Reviews

When it was announced that Jen Ledger would be releasing her debut solo ep, it filled many with a sense of excitement, rivaled only by an insatiable curiosity as to what we could expect from it. Would it be hard rock, similar in nature to her band Skillet? Pop? Electronic? Rock? The answer is yes…yes, it is. The Ledger EP, which drops this Friday, is a fairly diverse offering that has a little something for everyone. A common thread throughout the EP, is a distorted synth type sound, though there’s keys and drums that compliment it in all the right places.… Continued →

This Friday, April 13th, 2018, horror-punk band Grave Robber returns with their first album in 7 years, titled “Escaping the Grave”. How fitting is it for these guys to re-emerge after seven years of silence on a Friday the 13th? This release is an album that has been long awaited and anticipated by many, myself included. Over the past 7 years, the band has undergone a number of changes, such as band member changes as well as a number of challenges in various areas of their personal lives.… Continued →

Whale Bones' ambitious debut EP is a refreshing, dynamic amalgamation of post-hardcore, indie, post-rock, alternative, and pop-punk that reaffirms the Indiana rock scene is still thriving.

First things first. Have you heard there’s a new Stavesacre album out? Yeah? I bet you’re wondering who played on it? This is the classic 5-member line-up: Mark Salomon – vocals Sam West – drums Dirk Lemmenes- Bass Ryan Dennee – guitar Jeff Bellew – guitar Besides the Against the Silence EP in 2009, this line-up hasn’t made a record together since Speakeasy. Of course, what most readers will be wondering is, “can they still bring it?” Does this album hit as hard as Speakeasy did?… Continued →

Benjamin James' "Change is Everything" is an explosive sleeper hit of 2017 that melds chamber pop and electronic elements into a dynamic listening experience.

Don’t listen to this album if you want to feel happy. Lyrically and musically, this is moody alternative rock taken to its logical conclusion. Decade brims with melancholy: “All the beauty I ever wanted is going to fade away” (“Fade; Decay”); “…helpless in will, my body just gave up” (“Do You Wanna Find Out?”); “There’s no one on the road that I can call a friend” (“Closer”). Fighting Jacks like their vocals and guitars loud, making for some of the best rock I’ve heard in a long while on songs like “Fade; Decay” and “Come On Come On.”… Continued →

"Ultraviolet" tackles big questions of faith head on with a wall of reverb, lyrical poeticism, and a fair share of experimentation.

Just because some people use a lot of words does not mean that they say a lot. This linguistic dilemma has been expressed in popular culture through numerous means, from Miss Othmar in the Peanuts cartoons, to the less specific (and pejorative) title of “chatterbox” and its synonyms. Unfortunately, I feel that Indie Jones II falls into such a predicament. This is unfortunate because Ruslan actually has interesting things to say (hear his controversial song “Random Thoughts 4 (Shai Linne)”). Not only that, but he is particularly well spoken, as made evident by his album reviews on YouTube.… Continued →

Once in a while, I’ll come across a band that slipped beneath my radar and wonder why I hadn’t heard of them sooner, wishing that I had. In the Verse is a perfect example of that. Hailing from WI, the 5-piece band brings a lot to the table for avid hard rock fans. The band is uncompromising in their message and is determined “to bring the message of Christ back into the lime-light with uncompromising, deep lyrical content while maintaining a rich musical experience.” And they certainly do.… Continued →

LOYALS may fill the hole in your musical heart that longs for good pop music. No, we’re not talking about computer generated beats with autotune. We’re talking about real musicians that play memorable songs that are beyond catchy. The first couple of songs offer a few glimpses of what LOYALS has to offer. They’re fairly catchy, however the highlights of the album begins with the single “Skyline.” The song is a lighthearted account of a first date gone wrong. Lyrically, it’s a story that many can relate with and it’s that kind of nostalgia that will keep this song in the heads of many.… Continued →

Punk rock and pizza are similar in more ways than one. While the two can complement each other quite well, music – like food – requires a recipe. Unfortunately, Young Poet’s Thrive in a Modern Era tastes more like a dubious experiment than a well-made pizza pie. Opening song “Alizaren,” catches me completely by surprise with the spoken word akin to Being As An Ocean or Listener. I thought this was pop punk? Once “Better Hearts” comes on, I find out that it is … at least, for the most part, in retrospect.… Continued →

The Sprinkle brothers are back! If you don’t know who that is, then stop reading. Go and find Poor Old Lu, The World Inside, Aaron Sprinkle, Paloma, Fair . . . I could go on but I’m using up valuable reviewing space (and I didn’t even mention the production credits)! Considering who is involved in this project, you might think you already know what it’s going to sound like. And sure, you might be in the right ballpark—alternative/indie rock with a capital Rock. But you haven’t heard this.… Continued →

Nashville, TN is known for a number of things, but the thing that tops the list is music. If you were to walk down Broadway, each restaurant and bar you pass has live music going on, all of it diverse. It’s on street corners as buskers play their hearts out for little more than the love of the music and the heart to share it with others. One band that stands out in the middle of all of this is Samecity. Samecity is a pop rock outfit that formed in 2014 and draw influences from a variety of sources, some of which include Needtobreathe, Switchfoot, and The Civil Wars.… Continued →

Chasing Victory's first material in almost 11 years showcases a powerful mix of post-hardcore and southern rock that's full of grit and energy.

The Oh Hellos have wasted no time releasing a strong follow-up to "Notos", this time opting for a festive, autumnal mood.

