I just posted my review of the new Children 18:3 album here. Check it out.

Artist: Children 18:3
Album: Children 18:3
Label: Tooth and Nail Records
Reviewer: Levi G

1. All My Balloons
2. LCM
3. You Know We’re All So Fond Of Dying
4. Search Warrant
5. Even Sleeping
6. Ditches
7. The City
8. Homemade Valentine
9. Samantha
10. Mock The Music
11. A Chance To Say Goodbye
12. Time and Wasted Bullets
13. Balloons Reprise
14. Final

If punk rock was dead, it’s just been resurrected.

Meet the (arguable) punk rock saviors, a sibling trio from Minnesota boasting a home schooled education. Doesn’t sound like the type of group to breathe new life into a genre like punk? Well, Jesus was born in a manger. Though this is clearly a large claim to make for any band, listen for yourselves.

It’s apparent even from the first track of this album (“All My Balloons”) that the fast pace and power-chord chugging is not a sign of compensating. Armed with melodies and the power of dual vocals, Children 18:3 deliver a solid debut that may stun the Tooth and Nail nonbelievers. The style varies dramatically enough to hold the listener’s interest, even delving into ska influences. But the sound is signature enough that if you enjoy this type of music, you’ll likely spin this disc in its entirety.

The 14 tracks seem a lot less significant when you consider the length of the songs, as well as the two extremely short interludes, but the sheer power of the full length tracks allows for a couple artistic, nonintrusive breaks. The entire album carries nicely though, and the noteworthy hooks are present on almost every song. Album standouts include the anthem “Homemade Valentine,” where the feelings of The Offspring and Nirvana crossing with a glam-rock attitude surge.

There are simply too many good songs on this album to pretend that a few are superior to the rest. This is an album punk and non-punk fans can both enjoy, and if you haven’t given it a listen, it’s my strong recommendation that you remedy that situation as quickly as you can.

I am currently listening to the new Sophia album in it’s entirety and I must say I am gasping for breath because of how incredible it is. I can’t believe this is the same band who brought us “My Hands, My Greedy Hands” two years ago. What a total makeover. This is the same band but their sound is so much more refined and polished. They have truly tightened as a unit and it’s quite evident upon listening to this. You are all in for a real treat when this album releases. I encourage you to go out and buy it from us or from Speakerheart.com for $5 March 11th. If you appreciate the progressive sounds of bands like Trenches or even the “Fire” disc from Thrice, you’ll love this. It has melody and that is a big plus for me as I am an avid listener of music that has some sort of melody in it, yet this is still just as hard as they’ve always been. That’s about it, you need to buy it bottom line. I’ll get back to my Sophia listening party……….

P.S. Look for a new song from the band on Saturday night up on their myspace page.

One Star Story’s new EP, The Empty Room, is now available through digital subscription service eMusic. The EP drops next Monday in physical release (and, presumably, to more prominent digital retailers).

I have uploaded three classic digital albums to our site. They are all properly encoded with the correct band name/song/album title. They are all in zip files.

Next in Line “One in a Million” 2004 Ep

Dismissed “Self Titled” 2004 Ep

Pennylane “From Paradise to Parking Lots” 2004 Ep

Enjoy these classics all free of charge…….

Burning Tree Project have a new song on their myspace page. Their cd is available for purchase right now.

A former member of The Unfolding is in a new instrumental band called Metavari. Check them out.

Check out the artist My Jeremiah on myspace here. My Jeremiah is Kyle Treadway who used to be in Quick and the Dead a long time ago.

House Of Heroes have posted up a third song from their upcoming release The End Is Not The End. The song is called Leave You Now and can be heard here.

New track from Beyond the Citadel of Coupe de Grace has been posted up here. Check them out.

I don’t know if these guys have been talked about on here before, Oceana is releasing their album The Tide via Rise Records next tuesday, March 4th.  You can check out their tunes (including 2 downloadable tracks) here.

Click here to view the trailer for the Love Guru starring Mike Meyers.

New movie trailers have been posted on myspace including the new one for Iron Man. Click here to view.

Hey everyone, I’m due for another interview, and I was wondering who you guys want to see interviewed? Post suggestions in the comments. Just make sure it’s a band that hasn’t been interviewed by IVM recently. I could really use help, as I’m drawing a blank on who to ask for an interview.

