Month: December 2023

So I have been listening to gospel hip hop for many years. I remember having this rap group Pullin’ No Punches as a kid. It sported the marvelous collab w/ Bride & the reworking of the God Gave Rock & Roll 2U song. DOC was an abbreviation for Disciples of Christ. There were several 90s hip hop artists that abbreviated their names such as ETW’s End Time Warriors, SFC’s Soldiers for Christ, PID’s Preachas in Disguise, CROW’s Constantly Right Overcomes Wrong, etc… Anyway’s fast forward to 2016 & w/a name change released Welcome to Nimisilla Park.… Continued →

This band from Southern California was one of the first wave of bands who set the foundation for what was known as “Spirit-filled hardcore.” A wave which also included Focused, Strongarm, Six Feet Deep and a handful of others, many of which remained unsigned. The scene was characterized by ‘new school’ or ‘chugga chugga’ or metallic hardcore of the early to mid-90s, combined with lyrics that were bold and unapologetic about faith issues. The first time I heard Unashamed was actually a live show as they were the opening band at the first Tooth and Nail Weekend in 1994, a mini-fest at the Where-House in Bartlesville, OK featuring all Tooth and Nail bands (also on the bill were Focused, Chatterbox, Plankeye, Starflyer 59 and Wish for Eden who sadly had to cancel due to a broken down van).… Continued →

In some ways, it hasn’t been the most exciting year for music. Perhaps I’m getting older, busier, or pickier. Either way, I know I statistically listen to a lot less music as a whole than I did even five years ago. That said, there were an incredible handful of releases this year that I wanted to highlight. This list is in no particular order as they all play to different strengths. Maggie Miles – The Lack Thereof I wanted to start with an album that we haven’t covered but that you’ll nonetheless want to check out.… Continued →

The Bell Jar is comprised of 3 friends, 2 of whom were in the original Showbread line up. You can definitely hear Showbread’s influence on TBJ’s sound. Josh Porter aka Josh Dies is a music genius imho. Check out his Church of Agony project as well & his site. This SOTD is a reminder that hurting people hurt people so try & be kind as Jesus would. https://www.joshuasporter.com/ … Continued →

This band is a supergroup with members of P.O.D, Demon Hunter, Disciple, Attack Attack & Inhale/Exhale. I have seen all bands except for Attack & Beartooth is on my bucket list. This song has been on various Christian/Mainstream music charts for the past 6 months or so. This song is so darn catchy dont’cha think so? & Merry Christmas! … Continued →

Let’s mix it up with some Celtic folk punk music akin to The Crossing or a toned down Ballydowse. They are like Jesus People USA to a degree in that they are a Christian community. I ran into another community like their in Charlotte NC when I lived down there several years ago. Anyways, this pretty song is obviously worship & I love what vocalist Scott Krueger’s view that “our Christian walk is supposed to affect every aspect of our lives. So as artists, we want to have that shape our art.”… Continued →

Allan R Aguirre who was the charismatic frontman of world renown Christian underground punk band from the early 80’s-early 90’s called “Scaterd-Few” (along with Spy Glass Blue and Men as Trees Walking), is back with new music. It is unknown at time of this post whether it’ll be in band form or strictly solo work. The preview video I viewed mentioned “Auditory 2024” but also unsure whether that is the title of group/project. More news to come. This is a great time for Allan’s voice and lyrics to blast back into our music scene.… Continued →

I just wanted to share this recent Indie Vision Music playlist with you all since we are coming up on Christmas literally in just a couple days. It’s called “Now That’s What I Call Christmas” which is kind of haha but you get it right? Enjoy these tunes while there is still time. This was created and posted by Brandon Jones on behalf of Indie Vision Music. Playlist below via Spotify. Sorry to Apple Music fans, I wasn’t able to post one there but maybe next year.… Continued →

The new group MorZan featuring Jyro and Jerome of Mortal & Fold Zandura, have posted a special LIVE EP from their set recently at House of Blues in Anaheim, CA. from November. Check it out below or on your digital network of choice. Who here wants some NEW music from this group?… Continued →

The brand new 4 song EP “Whispers of Pain” from Dona Luzi which is a pop-punk/emo band from Germany. The artwork for the EP was done by none other than Andrew Carlin of Light The Way. The Ep is released through Small Step Records and you can order a CD of it right here. Available now on all digital networks.… Continued →

My favorite Christmas songs tend to be the traditional carols. Sure, I love a good cheesy secular holiday tune every now and then (“Let it Snow” anyone?), but I find the deep theology of the carols to be particularly meaningful, and therefore apropos for the season. Having said that, there are also some wonderful contemporary renderings of the traditional tunes. Viva Voce was an indie rock band, centered on wife-husband duo Anita and Kevin Robinson. Originally from Alabama, they transplanted to Portland, OR somewhere along their musical (and geographical) journey.… Continued →

California’s nu metal band Prone released one 2006 EP. They also have a girl drummer which is different. Check em out & good luck with finding the full EP as I have tried to track it down for years. Also, here is a great site that I use & this link has a bunch of verses that deal with hypocrisy. My fave verse on the subject is 1 Peter 2:16. https://www.biblestudytools.com/topical-verses/bible-verses-about-hypocrisy/ … Continued →

Hope for the Dying is a symphonic metal band which had its roots in metalcore. They formed under the moniker Convicted in 2003 & released 3 EPs/demos until 2007 when they changed their name. Seriously, If you haven’t heard their stuff check em out.  I haven’t heard anything new since their awesome 2016 release Legacy so here’s to hoping they release new music at some point. … Continued →

