Articles

This Texan band hit the scene during the Myspace Days. The band was formed of a couple members of another great rock band Modern Day John, but this time around with a female singer. Today’s song comes from their EP Dreams of Darkening Spain. Check both bands out! … Continued →

In celebration of these incredible what we now term as “Classic” alternative, rock, (or whatever you want to call it) releases, I am reposting this article in celebration of 30 years of wonderful music that originated out of the Christian music scene. Let’s take a look back and maybe find a new favorite that’ll keep you comforted during these current turbulent times we live in. I have updated the article to include 30 Releases (instead of the original 25 from 5 years ago in celebration of 30 years).… Continued →

Joel Piper is the brainchild behind Avery PKWY & has been around for a few years now. His latest released just dropped last month & has 19 songs. If you haven’t heard of him, you might know his old band Confide that had a little mainstream success on the Warper Tour. Check out these lyrics & his latest release Walk With You. I’m done escaping all the pain of the labor It’s time to face what I have labeled as danger Now I’m done Believing all the liеs of the traitor (Ooh-ooh-ooh) Now I know I was made for something so much grеater Than only to survive I’m coming back to life I was breathing, but dead inside I know that I am the one The one You were chasing when You left the 99    … Continued →

For anyone who’s followed Sower for any length of time, you’ll know Eric Tuffendsam is a pretty vocal guy. First, because he is actually singing the songs, but secondly, because the core of his project is around the proper care and deliverance of the Gospel. “Hollywood” and “If You Don’t Love the Church” both show powerful rebukes – one of the world and the other of the worldly – but on his latest EP, Tuffendsam takes shots at the industry and its own worldliness. With the recent scandal of Michael Tait and the ways it’s been covered up to a more broad trend of apostasy over the past few decades, it’s clear that the industry isn’t all claims to be.… Continued →

Everdown was a hardcore band from New Hampshire, active in the mid-90s, but their roots were in earlier versions of the band like Crawlspace (who recently had their material re-issued by The Charon Collective) and Dry Bones. Unlike their counterparts from southern California or New York City, Everdown incorporated other influences into their music like post-hardcore and even sludge. Perhaps it was their New England location, or maybe they were simply influenced by a different scene, but with unusual arrangements (for hardcore), and song lengths at times over 7 minutes, their take on hardcore was certainly unique in the Christian scene.… Continued →

Californian Devoted Molded changed their song for a quirky punk rawk band to a modern rock sound by their 2nd LP. Screaming Giant Records released so much cool music & this is just one from their discography. Check out the entire label’s catalog which one can find on Bandcamp. And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my Ripper Radio show that airs on Sundays 5-6 pm EST. And here’s a link from an old page they  used: https://www.angelfire.com/pa/devmolded/uturn.html    … Continued →

Speck was one of those bands that was easy to miss if you weren’t paying attention. They released two albums for Bulletproof/Gray Dot Records in the late 90s. That decade produced a plethora of alternative rock bands. In fact, there were so many that at times it was difficult to keep up, and even harder to wade through them in order to find the gems among the mediocre. Speck, sadly, didn’t make a huge splash like their counterparts in Plankeye, Grammatrain, The Prayer Chain, Poor Old Lu, and the like.… Continued →

Exit 40 from Maryland released 2 LPs that I finally tracked down & uploaded to Youtube. The NuMetalforChrist  channel is helmed by a friend of mine from The Philippines. Check em out if you like late 90s/early 2000s groovy nu metal/hard rock. Here is a link for more on the band: http://mp3-2003.computer-legacy.com/info/304/exit_40.html And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my Ripper Radio show that airs on Sundays 5-6 pm EST. … Continued →

This fun band hailed from Texas & released southwestern punk rock. Like a lot of the Bettie Rocket Records family, it is hard to track down down much on the band’s history. They do actually have a Facebook page though. If you haven’t already, seriously check this band out. And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my Ripper Radio show that airs on Sundays 5-6 pm EST. 0… Continued →

Heartbeat started in the early 80s as a music ministry extension of Youth for Christ in the United Kingdom. They initially began as a back-up band for solo performers (like Sheila Walsh), but they also performed as their own band, often appearing in schools, colleges, and even serving as a worship band for Christian events and festivals. As such, they paved the way for later, similarly-minded music ministries like World Wide Message Tribe (except that WWMT were dedicated to the Birmingham area, specifically). Heartbeat’s sound was a distinctly European form of synth-pop: sugary sweet and intensely melodic, not at all resembling the post-punk or new wave fusions of some of their synth peers (New Order, Depeche Mode, etc.)… Continued →

