I'm not one to mince my words, but OZ FOX ROCKS! On all of his Stryper work and this 20th Anniversary reissue of Guardian's 'First Watch' which he produced, Oz really works his magic. To me he is the unsung hero of Stryper and gives their unique sound its power, the sound Oz managed to produce for Guardian.

Having never heard this first time around, I can listen to this truly with new ears and enjoy a musical postcard from a time when rock was fun. Kicking in with 'I'll Never Leave You', the first thing you notice is the masterful production of Mr Fox. Sounding a lot like his day job, Guardian kick up a storm with next track 'Mystery Man' and 'Livin' For The Promise' which, admittedly, do sound a little dated and of the time....but what a great time it was!!

While the band never gave up until 2001 - although the band did take a holiday during that time - even releasing their own Stryper tribute, the band suffered a lot of abuse for trying to be too much like their yellow and black cousins rather that striving for their own identity. However, I'll stand up to anyone and say that they did eventually go out on their own path of self discovery which saw them release a trio of Spanish albums along with a more rhythm 'n' blues sound.

So give this a spin - take in the message from above and bask in the glorious rock sound that is Guardian!

www.myspace.com/guardian