Joshua live at Stryper Expo 2001, photo by Jeff Gross

J O S H U A

Joshua and M Pire are both melodic metal bands lead by guitar shredder Joshua Perahia.

Joshua - Surrender (Ocean Records) 1988

1. "Surrender Love" (4:29)
2. "Heart full of Soul" (4:32)
3. "Your Love is Gone" (4:17)
4. "Stay Alive (Go On Believing)" (4:43)
5. "Rockin' the World" (4:45)
6. "Back to Back" (3:37)
7. "Hold" (4:09)
8. "Show Me the Way" (4:25)
9. "Loveshock" (5:07)
10. "Rockin' the World (Reprise)" (:47)

The 1992 cd release of Joshua's "Surrender". As far as I know this was the first time that this album had ever been pressed to cd. "Surrender" is an excellent melodic hard rock cd. Everything from the guitarwork, to the songwriting, to the vocals are outstanding. The vocals are mostly done by Jeff Fenholt with a few tracks done by Robin Klye (ex-Die Happy, Red Sea). "Heart Full of Soul" is a Yardbirds cover, I believe, that was also covered by Dokken on their "Long Way Home" CD.

There are several versions of this released. This version from FM Revolver in the UK included Ken Tamplin on guitar. Ken is also pictured on the cover. However, he is not credited on any other version that I know of so I am not sure if he actually had anyhting to do with this project or not.

Joshua - Double Trouble: The Hand is Quicker than the Eye/Surrender (Long Island)

The Hand is Quicker than the Eye 1983
1. "Falling Again" (4:19)
2. "November is Going Away" (4:57)
3. "Sweet Lilí Hurricane" (3:11)
4. "A Song For Lisa" (4:20)
5. "Let's Break Away" (4:47)
6. "Broken Dream" (3:01)
7. "Flying High" (4:17)
8. "Portrait of a Woman" (4:24)
Surrender 1986
9. "Surrender Love" (4:29)
10. "Heart full of Soul" (4:32)
11. "Your Love is Gone" (4:17)
12. "Stay Alive (Go On Believing)" (4:43)
13. "Rockin' the World" (4:45)
14. "Back to Back" (3:37)
15. "Hold" (4:09)
16. "Show Me the Way" (4:25)
17. "Loveshock" (5:07)
18. "Rockin' the World (Reprise)" (:47)

This German import is KILLER. Joshua's discs are hard to come by but one day I was checking out stuff in a cd store and found four of these for $2 each. Man, the original price sticker was $25. I bought all four copies and made a killing on the other three with internet trades. Apparently Joshua discs are in high demand. Unfortunately I did not know that when I sold my Ocean Records version of "Surrender" and the German RCA version of "Intense Defense" for $15 each. I have seen "Intense Defense" go for no less than $100 on eBay, Ouch! Someone made off with a good deal from me. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

In any case, Joshua is melodic metal lead by guitar shredder Joshua Perahia, who is the only constant member. Joshua has three excellent lead singers on this disc: Robin Klye (ex-Die Happy, Red Sea), Stephan Fontaine, and Jeff Fenholt, who sang with Black Sabbath for a short spell before becoming a TBN TV preacher. This disc is a nice package as it contains two albums ("The Hand is Quicker than the Eye" & "Surrender") on one gold disc, an extensive booklet with all the original liner notes, photos, and lyrics, and a poster. The entire package is wrapped up in a jewel case that has been gold foil embossed and a nice slipcase. The disc is also a numbered limited edition. Mine is 1872 of 2000. "Heart Full of Soul" is a Yardbirds cover.

Well, I finally had the opportunity to see Joshua perform at the 2001 Stryper Expo. Being that I had passes I met Joshua Perahia early before the mob scene and had him sign my cd. He and his band were so blown away that I had this cd. Apparently even they don't have copies and only have it listed on their web site. Anyhow, both these albums have been re-released in the U.S. so they are much easier to get now, but this particular gold disc version is still very rare.

Joshua - Intense Defense (Night & Day) 1988

1. "Reach Up" (4:43)
2. "I've Been Waiting" (4:27)
3. "Only Yesterday" (3:38)
4. "Crying Out For Love" (4:16)
5. "Living On The Edge" (4:10)
6. "Tearing At My Heart" (3:47)
7. "Remembering You" (5:06)
8. "Look To The Sky" (4:21)
9. "Don't You Know" (4:09)
10. "Stand Alone" (5:02)

Arguably Joshua's best disc, although some would say that honor goes to "Surrender." "Intense Defense" features the extraordinary vocals of one of my favorite singers, Rob Rock. Anything the man has put his name on has been awesome. "Intense Defense" is no exception. Each and every song is captivating, melodic and well played. Of course Joshua Perahia's guitar solos are fantastic as well, but what really makes this disc stand out above the others, in my opinion, are the vocals and the vocal melodies. Rob is without a doubt the king of melodic metal! Unfortunately this disc was only released in Europe and Japan. In Japan the album yielded several hit singles, including the power ballad "Remembering You", which Joshua Perahia would rerecord on his 2001 release. "Stand Alone" is another stand out cut. Perhaps it's because it is the last song on the CD, but whenever I listenn to this disc, I always have that song stuck in my head for a long time afterwards. This album was produced by Eddie Kramer, who has produced for Kiss, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix, along with Dieter Dierks, who has produced albums for bands like Accept, Scorpions and Twisted Sister.

