Author: Loyd Harp

Chaotic hardcore project Pipe Bomb have announced a new single, “I Will Kill the Worst Parts of Myself.” Fresh off the heels of its three previous single releases, Philadelphia chaotic metalcore band Pipe Bomb is dropping one final stand-alone song called “I Will Kill The Worst Parts Of Myself” on January 27th, 2026, in support of its upcoming 10-song album, Hell Hole. Mixed and mastered by John Naclario of Nada Recording (My Chemical Romance, Senses Fail), “I Will Kill the Worst Parts of Myself” stays true to the project’s math/metalcore roots, veering away from the chains of song structure and embracing a flair for dissonance.… Continued →

This is it. The band, the album, the first release on Tooth and Nail Records. I remember when this came out. Nobody had heard of Tooth and Nail or Wish for Eden. I just knew this abrasive alternative/punk/grunge/hardcore hybrid was good. Really good. A little simplistic maybe, but super raw and totally scratched where I itched at the time. Wish for Eden’s impact is hard to understate. I was talking to some friends recently who are younger than me, maybe 15-20 years. These are folks heavily involved in the Christian independent scene.… Continued →

✨AF X RESUSCITATION PRESENTS… ⚡️Resuscitation Records Night at the Subculture Stage on Friday, July 3rd!⚡️ The showcase will feature Clear Convictions, Dear Adversary, Pipe Bomb, Take, Plead the Widow’s Cause, and The Forefunner. These 6 bands will be only a fraction of the 90-100 artists the festival will book between now and July. The festival recently announced Bleach as a headliner as well. Grab your tickets today, go to Audiofeedfestival.com… Continued →

Every year at Christmastime I try to choose a selection for the Song of the Day that is both seasonally appropriate and also relevant to our scene. Sure, it’s the day after Christmas, but since Christmas historically is a 12-day feast, we’re still in Christmas! August Burns Red has been making engaging and sometimes complicated metalcore since 2003. They are known as one of the more progressive and technical bands in the genre, regardless of faith affiliation. They are also known more for being “Christians in a band” than being a “Christian band.”… Continued →

After the well-received album Pain Split in 2022 (vinyl in 2023), South Jersey’s melodic hardcore/post-hardcore heroes are back with another full-length. Once again, CDs were pressed by the band, while the vinyl release is through Resuscitation Records and comes in a beautiful transparent green vinyl. If you want the short version of this review, here it is: if you liked the debut, you’ll probably love Silver Glass Stare. That’s not to say it’s a remake by any means. In fact, there’s more of . .… Continued →

Oh my gosh, why is it that sometimes the best bands have the shortest-lived careers?!? Pink Daffodils released one 3-song EP and then a follow-up single (literally a one-song CD) and then disappeared. Their style of female-fronted semi-melodic yet intensely screamy hardcore scratched my brain in very particular way. To this day, their Listless EP is one of my favorite and most unique hardcore releases ever. There was one more Pink Daffodils track, offered on the Trampled compilation from Boot to Head Records. Hailing from Philadelphia, the band shared some members with punk mainstays One-21, but with a very different sound.… Continued →

Audiofeed Music Festival, which takes place every year in Urbana IL over the July 4th weekend has just made their first official announcement for 2026. And fortunately for IVM readers, it’s a band most of us are very acquainted with . . . “FIRST ANNOUNCEMENT: BLEACH The moment you’ve been waiting for is finally here! We are excited to announce our very first band of the 2026 year lineup: Bleach. With many more to come, stay tuned Audiofeeders! Go check them out and grab your ticket at Audiofeedfestival.com”… Continued →

Comprised of twin brothers Noel and Robbie Arthurton, the Bronx-born but California-raised Dynamic Twins were part of the first wave of legitimate Gospel rap coming out in the early 90s. Like so many others of that era (including S.F.C and Freedom of Soul), they had early connections to J.C. and the Boyz, and even wrote a song for Crystal Lewis (who returned the favor by singing on one of their tracks). Dynamic Twins had that southern California, West Coast rap style, but wanted to proclaim the Gospel clearly through their craft.… Continued →