News comes today about New Line Pictures being absorbed into Warner Bros. by their parent company, Time Warner. Apparently New Line has had a series of Flops lately and the parent company wants to cut costs. You Hobbit fans need not worry as the film is still on schedule as is Shazam and the new Nightmare on Elm Street re-do.

I think this is new? Spitfire have posted up their newest track to Purevolume off of their controversial new album (see cover). So what do you think?

Thrice’s Come All You Worry digital ep releases on March the 10th.  As Cory mentioned you can hear the first single off of the ep at their myspace and you can also preview the rest of the tracks right here.

The song is called Come All You Weary. They didn’t specify which disc this song is going to be on but my guess it will be on the Earth section.

You can stream clips from all the songs on the following albums at the links provided.

Hawk Nelson’s new album Hawk Nelson Is My Friend which releases April 1st right here.

P.O.D.’s new album When Angels And Serpents Dance which releases April 7th right here. (bandsonfire.com)

Addison Road’s new album Addison Road which releases March 18th right here.

Seabird will be releasing their debut full length called Til We See The Shore on June 24th through Credential Recordings.

[Myspace] [Purevolume]

Candlefuse is releasing their new EP Talking To The Wind on March 15th. It is available for pre-order here and you can check out new song samples here.

They’re on a break now due to the bassist being injured while making doughnuts (trust me it is way more serious then it sounds) but they said they’re releasing their new album “The Sleeping House” this year. But check their Myspace blog for the full story.

I posted a review of As I Lay Dying’s An Ocean Between Us since we didn’t have one. You can view it here. More reviews coming this weekend of Anberlin, Common Yet Forbidden, Besieged, Secret & Whisper, Esterlyn, a bunch of Flicker Records’ latest releases, and more.

You can read an update on Andrew Schwab’s (of Project 86) new book and what it’s about in his latest blog here. (bandsonfire.com)

Chris Taylor, newcomer to BEC Recordings, will release his new album Take Me Anywhere on April 15th.  If you’re interested in catching him in concert, he’s on tour from now until the end of April with Kutless and Esterlyn.  You can see the tour dates on his myspace.

Band: As I Lay Dying
Title: An Ocean Between Us
Label: Metal Blade
Review By: JoshIVM

Tracklisting:

01. Separation
02. Nothing
03. An Ocean Between Us
04. Within Destruction
05. Forsaken
06. Comfort Betrays
07. I Never Wanted
08. Bury Us All
09. The South Of Truth
010. Departed
11. Wrath Upon Ourselves
12. This Is Who We Are

Members/Duties:

Tim Lambesis: Vocals
Nick Hipa: Guitar
Jordan Mancino: Drums
Phil Sgrosso: Guitar
Josh Gilbert: Bass, Vocals

I must first say that As I Lay Dying have been one of my favorite metal bands in the past few years. I have their old Pluto Records releases but they were just good back then. They have matured and improved immensely since that point in time and An Ocean Between Us proves to be their best yet.

The opener “Separation” is a great track that slowly draws you in before unleashing all they have prepared. “Nothing Left” proves the band has held true and delivered a faster and heavier record. Every metal band says that but many do not deliver, but AILD has. They quickly prove why they are one of the premiere bands in the metal game right now. Both the guitar work and rhythm sections work steadily throughout. Jordan’s drumming is relentless as usual. The guitar combination has improved and they show off a better writing style in this album. “Within Destruction” speeds things up even more for some straight up thrash. Shred away! This is what we need more of. They pay homage to the past metal masters while making the song their own. The machine gun drums will destroy your speakers if you get too crazy with the volume. The rhythm guitar portions of this song are great. Just a steady chugging that you will undoubtedly be bobbing your head along too. There is a short relief in the middle portion of the track before things intensify yet again. “Forsaken” is another standout track and once again sees the band keeping the pace up. There is more guitarwork in this tracks as the guitarists answer each other back and forth. The addition of the new bass player Josh was a smart one. His clean vocals fit in perfectly with Tim’s vocals and are only used when necessary. The build up at the end with the combination of vocalists here is great! “I Never Wanted” is a slower song with more of a melodic feel to the music. It is still heavy and is placed perfectly in the album to give listeners a break.

