Articles

This obscure black metal band only issued a handful of releases from 2008-2011, before shunning Christian lyrical themes for their final release in 2014. “Howls of Worship” is taken from their self-titled EP and also appears on the full-length To Known Hell (what is it with extreme metal’s deliberate use of incorrect grammar?), and is a full-on black metal worship anthem: Come let us worship and bow down Let us kneel before the Lord our maker Come let us worship and bow down to our maker While it’s awesome to have a full-on worship song in the extreme metal format, that is not the track’s sole accomplishment.… Continued →

Another album celebrating it’s 10 year anniversary is “Dark Is the Way, Light Is a Place” by the world renown alternative rock band, Anberlin. This Brendan O’Brien produced full length effort (their 5th album by 2010) was a slight departure from the sunny, bright, more upbeat sounds of their commercial break through record, “New Surrender”. One of the stand out highlights from this album was definitely “Pray Tell”, with it’s thundering drum intro and light guitar strumming mixed with Stephen’s unforgettable vocal contributions.… Continued →

It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since the release of the first Close Your Eyes album on Victory Records – “We Will Overcome”. This album had a ton of great songs including this one called “The Body”, which is a favorite of mine and perfect for this Song of the Day post. Melodic hardcore and punk combine to make a furious blend of energetic singing and screaming all delivered in one healthy dose. “The Body” has inspiring lyrics and a solid message felt through the music.… Continued →

Finnish rapcore at its finest in the early days of nu-metal. Simply said, this is one of the most high energy bands imho ever (just see the video for their song “Point of No Return”). It seems they did not keep the same label as each release was through a different one. Having formed in 1997, their debut LP (aptly titled) RU Ready was released on Bullroser (the Finnish label responsible for releasing several musical heavyweight artists such as Deuteronomium & HB) in 1999. They released a few singles & EPs before releasing their 2002 monster Superior.… Continued →

Lovers of traditional, old school death metal will know there is a significant lack of it coming from bands with a Christian worldview. The reasons for this are complex, and we won’t get into them here, except to say that it probably has something to do with the lyrical themes that often accompany their secular counterparts: death, gore, and the occult all being regular topics. Minnesota’s Crimson Thorn have often led the way in Christ-centered brutal death metal. Building on work from predecessors like Australia’s Mortification, CT got even heavier and unlike the boys from down under, Crimson Thorn didn’t dabble in other styles.… Continued →

Jefferson, North Carolina's, The Worshiper , have made their 2016 release "Reveal Us" available for Free. FFO: Oh, Sleeper, Phinehas, Fit For A King, August Burns Red, and For Today.

Mad at the World has had a very interesting and diverse career as a band. They started out doing somewhat dark synth-pop on their self-titled debut (in the vein of Depeche Mode, New Order, Clan of Xymox), then added guitars to their new wave sound for Flowers in the Rain. By their third album, they ditched the synths and morphed into a full-fledged alternative rock band with metallic influences. This carried on for three albums (Seasons of Love, Boomerang, and Through the Forest).… Continued →

The Point of No Return were a Spirit Filled Hardcore band from Germany. FFO: No Innocent Victim, Figure Four, The Blamed, 2Minute Minor, and Hanover Saints.

I won’t turn this post into a political post, as I’m sure you’ve had your fair share of that. But in times like these, it’s important to find voices worth listening to. Too often Christian bands have been too closely aligned with playing it safe–if not musically, then at least lyrically. Often even bands in the punk and alternative scenes have been too comfortable with the status quo. Enter The American Culture Experiments, a hardcore punk band from Waco, Texas. Posing questions not many in our scene were bold enough to ask (Crashdog as another notable example), and not offering easy answers either.… Continued →

In celebration of the upcoming 20th Anniversary of Indie Vision Music I have decided to put a couple titles on wax. This isn’t some big budget, massive vinyl release that so many labels and brands are doing these days. Through Kunaki and Vinyl Revolution a few titles have been given the green light for vinyl pressing. I am listing those titles below. Some are available to order now and more will be added soon. Click here to check out on Bandcamp. Please read below for further info.… Continued →

Another rarity from the archives, this early nu metal band released one EP back in 2001 called A Trip To Southern Metal, but must have had another release as Last.fm shows a few other songs not from that album. They had a sound akin to Pantera, but was a bit muddy with downtuned vocals that at times were rapped. They seem to have hailed from Texas and had released music on the old mp3.com and Godcore sites. Hope you like this tune “Bring The Noise” as it reminds me of Metanoia’s Time to Die LP especially “Now Listen Up”!… Continued →

Vagabond 12 was a brief rap rock band which reminds this listener of Broken Yoke and NOT the heavier rapcore music made known by bands such as EDL or Jack Of All Trades. They seem to have only released a two song single before fading into obscurity. But the 2 songs are very radio friendly with rapped vocal hooks laden within acoustic guitars. Crystal Clear (the rockier of the 2) found is way on an indie show out of Florida, but research shows the 4 man band out of Greenville, South Carolina .… Continued →

After releasing last year’s opus Young in My Head, Starflyer 59 are already back. The veteran indie rock band have just released a new single, “This Recliner” and boy oh boy is it good! Fueled by inspiration from the best of his 80s new wave AND shoegaze influences (The Church, Psychedelic Furs, Jesus and Mary Chain, et. al.), the man truly knows how to write a pop song. Sometimes I think his skill lies in brevity. Rather than dragging stuff out, founder Jason Martin always leaves you wanting just a little bit more.… Continued →

Public Unrest was a Christian punk band from Vallejo, CA. FFO: UntilWeDie!, Officer Negative, and Every Man's Hero.

