Reviews

Artist: Darkroom Album: A Curious Excavation Label: None (released independently) Release Date: March 31, 2007 Tracklist: 1. Windsor Knots 2. Afraid 3. A Curious Excavation 4. Consequences 5. The Best Part 6. Quicksilver 7. Stagecraft 8. Six eight four four 9. Blanketed Fortress 10. Veranda 11. The Old Gun Hailing from Winona Lakes, Indiana; Darkroom comes boasting a five-man line up, each with his own unique set of influences. Yet they come together to create something quite familiar, but not in a bad way. This musical endeavor floats along melodically emotive indie rock, gliding the waters with strings, bells, and horns.… Continued →

Artist: This Beautiful Republic Album: Even Heroes Need a Parachute Label: Forefront Records Release Date: April 3, 2007 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: 1. Casting Off 2. Going Under 3. Jesus to the World 4. Right Now 5. Black Box 6. The Surface 7. Let’s Be Honest 8. New Year 9. Something to Deny 10. Fears and Failures 11. Cloud Cover Christian music would not be what it is today without the work of Forefront Records. Their early and long-lasting bands DC Talk and Audio Adrenaline took 90s rock (among other things) and added a very definite Christian perspective, singing songs about being a “Jesus Freak” or being excited about the “Big House” our Father is preparing for us.… Continued →

Artist: From Beginning to End Album: In the Beginning… Label: Wounded Records Release Date: Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: 1. Guaranteed 2. Rain Down 3. Poured Out 4. Tears Revisited 5. In the Beginning 6. The Elevation 7. Touch 8. Better Than Before 9. Here We Are 10. Free 11. The Elevation (radio edit) Starting in Illinois, and touring all over the nation, including stops at Cornerstone, From Beginning to End is a hard-working band with a mission. They will not pass up an opportunity to share their faith, be it in their bio or in their lyrics, and they attempt to fuse alternative rock and screamo into one listenable sound.… Continued →

Artist: Kate Hurley Album: Sleeping When You Woke Me Label: Worship Circle Records Release Date: January 15, 2007 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: 1. Tree Branch 2. When He Dreams 3. Come Quickly 4. Only Your Love 5. Hey Little Girl 6. Tell Me 7. You Are Not Alone 8. Come to Me 9. Maybe 10. Passionate Beautiful 11. Always Have You 12. My Angel 13. Jacob’s Ladder 14. Stronger than Death 15. When You Carry Seeing that this CD was labeled as “Worship,” I was almost afraid to open it.… Continued →

Artist: Deas Vail Album: All the Houses Look the Same Label: Brave New World Records Release Date: March 6, 2007 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: 1. Standing… 2. Light as Air 3. Surface 4. Rewind 5. Shoreline 6. A Lover’s Charm 7. Follow Sound 8. Anything You Say 9. Shadows and City Lights 10. For Miles to Come 11. Life in These Little Boats 12. This Place Is Painted Red 13. …Still Everyone’s seen the piles of generic indie bands. Everyone’s gone to a show, visited a MySpace, or bought an album from the next “indie” styled rock act.… Continued →

Artist: The Blue Letter/ The Gospel Is a Grenade Album: Splitsville Label: Guevara Entertainment Release Date: 2005 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: The Blue Letter 1. There Is Only a Beginning 2. The Day the Sky Turned Black 3. Automaton Droids v2.0 4. A Killing Smile 5. Mechanical Legs, Mechanical Legs 6. Two Minute Hate The Gospel Is a Grenade 7. Statement of Ethics 8. Fabrics on a Dress 9. Three Hours Lecture & Discussion per Week 10. Introduction to International Relations 11. The Following Benefits Are Also Provided For [bonus track] Guevara Entertainment is a small indie label out of California trying to make a name for itself, with a current roster of 8 bands and a discography of 12 albums.… Continued →

Artist: Lost Ocean Album: Lost Ocean Label: Credential Records Release Date: February 20, 2007 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: 1. Believe 2. Still Life 3. Just Glide 4. You Are 5. Mute 6. Dreams 7. Everything Is 8. Trust 9. Lights 10. Vast Imagine yourself lying in the middle of the Atlantic. The water is a comfortable 86 degrees, the sun is pleasantly bright, and you’re being gently rocked by the waves beneath you. The birds overhead are singing in perfect harmony, and there is little thought of anything else.… Continued →

