Articles

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Here is a nice adult contemporary Sunday SOTD for ya…NOT!!!! This artist consists of an acquaintance of mine Logan Thompson who started solo back in 2016 who hails from Indiana, USA. What drew this fan twas the name & the debut single In Anger’s Midst. Since then, I hung out with most of the band members at my local festival Audiofeed (which is what Cornerstone festival became). Covid has deterred us Christian metal heads from hanging out again this year. His patch “WE are Metal, We Are Family” refers to Pastor Bob’s Sanctuary International.… Continued →

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Not much is known about this band, who released one album for major label Curb Records in 1997, called Yours Truly. They played a fairly straight-forward brand of alternative rock that hinted at grunge without ever fully going to Seattle. The lead single was “Low,” with its provocative chorus: I’m wasted! I’m wasted! I’m wasted . . . without You!” While the song might have raised eyebrows among critics of faith-based rock music, the lyrics hit home for some. I remember playing the song for a friend of mine, who at the time was not a fan of anything hard or heavy.… Continued →

So it has been messing with my head this band Azusa & how I think I know whom they sound like. I know the band is composed of members from The Dillinger Escape Plan (whom I saw live many years ago), Absurd2, Frodus, Arvinger, & lo & behold-Extol, Mantric & Benea Reach! This band is like a female vocal version of those 3 latter bands & has released 7 singles so far. Solid State Records truly knows how to find awesome music IMHO. Eleni Zafiradou is (believe it or not) a pop vocalist, but she screams like the best of my fave female vocalist fronted bands (Your Chance to Die & Bloodlined Calligraphy).… Continued →

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The band that just keeps on parodying hit after hit! I have been a follower of this parody band for at least 15 years or so. They take mainstream songs and compose Biblical lyrics & release 2 songs per month. The name of the band stems from 1 Peter 3:15 & is a derivative of the word apologetics which means “defense of the Christian faith. The past few years they have been churning out 2 songs at once even with female vocals. Their massive discography covers songs from System of a Down to The Beatles to Eminem to Ozzy.… Continued →

Emo seems to be a genre that people either love or hate. Heck, even most of the bands who played in the genre didn’t want to be associated with the name for one reason or another. While Roadside Monument toyed around with various genres like indie rock (Beside This Brief Hexagonal), math rock (I Am the Day of Current Taste), and fusions of the two (Eight Hours Away from Becoming a Man), they also stayed just close enough to the emo genre to never fully break free from the tag.… Continued →

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If you asked me what the heaviest Christian release of all time was, a strong contender would be the self-titled EP from Portand’s Warlord (not to be confused with the secular heavy metal band of the same name). One of the earliest releases on the Tooth & Nail imprint, Solid State Records, their debut EP featured deep, dark, heavy riffs and lengthy songs. In fact, this 4-song effort clocks in at longer than some full-lengths, due to the longevity of the tracks. Often overlooked and underappreciated, the release was the first of its kind in the Christian market.… Continued →

Many people nowadays have a love-hate relationship with worship music. It can sometimes be too simplistic, or based on shallow theology, yet believers have a real desire to connect with the Lord through music. The so-called Modern Worship movement has both helped and hindered this process. While it’s outside of our purposes here to give an overview of the practical, musical, and theological ramifications of modern worship music, let’s take a look at an early innovator. the violet burning (lower case intentional) started out as a hard-edged alternative rock band with both goth and post-punk tendencies.… Continued →

Zurisadai (Translated from Hebrew: The Almighty is my rock and strength) are a 3 piece Christian Extreme Metal act hailing from Brazil. FFO: Thrash and Black metal. RIYL: Herd, Hating Evil, and A Hill to Die Upon.

Jangle Pop. While the term might not mean much to most listeners today, it was the dominant form of alternative rock (on both sides of the Atlantic) in the late 80s to early 90s. As 70s punk gave way to 80s new wave and synth pop, underground bands were looking for more earthy sounds, moving away from sythesizers and often including acoustic guitars and instruments borrowed from folk rock. There was less emphasis on the lead guitar licks of glam metal and arena rock, and more emphasis on jangly guitar rhythms, hence the name.… Continued →

La Ruta (translated: The Route) is a Spanish Christian Pop Punk band from Lima, Peru. RIYL: Blink 182, Slick Shoes

Homonovux is a Spanish Christian punk band from Yucatan, Mexico. FFO: Metanoia, Dogwood, and good old punk rock!

I first heard of Cross-Check a few months ago through social media channels. Shortly thereafter, I was asked to review their mini-album Overwhelming Odds for Heaven’s Metal. What I found on that release equally excited and bewildered me. The band has a way of weaving some very interesting and somewhat disparate influences into their sound. While they clearly take as their foundation a traditionalist line of old school hardcore, they manage to weave such diverse sounds as street punk, post-punk, rockabilly, and occasionally even surf rock.… Continued →

In conjunction with my new 20th Anniversary story I posted here on IVM a few days ago, I have released 3 compilations titled “The Greatest Hits You’ve Never Heard” featuring songs from IVM past history. All mastered by Sef Idle at Simpul Studio with artwork by Jordan of The Prettybads. Jordan is working on a layout for Vinyl/CD right now and once that is finished it’ll be revealed here and on bandcamp. You can currently download all 3 volumes now on Bandcamp for “name your price”.… Continued →