I could have kicked myself for selling off my original RCA version years ago. Although I liked it back then, at the time I was so caught up in the heavier thrash and death metal scene that this disc was just collecting dust. Had I known how rare this disc would become, I never would have parted with it. Joshua Perahia obtained the rights to all his other albums except this one, so a re-issue did not happened as it did for all the other Joshua CDs in 2001. Finally in 2003 Night & Day Records in Germany re-release this disc. Comparing it to my CDR copy the mastering is very similar, but the new re-release sounds just a tad bit bassier, whereas the CDR is slightly brighter. Not a big deal at all. I am just glad to finally get a real copy of this classic.

M Pire - Chapter One (Long Island) 1995

1. "Concrete Jungle" (4:29)
2. "You Want It All" (5:10)
3. "Steady Weapon" (5:31)
4. "One Night Is Not Enough" (4:23)
5. "Long Way to Heaven" (5:24)
6. "Dark Days" (4:47)
7. "It Must Be Love" (4:51)
8. "Tears of Joy" (5:47)
9. "Bad Man" (4:49)
10. "Walk Into the Light" (3:52)
11. "Devil's River" (5:32)
12. "Right on Target" (4:39)

For all intensive purposes, this is Joshua with a new name. Why Joshua Perahia decided to change the name of the band I do not know. In any case, the music follows suite in similar fashion-80's melodic metal with tons of shredding solos and smooth, clean vocals. Available as a German or Japanese import only.

On May 20 I had the extreme pleasure of seeing Joshua perform at the Stryper Expo in Azusa, California. At the band's merchandise table they had copies of all Joshua's cd's (except the coveted "Intense Defense.") In anycase, they had the "Chapter One" album as well, but the name of the band was changed to JOSHUA Perahia. The Joshua was in large letters with his last name in smaller letters. This was true of all three of the discs that they had available and the new disc as well. On day two of the festival, the band had at their table 75 pre-release copies of their new album but I didn't buy one as I had already spent more money than I wanted and still needed gas to get home. Darn, and it was a numbered limited edition picture disc. Anyhow, I had the band autograph my M Pire disc and my Double Trouble disc. The band seemed quite surprised that I had these. Apparently most of the band members had not even seen a copy of the "Double Trouble" disc. Autographed by M-Pire bassist Joey Rochrich and guitarist Joshua Perahia.

Joshua - Official Joshua Perahia Bootleg CD (M&K Sound) 2001

1. "Let Your Love Shine Down" (5:56)
2. "Something to Say" (6:17)
3. "First and Last" (5:02)
4. "Remembering You" (6:19)
5. "Precious Love" (5:37)
6. "I Can Feel Again" (4:31)

This is an extremely limited edition picture disk; only 100 were ever made and they were only sold on the second day of the two day Stryper Expo in May 2001. Unfortunately I had run short on funds on that day and did not have the money to purchase this cd, but lucky for me, I have generous friends. My friend Jeff bought a copy and surprised me with it. It's even autographed by the entire band. Thanks Jeff. The CD contains pre-release versions of songs from the new Joshua album "Something to Say", which didn't finally come out until several months after the Expo. The new material is NOT heavy metal, but rather bluesy rock 'n roll with some tendencies towards southern rock as well. Of course the guitar solos are smokin' and the songwriting is strong, as one would expect from such a veteran as Joshua Perahia. The picture above is not my actual CD, although it looks almost identical. This scan was actually obtained from Ebay a few days after the expo. Obviously someone was trying to make a buck on a rarity. I should also mention that the picture is not printed directly on the disc, but is actually printed on an adhesive stock. These discs came directly from the band's studio and were not mass produced. "Remembering You" is a remake of a song from "Intense Defense" album.

One other thing I though I would mention about this disc. Isn't it an oxymoron to say this is an "official bootleg"?

Joshua Perahia - Something to Say (M&K) 2001

1. "Remembering You" (4:46)
2. "Something To Say" (6:18)
3. "I Can Feel Again" (4:31)
4. "Precious Love" (5:45)
5. "The First And The Last" (5:01)
6. "Let Your Love Shine Down" (5:55)
7. "Guiding Light" (4:28)
8. "It Hasn't Been Easy" (6:06)
9. "Tears Of Joy" (5:46)
10. "One Night Is Not Enough" (3:52)
11. "Steady Weapon" (5:23)
12. "Remembering You" [Acoustic Version] (4:45)

"Something to Say" is very different from the melodic pop metal of Joshua's past. Perhaps this is the reason for the name change from just "Joshua" as a band name, to Joshua Perahia. However, I don't think this was meant as a 'solo' disc as long time bassis Joey Rochrich is still present and Joshua does have a full band. In anycase, this disc is a pleasant listen, but is a tad mellower than I would have hoped for. Having heard the pre-release disc from the Stryper Expo, I knew what to expect. Blues-based, melodic rock 'n' roll. The music less polished and a tad more on the blues side of rock, with some incredibly beautiful ballads thrown into the mix. "Remembering You" is a re-recorded, and slightly re-written track from "Intense Defense". Not only do we get one new recording, but two as an acoustic version is added on the end of the disc. Personally I prefer the original version the best, although this may be attributed more to familiariarity than anything else. Lyrically, this disc seems a bit more personal than any Joshua disc from their past. Vocalist Jerry Gabriel has a great voice that many times reminded me of Eric Martin (Mr. Big). As a matter of fact, while playing this disc at work one day, a fellow worker asked if I was listening to Mr. Big. Another comparison might be a slightly more melancholy Badlands.

Related collections:
Rob Rock | Ken Tamplin

Back to Index