Overall Rating: The band has improved in nearly everything and have created a must have album! I didn’t find any weak tracks on the album that I simply pass by. Definitely one of the top metal releases of 2007 and hands down the best of their career! (10/10)

Standout Tracks: “Forsaken”, “Comfort Betrays”, “On Ocean Between Us”

Website
Myspace
Purevolume
Metal Blade

Buy: BestBuy

I posted 4 reviews today and a whole slew will be up soon. Click below to check them out.

The Classic Crime - Acoustic EP
Ivoryline - There Came A Lion
Once Nothing - First Came The Law
A Thousand Times Repent - Virtue Has Few Friends

Band: A Thousand Times Repent
Title: Virtue Has Few Friends
Label: Tribunal Records
Releases: 3/11/2008
Review By: JoshIVM

Tracklisting:

01. Curses! Another Shape-Shifting Wraith!
02. A Band Of Hunters Stalk In Edo
03. Take Me To The Witch Of The Waste… We Have Much To Discuss
04. That Was The Night Everything Changed…
05. So Much For Middle-Earth
06. Complete Relinquish. Utter Abandon.

Members/Duties:

Nate: Guitar
Dowd: Guitar
Chris: Guitar
Jeremy: Bass
Shannon: Drums
Darsen: Vocals

I just happened across these guys on Myspace sometime early last year. I didn’t know what to expect but within the first 30 seconds they had me hooked! They are in the same vein of music as other Georgia bands like With Blood Comes Cleansing but offer a beauty in their music that the rest of the bands have not been able to achieve. I didn’t realize that at first but after a thorough listen of their album this became clear.

“You are demons. I think the only thing you’ll taste today is your own blood!” What a way to start an album and taken from an online anime series. The music and vocals kick in right after that and all I can say is brutal! The music was thunderous and caused my speakers to shudder! The guitar are extremely heavy and are utilized perfectly. They just don’t chugga-chugga constantly, but throw in a decent amount of fingerwork and high/lows (the ones like Norma Jean made hugely popular). This band transcends the new wave of most deathcore and somehow have blended both beauty and brutality into a masterpiece! “A Band Of Hunters Stalk In Edo” brings more of the ferocious brutality that had hooked me on the first song but it also brings a surprise. After a great section of breakdowns, the heaviness instantly melts away into an airy guitar solo. Just a bit further along came singing, yes clean singing! I’ll talk more about that further on. I couldn’t get enough of the beginning of “Take Me To The Witch” with it’s fantastic showing of the guitarists. This band is talented beyond it’s years. If I didn’t know better someone could pass this off as a band’s second or third album, not just a self-released EP. My absolute favorite track has to be “That Was The Night Everything Changed”. It is the perfect combination of heavy and light and if I were to pick one song to show you it would be this one. This is the first song I heard from the band once they posted it on their Myspace last year. The first 3 and half minutes were incredibly intense and then came those sung vocals. It builds and builds into an anthemic chorus before mellowing back out and quietly coming to an end.

The most surprising part of the album is how good this singing is. It’s better than 90% of the bands who sing throughout all of their songs. I’m not talking about just good singing, it’s, dare I say, beautiful. It’s especially highlighted in the final track which is not heavy at all. It’s a piano driven song where the vocalist pours out his heart. One of the most worshipful songs of the year. It amazed me the range of Darsen’s vocals. From deep, brutal growls, to yells, squeals, and to incredible melodies. I’d put him up against any other metal vocalist out there. Let’s not leave out the rest of the band either. They are tight in every position. The rhythm section doesn’t let up and keeps everything together. The guitarists also keep things interesting adding enough variety to the fury that will not allow you to get bored.

Overall Rating: This band transcends the new wave of most deathcore and somehow have blended both beauty and brutality into a masterpiece! This album is one of my favorite albums of 2007, easily in the top 5! This EP is amazing and clearly the folks at Tribunal thought so as well, and are re-releasing it March 11th. Do yourself a favor and pick this incredible debut up! (10/10)

Standout Tracks: “That Was The Night Everything Changed”, “Complete Relinquish. Utter Abandon.”

