Articles

xSunday Schoolx were a Christian straight edge hardcore duo hailing from Auckland, New Zealand. FFO: xLooking Forwardx, Hit the Deck, xThe Red Baronx, and Carrying the Fire.

"Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul."

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:9

"There is power, power, wonder-working power in the blood of the lamb."

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

Have you heard of Ten On Sunday? Fans of Rufio, Broken Cedars, and Average Joe Aspiring take heed!

Playlist of Classic Hymns redone by Indie, Punk, Ska, Hardcore, and Metal artists such as False Idle, The Insyderz, Becoming the Archetype, Attalus, and so many more!

"It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." -Matthew 4:4

You’re probably tired of hearing it, but these are strange times we’re living in. How could any of us have been prepared for the reality in which we find ourselves? I don’t know about you but I’ve read a lot of dystopian fiction and watched a ton of post-apocalyptic films. Neither of them are all that helpful in our current scenario. But you know what is helpful? Hope. Friendship. Solidarity. Though the song touches on a depressing topic, it is ultimately these themes that emerge. Listen to the urgency with which Steve Taylor croons: If it all comes true And our dreams fall like bombs from the blue Oh!… Continued →

I loved Spoken from the moment their 3rd record dropped “Echoes of the Spirit Still Dwell”. The minute I heard this song, “Promise”, from the album “Moment of Imperfect Clarity”, I couldn’t shake my Spoken fandom. This band and their music came out at the perfect time post-9/11. It was uplifting, positive, and the songs were incredibly addictive in melodies. The Used, Story of the Year, Senses Fail, and Blindside all would have made perfect tour mates during this time period. The song “Promise” was really an inspirational song, one that felt like a warm pat on the back and an embrace when you feel broken and miserable.… Continued →

Ok, yes I know, I am incredibly biased toward the music and sound of Five Iron Frenzy. They are high up on my list of “favorite bands” and I hold their songs close to my heart. I was browsing Instagram this morning and saw a couple of fans cover this song in their own unique way as seen on the FIF page and I had to bust this track out from the dusty bins of my fragile mind. It’s a beautiful song in and of itself.… Continued →

Facedown alumni and post-metal juggernauts A Hope For Home are teasing new material (about time), but in the meantime, they’ve made their independently-released debut available on Bandcamp. This is a band that personally has been hugely influential and Realis is one of my favorite albums of all time, so I’m very excited to see what’s to come. … Continued →

"If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." - 2 Chronicles 7:14

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

The Crucified is probably the most legendary Christian hardcore band of all time. They only released 2 full-length albums (plus some demos, and later re-issues) before disbanding in the early 90s. However, their influence cannot be overstated. Their blending of hardcore punk and thrash metal into a unique take on crossover thrash touched and influenced bands in genres as diverse punk, alternative, metal, hardcore and even industrial. Their sophomore effort, The Pillars of Humanity was heavy, fast and bold. And it wasn’t just the music. They lyrics hit hard as well.… Continued →

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." - Romans 12:2

Along with L.S.U. and the Altar Boys, another band that was really influential in getting me into alternative music (as opposed to straight metal and thrash of my teenage years) was Breakfast with Amy. Their debut album had enough punk rock influence to appeal to that side of me that wanted noise and aggression, but there was more to their sound than just loud, fast, and angry. There were also these weird, angular, noisy expressions and interesting metaphors about the faith that I wasn’t hearing anywhere else.… Continued →

Have you heard of Herd? 80's style Christian Thrash out of Brazil. FFO: Ultimatum. Mortification, Deliverence, Tourniquet, Sacrament, and Betrayer

Though a fantastic classic/doom metal band, Chicago’s Trouble were always slightly confusing. They often used Christian imagery, biblically-themed lyrics, and somewhat uncharacteristically for doom metal–a positive outlook. Take this ballad from their 1990 self-titled album: Please, take His hand The time has come to learn Please, take my hand Let me take you to learn And yet, the band played almost exclusively secular venues with other secular artists, and depending on which band members you talked to, they seemed to distance themselves from the “Christian” tag.… Continued →