Artist: The Apathy Eulogy Album: Beauty for Ashes Label: None (released independently) Release Date: April 10, 2007 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: 1. Two to Tango, One to Miss 2. Daphne Doesn’t Love Derby… She Hates Men 3. Baby, Maybe 4. Perfect Kisses 5. I Can Tell You’re Lying because Your Lips Are Moving 6. Faint Heart Never Won Fair Lady 7. Be My Rescue 8. Such a Complex Situation 9. The Longest Drive Home (I Should’ve Taken the Subway) My introduction to this fine acoustic band, The Apathy Eulogy, begins like most other band introductions these days, on MySpace.… Continued →

• One Star Story
• Self-titled EP
• Reviewed by: Chuck Cochran

Tracklisting:

1. Near To Far
2. Everyday
3. This Game
4. Who I Am

Now I know a lot of you guys out there are critical of female-fronted bands. I was once like you, but since the emergence of bands such as the likes of Flee the Seen, Eisley, and Bloodlined Calligraphy, my eyes and ears have been opened. I went to my local music venue on March 3^rd, the headliner of the night was a band that went by the name of One Star Story.… Continued →

Band: Kings To You Album: The Antidote Label: None Review By: “Wilhelm” Baker Kings to You. The child of former IVM legend, Dismissed. Ever since I first heard these gentlemen, my ears have been starved for more. While Dismissed’s music fit the times accordingly, Dave and the crew wisely chose to reform their sound and refit it for awesomeness. Kings to You’s music effort, “The Antidote” is an epic album of sheer rock greatness. For any listener, the ties from Dismissed can be heard, especially in Dave’s voice and the great guitar work.… Continued →

Band: All But Screaming Album: Electric Lights Label: None Review by: Brandon Jones Wow, where do I begin. I’m highly impressed by this new ep effort from the indie band All But Screaming. At first I was hesitant to give them a fair listen due to their name but Josh persuaded me to give them a shot. Well I did so a few weeks ago and instantly fell in love with their music. This band has a penchant for writing finely tuned and memorable melodic rock.… Continued →

Artist: Kiss the Gunner Album: Why Are We So Dead? Label: Harvest Earth Records Release Date: January 23, 2007 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: 1. Two Beats away from a Heart Attack 2. Drag the Waters 3. That’s Some Good Yellin’ 4. Instrumental 5. Southern Comfort Ain’t No Comfort 6. Turkey Hotshot 7. As the City Falls around Us 8. Suffer the Children 9. Outro “Kiss the Gunner” is derived from an old pirate phrase “kiss the gunner’s daughter.” To the five gentlemen who comprise this band, its name is all about loving those the world considers unlovable, as said in an interview with Buzzgrinder.… Continued →

I recently was able to check out The Showdown & Still Remains along with The Acacia Strain and Shadows Fall in Johnson City, NY. I was pretty happy about it because I liked all of the bands and secondly, the venue is only 20 minutes from my house. Many of you probably don’t find that odd, but normally I drive well over an hour to get to any show of interest. Usually it’s 2 or more hours. Needless to say, it was bound to be a good night, regardless that there was a snow storm going on and that we arrrived an hour earlier than needed due to a misprint on the venue’s tickets.… Continued →

Artist: The Stiletto Formal Album: This Is My Boomstick (EP) Label: None (released independently) Release Date: April 11, 2006 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: 1. The Fall of Ambrose Bierce 2. Tastes Like Black Licorice 3. I Sing the Body Electric 4.Cirrhosis of the Cinema A friend of mine once went to see Coheed & Cambria live. This tour consisted of Coheed, The Blood Brothers, and mewithoutYou, and everyday I grow a little more jealous that she made it to this show and I did not.… Continued →

Band: Thrush Album: Aeon Label: None Review by: Brandon Jones Myspace In days long ago, I knew of a little band called “Craig’s Brother” of which they released the hard hitting and socially aware full length “Homecoming” on Tooth and Nail Records back in 98. Well two members of that band, Adam Nigh and Andy Snyder quit not long after the release of the afformentioned album deciding to go their own course in musical mission. So what did they do? Well they founded a fantastic three piece band called “Too Bad Eugene”.… Continued →

Artist: The Canvas Waiting Album: In Search of Beginnings… (Special Edition) Label: Scotoma Artist Co-op Release Date: January 30, 2007 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist 1. Carousel Ride 2. These Familiar Arms 3. Opener 4. In Search of Beginnings 5. Scout 6. Exit 1028 7. Sincerely Yours 8. Weight of the World 9. Ruby 10. I Hope the West Treats You Well 11. Are You Listening? 12. Carousel Ride (music video) In Search of Beginnings… was originally released independently on February 13, 2006. The release consisted of seven tracks, but after they hooked up with the Scotoma Artist Co-op (an excellent idea that more bands should follow, by the way) they have decided to issue a re-release that is currently #79 on Smartpunk’s list of the “Top 100 CDs for the Past 3 Weeks” (although on March 2 they posted a blog stating it was at #37).… Continued →

