Back Pocket Prophet are a thrash/heavy metal band from Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, who returned in late 2018 from an extended hiatus with the new studio album …To Overcome.
Originally formed in 2007, Back Pocket Prophet, or BPP as they are known to their fans, have after the hiatus played extensively in both the UK and Europe, from the pub circuit to festivals, considering no gig being too small or large.
Discography:
EPs:
Dead Men Walking, 2007
Transposition, 2008
Full length albums:
1:4, 2011
…To Overcome, 2018
Line Up:
Dan Random – Vocals
Gabriel Cade – Guitar
Vic Barton – Bass
Joakim Sehlstedt – Drums
The album …To Overcome consists of seven songs which should give a Christian listener a very satisfying experience since the lyrics of BPP are all based on Christian life and the struggles of forming a Christian identity. Personally I like all the songs of the album, but have two favorites in “Moment Of Clarity” and “I’m Still Here“, since they’ve got all the elements of an epic thrash song, and really appeal to me lyrically.
What specifies thrash metal itself as a genre of metal is: The rapid pace of the music with extremely fast and rhythmic drumbeats, fast and heavy guitar riffs that need to be accompanied by a skilled bass player, and that it requires quite a lot of the singer. Listening to thrash metal is a bit like taking a very fast rollercoaster ride. Perfection is not a requirement. If it sounds like it´s recorded in a garage it can still be lovable. Songs often recorded in just one take are alright in this genre. After a thrash metal song you can be left with the feeling “What did I just listen to?” It may leave you either with the feeling,“I will never listen to that again,” or “I need to play this on repeat to grasp everything I just heard.”
Megadeth, Metallica, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament and similar bands have been a big part of my life with metal music.
I have witnessed quite boring live shows during the past four years by both Metallica and Megadeth, shows that didn’t match up to my expectations. The bands didn’t actually give much energy to their audience and showed very little enthusiasm for even being on the stage, for full hour shows, that left a pretty bored feeling.
As a long-term fan I’m very happy of course to have seen them live, but also I started to think that thrash metal performances were supposed to be like that.
Then I met Back Pocket Prophet at Rainbow Rock 2019 and got myself a wonderful surprise. They gave a great show with a lot of energy. It was a wonderful surprise witnessing the passion and the energy they had during the show.
In my opinion they can surely make an great contribution to Christian metal, and also in the US.
The sound of this band is very much like the big five, leaving no fan of thrash metal disappointed. BPP has always gone down well while performing in the UK and in Germany/Switzerland, where the band has a strong and loyal following and will surely get in the countries in Upper North.
If you love thrash metal you should definitely buy this album, but this is a band worth seeing live. I think that their live shows are what will truly continue to build their fan base.
I´m proud to present this band to the rest of the world as an Christian thrash metal band anytime the topic of thrash metal comes up. They truly know how to give the audience a show worth their money.
After their show in Sweden in July a friend stated that BPP surely should have an fan club with the fans being named “Back Pocketers”, a clan which I’m happy to join. I will have the great luck to see them again in early November this year (2019) since I will attend Meltdown taking place in UK.