Philadelphia

Christian Metal band, PHILADELPHIA rose from the ashes of club band SURVIVOR (not to be confused with the AOR outfit of the same name!) in 1981. SURVIVOR were not a Christian Metal group, but at some point after the group's disbandment vocalist / bassist Brian Clark and drummer Brian Martini became born again Christians and chose to form a new group taking its name from Revelation 3:7-10 (portraying the New Testament church Philadelphia as being small in size, but holding strongly to the word of Jesus Christ). Although PHILADELPHIA's original guitarists quit in 1981, PHILADELPHIA was quickly augmented by Phil Scholling. The group remained a trio until Ronn Flowers joined in late 1982. In 1984 a deal arose with Patmos Records and PHILADELPHIA released the debut album, 'Tell The Truth' in 1984. The single, 'No Compromise', turned into a hit on the Christian Rock circuit and this led to the band being invited to appear at the Christian Rock festival Cornerstone (which takes place near Chicago) in 1985. The event didn't pass without controversy, many staunch Christians disapproving of the group's lyrical standing (the band not specifically writing about God, but offering songs that could translate more readily to a secular audience). 1985's 'Search And Destroy' album pushed PHILADELPHIA further into the spotlight. The record was slated for its central theme based upon the character of Bobby that addressed such subjects as child abuse and drug addiction. Most critics of the band failed to see that PHILADELPHIA were attempting to specifically reach a secular audience with the intention of putting across 'The Word' in a manner in which it might better be understood.