads, but some of the harder songs are also subpar. Good Enough is my least favorite full metal song from them. But YWFIT is their best ballad.
7. High Gear. No songs as good as the best on ITK, but less not as good ones too. Just like ITK, my favorite on it is a ballad, even though those are usually my least favorites: I'm Asking You Today
6. Flytrap. I was hopeful after the first song, which is my #3 Whitecross song. But the rest was more medium rock than hard rock. Still, it was a pretty consistent album.
5. Unveiled. The most forgettable Whitecross album. Pretty consistent and fun. Best song is Goodbye Cruel World.
4. Equilibrium. I actually really like this one. Several good songs, the best being The Balance.
3. Whitecross. Solid album, lots of good songs, my favorite being Lookin' For A Reason. The top 3 benefit from having the stronger guitars throughout, even in songs with weaker verses/choruses.
2. Hammer & Nail. Best song: Take It To The Limit. Basically just S/T but better. Everything I said about it applies to this, but this just has more better songs.
1. Triumphant Return. I knew this would be #1. My top 2 Whitecross songs (Heaven's Calling Tonight and Attention Please) are both here. Similar to what I said about the last two, just better.

In the Kingdom
Hammer and Nail 
Whitecross 
Triumphant Return 
High Gear 

Unveiled 
Equilibrium 
Flytrap 

The 3 last records of Whitecross should be released under another name.