Song of The Day

Steve Camp was & is a fave of mine due to his songwriting & pop rock music. This SOTD means a lot to me per its heartfelt lyrics as seen below. BTW, he is also a pastor! Oh Lord, I feel so barren and ashamed of who I am How I often felt I hid it well, it is a lie I cannot defend So I lean upon Your mercy as I confess my sin to You There is no easy way, no saving face, when I finally see the truth So let my life be filled with only You I know someday I will be free The weight of sin shall be released But for now He covers me And though the trials never end I’ve learned to take them as my friend For each day He covers me Sometimes the pressure builds around me and I feel about to break I suffer painfully from wrongs done to me but vengeance isn’t mine to take So let me glory in my weakness till Your strength’s revealed in me It is Your grace alone that helps me carry on to be the man I long to be So let Your life be perfected, Lord in me Until it’s You they see And though heartache surrounds me I know Your love is around me Nothing can separate me from You And I know it’s true … Continued →

Brace yourself. The Souls Unrest has one of the more complicated histories in all of Christian metal. The roots of the band lie in old school punk band Spudgun, who released one album on Bulletproof Records (a division of Gray Dot). That band got heavier and darker, changing styles so much that a new name was warranted–World Against World. That version of the band also released one album (an amazing album at that) for Bulletproof, before morphing again. A short-lived project called The Orcrist followed, but released no official recordings.… Continued →

EDL (Everyday Life) is one of my fave bands of all time. I remember hearing this demo CD along with Gryp’s Indecision back in the day & buying them. I was amazed at both & have followed them since those days. I have a few of the band members on social media & have spoken to a couple. This first album by EDL was raw & has always been my favorite. Other songs such as Bystander, Perseverance & Dis are awesome. … Continued →

Eli used to be know as Paul Falzone. He has a great biography on Christian Music Archive if you want to do a deep dive & is a role model for a Christian coming from a negative start. Jesus worked with him & he said “In life it takes a lot of manure to grow a beautiful rosebush. God has the ability to transform our lives and purify us through what happens to us everyday and though it’s rough at times, it’s incredible to feel and notice the change that is taking place in my life.… Continued →

At the Wayside used to be called Alakrity before they changed their name. I actually worked with a company called Alacrity! They are still current & releasing new music. I saw them do this tune live & it is so darn catchy. … Continued →

This band was the epitome of one of those all-too-common scenarios in 90s Christian music: the frustratingly great one-album wonder. Driver Eight released Watermelon via Tooth and Nail Records in 1996, to high acclaim from fans and critics alike, and then disappeared into the . . . well, that’s just it–we don’t know what happened! The album featured a highly-effective mix of alternative rock styles including Britpop (even though the band was American), quasi-shoegaze, and jangle pop. It seemed that they were channeling equally such disparate influences as Smashing Pumpkins, Catherine Wheel, R.E.M.,… Continued →

The Dwelling is an incarnation of the band Die To Yourself, another metalcore act. This SOTD is basically a metalcore worship song that seems put of place as track #11. I love this one as it reminds of a spirit filled hxc song maybe akin to Sleeping Giant or Context.   … Continued →

Joy Electric aka Ronnie Martin is Jason’s brother from Starflyer 59. The 2 brothers have released several albums from their various monikers of The Brothers Martin, The Foxhole Hunt, Dancehouse Children. Ronnie is also a pastor in Ohio. I just happen to like spiders & if you do also, check out the following songs/albums that feature our favorite 8 legged God created creatures! I have 2 tarantulas myself: a Mexican Red-Knee & a Pink Toe. WILDERNESS OF TEKOA-SPIDERS, WHITE COLLAR SIDESHOW-LIKE SPIDERS WEAVE, GO FISH-ITSY BITSY SPIDER, DEAR EPHESUS-DEAR SPIDER, LEPER-SPIDER WEBS, JOE ROMERO-ITSY BITSY SPIDER, WONROWE VISION-RESIDENT SPIDER, ALICE COOPER-ALONG CAME A SPIDER CD, SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE-FLATLAND SPIDER, MELLOWDRAMATIC WALLFLOWERS-SPY DER SPIDER, SHILOHTRANCE-THE SPIDER, MEWITHOUTYOU, BROWNISH, ORANCE, YELLOW SPIDER, TEMPLAR-SKY SPIDER 2, SECRET & WHISPER-SPIDER BESIDER, SEVEN SYSTEM-KILL THE SPIDER, LOVEDRUG-SPIDERS,LIL RASKULL-AMAZING (UNOFFICIAL AMAZING SPIDERMAN THEME), KANSAS-THE SPIDER, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA-SPIDERHEADS, UNTILWEDIE!-MOUTHFUL… Continued →

Believer is a Pennsylvanian 4 piece technical thrash metal band. Forming in 1985 they changed their name from Deceiver. I remember buying their Sanity Obscure LP in my hometown of Normal, Illinois & then later getting a cassette tape of Dimensions. A few years back they released 3 2-song singles & I haven’t seen anything from them since. This SOTD I have seen as one the origins of the symphonic metal scene. Below are the Latin lyrics along with their meaning & a live video also.… Continued →