Website
Myspace
Purevolume
Tribunal

Buy: Tribunal Store

Band: Once Nothing
Title: First Came The Law
Label: Solid State
Released: 1/15/2008
Review By: JoshIVM

Tracklisting:

01. The Intimidator
02. Avoid Me Like The Plague
03. Juliet Or At Least What’s Left Of Her
04. Gunfire Is The Sound of Freedom
05. The Dust Of A Town
06. My Sweet Medusa
07. Columbus Wasn’t Looking For America
08. Then There Were Nine
09. All My Heroes Are Cowboys
10. The Truth About Me Or Someone Like Me
11. Whiskey Breath
12. …And Then Came Grace

Members/Duties:

Todd Lowry: Vocals
Josh Branas: Guitar
Giuseppe Capolupo: Drums
Steve Lucarelli: Bass
David Burkes: Guitar

Upon first listen I started the first song and then quickly moved to the second. “Avoid Me Like The Plague” seemed to be a better offering of what the band presented on the last album. The high/low guitar pattern and Lowry’s throaty vocals are a great mix. About one minute in the band speeds things up and does a little more fingerwork on the guitar reminiscent of the other wave of metalcore. Then my fears were confirmed, the band went Southern. Thankfully in this track it only lasts for a short time and then things speed back up before culminating in more thunderous breakdowns. “Gunfire Is The Sound Of Freedom” offers more speedy, 2-step, metalcore. The band gets a bit more creative here in their breakdown with the second guitar. “Ahhh, swing it” then chimes it and I laughed. It came across as cheesy and forced. “My Sweet Medusa” felt really out of place for me and might have done better at the end of the album. It’s a soft ballad that features delicately sung vocals accompanied by acoustic guitar. “Columbus Wasn’t Looking For America” shows off more of what I want from this band. At first the song sounded like another southern laced hardcore romp but then the rhythm sections absolutely pummels your senses. The song continues on shifting sounds from time to time and midway through offers some guitar riffing that reminds me of As I Lay Dying. Lowry shows off some deeper toned vocals during the last breakdown. The song should have ended there. For some reason they opted to go into another southern part, and it ruined the song for me. I do have to give Once Nothing props in regards to breakdowns which they use heavily but do it well.

The band does do a decent job offering some variety into the southern-tinged metalcore movement. Lowry’s vocals and the thick, deep tones of the guitar make it heavier than Maylene and others. The band also stays away from clean vocals, the other positive on the album for me. I do give them a pat on the back for that but I wish they’d drop the southern thing altogether. I think they’re a better band without it. Some songs had me really into it and then lost me and some just never hooked me at all. I’m a fan of southern rock without a doubt, but it’s overdone in metalcore these days and unfortunately for me, Once Nothing just added another one to the list.

Overall Rating: This is one of the biggest letdowns for me so far this year. I had incredibly high hopes for this band and was really into their last album, but they lost me. The southern influence really ruined this album. I want to like it but I just can’t get into it no matter how many times I try. Maybe it will grow on me if I keep trying, but that’s not what I was hoping for. (5.5/10)

Standout Tracks: “Columbus Wasn’t Looking For America”, “Whiskey Breath”

Myspace
Purevolume
Solid State

Buy: Zambooie

Band: Ivoryline
Title: There Came A Lion
Label: Tooth & Nail
Released: 2/5/2008
Review By: JoshIVM

Tracklisting:

01. Days End
02. We Both Know
03. Parade
04. All You Ever Hear
05. Be Still And Breathe
06. Remind Me I’m Alive
07. Left Us Falling
08. And The Truth
09. Bravery
10. Hearts And Minds
11. The Last Word

Members/Duties:

Scott Socia: Guitar
Jeremy Gray: Vocals Wes Hard: Drums
Robert Woodward: Bass
Dusty Kittle: Guitar

Ivoryline is one of the many new signings that the Tooth & Nail empire will be releasing upon the masses this year. Many people have voiced their negative opinions on the signings over the past few years, though I am not one of them. In fact, I have found many of Tooth & Nail’s recent releases to be quite enjoyable. With Ivoryline the comparisons with other bands will undoubtedly come, with bands like Anberlin topping most lists. The Nail has quite a few bands that produce a similar style of music though, so I will not hold that against the band.

The vocalist is what kept me listening to this release. The music has definitely been done before, which again to me isn’t a bad thing. If I like a certain sound I don’t mind bands sounding similar, but his vocals are the highlight, hands down. This isn’t to say that the rest of the band are worthless for they certainly do an impressive job backing him up with solidly crafted songs, but if they had a different vocalist I’d probably pass this group by. The majority of the disc is filled with rocky verses and big, sing along choruses. Each song is upbeat even though I was hoping for some slower more ballad-like tracks at some point. The band is catchy however. Not as catchy as an Anberlin or some of Emery’s songs, but those choruses will probably still hook you. My biggest complaint is that the songs don’t really have a great deal of variation and you get the same type of song each time. This is definitely a fix that will probably occur on the band’s sophmore release as they grow. As can be expected with any Tooth & Nail release the production is top notch and everything fits perfectly.

