I actually began this endeavor back in 2023 after discussing Petra on TwiXter with Caleb The Spy. I was encouraged to rank all of Petra’s albums and I did three before this blog died suddenly. That was nearly two years ago and whatever frame of mind I was in at the time has most likely changed. I rebooted this thing this month and am determined to make a solid effort to write. That being said, I have gotten connected with a lot of Christian music fans through CCMTwitter on TwiXter. Once again, I have been challenged to rank every Petra album. I now accept the challenge.
Petra has released 21 studio albums, 3 live albums, and 2 Spanish language albums. I honestly can’t tell you how many compilation albums have been released. There was an official one released in 2013 to commemorate their 40th anniversary. It contained one new track (Holy Is Your Name). A compilation celebrating their 50th anniversary was released in 2023 on Girder Records but contained no new tracks. I am going to stick with the official albums. I will include the two Spanish language albums with the English versions.
Petra reunited with Greg X. Volz in 2010 under the name Classic Petra. It was the Beat The System line-up and they released Back To The Rock and a live version of the same album. There were two new tracks recorded by this line-up. I am putting the Back To The Rock Live with the studio version and will explain why when I get to them.
There are three Petra related albums that I am not including. The first is called Vertical Expressions and was released under the name II Guys From Petra. To the best of my knowledge, it came about from gigs that Bob Hartman and John Schlitt did following Petra’s “retirement” in 2005. It’s a collection of popular worship songs and includes two live tracks. I have only listened to it a handful of times and I don’t own it.
The second album I am leaving out is called Back To The Rock II and was released under the name, CPR (Classic Petra Resurrection). The album included re-recorded versions of Petra songs and a cover of Aerosmith’s Dream On. The original band was comprised of Greg Volz, John Lawry, Louie Weaver, Ronny Cates, and Kirk Henderson. A touring version included Greg Bailey and Paul Carson replacing Cates and Henderson.
The third album I’m skipping is Volume One by GHF (God Has Forgiven). GHF is made up of three of the original four members of Petra. Greg Hough (guitar), Bill Glover (drums), and John DeGroff (bass guitar) all share in songwriting and vocal duties. This album was released in 2013 and there was talk of a second but as of 2025, nothing has transpired.
Now, let’s get on with the ranking. I will keep my comments to a minimum because this is long enough already.
23. Double Take – This is an ill-advised acoustic reimagining of older songs. The two newer tracks are okay but most of this is just abysmal.
22. Revival – Petra’s third worship album, released on Peter Furler’s InPop Records. It’s a decent effort but there really isn’t anything memorable.
21. God Fixation – This one was released in 1998 while Bob was staying behind the scenes. I like it for what it is. I do love St. Augustine’s Pears but the rest is just okay.
20. Farewell – This is a pretty good live album recorded before they retired. There are some nice medleys and we see both John Lawry and Greg Volz on some songs. They also released a live DVD which is fun to watch.
19. Washes Whiter Than – Petra’s third album has some great songs but is somewhat schizophrenic due to the fact that there wasn’t a stable line-up. Greg Volz is on vocals for most of it but Rob Frazier is featured on the tracks he wrote. This is the only album recorded with him in the band.
18. Come And Join Us – Petra’s second album is the last to feature all four original members. It also the first to feature Greg Volz on vocals (three tracks). I really like this album and the cover of Argent’s God Gave Rock And Roll To You is the best version of the song I’ve ever heard.
17. Petra – Their 1974 debut may not be as polished as other abums and the lyrics may be simple, but this is a good album. I especially enjoy the humorous bluegrass jam on Lucas McGraw. I love the dueling guitars and miss it on later albums.
16. Back To The Rock – Technically this was released as Classic Petra but it is Petra and I’m including it. I’m also incuding the live version at this spot because I cannot tell the difference between the two. Outside of some crowd noise and the talking between songs, the tracks sound identical. The two new songs are okay. There is also a DVD.
15. Unseen Power – For the most part, I like this one. Dance, Destiny, Hey World, I Need To Hear From You, and Sight Unseen are really good songs. However, the rest of the album feels like filler to me.