The man, the myth, the holiday-music-making-machine . . . Ronnie Martin has just released a brand new Christmas track, exclusive to Bandcamp. The former Joy Electric frontman and founder has released three Christmas albums in the same number of years, and has already quickly released the new single on the heels of his latest, Evergreen Melodie. Check it out here: https://ronniemartin.bandcamp.com/album/o-christmas-day… Continued →

Midwest emo act Kerith Ravine formed around Akron, OH in 1997 and were active until 2001. In that short time they recorded 2 self-released CD EPs, released a split 7″ with fellow Ohioans Cpt. Nemo, and also released a full-length album through Bulletproof Music (Dear Ephesus, Aleixa, etc.) The band played a fun subset of Midwest emo which had them incorporating strings on one track and screaming on another, all the while holding subtle melodies close. After Kerith Ravine (name for the brook where OT prophet Elijah took refuge while hiding from Ahab) finished, some of the members then formed Lovedrug, which also contained former members of Eso-Charis.… Continued →

I hear a lot of talk on social media these days about “2008 metalcore.” That’s what we have here in this track from Bringing Down Broadway. This was the era of metallic hardcore before clean singing and ‘ambient’ keyboards took over the scene. Sure, they dabble in clean singing for a handful of lines in this track from 2007, but its use wasn’t excessive by any means. And there’s a certain rawness to this recording that tells us that over-production wasn’t an issue (I mean that in a good way).… Continued →

Elite Christian hip-hop affiliate Sphere of Hip-Hop has announced a Christmas listening party for this Friday: “If you can make it, please join the listening party Sphere of Hip-Hop is hosting on Bandcamp to celebrate the release of “A Boom Bap Christmas Story.” The instrumental project brings together producers from across the world, each offering their own spin on holiday-flavored boom bap. Friday // Free to attend 6 pm Eastern 5 pm Central 4 pm Mountain 3 pm Pacific Thursday, November 27th. We’re listening to the new compilation featuring Future Infinite (Imperial & Stewart Garry) and Newselph.… Continued →

Venezuelan thrash band Mashiaj formed in Caracas in 2009. They released an initial demo in 2010, entitled Loser, and then a string of EPs: Mashiaj (2014), Vomitivo (2015–reissued stateside in 2017 by Christian Metal Underground), and Perdedor (2016). Websites list the band as being still active, but we haven’t had any new recordings since 2016. The band members write and perform in their native Spanish language, but the style is clearly late 80s Bay Area thrash, and a decent representation of it! “Liberacion” (freedom or liberation in Spanish) is taken from their most widely-distributed release Vomitivo, featuring a gnarly album cover reflective of the type of thrash they play.… Continued →

I was recently made aware of Radium88, in part because of my recent Song of the Day entry for 80s/90s new wave band The Free Zone from Liverpool. Vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Tim Thwaites is making music from Nottingham nowadays with Jema Davies as Radium88, and Bad Faith is a brand-new collection of 4 songs. Turns out they’ve been creating together since the 1990s, but I only found out about them in recent months. While there are similarities to The Free Zone (electronic-based alternative music), the new project doesn’t sound anything like the former.… Continued →

Logically, it makes no sense to fuse ambient music and industrial music. One is the softest, most minimalist form of electronic music; the other is the loudest and harshest. Yet the marriage of the two can create satisfying and interesting results. Swedish artists seem particularly good at it. We’ve featured Azure Skies in the past (which also featured members of Mental Destruction and Sanctum). Parca Pace is also known in the fusion style, and of course, our featured artist Haus Am Rand. It should be no surprise then that Jan Carleklev is involved in all three of these projects, not to mention EBM act November Commandment, gothic-industrial hybrid Sanctum, and a handful of other acts.… Continued →