Overall Rating: I had really high hopes for this album and maybe that was the problem. I set the bar too high for a debut. There Came A Lion is by no means a bad album but it isn’t what I’d hoped for either. It offers up a decent serving a anthemic rock songs but it felt like something was missing. I’m hoping that through more listens it will grow more on me. To sum it up, if you are looking for an album with more of that Tooth & Nail sound this album is definitely for you. (7/10)

Standout Tracks: “Days End”, “Be Still And Breathe”

Myspace
Purevolume
Tooth & Nail

Buy: Interpunk

Band: The Classic Crime
Title: Acoustic EP: Seattle Sessions
Label: Tooth & Nail
Review By: JoshIVM

Tracklisting:

1. Seattle
2. Blindfolded
3. The Test
4. Wake Up (Shipwreck)
5. The Drink In My Hand (Live)
6. When The Time Comes
7. Far From Home

Members/Duties:

Matt MacDonald: Vocals
Justin DuQue: Guitar
Robbie Negrin: Guitar
Skip Erickson: Drums
Alan Clark: Bass

The Classic Crime have decided to go against the norm and forego a true sophmore effort by releasing an acoustic EP. The band had already stated these songs didn’t fit the sound they normally presented so they needed to do it this way. I suppose you can look at this as their second disc, but it feels like a new band. Matt’s excellent vocals are still there but they’re the only connection. How smart approaching things like this is still yet to be seen but I had greatly enjoyed their debut and figured that it could have some potential.

Upon the first few listens I could not stand it. Maybe I was having a bad day or just wanted to be extra cynical but I hated it. However, I knew for a review that I needed to at least give it one more shot. So as I headed out one day for a trip that would allow me to listen to the short disc straight through, I popped it in. Thankfully I did! The album is short and sweet, only consisting of 7 tracks. The first 3 songs are amazing, well written, and catchy! “Seattle” is led by the drumming which sustains itself throughout the track. MacDonald quickly shows off his vocal abilities and what originally had caught my attention back in 2005. The chorus is big, if you can say that for an acoustic track. The music really steps up from the very quiet verses which focus mainly on the vocals. The music in “Blindfolded” is light-hearted though the lyrics aren’t. The vocal arrangement gets more interested about 50 seconds in with MacDonald following the piano accompaniment. “Far From Home” is more your typical acoustic song, with its strummed chords and heart-on-your-sleeve sound to the vocals. The full band does come in part of the way through here and end the album on a high note.

Overall Rating: I’m quite glad I gave this album multiple listens! It isn’t an album that I’m going to be spinning non-stop but it’s a great addition to my collection. While not quite a side-project and not quite the norm it’s a nice break before the real sophmore effort. Of course if you’re into the whole acoustic thing, this album should be what you’re looking for but I think it’s also a great release for anyone searching for a quiet, entertaining listen! (9/10)

Standout Tracks: “Seattle”, “When The Time Comes”

Website
Myspace
Purevolume
Tooth & Nail

Buy: Interpunk

Come on people, only 100 of you have downloaded the Ready the Way song. I know there are several of you out there that like FREE music so please download it today if you haven’t yet.

Speaking of Downloads, we got another 100 of them for Fighting From the Ground Up Vol. 1 since yesterday. Cool.

Dismissed have a tribute page on myspace. Check it out here. So what do you guys like, the old Dismissed sound or the new sound of Kings to You?

Speaking of Dismissed, I know most of you already have their 2004 ep and have downloaded it right here off the site. I realize that the songs weren’t encoded with the correct band/song/album title. Would any of you like me to upload this into a zip file or does it not matter anymore? I can also do the same with the old Next in Line ep. Let me know.

TomFest put up a brand new website. The information about bands will continue to be updated but a partial list is up now. Anyone ever been to this Fest?

The 5 For 5 Tour lineup has apparently changed. The Send & Capital Lights are no longer on the tour. The lineup is now Dizmas, Children 18:3, Breaking The Silence, Kessler, and Cayerio. The tour’s Myspace has the most up-to-date info.