The juicy, tell-all extravaganza you've all been dying not to read. This is my life's work. I hope you find something enjoyable in these words and the stories I am about to share right here. IVM20

Instrumental music and Christianity have always shared a wonderfully curious relationship, adding a twist to the age old question, “what makes music Christian (or not)?” While attempting to answer that questions is always interesting, and dare I say, fruitful, it would take up much more time and space than what we are afforded here. Nonetheless, it seems appropriate to quote Johann Sebastian Bach: “The aim and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.”… Continued →

20 years ago I launched a site called IndieVisionMusic.com. It was initially an online Webstore only but then morphed into a record label then webzine then label and now all 3. It wasn’t a huge behemoth by any means (never was). I still run almost all operations myself in my free time when I’m not working or spending quality family time. I have a great team of skilled writers on the webzine side that work so hard to keep you all updated and filled with inspiring content.… Continued →

I was considering putting together a list of my favorite albums (and EPs!) from 2020 so far today when I had a better idea! Instead of giving you my top 10 or something like that I decided to give you album for each letter of the alphabet! At least that was the idea anyway. It turns out finding an album for each letter can be a bit tricky (I’m looking at you Q and X!). The good news is was able to find artist for almost every letter who released an album or EP between January and June this year.… Continued →

I’ve been listening to a lot of the Beach Boys lately. Like, a lot. They’ve been my favourite band since childhood. What is it about the comforting sounds of childhood that helps us make sense of turmoil? With covid19, racism, and political division, something about that longing for innocence, for simpler times has got me digging deep into those smooth sounds. In the late 90s, KMG Records put out a compilation of surf rock and surf-inspired tunes called Surfonic: Water Revival, which was spearheaded and produced by Terry Taylor of Daniel Amos.… Continued →

In an effort to raise some funds for IVM and celebrate the 20th anniversary at the same time, I am hosting a special 50% off sale in the storenvy webstore. Sale is good on all items. *Preorders like the 20th Shirt will ship when shirts are available and it will hold your entire order up until item is available. Please order CDs,Tapes, Vinyl separately from the shirt if you want quicker delivery. Sale is only good till July 6th. Many items are limited so sale good while supplies last.… Continued →

"Succubus of an insecure safety, I will never bow to your will... To die is gain, our life is our sacrifice, you will not take my pride. Your freedom means more than our safety. Christ is not a filthy word!" RIYL: Sleeping Giant, Madball, Stick to your Guns, and Hatebreed

For my Song of the Day this time round, we’re going back. Like way back. To the beginning of Jesus rock. It’s widely accepted that Larry Norman is the “godfather of Christian rock” and you can make a reasonable case for that. But he wasn’t the first. Several other bands and artists were contemporary with him, including Liverpool’s own The Crossbeats, Agape, and the All Saved Freak Band. Arguably the first rocker, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, was also a Christian and a gospel artist, plugging in her electric guitar long before Bill Haley and the Comets set on the scene.… Continued →

My song for the day is from a newer indie-pop artist by the name of Teddy At Night. Teddy (Boldt) played drums for bands like Wavorly, Family Force 5, and more recently For King & Country, as well as many others. On his first solo endeavor as singer/songwriter, his songs take on more of a pop sheen, sprinkled with a heavy dose of 80’s like synth driven new wave. These are songs for the broken-hearted, the lovers, and the seekers. These beautifully composed pop inspired takes are interwoven with a certain level of professionalism mixed with Teddy’s unforgettable vocal delivery.… Continued →

Besides having the two most awesome two names put together at one time, this band rocked. The two man band was Walter Paul Robinette & Rick Eugene May! At a time when alternative music had taken a major foothold in Christian music (starting with Undercover), this group was seen on Christian music television channels with their rockiest song: Crawl. If you haven’t noticed my posts, I tend to look for music that is hard to find to bring back the sounds & lyrics that made me come to enjoy “Christian rock” music.… Continued →

Fluffy was a garage grunge band heralding from Mike Knott’s Blonde Vinyl Record label. Guitarist Chris Colbert has remastered both of their full lengths recently and are available on many digital platforms. The record label Lost In Ohio is running these repressings & have a few cool ones including The Julies & Black & White World. I bought their first Go, Fluffy, Go Cd back in the 90s & had no idea what I was in store for. I was treated to lots of feedback fuzz & gritty vocals that reminded me at the time of a cross between Smashing Pumpkins & Nirvana.… Continued →

En Mi Lugar (In My Place in English) is a Spirit Filled Melodic Hardcore band from Bogota, Colombia. FFO: Venia, Advent, Poured Out, and Atrocities.

Today’s Song of the Day post is all about Arthur Alligood and specifically the song, “Shouldn’t Be That Hard”. This was a criminally underrated song that flew mostly under the radar of most music fans out there. Arthur has been making great Americana/Folk Rock for more than a decade now. He has appeared on a few past free IVM Compilations and was featured here many times over the years. The song “Shouldn’t Be That Hard” appeared on his 2012 full length, “One Silver Needle”. The Americana influenced folk-rock track takes a turn toward artists like The Wallflowers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, The Lumineers, The Avett Brothers, and Bob Dylan, while keeping his own style and approach.… Continued →