Band: Life In Your Way Title: Waking Giants Label: Solid State Release Date: 3.6.07 Review By: Josh IndieVision Tracklisting: 01. Reach The End 02. Worthwhile 03. We Don’t Believe 04. Making Waves 05. The Shame 06. Salty Grave 07. Help! The Arm Of The Almighty 08. Threads Of Sincerity 09. The Beauty Of Grace 10. Judas 11. Beneath It All Members/Duties: James Allen: Guitars, Vocals Joshua Kellam: Vocals David Swanson: Guitar, Vocals Jeremy Kellam: Bass, Vocals John Gaskill: Drums Life In Your Way is by no means, new to the scene.… Continued →

Band: The Brothers Martin Title: The Brothers Martin Label: Tooth & Nail Release Date: 1.23.07 Review By: Josh IndieVision Tracklisting: 01. Communication 02. The Harsh Effects Of Time 03. The Missionary 04. The Deaf, They Will Hear 05. The Plot That Weaves 06. Fears To Remember 07. Opportunities 08. The Behavior Explains 09. Get The Money 10. Life On Strings Members/Duties: Jason Martin: Vocals, Guitar, Electric Bass Ronnie Martin: Vocals, Synthesizer, Drum Machine, Bass Programming This eclectic duo, of Ronnie and Jason Martin, have united yet again for a project.… Continued →

Band: Haste The Day Title: Pressure The Hinges Release Date: 3.20.07 Review By: Josh IndieVision Tracklisting: 01. Eye Of The Needle 02. Pressure The Hinges 03. The Minor Prophets 04. The Oracle 05. White Collar 06. Needles 07. Janet’s Planet 08. Servant Ties 09. Stitches 10. Vertigo 11. Akeldema 12. Eremus 13. Chorus Of Angels Members/Duties: Stephen Keech: Vocals Devin Chaulk: Drums Brennan Chaulk: Guitar Jason Barnes: Guitar Mike Murphy: Bass Haste The Day is back with their third full length on Solid State Records. After the departure of frontman Jimmy Ryan, the future looked bleak for the band.… Continued →

Band: Means Title: Sending You Strength Label: Facedown Release Date: 3.6.07 Review By: Josh IndieVision Tracklisting: 01. Looking For Life 02. Learning To Be Brave 03. The Promise 04. Connected 05. Where Truth Is Told 06. Cadences 07. These Are The Words 08. Throw Open The Gates 09. Through The Wires 10. I Choose Her Over Light 11. Down To The Spark 12. On The Broken Members/Duties: Dylan Johnstone: Vocals Todd Wells: Bass Matt Goud: Guitars, Vocals Aaron Friesen: Drums Means, a melodic hardcore quartet from Regina, Canada, have invaded the U.S.… Continued →

Band: The Showdown Title: Temptation Come My Way Label: Mono Vs. Stereo Release Date: 2.20.07 Review By: Josh IndieVision Tracklisting: 01. Fanatics And Whores 02. Head Down 03. Six Feet Under 04. We Die Young 05. Breath Of The Swamp 06. It Drinks From Me 07. Temptation Come My Way 08. Forget My Name 09. Spitting In The Wind 10. I, Victim (Here’s To The Year) 11. Carry On Wayward Son 12. Death Finds Us Breathing Members/Duties: David Bunton: Vocals Josh Childers: Guitar, Vocals Travis Bailey: Guitar, Vocals Eric Koruschak: Bass, Vocals A.J.… Continued →

Band: Title: Aurora Songs Vol. 1 Release Date: 2006 Review By: Josh IndieVision Tracklisting: 01. Storm Song 02. Breathe On 03. Thousand Candles 04. Where Did Your Love Go? Members/Duties: Justin Kline: Vocals, Guitar, Acoustic Guitar Eric Kline: Guitar Dan Wax: Bass Steve Bourque: Drums The Heartstring Band is a Maryland pop-rock quartet, who seem to have captured some early 60’s rock sounds with “undeniably catchy songs loaded with tons of harmony”. After being together for a little over a year, they got together and recorded this short 4 song EP.… Continued →

