Articles

Asche is a busy man in the music industry. I have seen him play multiple times. AD has hard rock & gothic overtones & just released the song Every Waking Moment at the time of this SOTD. Relesser has more synth overtones & recently released When the World Falls Apart. Check both bands live if you get the chance.     … Continued →

This band was a side project from Bryan Gray of The Blamed. I actually met Jeff Locke whom Bryan referred me to who gave me this awesome 3rd hard copy that you can now find on The Blamed’s website.   … Continued →

Some members of this metalcore band are actually in a recent band on Tooth & Nail records that’s been releasing new music called Valleyheart. And you gotta love every band that defines themselves as spirit filled hardcore! Check out these lyrics You’ve created a gap only searching for what you cannot see, yet you still lack the balance of faith and reality. Hear Him speak: “I Am what is and what will always be! I Am the I Am. I fill the gap in between. I Am the I Am.… Continued →

Gosh, this song . . . this band . . . has a way of evoking memories of a certain period of my life. Lo-fi indie rock with only 2 members. One on guitar and vocals, and the other on drums. They released a very short–only 3 songs–but brilliant self-titled EP on Tooth & Nail in 1997. T&N had a fantastic run of EPs around that time (Pedro the Lion, Warlord, Inner Means, Training for Utopia, etc.) and this was certainly one of them. The songs were lo-fi, but not noisy.… Continued →

This Christian hip hop group is comprised of seasoned rappers: producer Courtland Urbano, Braille, & Odd Thomas. Check out these thought provoking lyrics We are in this world not of it, not to be scared and run from it We shine light in the darkness, that’s why He left us here Calling out to all the exiles, the Lord will not forsake you His kingdom can’t be shaken, hold strong the end is near We are the light of the world, so, shine on Hey, I thought we won the battle but it really looks like we losing it What we do seems insignificant, so limited in our influence They don’t listen to our message, we scream and yell it, they say it’s irrelevant It’s the greatest story ever told but a television ain’t telling it So often they just mock our faith and it makes me wanna hide my face Why we sitting on our hands with no plans like we got time to waste?… Continued →

This EDM artist hails from North Carolina & his songs can be found on several EDM stations around the globe.  This my fave of his. Appears he also just released a new one so go check him out. … Continued →

This release was a side project of Jeff Belew who has been in a slew of music endeavors over the years. The music is industrial metal & is a classic in the genre. Guest vocals in this SOTD is Mark Salomon. Pic is Jeff & Scott Albert aka Celldweller aka Circle of Dust. … Continued →

This band has put out some decent music over the years. They are one of the few bands that has been around since the late 90s whose website is still active (although it doesn’t appear to have been updated in a while). They even have a page dedicated to their songs that charted on Christian rock radio. Check em out If you like the hard rock sound. … Continued →

I’m going to try something new here for a bit. We love discussing music and trying to stay (somewhat) updated on the latest happenings in our realm of independent Christian music but, so many of us also share a common thread of partaking in other forms of entertainment such as films, comics, arts, etc. so what better way to start it off than a discussion about the latest season of The Mandalorian. This was written before I made it to this last final episode of Season 3 so bare with me.… Continued →

Lordchain is a hard rock band that has released tons of music over the years, but formed in 1990.  Their latest released in 2022. In This Place was the first I heard from them, but Life Aside is my fave. Check out the lyrics & maybe you can relate also. No matter how dark this life may get, Jesus is always there waiting for us to return to HIM with open arms. Sitting in this darkness I think about my wasted life Every time I’ve failed you I sit around and cry How could I let you down?… Continued →

This power metal supergroup consists of members from Theocracy, Aldaria & Vandroya. Expect to hear some powerhouse vocals & some serious shredding. Matt Smith apparently started this project as a way to help different charity groups as each song’s proceeds went to a different charity. Enjoy. … Continued →

The most legendary holy hip-hop cipher of them all? Perhaps. Tunnel Rats’ debut Experience (1996) was truly mind-blowing. It’s one of those rare albums where the line between art and artist was completely blurred, if it even existed in the first place. The lyrics (as well as the passion behind them) reflected absolute love of hip-hop music and culture, and absolute love of God and his Gospel. Very few artists, very few albums or artistic endeavors reach that climax of full integration where neither the message nor the artistic medium was compromised in any way whatsoever.… Continued →

This Arizona skatepunk band reminds me of when punk was huge in my life. I don’t believe they have released any new music since 2019. Here’s to hoping we hear more!!! … Continued →

This Michigander band seemed to span the bridge between grunge, 80s metal & modern rock. They only released 2 LPs, but their music actually found its way onto CCM radio back in the early 90s. Check out all the songs in their discogs as they are all good. Their vocalist Paul Alan also released a pop rock solo album. Also, check out the YouTube instrumental for this SOTD so you can sing it at your local karaoke bar!   … Continued →

Hailing from Cali, this punk band released 1 EP, 1 LP & a split with Hanover Saints. They were on Bettie Rocket Records when I heard them. This fast SOTD is my fave.   … Continued →

The first time I heard this band, I was completely blown away. The year was 1988. I was about 14 years old, and I had just started getting into Christian metal via bands like Jerusalem, Whitecross, and Barren Cross. Sacred Warrior was probably the heaviest I’d heard at the time. Then one night I was listening to KOKF 91FM out of Oklahoma City, a Christian radio station that had a late night metal show. I heard the most intense, loud, gnarly thing I’d ever heard in my life.… Continued →

