Description
I Shall Conquer is the debut album by the Swedish metal band Leviticus, released on Shadow Records in 1985, distributed in the US by Lexicon Distribution. (The original Swedish version of the album, entitled Jag skall segra!, was released on the Swedish gospel label Stanley & Andrew Music in 1983.)
Girder Music Promo, 2021
4 full length albums from Leviticus have been completely remastered for vinyl and are available on heavy weight random colored vinyl for the first time ever. They come with lyrics and historical photo and black poly-lined inner sleeve.
Leviticus could sure school the current generation of metal fans a few things, starting with the longevity that goes hand in hand with creating quality art that has stood the test of time. Leviticus interweaved a foundation of melodic metal with tendencies towards power metal with I Shall Conquer, The Strongest Power and Setting Fire to the Earth along with some brilliant AOR moments with Knights of Heaven, thanks to John and Dino Elefante, to only be topped off with one of the best live performances ever (yeah, I just said that) Live at BobFest, which has none of what we all hated about live albums. More on that later. Let’s back up a moment!
Unlike the USA, not a lot of Christian Heavy Metal came out of Sweden. There have been a few bands, most notably Blindside, Crimson Moonlight, Divinefire, Jerusalem, Narnia, Pantokrator, Veni Domine, XT and of course Leviticus founded by Björn Stigsson, Håkan Andersson and Kjell Andersson in the early 80’s.
Leviticus amassed a huge following in Europe but attracted a much smaller following among Christian headbangers in America who had to scramble to find their products pre-internet. Thankfully, their albums were released in the United States on labels such as Pure Metal, Refuge, Spectra, and Solid Rock.
The band’s first EP was released in 1982, called ‘Stå och titta på’, with all lyrics in Swedish and later in 1983 ‘Jag Skall Segra!’, which Google translates as “I’ll Win.” I’m not sure how accurate Google translations are because in 1983 Leviticus released an English version of that album titled ‘I Shall Conquer’ (1984), which was most of America’s first experience of the band. It’ll also might help you understand why many of the lyrics didn’t rhyme. I remember shaking my head as a 15-year-old confused as to why musically it sounded so good but the lyrics felt a bit out of place. Upon reflection, we understand all these years later that the album was written in Swedish and then transposed to English later on. In any case, the album is raw, unpolished, and sometimes uneven, but I love the unpretentious sound and feel of it. The album has a dynamic range that extends from mid-tempo rockers to an almost peaceful, Pink Floyd kind of style on some songs. The vocals by original singer/bassist Håkan Andersson really make this a work of art. Loaded with keyboards and guitars yet somehow not too flashy. It’s a solid mid-tempo hard rocker, but the real show-stoppers are the quieter, more reflective tracks «Psalm 23» and «All Is Calm». Both build to a crescendo in a grandeur way. If you haven’t experienced Leviticus before, start here with ‘I Shall Conquer’.
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/i-shall-conquer/611270869)
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “I Shall Conquer” – 4:10
A2. “Let Me Fight” – 3:15
A3. “He’s My Life” – 4:44
A4. “Doubt” – 4:15
A5. “Action More Than Words” – 4:08
Side Two
B1. “All Is Calm”
B2. “Day By Day”
B3. “Strive Forwards”
B4. “Psalm 23”
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by Shadow Records. Re-issued by Magdalene Records in 2000 featuring a few Swedish demo tracks as bonus material. Remastered by Rob Colwell of Bombworks Sound and re-issued in 2021 by Girder Music (through Limited Run Vinyl/Limited Run Music) on both 12-inch vinyl LP (pressed on Random Heavy Weight vinyl in 200 copies remastered for vinyl) and CD (limited to 500 copies).
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