Band: Tortured Conscience Title: Every Knee Shall Bow Label: Bombworks Records Release Date: 10.10.06 Review By: Josh IndieVision Tracklisting: 01. Blinded 02. Apostate Return 03. Modern Day Pharisees 04. The Trial 05. The New Trend 06. The Word Became Flesh 07. Internal Torment 08. Every Knee Shall Bow 09. No Ambiguity 10. Crucify (Bloodgood Cover) (BONUS TRACK) Members/Duties: Jeff Lenormand: Axe John Gotelli: Drums Berto Salas: vocals Tortured Conscience is a death metal/grind band from San Francisco. Jeff Lenormand played in the secular grindcore band Vulgar Pigeons with John.… Continued →

Band: The Chinese Express Title: After The Matinee: From The Silver Screen To The Sky Release Date: 2006 Review By: Josh IndieVision Tracklisting: 01. Said The Son To The Father 02. Time Will Tell 03. Build For Rock N’ Roll 04. Work On Your Landings 05. Said The Father To The Son 06. Borders Of Gold Members/Duties: Cameron Green: Vocals Timothy Neff: Guitar/Vocals Austin Hammond: Drums Micah Rapp: Bass/Vocals Eric Townsend: Guitar/Vocals The Chinese Express, which began in 2005 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, recently came to an end.… Continued →

Band: Remove The Veil Title: Remove The Veil (EP) Release Date: 2006 Review By: Josh IVM Tracklisting: 01. Rye Chaw 02. BBQ 03. Storm’s A-Brewin 04. I Kiss My Sweetie With My Fist 05. The Client Is Always Wrong 06. The Stretch 07. How To Jump A Ravine On Your Bicycle Comma Bobby Yet another band to recently be picked up by the ever-growing roster at Facedown Records, Remove The Veil formed in early 2005 in Alabama and have been rockin’ ever since. The name “Remove The Veil” is taken from II Corinthians 3:14 and the band does not hide their purpose.… Continued →

Band: Impending Doom Title: The Sin And Doom Of Godless Men Review By: JoshIVM Tracklisting: 01. Condemned 02. For All Have Sinned 03. Hell’s Holocaust 04. Patience In Suffering 05. In Reverence Of Members/Duties: Brook Reeves: Vocals Manny Contreras: Guitar Greg Pewthers: Guitar Chris Forno: Guitar David Sittig: Bass Andy Hegg: Drums Impending Doom is a self-described “Straight Up Gorship” outfit from Corona, California. “The Sin And Doom Of Godless Men” is an independent demo, which propelled them to sign with independent IWitness Media. IWM in turn pushed them to Facedown Records, even before releasing an album.… Continued →

Artist: Olivia (the band) Album: Back to Friends Where Summer Never Ends Label: None (released independently) Release Date: October 3, 2006 Review by: Eric Pettersson Hawaii: home to pineapple, coconut, hula skirts, and terribly tacky souvenirs for tourists from the continental US. Or so we thought. In actuality, Hawaii is home to a band called Olivia. After a brief dance with Essential Records in 2005, Olivia have been surviving on their own, and on October 3, 2006, this underdog Christian pop-punk band released an EP that may start garnering a few more label options, if they desire to go that route again.… Continued →

Artist: Shards of Heartshell Album: I Looked at the Clock Label: None (released independently) Release Date: February 9, 2007 Review by: Eric Pettersson Tracklist: 1. To Communicate 2. My Imperfections 3. The Sun Shines 4. (intro) 5. Rest Your Mind 6. On the Way to Town 7. It Hurts So Much 8. When 9. I Looked at the Clock 10. Gaze at Grace I recently went to see The Early November here in Reading, Pennsylvania at a venue called The Silo. At the show I was introduced to a friend of a friend whom I had already seen plenty of times around town.… Continued →

Artist: The Showdown Album: Temptation Come My Way Label: Mono Vs. Stereo Records Release Date: February 20, 2007 Review by: Eric Pettersson All I knew were the two song I had downloaded from PureVolume, and that I wanted to be up front for Showbread right after them, so I pushed my way to the first row of the HM Stage at Purple Door 2005 with no clue what I was about to experience. This guy with long blonde hair comes out with ripped jeans, a flannel shirt, and his own band’s t-shirt underneath (customized by ripping off the sleeves).… Continued →

Artist: A Billion Ernies Title “Stop Calling Us Ska” Label: Snapdragon Records Review by: Brandon Jones Tracklisting: 1. Effect of the Scene 2. All For The Money 3. Stop Calling Us Ska 4. Zelda Theme Song 5. This Time Around 6. TWH 7. Go Karate 2 8. Sparta Hates Her Job 9. Persecution 10. Anonymous Wow, where do I begin. Describing this cd accurately is like trying to solve a calculous problem with your eyes closed. Tough I might say and it doesnt get any easier for me to try and correctly state my feelings about the project.… Continued →