14. No Doubt – I did not like this one when I came out in 1995. After a decade of ignoring it I really started to listen to it and something weird happened, I decided that I liked it a lot. It’s now thirty years old and I find myself listening to it quite a bit.
13. Wake-Up Call – This one came out the year before I went to Bible College and I listened to it a lot during that time. This one has some great songs and soild production by Brown Bannister. It still gets a lot of play all these years later.
12. Captured In Time And Space – This was recorded during the Beat The System tour and released in 1986. It was the second Petra album I bought and I wasn’t even aware that Greg Volz was gone and a new album was on the way. There was VHS and a few years ago it was released on DVD. One bit of trivia, John Lawry’s solo is one of the first known uses of digital sampling on a record.
11. Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus – I love this album. It doesn’t rock as hard as their first praise abum but there are some good songs up here. I love the title track because it includes John Elefante and Lou Gramm on vocals. That means the former singers of Head East, Foreigner, and Head East are all worshiping together.
10. Petra Praise: The Rock Cries Out – I remember hearing this in 1989 and thinking that everything had changed. I was already a huge fan by this point and to hear them totally rocking out praise songs was awesome. The two originals are still two of my favorite Petra songs.
9. Jekyll & Hyde – This marked Petra’s return to “rock” but ended up being their final studio album. Bob and John are the only members left on this one. Peter Furler and Phil Joel from Newsboys fill in. This one has killer riffs and hooks but the lack of guitar solos and Lawry’s keyboards keep it from ranking higher. The Spanish version is identical sonically.
8. Never Say Die – This is what I consider the start of the “real” Petra. Volz returns on vocals and longtime members John Slick and Mark Kelly join the crew. Angel Of Light, Killing My Old Man, and Never Say Die are three of my absolute favorite Petra tunes. The “flying guitar” on the cover also begins here. I have an LP of this signed by the Beat The System line-up.
7. Not Of This World – This is Petra hitting on all cylinders. In my opinion the production is a slight step down from More Power To Ya but the songwriting is out of this world (pun very much intended). Grave Robber is the highlight and one day will be played at my funeral.
6. On Fire! – This is where it is really difficult to rank these. Other than Double Take, there isn’t a bad Petra album. I genuinely like them all and once you get into the top ten, I love them all. This one starts off with what may be the best three song sequence in their entire catelog.
5. This Means War! – This edges out On Fire! by a hair. The two ballads, while great songs, kind of disrupt the super hard rock vibe of the rest of the album. The opening tracks are the second best three song sequence in their career.
4. Beat The System – Every song on this is a winner. I don’t even mind the slightly goofy remake of God Gave Rock And Roll To You. Also goofy is Witch Hunt but the lyrics are incredible. Clean and Adonai are straight up rockers but are somewhat neutered by the production. It Is Finished is in my top five Petra songs of all time.
3. Beyond Belief – This is where the potential controversy may creep in. Many believe this is the best album Petra released. Others will at least acknowledge it’s the best Johh Schlitt album. I understand even though I don’t agree. This is Petra doing its best hair metal impersonation and pulling it off. There isn’t a bad song up here.
2. Back To The Street – I will make a separate post explaining all the reasons why this is so high on my list. For starters, it was the first “new” Petra studio album I bought. I was sixteen and didn’t know anything about the band. It was released a mere four months after Captured In Time And Space so I expected more of the same. I was surprised and pleased with what I heard. The production is somewhat sterile but this was the blueprint Petra followed for the next decade.
1. More Power To Ya – I bought this after hearing a lecture about Christian rock music. I had just turned sixteen and my family was at a big convention in Indianapolis. The guy played the opening riff and the back-masking intro to Judas Kiss. Then he showed the album cover on the screen, I was sold. I bought it and Captured In Time And Space on cassette the next day. I knew nothing about them other than they rocked. I can honestly say that there is not a bad song on this album. This may sound odd but I really do feel as if the Holy Spirit is moving all through it. It’s legitimately one of my favorite albums of all time.
There you go. I’ve laid it all out there and now we can fight about it. If you feel compelled, let me know what you think. I hope you’ve had fun.
Grace and peace.
That 80s Pastor Dude 