Drummer and founding member of Barren Cross, Steve Whitaker died on Thursday. The Christian metal pioneer had been struggling with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (also known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), a rare neurodegenerative disease. He was dedicated family member and brother in Christ, who not only kept time for the band, but also wrote some of their most recognizable songs, including such standards as “Give Your Life,” “King of Kings,” and “Out of Time.” Forming in 1983, Barren Cross was seen as one of the most prominent Christian metal bands of the early era, signing to the influential mainstream label Enigma Records, while never compromising their Christian faith to reach a larger audience.… Continued →

Russian Orthodox gothic/black metal? While that description might sound unusual to most American listeners, that is exactly what we have here. Gospod hail from the Russian Federation, and have released one album for Michigan-based Vision of God Records. I don’t have a ton of details about the band, but we do know that it’s a one-man project written and performed by Tumanov Roman Mikhailovich. Musically, however, there is much that can be said. Their sole album, Исход Израиля (or, Israel’s Exodus) features a really intriguing mix of gothic metal and black metal.… Continued →

Pennsylvania’s indie pop stalwarts The Julies have released a brand-new single! It’s the third new single they’ve released this year, but so far mum’s the word on a new album. Musically, “Summermouth” dances in that space between Britpop (American style, of course) and shoegaze that the band has become so comfortable in. Check it out at Bandcamp, and consider contributing the $1.50 to download it, and support the band in the process! https://thejulies.bandcamp.com/track/summermouth… Continued →

Garage punk trio Upside Down Room first popped up on most fans’ radars with the release of their 1995 self-titled EP for Tooth & Nail Records. However, they’d already released 3 cassette demos prior to that, going back as early as 1991. The band hailed from southern California, and for the most part played a raw, gritty form of punk rock and roll. Jason Martin (Starflyer 59, et. al.) was recruited to produce their T&N debut and also contributed some guitars to the record. While UDR was definitely committed to punk rock, Martin’s signature layered approach added a quality to the garage rock previously unheard.… Continued →

I had the chance to catch this band live this summer at Audiofeed (my first time seeing them live), and I was completely blown away by their energy and performance. The show was so impactful that it broke this 50-something guy out of mosh retirement. Sure, I paid for it in my body for the next 2-3 weeks, but it was worth it! So when I found out that they were releasing a new album through Resuscitation Records I couldn’t wait to check it out. I’m a huge fan of traditional hardcore, and its moshworthy offshoots of new school/chugga chugga, ‘tough guy’ hardcore, and so forth.… Continued →

The Rumors Are True has done it again! Dozens–nay, hundreds!–of interviews relevant to our scene. This time, the lucky victims of interrogation are funk-metal masters Dig Hay Zoose TRAT founder Jeremy Gould interviews Bil Brown and David Anderson from the Kansas City quartet. The podcast can be found on about a dozen different platforms to suit your preference. Find the one you need on The Rumors Are True’s linktree here: Dig Hay Zoose interview at The Rumors Are True… Continued →

Liverpool-based The Free Zone duo met in a Christian Union at Liverpool University in 1982, bonding over post-punk and especially Londoners, The Clash. Initially called Cross Purposes, The Free Zone wanted to take the energy, urgency, and excitement of punk rock without the music sounding too primitive. The Free Zone was officially born in 1984. The band comprised drummer/sequencer Peter Scarlett and vocalist/multi-instrumentalist Tim Thwaites, and played mostly secular venues around their home city, even opening for NW England stalwarts The La’s. They also played a handful of gigs with fellow Liverpudlians, neo-folksters Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus.… Continued →

This band formed in Florida in the early to mid-80s, and had recorded a 5-song demo by 1985. Two of those songs ended up on the Regency Records compilation East Coast Metal, released in 1988. The compilation featured 6 other bands, all of whom achieved some level of regional and/or national success. Arsenal played in the traditional heavy metal style, but featured a female vocalist, an uncommon trait in heavy metal bands, which gave them a distinct edge in their sound. Based on the strength of the ’85 demo, a second demo of 3 songs released in 1988, and of course fan reaction to the tracks included on East Coast Metal, the band signed to Regency Records (home of Rage of Angels, Mastedon, and a host of other metal compilations), and released their one and only full-length, 1989’s Armored Choir.… Continued →