WM was a brief rapcore band reminiscent of American Made. Hailing from my old stomping grounds in South Carolina, I first heard of them on a Christian indie rock show. Their 1999 LP was released on DTS after they released their first demo in 1998 on cassette. DTS comprised an eclectic artist list ranging from Paul Noel Stookey to .hopesfall! Their driving song “Kingdom” from that LP Nobody Loves Me explodes with the line I Wanna Go… To Heaven! Enjoy… Continued →

One might think of the term Jesus Music as the early days of Christian music originating from the Jesus movement. But, Jesus Music the band is one that released 2 albums in the late 90s: Flowers in the Storm & 3D. Their music is upbeat quirky fun music reminiscent (at least to me) of Hokus Pick. Their second album produced a cover of Steppenwolf’s “Born to Be Wild”. Both albums even have dance remixes (90s style) if that doesn’t get you stoked. Here is their very first radio single & the first track to the first LP “The Box”.… Continued →

Six Foot Midget was a ska punk band from Denton, TX. FFO: The Insyderz, The O.C. Supertones, and May Weather.

When Extol’s first album came out in 1998, the Christian hard music scene had been dominated by hardcore and the then-developing metalcore sound. This was being spearheaded prominently by labels like Solid State Records (a division of Tooth & Nail), and Facedown Records. Enter Norway’s Extol. No one quite knew what to do with them. Sure, there was still an active underground metal scene, but Solid State had not signed any heavy metal bands yet–only hardcore bands that dabbled in metal. But Burialwas a full-on heavy metal cacophony, bridging subgenres–progressive, black, thrash and death metal–often within one song.… Continued →

As has been the case of late, I am doing a great deal of write ups on little known songs/releases and this one is no exception to that rule. This is one of the better Off The Record songs from their mostly unheard final EP in 2004 titled “Nothing New”. Nothing New was released in 2004 on a west coast punk label called New School Records. The label released albums by 7-10 Split, Off The Record, Twenty2, Not Long After, No Trigger, among many others.… Continued →

While metallic industrial became the dominant form of industrial music in the mid 90s and beyond, it was the dancier stuff that held my attention better. I liked the heavier stuff too (Circle of Dust, Mortal, Generation) because it gave a new spin on metal, but after the while the genre seemed to blend into one. Industrial-dance, or electro as it’s sometimes called (not to be confused with the hip-hop/funk genre from the 1980s) combined harsh vocals and samples with danceable beats into something altogether different.… Continued →

SAE was a fun short-lived ska/pop punk band from Oklahoma circa early to mid-2000s. Their music has even been referred to as “skip hop”! RIYL: Must Build Jacuzzi, Skamikaze, Honeylocust, They released an EP & a full length on the Thin King Entertainment label which also released music from Awaiting Isaac and Radial Angel. Their album Less Talky Talky, More Rocky Rocky is incredibly hard to track down. Every now and then it will be sold on Amazon. Finally got a hold of my copy a few weeks ago!… Continued →

SoCal hardcore band Point of Recognition (or Point of Wreckinthangs as they were affectionately known by fans) released 3 full-lengths, an EP and a pair of split releases before disbanding in the mid-2000s. Members popped up elsewhere in the scene, but the band’s existence was sadly short. Nonetheless, their impact was felt strongly in both the Christian and secular hardcore scenes. Playing a heavy form of “new school” or “tough guy” hardcore, they stuck close to their roots, not following into the more and more metal-influenced versions of hardcore that were developing rapidly around them.… Continued →

Oklahoma’s Gears of Redemption is Nu-metal at its finest imho. RIYL: Korn, These 5 Down, etc… Complete with a thumping bass guitar, driving drums & angst ridden vocals, this 4 piece band brings the controlled chaos. 2000’s The War of Blood & Rust (released by Godfather records) was the only album to emerge before the band disbanded. The rockier indie Christian shows showcased This Is Me, Shedding Skin & My Life in their playlists. Their song No Time found its way on Cross Rhythms Extreme Music Sampler Vol 4.  … Continued →

dighayZoose was one of those outlier alternative bands in the Christian music industry. One could describe their music as funk metal and did not have much of an equivalent in the Christian market alas Scaterd Few with a sound akin to Jane’s Addiction or Red Hot Chili Peppers, but in a much harder vein. The 4 man band only put out a couple demos and 2 full LPs along with a live album before disbanding.  After disbanding, they released an LP on R.E.X as Hot Pink Turtle.… Continued →

"And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him." - Mark 16:6

This week, Indie Vision Music introduced our very first theme switch design that allows you to alternate between “Light(side)” and “Dark(side)”. Pick your side and choose wisely! Kidding, but seriously this new theme switcher is pretty awesome. Just tried it on desktop Google Chrome and the “Light” one looks amazing. It works on both mobile or desktop versions of the Indie Vision Music website. I have long been wanting to switch up the site and offer the option of a lighter color so I feel as though this option is best move for us because it retains the original (2016) colors while also incorporating a lighter aesthetic.… Continued →

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 (warning: graphic video)

Break the Curse are a Chi-town style spirit-filled hardcore band out of Bolingbrook, Illinois. Fans of 2Minute Minor, Definite Choice, and Youth Crew hardcore will enjoy.

Loose End were a Christian skate punk band from Chula Vista, CA. FFO: Slick Shoes, Sick of Change, Broken Cedars, Average Joe Aspiring, and MxPx.