Metalcore Florida band Second Thief released a few EPs from 2005-2012. Their vocalist sounds similar to The Agony Scene’s. This SOTD comes from their 2010 release Brainwashed. Also, check out this IVM review of one of their EPs: https://www.indievisionmusic.com/reviews/second-thief-prelude/ And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my Ripper Radio show that airs on Sundays 5-6 pm EST. … Continued →

This progressive unblack metal from, Norway was comprised of 3 members with the vocalist being in Extol previously. Tor is also a member of the band Mantric. They only released 2 albums before changing their name to Ganglion. Lengsel means longing in Norwegian  with Stille Dualisme meaning silent dualism. And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my Ripper Radio show that airs on Sundays 5-6 pm EST. … Continued →

This Long Beach, California-based band formed in the 2000s and have put out a number of underground releases. Made up of Latin-American believers, songs have been written in both Spanish and English, thus featuring a multi-cultural flair! Their first demo was released in 2006 and was self-titled. It showcased a brutal old school death metal (OSDM) sound, combining elements of thrash, grind and sludge in tempo changes that would leave your head spinning. A split CD with Dissolve Being was also released in 2006, and featured live recordings of songs from Grave Defier, as well as a few additional live tracks.… Continued →

This rarity band appears to have come from Ohio. I have not found much on them, but on the Christian Tape Underground site. This SOTD comes from a HM Magazine compilation. I know they also have a song called I Cried. Their music is of the hard rock genre & have been compared to Saint & Messiah Prophet. And  this post is dedicated to my stepdaughter Alissa who is having a birthday today! And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my Ripper Radio show that airs on Sundays 5-6 pm EST.… Continued →

I have always loved the sounds of surf music. The Beach Boys were a staple on the oldies station that my dad listened to when we were on the road. I remember Dakoda Motor Company coming out & that 1st & 2nd LP blew me away. These 2 SOTD bands have released these 2 songs very recently which I thought was cool. Other bands that have dabbled in the genre are 1998’s The Surfers, my friend’s band Bub Walker & the Tombstones, and Switchfoot. And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com… Continued →

While this artist is known as a sort of darling in the indie folk scene, his roots are in the Christian punk/emo scene of the Pacific NW in the 90s. With connections to Pedro the Lion, Roadside Monument, Poor Old Lu, etc. Jurado released some 7″ singles on the then-fledgling Christian label Tooth and Nail Records. Even his debut was a co-release with Tooth and Nail and SubPop, the latter a connection that came through his friend Jeremy Enigk of Sunny Day Real Estate. Apart from some of his early punk-leaning projects, Jurado has not been one to proclaim faith through his music, opting instead to tell stories both real and fictional.… Continued →

Crazy, but this SOTD was literally in my queue for y’all without knowing that Loyd had posted recently on Acoustic Shack! Anyways, I uploaded the album to Youtube as for some reason wasn’t up. Great album with the highlights being Spiritual Beast, Go Now, Cello, Select & Not Like That. The Saints comes from a Bettie  Rocket comp. To me they sounded like a more modern grunge than Nirvana akin to Smashing Pumpkins. And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my Ripper Radio show that airs on Sundays 5-6 pm EST.… Continued →

Husband and wife duo Michael and Laura Misiuk comprised alternative folk/rock act Acoustic Shack. Their stellar debut for Blonde Vinyl (1991, self-titled) was replete with poignant lyrics, Michael’s competent guitar playing, and the pair’s vocal harmonies led by Laura’s distinctly 90s alterna-pop croon. While it was slightly outside of my tastes at the time (which mostly leaned in a punk/metal/grunge direction), I couldn’t help but be captivated by the band’s combination of acoustic-led music and heartfelt reflections on topics as far-ranging as trying to understand a friend’s trauma from childhood abuse (“Deliver Me”), the comforts of home and belonging (“Red Door”), and the assurances of love (“It’s Good to Know”).… Continued →

Pioneers of the early Christian metal scene, Daniel Band formed in 1979 in Toronto, Canada. Along with Resurrection Band, they were one of the first band to fuse true hard rock with faith-filled fervor and lyrics. The band’s sound often rode the line between hard rock and traditional heavy metal, much like secular artists Kiss, Van Halen, and AC/DC. They released 5 albums between 1982 and 1988, with a live album in 2001 and a handful of re-issues. Though they haven’t released any new material since the 80s, the band have played a scattering of live shows, including appearances at Ohio’s Immortal Fest as recent as 2024, and they are scheduled again to play Part 2 of the festival this August!… Continued →

Embrace is/was a Spirit filled, metalcore, melodic hardcore band from San Angelo, Texas. FFO: Conveyer and The Dwelling.

