Song of The Day

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 →

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 →

This is raw industrial music. The 3 core members of the band were from Iowa & I am pretty sure the Quad Cities area where my family is originally from. They were likened to mainstream’s Skinny Puppy. Check em out & this article that goes in depth about the band. https://opus.ing/reviews/life-equals-death-globalwavesystem-1993-intense-records 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 →

Brazilian black/death metal band Zurisadai came from the coastal city of São Luís in the northern State of Maranhão. The band formed in 2001 and released their debut album Symphony of the Souls the following year via Extreme Records, one of the more prolific Christian metal labels for Latin America. After a lengthy silence they released the follow-up The Coming of the Annihilation in 2014, also initially on Extreme Records. However, the album was impactful enough that it was re-issued no less than four times (!)… Continued →

I used to have this one on cassette tape back in the day. Red Sea was a hard rock/bluesy band that included Die Happy’s vocalist & Fear Not’s guitarist. It was released on Rugged Records which also featured artists such as Reflescent Tide & Disciple. I remember 3 singles from this one & this SOTD was the first. Roxx remastered & released the LP in 2021. 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 →

Rivulets and Violets was a short-lived project spearheaded by Masaki Liu. Liu is a producer and engineer whose name appears in literally dozens (actually over a hundred!) of albums from Christian alternative and metal bands, especially in the 90s. He also owns his own studio, and has been a member of post-punks The Lonely Now and roots rockers Dimestore Prophets. But R&V was a unique project. Their first album was released in 1993, and featured mostly instrumental songs. While there were no lyrics, there were occasional vocal parts, mostly in the form of la’s and other non-verbal vocal sounds.… Continued →

Jonathan Emanuel Gremyr aka Jonathan Vrålstad under the moniker Coretex is an early Christian EDM trance artist from Sweden. This SOTD was featured on a couple compilations from N Soul & 3 Cell. He released a lot more music just like many EDM artists so check him out. 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 →

This is an early nu metal/metalcore/screamo band that released one full length on Rescue records and some other songs on compilations. Unfortunately, I don’t have much insight on the band itself or where they were from. 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 →

True Liberty is a true-school punk rock band from Richmond, VA. The band was active for roughly 10 years, from the mid-2000s through the mid-2010s. In that period, they released an impressive collection of four full-length albums, all in the old school punk rock style. “Lost” is the opening track from their sophomore album Brotherhood, released in 2008 via Raging Storm Records. The band also released albums through Wounded Records and Thumper Punk Records. They also contributed tracks to several different Christian punk compilations via labels like Indie Vision Music, Rottweiler Records, Caustic Fallout, SkyBurnsBlack Records, in addition to the aforementioned Thumper Punk.… Continued →

This North Carolina band formed in 1999 & released a couple albums before going dormant. They ended up releasing more music in 2021. One of the original band members Joe Musten has been in a few bands including drumming for The Almost, and was the vocalist for Torn & The Advent which I saw live a few years back. They play what is called post hardcore. Check out this catchy song out. 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 →