I’m very excited to introduce you all to Linden Hope. She released her first single today, and we had a great opportunity to discuss the context of the song, the ways we truly live out Christ’s mission of being one family, and all things surrounding her forthcoming record. Check out the song below and read on – this is personally one of my favorite interviews in quite a while! … Continued →

If you’ve visited the Indie Vision Music website recently you may have noticed the “Advertising” bar at top or in the pull-down menu on mobile. If you didn’t, then click here. After many years of not offering advertising, I’ve decided to dive headfirst into it once again. We have several different options and customizations available to faith based Christian artists and the like with a focus on independent music. Would you like to learn more, then click here. All ad purchases go toward supporting this website and costs involved.… Continued →

This band released one demo in 2008. Appears they were labeled as spirit filled hardcore & were from Sacremento, Cali. Check this rarity out.  … Continued →

The Blamed have a little fun this Christmas season by releasing their “Reese’n For The Season” 4 Song Ep led by the track “Reason For The Season” featuring Reese Roper on Lead Vocals and all the members of The Blamed backing him up. It’s a fun yellow and black attack track and perfect for this year’s Christmas playlists. You’ll also find newly remade Christmas classics – “Hark”, “Joy”, and “Away”. The songs are now on all digital networks or on bandcamp below.… Continued →

The story goes, a small independent band known as Black Eyed Sceva begins working with 5 Minute Walk Records and then release their fantastic debut titled “Way Before The Flood” in 1995. The band would release another album/ep called “5 Years, 50,000 Miles Davis” which included a couple new tracks (at the time) alongside Live songs and other rarities. It would release in 1996 and would mark the band’s final release under their name. They regrouped that year and changed their name to “Model Engine” to differentiate themselves from the harder to pronounce and difficult to explain name.… Continued →

A lot of the music I listened to was in the past, I mean after all, Spotify labeled me a “Time Traveler” this year, lol? However, there was plenty of great music that released in 2023 that of which got the blood pumping and adrenaline rushing, even some songs more on the “chill” side that could cause one to contemplate the deepest complexities of life (and what that next meal will be). The past year wasn’t without challenges, more so personally and because of which I retreated more and more inward yet the music had it’s way of soothing my soul.… Continued →

This band has been around since the 90s, maybe even the late 80s, making brilliant folk/pop/rock/blues/adult alternative/whatever type music. They’re the sort of band that other musicians love to love. The core of the band is husband-wife duo Linford Detweiler on piano and Karin Bergquist on vocals. The rest of the band has been a revolving cast, and in the half-dozen times I’ve seen them live, roughly half of those have featured just the pair. They’ve always danced around the edge of whatever “Christian music” means, always dropping hints about their faith, but simultaneously distancing themselves from the industrial machinations of the Christian music industry.… Continued →

Pop punk Freshmen 15 was an early incarnation of the modern rock Wavorly. Freshmen’s music is very hard to come by, but Wavorly had a pretty good run on Christian rock radio. Check out how much their sound changed.     … Continued →

What does black metal have to do with Christianity? I caught up with Asaph and PATHØS of Indiana’s own Symphony of Heaven to find out. IVM: You guys have been playing this style of music for a few years now. How did you get into black metal (or extreme metal in general) and what led you to want to play music in this style? Asaph: So my answer to this is a bit of a journey. I started the metal journey really with Living Sacrifice, which the early stuff would be considered extreme metal.… Continued →

We are proud to present the brand new music video from Too Bad Eugene for their new song “Shaking My Fist At Clouds”. We are premiering the video over on YouTube so just click below to check it out. New album “Battle Scars” coming Spring 2024!… Continued →

1. Lacey Sturm – Kenotic Metanoia: This November Lacey Sturm released her first album in nearly 8 years. To say it was worth the wait is an understatement. If it’s going to take 8 years to release a new album, this is the caliber release you want to shoot for. Lacey sounds as good as ever and has dropped an exceptional album here. It easily outshines her previous release, Life Screams, and is, in my opinion, her best work to date, including her material with Flyleaf.… Continued →

Spirit Filled Hardcore was a label put on early Christian metal micro genres. Saved by Grace fell into the metalcore portion. Members also played in Hopesfall & Eighteen Visions, both of whom I’ve seen live. … Continued →

This Christian modern rock band started in Washington state & relocated to Texas. They created 4 LPs & got their start on True Tunes record label. Here is also a live recording of the same SOTD, but also check out the title track to Bigger Than Ourselves & Misfits from their Thread album.   … Continued →

Lightforce was a heavy metal band from Australia, active in the late 1980s. They recorded 3 cassette demos from 1986-87, before getting the attention of US-based Pure Metal Records. The band’s label debut Mystical Thieves was a unique entry in Christian metal. While based in traditional heavy metal, it touched on speed metal and power metal without ever fully crossing into thrash territory. It was heavy, loud, and raw. In 1990 the band recorded a fourth and final demo called Break the Curse, which saw the band going in an even heavier direction, just before changing their name.… Continued →

AKFJ is a post hardcore/metalcore band that hasn’t released much new music since 2014 until now! You might remember them for Oh, Infamous City or II that I saw working their way around “Christian” metal radio shows back in the day. A video was also made for War from their 2014 release New Bodies. Check out this new one & also their prior discography along with their reimagined work. … Continued →

Remember when punk & ska music collided in the 90s? There were all these comps & tons of labels had a punk or ska band or both on their labels. N’ Soul was primarily a dance label & this L.A. band also included a member of Pax217. The demo appears to have been released in ’98 the same year as the N’Soul one. Check it out. … Continued →

Project 86 return with a brand new song and music video for the track “Ultraviolent” off the upcoming album “Omni, Pt. 2”. It’s Project 86 in their heavy element. What do you think about this new song and these two new albums? Pre-Order at this link here.… Continued →