This Means War

6 Panel Wallet with Lyrics. Includes Dynamic Remaster by Rob Colwell of Bombwoks Sound. Originally Released in 1987. Produced by John Elefante (Kansas) & Dino Elefante. Legends of Rock Edition. 2022 Girder Records. When Petra regathered for their second project with new vocalist John Schlitt and producers John and Dino Elefante, they ditched the flying spaceship guitar, pushed the keyboards way back in the mix in deference to highly processed and crunchy guitars, and embraced a militaristic lyrical and visual theme that was perfectly in step with the Reagan era. On This Means War the Elefante's brought the rock in a big way, with monster drums, stacked vocals, and everything sounding like it was born for arenas. Hartman's fist-in-theair, slogan-ready lyrics continued to define the Christian rock template and Schlitt's vocal found the perfect balance between sneer and smile. It all came together perfectly and a new era was born for the band. Petra meant rock after all.