Forming first as Spud Puddle, this band from southern California changed their name just prior to the release of their second album. Partly due to confusion with punk band Spudgun, but more so due to a change in styles–away from the pop-punk of their debut, and into alternative/indie rock on the self-titled Quaylealbum, the old band name just didn’t fit anymore. With a sound that touched on alternative rock, power pop, and just a hint of emo, Quayle wowed listeners with a sound that was both raw and melodic at the same time.… Continued →

Seminal deathcore band Earth from Above formed in 2005 in Los Angeles and were active through 2011, when they disbanded. Incorporating elements of metallic hardcore, traditional metallic leads, and borrowing vocal styles from both death and black metal (with two vocalists at that), the band brought a fresh style to the newly developing subgenre. The band released an EP independently in 2007, called Partakers, and a full-length in 2009 for Facedown imprint Strike First Records, entitled Numbered with the Transgressors. The band was upfront about their faith, utilizing lyrics that were both evangelistic and worshipful in nature.… Continued →

The Felluz was a third-wave ska band from Michigan. Not a lot is known about the band, but they came to national light via the SkaCraze2 compilation. The second installment of the Christian ska series focused on the “East Coast,” and/or bands that we were not from the dominant West Coast scene. The Felluz offered a distinctly third wave take on ska with a light but upbeat punk-ska feel. They released one 5-song CDr, that was released independently in 1998. Our Song of the Day is the first track on the EP, but you’re in luck.… Continued →

I recently caught up with Joby Harris of Christian indie/punk supergroup Crash Rickshaw, for what turned out to be a rather enlightening (and lengthy) interview. What’s the story behind their decade-long hiatus? And why reconvene now? IVM: It’s been 24 years since the Crash Rickshaw debut, and 9 years since any last recorded music (only 10 copies made of The Unknown Clarity). Why the long wait, and what prompted the return? JH: We made the first Crash album at a prime time of being young, highly creative, knee-deep in a great music scene in Southern California and big dreams of doing that kind of thing forever.… Continued →

This pop-punk duo comprises brothers Seth and Paul Hyde, who are separated by thousands of miles (North Carolina to Hawaii). Seth spearheads the project, with Paul adding the drums. However, Paul spearheads the independent (and non-profit) record label Small Step Records. While I’ve been aware of GLR from quite some time, I only recently dug into their sound, and incidentally only then discovered that my friend Paul (whom I met at Furnace Fest last year, but had corresponded with before that) was in the band. I had heard them described as pop-punk, which they certainly are, but it’s a different take on the genre.… Continued →

Check out this exciting press release from Resuscitation Records: “Resuscitation Records is proud to announce the upcoming re-release of Clear Convictions’ comeback record, Endure. The newly remixed record will be available on vinyl and streaming on October 24, 2025. “Endure has been fully remixed by Ryan Leitru (For Today), who masterfully breathed new life into an already amazing record. The solid songwriting, excellent musicianship, and burning passion from these SFHC veterans can now be experienced with all of the clarity and intensity that the band originally intended.… Continued →

This hip-hop trio had a laid-back West Coast style. Stylized alternately and inconsistently as either “K2S” or “K II S”, the acronym stood for “Keys to Salvation.” The group was an unapologetic Gospel rap group, consisting of siblings Donald Newman (AKA Smooth) and Jennifer Lee-Newman (Jen-E), and Kabuc (AKA K-Buc). Kabuc left the group in 2004, leaving K2S as a duo for their final album. They released a demo cassette in 1994, and then four full-length albums for a variety of record labels including heavyweights Grapetree Records and Metro One Recordings.… Continued →