Danish experimental grindcore band Corpse Under Construction only recorded 14 tracks in their short existence–and at grindcore tempos and song-lengths, that’s just over 10 minutes of recorded material. They were released on the split CD 4-Way Noise Explosion, which also included Eternal Mystery, Rehumanize, and Long Suffering (2008 on Sewersound Records). What made the band particularly interesting–to me, anyway–was that the band consisted of just 2 members, brothers Martin Svinth on vocals and David Svinth (also of post-hardcore band Magtesløs) on vocals and programming. That’s right, just 2 guys and a drum machine–no ‘real’ instruments.… Continued →

Everything in Slow Motion is hands (pun intended) down one of my fave artists of all time. Shane Ochsner was involved with post hxc outfit Hands. These 2 SOTDs are some of my fave songs of all time. His lyrical content has always meant worlds to me as I have dealt (& still deal) with sins & the freedom YHWH gives is just the most amazing gift we can receive on this earth imho. Take a look at these heartfelt excerpts lyrics from the songs. Also, here is one of our very own interviews https://www.indievisionmusic.com/interviews/everything-in-slow-motion-2/… Continued →

We’re digging deep into the archives for this one. For those not familiar with electro-funk, it was an underground genre in the 1980s that bridged electronic dance music and hip-hop. In fact, in many ways it was a predecessor to the proliferation of rap music. The genre was known by a variety of names: electro-funk, techno-funk, and simply electro (not the goth/industrial version from a few decades later). In the mainstream scene, some of the most well-known names were Newcleus, Shannon, Egyptian Lover, Afrika Bambaataa, and some of Midnight Star’s mid-80s material.… Continued →

Light The Way is a newer punk band rostered on our own IVM that has several cool songs I like in their discography already including Brkn, Holy Ghost & this extremely catchy SOTD.   … Continued →

Kids is a relatively new indie rock band out on Tooth & Nail records. Today’s SOTD is an upbeat love song that will get stuck in your head. Check out the lyrics below. Well I don’t know the future so I wonder How to know if a golden road will end And the dreams we dream may lead to certain failure But where the road goes lead me to her All I know is I’m gonna marry that girl I’m gonna marry that girl I’m gonna marry that girl Can’t wait to tell her I will I’m gonna marry that girl No time for anyone else I’m gonna marry that girl Gone the days are all the pain and heartache Gone the dames and all failed attempts Cause the dreams we dare to dream are being granted I’ll claim forever until it happens All I know is … Continued →

Shinebright aka Shinebright Baby is a Christian rock band whose vocalist Emily easily stands out in a crowd. Love this worship SOTD along w/ several others from the band including Closer to the Sun, Limitless w/ Rapture Ruckus, Made to Glow & Beautiful Love. … Continued →

If you’ve been around the Christian punk/metal/hardcore/indie scene for any amount of time, you will likely have heard the name Burrito. Not his real name, of course–the man David Villalpando was a legend in the underground scene. Sadly, the man that many called a friend passed away this week from covid-related illness. For those who didn’t know him, it is difficult to overstate his impact on the scene. From a musical standpoint, while none of his projects ever achieved mainstream success or financial prosperity, they were always on the bleeding edge of innovation.… Continued →

Aleixa is one of my favorite artists of all time.  comprised of 1 guy & 2 girls, this band inspired my love for industrial music along with Circle of Dust, Deitiphobia & Mortal. This is the first I ever heard from them way back in probably the early to mid 90s.   … Continued →

When Bloodgood’s lead guitarist left the band to go solo, fans of the 80s metal stalwarts weren’t entirely sure what to expect. We probably assumed more heavy metal–at least that’s what I expected. And while there is certainly some hard rock (almost glam metal) at times, The Other Side was much broader in scope. The album showcased Zaffiro’s excellent guitar work, as we’d already become familiar with through three albums with Bloodgood: Bloodgood (1986), Detonation (1987, often hailed as the band’s finest effort), and Rock in a Hard Place (1988).… Continued →

Tantrum of the Muse is a band that can be hard to define, including their lyrics & sound. I would suggest soundwise post hardcore, but with a prog & punk twist. Their label was the same whose roster included early Underoath & Narcissus. After the band’s break up, the members joined other notable bands  such as Hand of Fire & Huntingtons & OnceDead. … Continued →

If you’ve followed my writings for any amount of time, it’s not hard to discern my love for all things shoegaze, dream pop and the like. One of the best in the game was the mysterious LN. I was never quite sure if it was a band, or a solo project masquerading as a band. Sure, it was fairly well known that Gary Murray (who later recorded as Gary Murray and LN, and then just as Gary Murray) was the principal of the band, but not as clear who else was involved or at what level.… Continued →

