Description
Little Foxes is the fifth and final studio album by the American hard rock/metal band Barnabas, released on Light Records in 1986. The album was recorded November-December 1985 by Barry Stramp at Studio Seven in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; with the band producing and arranging.
Featuring Nancy Jo Mann on lead vocals, Brian Belew on guitar, Gary Mann on bass and keyboards, and Kris Klingensmith on drums and percussion.
As mankind approaches this century’s end, he is confronted by a future burdened with perils and uncertainties never before seen in history. But over-population, worldwide drug addiction, brutal political corruption and the very real threat of nuclear obliteration should not be viewed as contributors to civilization’s eventual downfall, but as evidence of a civilization already fallen. Hatred, rebellion and immorality have found a willing home in the heart and mind of modern man, leaving him contemptuous, bitter, and trusting in nothing, dead in his sin. Yet in this darkness God offers grace and forgiveness through his son Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. To those of us who have availed ourselves to this sacrifice, he offers new life: freedom from fear, freedom from guilt, and confidence in one who has proven his love for us by dying a horrible death in our place to spare us from judgement. Those who reject his love and calling will continue on, dead in their sins, to eventually stand guilty before the judge who wanted desperately to be their saviour and comforter. The choice has never been as clear as it is today: to choose Jesus, and to walk the narrow way with him means peace and security now and forever: to choose any other way is to join those on the way to destruction. – Kris Klingensmith [Note on the rear of the album sleeve]
Barnabas has earned the title “pioneers of Christian hard rock.” Through four previous records they have evolved through punk and hard rock; now with ‘Little Foxes’, recorded in late 1985 but just released, they arrive with a decidedly metal edge.
A strong rhythm section drives the title cut and «Auschwitz 87» which opens with solo vocals by, yep, Adolf Hitler. We can’t tell you exactly what these songs are about because there’s no lyric sheet and Nancy Jo Mann’s voice can’t sustain the clear delivery and energy her three partners deliver. A solid effort, but we feel Barnabas can do better. [Devlin Donaldson and Steve Rabey, CCM, May 1987]
Little Foxes (Legends Remastered)
So now our trek through the musical output of Barnabas has brought us to the thundering conclusion to the band’s saga. After pretty much perfecting their sound on Feel the Fire, where was the band to go after that? There are various and conflicting reports about what was going on with the band at this point in time – from burnout to personal conflict in the band to mounting pressures from a CCM music machine that didn’t get the bands extreme sound and image. Probably all of it is true to some degree, but many accounts seem to paint the picture of band that was just going through the motions and fulfilling a duty. If that was the case, the resulting album didn’t really reflect that (in my opinion at least).
Little Foxes was actually the first Barnabas album I owned. I heard a track of theirs on a Heaven’s Metal compilation and tried to find anything by them. All I could find was this album on tape in a discount bin at an older Christian bookstore in town. The front cover didn’t look metal… and there was nothing in the liner notes but a list of songs and a short sermon that said nothing about the band. But I plopped down $4 and took a chance. I was blown away by the album. «Gospel Maniac» blasts out of the starting gates with a groove and drive that few album openers seem to have. «Little Foxes» follows up with more intensity and full blown guitar shred. Next up is one of my personal favorites on the album: «Destroy After Use». It’s a song with a catchy riff and well crafted songwriting over all. This is followed up by the near thrash intensity of «Auschwitz `87». After that is «China White» – probably my top favorite song on the disc. This song was perfectly in line with the Sunset Strip sleaze metal of the time… style-wise that is. The message was completely different, of course. «Sins of the Fathers» is a song where the rhythm section shines. Every Barnabas album seems to have a keyboard driven song, and on this album it is «All Alone». This song was actually first recorded for their last album, but left off for different reasons. This is a re-recorded version that shines a bit brighter than the original, in my opinion. The album ends with «Suite for the Souls of Our Enemies Part 2: Lover» – complete with saxophones and a sound that leans back to the first two Barnabas albums. It’s a nice close to what would end up being the last album from Barnabas – pointing back to where it all began. I later found other tapes by them, and discovered that Little Foxes was a slight step down from their last album (but not much). Maybe it was the conflict and tensions – who knows? But they still made a killer album no matter what else was going on.
I might be a broken record here, but again the team at Retroactive Records did a great job of putting together a complete package – from the remaster to the design to the completion of the liner notes, this is the full package. Barnabas CDs have a history of selling out fast – so make sure you grab this one and the four previous albums as well before these also get snapped up by collectors. [Matt Crosslin, The Phantom Tollbooth, April 15, 2018]
LP tracklist:
Side One
A1. “Gospel Maniac” – 5:04
A2. “Little Foxes” – 4:05
A3. “Destroy After Use” – 4:56
A4. “Auschwitz ’87” – 4:42
Side Two
B1. “China White” – 3:20
B2. “Sins Of The Fathers” – 5:21
B3. “All Alone” – 5:13
B4. “Suite For The Souls Of Our Enemies (Part Two – Lover)” – 3:27
Note: Simultaneously released on cassette and 12-inch vinyl LP by Light Records. All five albums were remastered by Rob Colwell at Bombworks Sound and re-issued on CD by Retroactive Records in 2017, packaged in jewel cases with 12-page booklet inserts. (All albums were remastered from virgin sealed vinyl or cassette because all master tapes have been destroyed and are unavailable.)
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