Top tracks — play these first
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Still My Bleeding Heart — This track showcases Vai's emotional range with its poignant lyrics, combining powerful guitar solos and a haunting melody that encapsulates the album's themes of love and pain.
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Sex & Religion — The title track serves as a manifesto for the album's overarching themes, featuring dynamic shifts in tempo and tone that highlight Vai's virtuosity while addressing complex subject matter.
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Rescue Me or Bury Me — This extended piece exemplifies Vai's ability to weave intricate guitar passages with deeply personal lyrics, creating an intense listening experience that resonates with the album's emotional core.
Elevation
Our rating, out of 100 — and why.
AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.
The album blends intricate guitar work with theatrical storytelling, creating a distinctive sound within hard rock.
What we noticed
- The first half of the album maintains a high energy level, while the second half introduces more varied tempos and emotional dynamics.
- Several tracks incorporate theatrical elements in their arrangements, such as dramatic shifts in intensity and tempo.
- Composition 25% of the score
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6/10
- Craft 20% of the score
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7/10
- Durability 25% of the score
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5/10
- Distinctiveness 18% of the score
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7/10
- Sequencing 12% of the score
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6/10
the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics
production, performance, arrangement
whether it rewards returning to it
whether it sounds like itself
running order, pacing, length
Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.
Is this for you?
Good fit if you like
- dynamic journey with emotional peaks
- intricate guitar explorations throughout
- reflective moments for deep thinking
- engaging soundscapes for active listening
Maybe skip if you
- prefer straightforward, short tracks
- seek constant high-energy stimulation
Where this album fits
- In the catalog
- Experimental — Showcases a significant shift in sound and theatrical elements, diverging from earlier works.
- Career context
- Released in 1993, Sex & Religion marked Steve Vai's third studio album, coming off the success of his previous works like Passion and Warfare. This album showcased a significant shift towards a more vocal-driven approach, featuring guest vocalist Devin Townsend, indicating Vai's exploration of broader musical themes and formats.
- Stylistic neighbors
- Joe Satriani· Yngwie Malmsteen· Paul Gilbert
Tracklist
Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.
- 1 An Earth Dweller's Return 1:03
- 2 Here & Now 4:48
- 3 In My Dreams With You 5:01
- 4 Still My Bleeding Heart 6:00
- 5 Sex & Religion 4:24
- 6 Dirty Black Hole 4:27
- 7 Touching Tongues 5:33
- 8 State of Grace 1:41
- 9 Survive 4:46
- 10 Pig 3:36
- 11 The Road to Mt. Calvary 2:35
- 12 Down Deep Into the Pain 8:01
- 13 Rescue Me or Bury Me 8:25
Reference: Wikipedia · MusicBrainz · Wikidata
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