Stavesacre emerged in the mid-90s as sort of Christian punk/alternative/metal supergroup. Featuring ex-members of The Crucified, Focused, Chatterbox, The Blamed, scaterd-few, and Saviour Machine, the band had a lot of hype to live up to before their debut album was even heard. And while the members’ previous project mostly dabbled in hardcore, Stavesacre forged new sounds more akin to post-hardcore or alternative metal. The late 90s landscape was ripe for such a shift, with nu metal and other forms of non-traditional metal emerging. The band’s debut album, Friction, was metal with eager praise from both fans and critics, covering ground that was often neglected in Christian circles.… Continued →

Spirit filled melodic/post-hardcore out of West Texas. FFO: Plead the Widow's Cause, The Dwelling, In Shepherds Arms, (Un)worthy, Remembering Never

Hardcore band Clear Convictions originally formed in their home territory of Puerto Rico, but have since settled in Florida. I got to see the band live (for the first time) at Audiofeed last weekend and they absolutely killed it! In fact, they rocked hard enough to get this 51-year-old gray-haired guy out of mosh retirement. In fact, I surprised myself at how hard I went. But when the grooves are this deep and the riffs this thick, it’s hard to resist. The band formed sometime in the 2000s, but I couldn’t find a specific year.… Continued →

Okay, forgive me, but we’re doing two obscure instrumental songs in a row for Friday’s Song of the Day feature. Last week it was Dutch experimental noise artist Dolenaer. This week we have German psych rock band The CT Four Plus. I know very little about the band, other than the fact they were German and active in the 1970s. The band released four different singles (for a total of seven songs), all on the MFB Produktion label, a Christian label based in Germany that was active from the 60s through at least the 1980s.… Continued →

Okay, we’re about to go crazy-obscure for this Song of the Day. First off, is this even a song? I recently discovered Dolenaer while listening to Hymns of the Blackest Light Volume 2, a compilation of black metal and experimental noise put out by Fallen Oak Recording. You might recognize that name as being closely affiliated with atmospheric black metallers Vials of Wrath. Dolenaer ride that incredibly fuzzy line between ambient, experimental noise, and black metal, with a sound that hints of all three, but leads them into something entirely new.… Continued →

Flynn Adam Atkins was part of the Cali collective LA Symphony. He continued on in another project called Rootbeer along with going solo. As opposed to last weeks SOTD, this one focuses on what love is really about. Check out these lyrics. I do the dishes; you know I love you  Take out the trash; you know I love you   Saving my kisses; you know I love you   My love’s like that, love’s like that And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my pre-recorded radio show on Ripper Radio aired on Sundays 5-6 pm EST.… Continued →

Before he became a household name in prog rock, Neal Morse had already played in a handful of bands throughout the 80s and 90s. He’d recorded at least half a dozen albums with the notable Spock’s Beard, and also formed a prog-rock supergroup called Transatlantic with members of Flower Kings, Marillion, and Dream Theater. In fact, Morse’s partnership with famed drummer Mike Portnoy would carry over into several other projects, most notably (for our purposes here) the Neal Morse Band. In 2002, Morse became a born-again Christian, and began writing music with distinctly Christian lyrics and purposes.… Continued →

This quirky alternative rock band has members that are still in the music industry after all these years. I had this one on CD back in high school. The opener (no pun intended) Open was pretty popular on Christian rock charts. This SOTD reminds me of what happens when we remove God’s intended plan for love. And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my pre-recorded radio show on Ripper Radio aired on Sundays 5-6 pm EST. … Continued →

There was a lot of anticipation about this band before they ever released one song. Founder/vocalist Brett Detar had been in Zao, playing on one of their most popular albums, Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest, as well as the unique and creative–and tragically underrated/unheard–emo-core band Pensive before that. With The Juliana Theory, Detar, along with bandmates Neil Hebrank (drums), Chad Alan (bass), Joshua Fiedler (guitars), and Joshua Kisker (guitars) took emo in a more accessible direction. The band released four full-length albums between 1999 and 2006, along with a few live recordings, EPs, and the seminal split release with Dawson High.… Continued →

There has been an ongoing silence on the latest happenings in the Christian music realm and it’s not by accident, it’s pure engineering. So much so that we’ve decided (well me actually) to amp up the fun by diving head first into the world of “Reels” and short streaming clips as evidenced by some recent posts on Instagram and Facebook. While not as cutting edge and China-centric as say TikTok or as private as a Snap (not that kind of private and also, do people still use this app?),… Continued →