I don’t know why it took me so long, but recently a very simple thought has helped me out immensely in my spirituality and my walk with Christ. It’s simply this: choose love. That’s it. When I am tempted to sin, choose love instead. When I want to be selfish, choose love. When I want to do something that would only please or elevate myself and not others, choose love. Mike Stand was singing about it decades ago. And of course, the ultimate trump card here is Jesus himself.… Continued →

This quirky alternative rock band released one independent EP and one full-length for Broken Records (also home to Undercover, The Holidays, Adam Again, etc.). While their normal material was interesting, to my ears the most compelling thing they recorded was a song for the Broken Christmas project, called “Born in a Stable.” While technically a Christmas song, it does a great job of pointing to Jesus’ purpose for coming to save us, by tracing the story of Jesus’ life and ministry all the way up to the empty tomb.… Continued →

One of the very few true “screamo” bands in the Christian scene (not just melodic hardcore/emo-core), Fable only released 6 songs in their entire career–4 on their 7″ Give Us the Night (through the legendary Takehold Records), 1 on the hardcore compilation A Testament to Broken Walls, and 1 on a split with secular screamo band Mara’akate. Band members were only 15 when they started playing together in their hometown of Holland, MI, but they quickly made a huge impact in the underground scene. Unfortunately they fizzled out too quickly and left us with only these 6 songs.… Continued →

I remember when I first heard this song. It was on the Tooth & Nail Songs from the Penalty Box compilation, amidst other songs ranging from pop-punk to hardcore and everything in-between. But Blindside was hard to peg. It was heavy and raw, and kind of hardcore, but not really. There was a mild rap influence in the delivery, but it wasn’t really rapcore either. Post-hardcore hadn’t really occurred to me as a category yet. The band put the song on their debut, self-titled, full-length album and a year later released a second–both albums on Tooth & Nail/Solid State.… Continued →

San Francisco-based goth band BATZZ in the Belfry are relatively unknown in the mainstream, but that is a real shame. They combine “unashamed traditional old school goth” with ethereal dream pop, and even hints at shoegaze at times. I suppose this puts them in the realm of darkwave. Take “Touch the Stars” for instance. The song would easily be at home on a Metropolis or Projekt Records compilation alongside Sisters of Mercy, Love and Rockets, or Love Spirals Downwards. The song could almost fit on the Twin Peaks soundtrack as well.… Continued →

Welcome to the best band you’ve never heard of. Enemy Ships (FKA The Emergency, not to be confused with The Emergency, AKA Ten-33) was a sort of supergroup with members from Christian alternative heavyweights like Jason Martin (Starflyer 59, Bon Voyage, Neon Horse, etc.), Dirk Lemmenes (Stavesacre, Focused), Ryan Denne (Stavesacre), Travis Zimmerman (Jupiter James), and Frank Lenz (Fold Zandura, Frank Lenz, etc). The band recorded an album for mainstream Atlantic Records entitled The Emergencyin 2007, but sadly it was never released. Stylistically the band play rock and roll, but with a punk energy and aesthetic.… Continued →

It’s time for some industrial! But not the guitar-heavy metallic brand. The November Commandment (or often Nov*Com) were doing EBM/electro before it was trendy–or even before it was called that. Hailing from Sweden, the band emerged with an independent cassette in 1988 called Complete Structure. The tape featured a minimalist sound driven by synthesizers, not too unlike Coil and some of Wire’s more experimental material. They released another cassette in 1991, this time a 5-song EP. The band made their appearance in the consciousness of American fans via the fantastic SLAVA compilation, Voice of the People, co-released through Blonde Vinyl Records.… Continued →

For our Song of the Day this time, let’s dig deep. While I often get stuck in the 90s (admittedly a great era for faith-based musical excursions), let’s not forget that Christian rock goes back *at least* to the 1960s (or arguably earlier if we include Sister Rosetta Tharpe). Not a lot is known about Gidians Bible (sic.), but what is known is fairly significant. Take a closer look at the band photo, particularly the vocalist on the far right. That’s then-future Petra vocalist Greg Volz.… Continued →

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Sin Disease is one of the greatest albums ever to emerge from our scene. Romald Domkus (born Allan Aguirre) and company unleashed a wonderfully chaotic debut album, with production from Terry Taylor (DA/Daniel Amos/Swirling Eddies/Lost Dogs) that set CCM on its head! Think I’m overstating things? Not possible. Here’s why: have you ever tried to pigeonhole the album, or this band, into a single genre? Good luck. Take equal parts hardcore punk, reggae, goth, glam rock, and heavy metal, and then top the whole thing off with a weird experimental noise track lasting over 7 minutes long.… Continued →

The one, the only, the legendary hardcore band from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Mr. Bishop’s Fist only released one 3-song demo, and had 2 compilation appearances, before they broke up and moved to the Pacific Northwest. So why include the band here when they made such a small impact? Well, despite their limited output, the band actually had an incredible impact. First, because the songs were so good, so brutal, so raw and real, fans and collectors to this day still talk about the band. Second, members of the band wound up in a number of other bands that were equally influential.… Continued →