Review: Fear Not Album Release Concert - A Night of Christian Metal Legends

August 15, 2026 — Hop Springs, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

There are concerts, and then there are nights when you look around the room and realize just how much Christian rock and metal history is standing in one place.

Fear Not’s album release concert at Hop Springs in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was definitely one of those nights.

I drove up from South Carolina with my 10-year-old son, Leo, and was honored to help promote the show and set up a Christian Metal Group banner next to the Rock for Life table. Getting there early ended up being one of the best parts of the experience.

Friends had traveled in from several different states, giving me the chance to reconnect with people I knew from other shows and finally meet others I had only known through social media or the Christian Metal Group podcast. Anthony Gober, Dave Kruse, Ryan Roebuck, Doug Riesberg, Luke Easter, Ed Macke, Terry Rich, Russ T. Shipp, DeWayne Gobin, Bryan Kemper, and Joel Walker were among the many familiar names and faces I was able to spend time with. Some I had interviewed, some I had met at previous shows, and others I was meeting face-to-face for the first time. That is one of my favorite things about this community. Music may be what initially connects us, but the relationships become much bigger than that.

The crowd itself was almost as impressive as the lineup. CJ Grimmark of Narnia and Rob Rock, George Ochoa of Deliverance, Recon, Crystavox, and Worldview, Jamie Rowe of Tempest, Guardian, and Kalamity Kills, Jim LaVerde of Barren Cross, P.K. Mitchell, and Trytan, Ryan Roebuck of Motivik, Roger Dale Martin of Emerald, Vengeance, Die Happy, and Reign of Glory, Russ T. Shipp of Rusty Shipp, Luke Easter of Tourniquet and The Pop Disaster, Joel Walker of the Imaginary Music Podcast, and video production extraordinaire Dave Kruse were all there.

It really did feel like a gathering of Christian metal generations.

Fear Not: Acoustic and Up Close

Before the main concert began, Fear Not performed a special five-song acoustic set for the early-entry crowd.

It was a great intimate set and gave the band an opportunity to connect with the audience before everything got loud. During the set, they also shared that they had received two nominations for the Josie Music Awards.

The band announced that a special edition of the new release will only be available at Immortal Fest 2026, which I plan on picking up.

Devin Williams

Devin Williams opened the main concert with a powerful, straightforward rock and roll set.

Williams brought plenty of energy and conviction to the stage. There was no need for gimmicks. It was simply a strong dose of straight-ahead rock and roll and a great way to get the evening moving.

Applehead

Applehead was a real treat.

You could tell that a lot of people in the audience, including other musicians, specifically wanted to see this band perform.

Greg Minier originally formed Applehead in 1992 while he was playing guitar with The Crucified. Their debut album, Meaning, came out during that period, and more than three decades would pass before Applehead returned with The Light Side of the Apple. Seeing them perform live in 2026 made this set feel especially significant.

The live lineup included bassist Jaymi “Pinkbassman” Millard, known for his work with Slaughter and the Mark Slaughter Band, and drummer Jim Chaffin, whose credits include Deliverance, Fasedown, The Blamed, Left Out, Once Dead, and The Crucified.

Then things became even more interesting.

Luke Easter joined Applehead to sing The Crucified’s “Your Image,” with Bryan Kemper adding background vocals.

Simply amazing.

For those of us who love The Crucified, this was probably about as close as anyone is going to get these days to experiencing one of their songs performed live. Hearing it performed by musicians with real connections to that scene made the moment even better.

But they were not finished.

With Roger Dale Martin in attendance, Luke Easter ended the set by launching into an impromptu version of Vengeance Rising’s “White Throne.”

Those are the moments you cannot plan. They just happen, and everybody in the room knows they are witnessing something special.

Whitecross

Whitecross absolutely slayed their set.

And it would not be a Whitecross concert without a Rex Carroll guitar solo.

Their newer material proves that this is not simply a band relying on nostalgia. Whitecross still has plenty of fire left in them, and the new music rips.

Rex Carroll would not let just anyone join his band, and the longtime rhythm section demonstrates the level of musicianship Whitecross demands. Michael Feighan, on drums and vocals, has been part of the Whitecross story since 1991, while bassist and vocalist Benny Ramos has been with the band since 2000. Both continue to show their impressive skills and exactly why they have remained part of the band for so long.

Then there is David Roberts.

Roberts is certainly no slouch in the vocal department. Taking over the lead vocal position in a band with Whitecross’ history is no small assignment, but he is a great fit for the band. He went through an extensive audition process before earning the position, and hearing him live makes the reason for that choice obvious.

The crowd also received a couple of very special surprises.

Anthony Focx joined Whitecross on guitar for “Who Will You Follow?”, a song he co-wrote. Focx was the drummer for Whitecross around the time the song was recorded in 1991, making his appearance an especially cool connection to that period of the band’s history.

Then CJ Grimmark, who recently moved to the United States, joined the band on guitar for another song.

Watching Rex Carroll and CJ Grimmark sharing a stage was the kind of pairing Christian metal guitar fans could appreciate immediately.

Rock for Life

Between the music, Bryan Kemper of Rock for Life gave a passionate message about the value of human life and the responsibility to stand up for those who cannot speak for themselves.

Kemper pointed to times in history when the value of human life was stripped away, including the treatment of Jews and people with disabilities in Nazi Germany and slavery in the United States and around the world, and compared those tragedies with the reality of abortion.

His challenge was that simply identifying as pro-life is not enough. It requires action.

As he put it, being pro-life is a verb, not a noun.

Kemper’s connection to Christian metal also runs deep. The Crucified helped inspire him to start Rock for Life, making the organization’s presence at a show with so many connections to that band and that era especially meaningful.

Fear Not

What can I say about Fear Not?

This was my fifth time seeing them, and they continue to be an amazing hard rock band that is not shy about sharing King Jesus.

Eddie Green, Larry Worley, Chris Sorensen, Rod Romero, and Gary Hanson delivered exactly what I hoped for from an album release show.

The newer material sounds great live, and I especially love “Blind Leading the Blind” from the new EP.

Of course, Fear Not also reached back into their catalog.

“Fields of Sorrow” sounded great, while “Voluntary Madness” was clearly a crowd favorite. Their cover of Kenny Wayne Shepherd’s “Blue on Black” was also amazing.

One of the most emotional moments of the evening came when Eddie spoke before “It Was You, It Was Me.”

He explained the meaning behind the song and how difficult it had been to write. You could tell that this was not simply another track in the setlist. The song carries something personal, and hearing Eddie explain it before performing it gave the song even more weight.

Fear Not closed the night with “We Have a God,” the song that put the band on the map.

A fitting ending to an incredible set.

A Night to Remember

The music alone would have made this a great concert.

Devin Williams brought straightforward rock and roll. Applehead gave us a rare performance packed with surprises. Whitecross showed why they remain one of Christian hard rock’s most respected bands, and Fear Not celebrated their new music and their history while openly proclaiming their faith.

What made the night even more memorable was seeing so many different generations of Christian rock and metal come together in one place. Legends of the scene, current musicians, fans, friends, and people who have supported this music for decades were all there enjoying the same night together. The guest appearances only added to something that already felt much bigger than a normal concert.

For me, getting to experience all of that with my son made it even more special.

Christian rock and metal has a long history, and this night was a reminder that the people, friendships, faith, and music that built that history are still very much alive.