If you guessed by the band name that you were about to hear some grindcore, you’d be right.  However, what you might not expect from this Brazilian band is the type of grindcore they play (yes, there are multiple subgenres, but let’s not get into that)!  While the trademark elements are there—incredibly fast riffs, blastbeats, extremely short songs—the longest song is just one minute, 12 seconds and it’s the only song over a minute.  In fact, the whole album of 16 songs clocks in at just over 6 minutes!—yet… Continued →

Tooth and Nail recently announced the signing of a band called Off Road Minivan. Now, I’m going to be brutally honest here, and it may just be a matter of opinion, but these days I really haven’t found much coming out of Tooth & Nail that I like. In this case however, I decided to take the chance and give these guys a shot and was very glad I did. Off Road Minivan are a band out of Red Hook, NY with a lineup that includes Fit For A King bassist, Ryan O’Leary.… Continued →

Jonathan Ogden experiments with melding worship and R&B on his latest EP but fails to leave a lasting impression.

LEDGES' debut album is an ambitious release that proves they're not afraid to take risks.

With the coming of I Am, one of the most influential metal bands in the scene has come to pass. What a big hole they leave in their absence. But let us get to the album that begins with the gang vocals yelling “Sleeping giant!” Preachcore Lives! begins the final album with a message to be left behind for the next bands to rise up. With phrases like, “Kingdom over everything,” “Recognition of the one true name,” and “Don’t perform for the crowd, but for the crown.”… Continued →

Although TAKE has been around for some time, this review will serve as an introduction to many. In the current climate of the long standing pillars of Christian metal being slowly eroded away with time, (Sleeping Giant, Haste the Day, For Today, Hands) it is vital that new bands come and pick up where they left off. Not only continuing Christian metal, but metal with such a strong stance in faith; this is where Take comes into play. The 2017 EP The Dead Will Rise is anthem of what can be accomplished in faith.… Continued →

Katharos is yet another project from Fire (Elgibbor, Fire Throne, Nuclear Blaze) on vocals and guitars, this time with help from drummer Taberah.  There is also some collaboration from former Frost Like Ashes members Sebat and Azahel for live dates. This recording is a single and ‘b-side’ and what we have here is no-frills, raw black metal.  No ‘atmospheric’ or ‘symphonic’ keyboards.  No overdubs or anything of the like.  This could easily pass as a release from the mid-90s Norwegian BM scene.  Appropriately lo-fi with hissed/snarled vocals and trebly guitars, this is great if you like first or second wave black metal.… Continued →

Canadian progressive death metallers The Beckoning have been making noise since 2010.  This release combines two earlier demos—Desolate (2014) and War (2012) into one remastered full-length.  Truly progressive, this 4-song clocks in at over 29 minutes, making it either a very long EP, or a full-length with only 4 songs, depending on one’s perspective. While the formula has been done before—screamed/growled vocals + clean/operatic vocals + heavy riffing + melodic leads—it works well here.  Founder/drummer/vocalist Roy Turple pulls off the screamed and clean sung vocals, and when he chooses the latter approach, resembles Jimmy Brown or Eric Clayton. … Continued →

The press release labelled this as “Indie Folk Rock.”  And while that is mildly accurate, it certainly doesn’t tell you all you need to know.  Full disclosure: I’m a bit of 90s slacker kind of guy.  So indie rock to me means loud guitars, dissonant riffs, punk attitude and band photos that make it look like the members are made up of blind golfers.  Back then, Nirvana had come in and changed all the rules.  Alternative rock had overtaken the airwaves and become mainstream.  Indie rock was an even deeper underground version of alternative. … Continued →

  “Blessed Be The Punk” We all want relive the days of our youth. Remember being young, vibrant, forceful in our thoughts and actions? Age doesn’t necessarily take those attributes away. Praiser makes that abundantly clear in their punk music. The band’s latest album, 20 Again, doesn’t bring age as its theme, but rather a collection of twenty great songs from their past. Since 2009 the Hamburg, Germany band Praiser has continuously churned out perfect punk tracks. I don’t use the term “perfect” lightly. Praiser knows what it means to be punk.… Continued →

While this band hails from Louisville, I would have sworn they were from eastern Europe somewhere.  That’s a good thing.  Reverentia is yet another quality post-metal release I’ve come across recently.  But whereas the mysterious band God revel in djent rhythms and instrumental anthems to connect the listener to God, TIMŌRĀTUS takes a different approach altogether.  Each album is written and recorded in a different style.  I’ve sampled some of the other albums and there’s black metal, thrash, doom and experimental hybrids. The music on Reverentia was takes on form of post-metal is impregnated with black metal atmospherics, layers of shoegaze wall-of-sound sonics and doom metal riffs, creating a drone metal beast! … Continued →

Author's sophomore release takes the best of "Of Brighter Days" and tops it off with synths and 80s influence for an album that's full of energy and technicality.

"Notos" is an explosive EP full of layered, diverse instrumentation and compelling vocals and lyrics.

While still not reinventing the wheel, For All Eternity have stepped into their own and crafted a pulverizing and memorable LP with “The Will to Rebuild“.

This mysterious band has been making music since 2016.  Their website states, “GOD will challenge you to consider your life, death through the power of music.”  While I am in contact with the band members, repeated requests for information regarding the member(s) have been unsuccessful—even to the point of denying my request to know which country the band is from. This is the second album from the band, and there are two more planned—each one with a conceptual theme.  God I focused on the nature of God, while God II as the subtitle suggests, is all about the person and work of Jesus Christ. … Continued →