Comments

" ... incredible and beautiful music ... "
	Sheridan Morley (The Arts Programme, BBC Radio 2)
" ...a masterful achievement ... "
	Late Junction (BBC Radio 3)
" ...fantastic ... "
	Sarah Kennedy (BBC Radio 2)
" ...amazing ... "
	Janie Lee Grace (BBC Radio 2)
" ... breathless and beautiful ... "
	Bernie Quayle (Manx Radio)

Reviews

From Cross Rhythms, Issue 61 (February/March 2001, p.47)

Alright then, the award for the strangest and most beautiful thing I have had to review for CR61 goes to Credo! Let me explain! For two years producer Roberto Danova has made recordings of a variety of choirs in Europe and Israel performing chants and choral pieces that depict the life of Christ. Here they are gathered together with sumptuous backing from The Northern Light Symphony Orchestra to create a rock opera like no other - choral music built on the rock of Christ. Haunting and inspiring, breathlessly beautiful and truly spiritual, these pieces float from the speakers. The album mixes classical pieces like "Revelations" and "The Nativity" with "River Of Tears" which features a stunning female vocal performing an Armenian hymn. Listen, I know it probably sounds a bit freaky but this is incredible music! "Spirits Awakening" features former Ian Gillan guitarist Steve Morris with the amazing Danilovsky Choir and the result is as wonderful and weird as you might imagine! The whole thing finishes with the ultimate rock'n'roll gospel workout "Jesus Is The Rock" thumping away! Looking for something different? Leftfield and yet a stupendous musical achievement, Credo is a musical and spiritual journey through the life of Christ which is original and rewarding.

Rating: 10/10

From dmme.net - CLASSIC ROCK AND BEYOND, Reviews

More opera than rock so there's no deja vu, even with Ian Gillan's guitarist playing.

"For those who believe... and those who don't believe," says the message in the booklet setting the musical value of "Credo" higher than its eternal subject matter. There's no attempt to compete with Webber's masterpiece, which wasn't opera as such, so Roberto Danova, a man behind this concept, had swung the pendulum to the other extreme and let the story be told through the chants of various choirs - recorded in Israel, Russia, Italy, England and Armenia - backed by The Northern Light Symphony Orchestra with Peter Whittfield conducting. No narrative, no roles, no arias, yet the effect is great, and the mix of orchestral and rock arrangements and of English and Russian in "The Land I Love" (Liverpool's Assisi plus Moscow's Danilovsky Monastery Choir) sublime.

Rock arrangements come in small portions to grow on, bopping "Spirits Awakening" is redolent of Hank Marvin's twang, while "Bitter Chalice" sees Steve Morris weaving liquid guitar solo into tight vocal harmony and stepping forward with a heavy riffage over Stephen Millington's organ and Roy Martin's drums, as opposite to "The Man Who Saved The World" acoustic lace. Elsewhere, as in "River Of Tears", synthesizer takes voices into a new age territory to let the female singer of "Emmanuel Calling" soar to the sky - mind you, according to the Bible, Emmanuel is Christ's name, so don't be mislead with the music's eroticism that shoots high in joyous gospel boogie "Jesus Is The Rock". Spiritual and enthralling.

Rating: *****