The Petra Zone

executioner wrote:

zman7720000 wrote:

brent wrote:There is no competition in my book. There is no way there could be one. They both sing in two different ranges and always have. now, both Petra bands tune down, and this truth remains the same. When Greg was singing in his prime, he was not singing at the complete top end of his range. When John came to Petra, he darn near was, and was not as high as Greg. BUT, John has a thickness and R and R gravel to his voice that Greg could not provide. These are two drastically different singers, never to be compared against each other.

Agreed!

I've never directly compared both of them because I do believe they are so vastly different that you can't really compare them. John has that true rock voice while Greg's voice is more suited for the pop/rock genre. I don't think Greg's voice ever really was suited for the Petra style even during his years. I loved the music during that period but always felt Greg's voice are out of place with the other rock singers at that time and really in a lot of ways was holding Petra back from truly rocking like they wanted too.


**this is just my opinion and its not right/wrong just how I've always felt about that era of Petra**

Not sure what you mean by "true rock" versus "pop rock", but Greg Volz has a quintessential classic rock voice. I also think it's absurd to say that Volz was holding the band back considering they were in the middle of their most successful tour to date when he announced his departure. You make it sound like Petra was struggling before John Schlitt came along, which they weren't. In fact, a lot of people at the time thought that Volz's retirement meant the end of Petra.

pmal wrote:

zman7720000 wrote: Funny I feel the exact same way only you can reverse the names!

LOL!!!! So, you honestly think that Greg has the true rocking voice and John is more suited for pop/rock, and that John held back the band? LOL!!!! Sorry, but you couldn't possibly believe that no matter how you try to spin it. I love them both, but that's just spiteful to say at best and just not accurate based on the band's history.

Its all an opinion man, So how can you say that I can't possibly believe something? We are also talking about feelings here, Feelings are based on emotion, So in essence what you are saying to me is tantamount to saying that I can't possibly love my wife!

That's not even the real debate.

Mountain Man wrote:

executioner wrote:

zman7720000 wrote:

brent wrote:There is no competition in my book. There is no way there could be one. They both sing in two different ranges and always have. now, both Petra bands tune down, and this truth remains the same. When Greg was singing in his prime, he was not singing at the complete top end of his range. When John came to Petra, he darn near was, and was not as high as Greg. BUT, John has a thickness and R and R gravel to his voice that Greg could not provide. These are two drastically different singers, never to be compared against each other.

Agreed!

I've never directly compared both of them because I do believe they are so vastly different that you can't really compare them. John has that true rock voice while Greg's voice is more suited for the pop/rock genre. I don't think Greg's voice ever really was suited for the Petra style even during his years. I loved the music during that period but always felt Greg's voice are out of place with the other rock singers at that time and really in a lot of ways was holding Petra back from truly rocking like they wanted too.


**this is just my opinion and its not right/wrong just how I've always felt about that era of Petra**

Not sure what you mean by "true rock" versus "pop rock", but Greg Volz has a quintessential classic rock voice. I also think it's absurd to say that Volz was holding the band back considering they were in the middle of their most successful tour to date when he announced his departure. You make it sound like Petra was struggling before John Schlitt came along, which they weren't. In fact, a lot of people at the time thought that Volz's retirement meant the end of Petra.

My intentions were not to make it sound like Petra was struggling before John came along; Yes the Beat The System was highly successful, but it also put the band heavily in debt and put a huge financial strain on the band. A lot of the fans and Christian market adored the vibe of the band with Volz, but in some secular areas Petra was thought of as being like a step child somewhat. I'm here to say that in no way shape or form is GXV the quintessential rock voice; A rock voice has not only range but a depth which Volz does have a very high range, but he can't get those mid to low range rock vocals out with the likes of John, Perry, Mercury, Gramm, & Elliot. His range is high but very limited in to where it can go. His vocals have very little depth to them and makes it sound like there is no heart & soul in them; unlike the others I mentioned you can't feel what Volz is signing about.

executioner wrote:

Mountain Man wrote:

executioner wrote:

zman7720000 wrote:

brent wrote:There is no competition in my book. There is no way there could be one. They both sing in two different ranges and always have. now, both Petra bands tune down, and this truth remains the same. When Greg was singing in his prime, he was not singing at the complete top end of his range. When John came to Petra, he darn near was, and was not as high as Greg. BUT, John has a thickness and R and R gravel to his voice that Greg could not provide. These are two drastically different singers, never to be compared against each other.

Agreed!

I've never directly compared both of them because I do believe they are so vastly different that you can't really compare them. John has that true rock voice while Greg's voice is more suited for the pop/rock genre. I don't think Greg's voice ever really was suited for the Petra style even during his years. I loved the music during that period but always felt Greg's voice are out of place with the other rock singers at that time and really in a lot of ways was holding Petra back from truly rocking like they wanted too.


**this is just my opinion and its not right/wrong just how I've always felt about that era of Petra**

Not sure what you mean by "true rock" versus "pop rock", but Greg Volz has a quintessential classic rock voice. I also think it's absurd to say that Volz was holding the band back considering they were in the middle of their most successful tour to date when he announced his departure. You make it sound like Petra was struggling before John Schlitt came along, which they weren't. In fact, a lot of people at the time thought that Volz's retirement meant the end of Petra.