Jimmy is none other than the vocalist for thrash groove band Deliverance & a few others. His solo work fell under the name Eraserhead & was kinda confusing, but pretty sure that was just the name of the LP. He has recently released another EP Novella which I believe will be 2 parts & the 2nd is up for pre-order now. Here is his cover of a Newsboys song. … Continued →

I’m finally getting around to doing a quick write up on some favorite releases and songs from the past year. These may or may not be in any particular order and is based upon a mix of memory and my 2022 Spotify playlist where I throw everything new onto it for continual playback throughout the year. Read below and feel free to post your own favorites of 2022 that I’m sure were accidentally skipped on my own list (and maybe even have yet to be discovered).… Continued →

These 3 brothers & a friend band from California burst onto the scene in 2003. I had seen them on compilations, but when this SOTD came out, I immediately thought this is very catchy. It later appeared on one of the God’s Not Dead movies. Check out the album review on this site that posted September 14, 2012. … Continued →

This girl fronted modern rock band has been making music for a few years now. Their latest release Paper Bags from 2022 has already released a few songs as singles, but this opener is most def a worship song. Check out these lyrics & enjoy. Father Oh father Father I’m yours Forever Hold me in your hands Take me home Take me home … Continued →

Grave Declaration is (was?) a symphonic/atmospheric black metal project from Norway. While that’s not so unusual, what set the band apart was its distinct emphasis on worship. Self-touted as “worship metal” the band’s lyrical emphasis was on a praiseworthy connection to the Creator. Their sound is firmly within the atmospheric branch of black metal, as opposed to the more raw, primitive sounds often associated with the genre. With ties to stalwarts Antestor, and underground legends Vaakevandring, Grave Declaration had the pedigree and the chops to prove their worthiness.… Continued →

This song “A New Hope” by underdog heroes – Five Iron Frenzy, was released after the tragic Columbine shootings that took place in Colorado back in 1999. It is just as touching and relevant today as it was almost 25 years ago. I will not spend any time on getting political here. The world has enough activists, and my voice is but a tiny speck of dust on a pile of needles hidden within a massive haystack. What happened in Nashville and frankly around the world on a continual basis is about more than just weapons, drugs, mental health, hate, anger, pain, fear, etc.… Continued →

Pulling from my childhood, Gary’s The Light Inside was a constant in my CD player. I know he’s country, but he also rocks w/ Floodgates & other tracks Finally, Sweet Glow of Mercy & album opener Where are the Broken Hearts? are 90s staples. He was formerly married to Amy Grant which was pretty big news back in the day. Check him out as he has done multiple endeavors over the years. And, he is NOT the Gary Chapman who wrote the Five Love Languages. … Continued →

This early Christian metalcore band has roots in a few other musical endeavors. including (Inhale Exhale whom I saw live), Not Beneath (which did a Living Sacrifice cover) & Symphony in Peril. I did see Narcissus live also & this song is a rarity from them that came from the rerelease of Becoming Leviathan. They did play Furnace Fest 2021 & from what I gather might be releasing some new music at some point. Enjoy from the archives! … Continued →

This band mixed the sounds of doom versus indie rock. Band members ended up later working with bands The Emergency & Maps. Check the band out at Velvet Blue Records. Also check out Lloyds review of the band’s song Overload exclusively on this site.   … Continued →

Thumper Punk Records signs new artist! Can you guess who?!

Elim Hall was ahead of their time in so many ways. It’s a real shame that they are just a blip on the radar screen of indie rock nowadays, as their preeminence is hard to over state. One of the earliest alternative rock bands to be signed to a major label in the CCM market, their only label release was snappy, melodic, memorable, and well-produced (somewhat surprisingly by Gary Chapman, along with veteran Jesus rocker Tim Marsh). This Canadian band wrote incredibly catchy, somewhat complex (for pop music) songs that were primarily in the power pop realm, but infused with touches of new wave and at times a punk-like urgency.… Continued →

This power metal song is very catchy. Hailing from Brazil, they released 1 EP & 1 LP. Their vocalist Daniel Vasconcelos Pereira de Andrade can be found on YouTube covering such songs as Petra’s Beyond Belief also if you want to review. Just search Dan Vasc. It also appears he auditioned for Dragonforce’s vocalist in 2010. Enjoy   … Continued →

Pete has been in the CCM music industry for years. Most know him from grunge band Grammatrain whose Lonely House LP is one of my fave. He also sang for The Accident Experiment which was a side project of Payable on Death’s Marcos when he temporarily left the band. Pete also worked with Mike Tait’s solo work. This SOTD comes from Pete’s first solo album which garnered several CCM radio airplay. He also served as the engineer/mixer for Mackelmore’s The Heist LP which had the annoying Thrift Store rap song.… Continued →

I first heard of this LA punk band when I was running distro in the early 2000s. They had an EP out on The Legion (short-lived label that only released 3 titles), which I began stocking, and then they put out another release on the upcoming Clumsy Records (also home to Combat Junkies, The Stivs and a few others). I had the chance to catch them live at Cornerstone 2002, which was a fantastic show! In fact, that year was a great year for punk at the festival, as I also saw Huntingtons, The Remnants, One Bad Pig, World Against World, and Headnoise that year among others.… Continued →