Zao had already made a name for themselves, working up from the underground, with a 7″, cassette demo(s) and 2 full-lengths. They were quickly becoming known for taking hardcore in a new direction. I remember a friend telling me that although he loved the riffs on their sophomore effort Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation, he also found them really hard to dance to. With the third album, they would push the metallic limits of hardcore even further. From those opening riffs you knew this was going to be something special.… Continued →

We now approach the 20th anniversary of this now classic punk rock split release between 1 huge fan favorite band – Dogwood, and 1 lesser known, extremely underrated melodic “new school punk” band, Incomplete. I’m left feeling sentimental just looking at the simple artwork and being reminded of two extremely important bands of my youth. I first discovered Incomplete while in High School. I don’t remember who passed a demo to me but I held on to it tightly and followed the band right into “I’m Your Biggest Fan Vol.… Continued →

Outside the Camp is a Christian screamo/post-hardcore band from Dallas, TX. FFO: Tracings, Thrice

HEAVY METAL, Dudes! Despite popular opinions and clearly showing my lack of “scene cred”, I instantly connected with The Showdown “Temptation Come My Way” album back in 2007/2008 and haven’t changed my opinion since. David’s grit-filled voice is front and center just the way a good heavy metal band should be on the song, “We Die Young”. Well produced and placed instrumentation, with soaring vocal harmonies that really take this album completely over the top. It’s like that perfect combo of 80’s hard rock meets metal and 90’s era Metallica (Black album), solos and everything.… Continued →

Do you like to sometimes sit back and throw on some reaction videos on YouTube, seeing how others enjoy (or sometimes don’t) some of the same music you listen to? A favorite of mine that I check out often, is D-Gibby. He has some really great reactions to music I enjoy listening to, both Christian and secular alike. Recently, D-Gibby has begun to do something he’s calling “Soulful Sundays”, which feature reactions to Christian bands and artists. This past week he covered Skillet, P.O.D., and RED.… Continued →

"To my first love, I'm running back to you...."

I suppose that the first time you hear a band forever affects the way you think or feel about them. Although Undercover already had a long history behind them when I first heard them in 1990, I was completely unaware of it. I didn’t know the huge impact they’d made in the Christian alternative and punk scene in SoCal through Calvary Chapel, Ministry Resource Center, etc. through groundbreaking albums like God Rules and Branded. They had already morphed from a bubblegum-punk/new wave sound to darker, post-punk tones across the span of 4 albums.… Continued →

Few Left Standing were a pioneering Spirit Filled Hardcore act along with other greats as Unashamed, Overcome, and Zao to name a few....

Keeping it more current because I’m known to wallow in 90’s and early 00’s nostalgia. It is time to step forward in time a little. Does 2012 count as more current? I mean it is only 8 years ago, right? Well Wolves At The Gate have been making quality music for more than a decade and have released 4 nearly perfect full length albums (+ several eps and a covers ep) in their careers with Solid State Records. The band has churned out one solid hit after another and yet go somewhat unnoticed by the mainstream crowd which is perfectly fine with me.… Continued →

This wasn’t the typical Further Seems Forever song of unbridled aggression, melodies intertwined into some sort of cosmic explosion of pure joy and instant approval by even your most jaded friend. This song was somewhat of a departure although still incorporating that classic “emo” sound they’d been pegged with for years. Something about this song evokes passion and unrelenting “worship”. Maybe it was intentional or possibly an unintentional after thought but this song leads one into contemplation and self-analyzing, directing you into a heaven’s gaze. Jon Bunch despite any shortcomings he may have had in the eyes of vicious teens and young adults who had blood thirsty claws out for the throat of this “new” vocalist, captured the attention of generations of different music fans despite genre.… Continued →

In the late 80s/early 90s I was a straight-up metalhead. Thrash was my favorite variety, but I dipped into other stuff as well. But I had started developing a taste for punk too. The pace and beat of hardcore punk was actually very similar to thrash, but with different guitar tones. Bands like Nobody Special, The Lead, The Crucified, and even Breakfast with Amy opened me up to new possibilities in edgy music. Then along came the album Poplife by the Lifesavers. I’d only been into Christian rock since ’88, so I knew nothing of Michael Knott’s history (or the many other incarnations and alter-egoes of his various projects).… Continued →