My intentions were not to make it sound like Petra was struggling before John came along; Yes the Beat The System was highly successful, but it also put the band heavily in debt and put a huge financial strain on the band. A lot of the fans and Christian market adored the vibe of the band with Volz, but in some secular areas Petra was thought of as being like a step child somewhat. I'm here to say that in no way shape or form is GXV the quintessential rock voice; A rock voice has not only range but a depth which Volz does have a very high range, but he can't get those mid to low range rock vocals out with the likes of John, Perry, Mercury, Gramm, & Elliot. His range is high but very limited in to where it can go. His vocals have very little depth to them and makes it sound like there is no heart & soul in them; unlike the others I mentioned you can't feel what Volz is signing about.

I'm of the opinion that Volz easily stands toe to toe with every one of the singers you listed, and I think his voice has tremendous depth and texture. I think he could have made it big if he was in the secular market. You can't feel what he's singing about? Sorry, but I think "For Annie" is one of the most moving songs ever recorded thanks to Volz's heartfelt performance, and he exhibits a sharp and palpable sarcastic tone in "Witch Hunt", just to name two examples.

And since you mentioned the secular market, did they suddenly start taking Petra seriously after Schlitt joined? I know a lot of my friends in high school laughed at the very idea of Christian rock (and these were my Christian friends!), and this carried on through college and into my early work career (after that I stopped caring) so I personally didn't see Petra getting much respect outside of their fan base.

For some reason I come to think of cows chewing the same half digested food over and over. But they do have the sense to swallow for good after a while.

Boray wrote:For some reason I come to think of cows chewing the same half digested food over and over. But they do have the sense to swallow for good after a while.

Spot on.

Boray wrote:For some reason I come to think of cows chewing the same half digested food over and over. But they do have the sense to swallow for good after a while.

Hello, and welcome to the internet! There's a lot to see and do here, and if this particular discussion is not one you wish to participate in then there are dozens of other threads you might enjoy. If you can't find what you're looking for then feel free to start your own. It might seem overwhelming at first, but you'll get the hang of it no time.

Remember, be safe, and most importantly, have fun!

Mountain Man wrote:

Boray wrote:For some reason I come to think of cows chewing the same half digested food over and over. But they do have the sense to swallow for good after a while.

Hello, and welcome to the internet! There's a lot to see and do here, and if this particular discussion is not one you wish to participate in then there are dozens of other threads you might enjoy. If you can't find what you're looking for then feel free to start your own. It might seem overwhelming at first, but you'll get the hang of it no time.

Remember, be safe, and most importantly, have fun!

Boray wrote:For some reason I come to think of cows chewing the same half digested food over and over. But they do have the sense to swallow for good after a while.

Your possible attempt at humor/sarcasm doesn't convert to English very well son. I would look on this new "Internet" thing for some current crowd pleasing jokes for US English. However, as I am not American I can understand somewhat why what you said might be funny as I am from an oppressed simple culture.

Forget John or Greg. The highest note ever hit in a Petra song was in Holy Ghost Power.

I always though "Woman don't you know?" might have had the highest singing with GXV, and the only drum solo on a studio Petra album.

zman7720000 wrote: Its all an opinion man, So how can you say that I can't possibly believe something? We are also talking about feelings here, Feelings are based on emotion, So in essence what you are saying to me is tantamount to saying that I can't possibly love my wife!

Because saying that John held the band back, when it's historical fact that the band's commercial success was at it's highest during the John years, is inaccurate at best. Like I said, I love them both. But, there's a difference when arguing over styles and arguing over numbers.

pmal wrote:

zman7720000 wrote: Its all an opinion man, So how can you say that I can't possibly believe something? We are also talking about feelings here, Feelings are based on emotion, So in essence what you are saying to me is tantamount to saying that I can't possibly love my wife!

Because saying that John held the band back, when it's historical fact that the band's commercial success was at it's highest during the John years, is inaccurate at best. Like I said, I love them both. But, there's a difference when arguing over styles and arguing over numbers.

1995 Baby! The beginning of the end! Now compare and contrast the bands success over John Schlitt time up to that point with Greg's 10-year association with them. Take into account the overall size of the CCM market, record sales as a portion of the market as well as overall attendance in concert and the argument turns to a murky grey!

zman7720000 wrote: 1995 Baby! The beginning of the end! Now compare and contrast the bands success over John Schlitt time up to that point with Greg's 10-year association with them. Take into account the overall size of the CCM market, record sales as a portion of the market as well as overall attendance in concert and the argument turns to a murky grey!

Like it's fair to put the "beginning of the end" on John with J. Lawry and Hartman quitting the band, two irreplaceable cogs of the band itself? You're really reaching with that argument. The principle founder and songwriter, along with perhaps the best keys player ever in CCM up and quits.

So, what you're saying is that if Greg would have come back at that point in 1995 when Lawry and Hartman retired, that the band would have done just fine? Sorry, Computer Brains = garbage in, garbage out. Greg could have sung what he's wanted to sing since 1995. We've gotten the following in the past 15 years from Greg: The Next Sphere (2001), In God's Presence (2005), No Greater Love (2006), and God Only Knows (2009). Even his own discography shows that he gave up singing rock n'roll ...

Once again, I love both ...