News

Ray Torres better known as “Forum Blue“, has just released a special 2 song single through his bandcamp page titled “Mid Summer Never”. It’s like the perfect combo of pop sounds out of the 80’s and 90’s mixed with that new millennium sheen and indie undercurrent tying it all together. Like a perfect combo of Hall & Oates, Justin Timberlake, Bruno Mars, and Pharrell Williams. This 2 song single hasn’t gone live to digital networks just yet but it is on bandcamp now.… Continued →

Protect Your Heart is a new pop-punk band from the great state of California. The band features Matt Mcdonald on lead vocals (formerly of the bands Ashcroft and Beta State). Protect Your Heart has a really big sound and that warm, sunny, beach fueled California breeze runs rampant through their veins. Check out their first recorded song titled “Don’t Count Me Out” in the video below. The song is available now on all digital networks and streaming sites.… Continued →

Orion Walsh is back with a new full length album titled “So Many Places” which drops digitally and on CD, July 7th. Pre-Order Digitally and on CD from Orion’s bandcamp right here. If you enjoyed ANY of his prior material or the work he did in Slow Coming Day, you will certainly find yourself a fan of this album. Check out the music video below as well as a preview listen of the new album (via bandcamp).… Continued →

Beware, this song can cause massive headbanging with the pummeling sound from your speakers! Sweden’s Crimson Moonlight is one of the bands that I first heard of back in the day when I was stationed in the army. Met this guy named The Bat wearing a These 5 Down shirt & we became fast friends 20 some years ago. Check out his music on Reverb nation if you like industrial & hard trance here: https://www.reverbnation.com/thebatdjnuklier  I mean how many Christian metalheads do you meet in your everyday life right? … Continued →

Mike Stand has been mighty busy over the years with the ground breaking “punk” The Altar Boys, rockabilly Altar Billies, modern rock The Stand & Clash Of Symbols. I remember 7Ball magazine having this article featuring indie bands that included them, Raspberry Jam & the little known Sixpence None The Richer. I have always liked this SOTD best by them & I totally had it on cassette tape back in the day. Lol! Also, check out Give, Free, Absurd, Save Me & I Don’t Hear The Question.… Continued →

Rock & Metal Pop & CCM

• Jason Crabb – Just as I Am (EP)
• Jeremiah Bonds, GodzG – S7AVE
• Mitch McVicker – A Shrugging of the Shoulders

Folk & Singer/Songwriter

• Holden Days – Peregrine
• Thomas Austin – Evergreen (EP)

Hip Hip & R&B Worship & Gospel

• Advent Birmingham – Hunger, Thirst, and Altar Fire
• Brian Sauvé – Psalm 37: He Fades Away (WP)
• DOXOLOGY – Christ Our Hope
• Madeline Edwards – The Road (EP)
• Maverick City Music – Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition
• Norton Hall Band – Still Our Refuge
• Orphan No More Co – Death Died Live From Englishcombe Chapel
• The Shine Effect – The Struggle and the Victory (EP)
• Stephen McWhirter – Hymns Session (EP)
• Tenielle Neda – What Is My Hope EP

Instrumental & Other

• Cassidy Godwin, Amen Worldwide – Alive with You (EP)
• Dear Gravity – Godspeed
• Tommee Profitt – Cinematic Songs (Vol.

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Pennsylvania’s Witness Protection Program bring to mind music that falls between the space where arena & modern rock meet. There a few bands with the same name, but the obscure 2003 release Fire Ready Aim is chalk full of hard rocking songs & is the reason why I wanted to write for IVM in the first place. Christian bands that have come & gone & not left much of a trace as one cannot easily find a lot of music in my collection. Today’s SOTD lyrics speak of being humble.… Continued →

Not much is known at this very moment but yes, it appears a new Ronnie Martin (Joy Electric) “single” is coming soon from the folks at Velvet Blue Music. The title is “From The Womb of the Morning The Dew Of Your Youth Will Be Yours”. This single doesn’t have a release date just yet but with all things Jeff Cloud of VBM, it’s probably pretty soon. Are you looking forward to new Ronnie Martin music?… Continued →

Sacramento, CA. based melodic punk rockers – Light The Way, have entered Mayhemeness Recording Studio with Bob Swanson to lay down songs for their 2nd official full length record. The band previously released 3 Eps and a full length – “False Memory Syndrome”. What is your favorite Light The Way song? Check out a sweet studio shot of Christian’s Drum Set, below.… Continued →

Yeah you heard that right. Starflyer 59 are back with not 1, but 2 NEW songs this year (so far). These 2 new singles are part of an upcoming full length dropping later in the year on Velvet Blue Music. Purchase “Like to Lose” on a Flexi 7″ from Velvet Blue Music right here. I’m always game for new Starflyer 59, any day, any time, no matter what part of year. Any day can be a “Starflyer 59 Day” am I right?… Continued →

Switchfoot dropped some hints (as well as a new song) the past month and yesterday (well last night actually), announced the new full length album titled “Interrobang”. The album releases on August 20th and believe it or not, you can pre-order the album in many different packages RIGHT HERE, now! Check out the brand new song “Fluorescent” in a cool visualizer right here on our website, below. Anyone else catch these throwback vibes? I mean like, very early Switchfoot vibes. Definitely cool and they’ve got my interest.… Continued →

Summer Years have just announced that they’ve signed with label – Enci Records. The Oceanside, CA. based band will drop their debut song “This Light” on July 9th through all digital stores and streaming sites. Watch a short teaser below. Pop-Punk music for the masses.… Continued →

Meadows, a band I’ve written about a bit in the past as well as other writers here, will be coming out with brand new music. They have signed a deal with Facedown Records and have dropped their new single “The Depths”. I encourage you to go check out both of their last 2 releases and give them a listen. It’s great ambient, post-metal/post-hardcore stuff similar in scope to Hands, Between the Buried and Me, Thrice, A Hope for Home, Life In Your Way, Underoath, Architects, etc.… Continued →

An indie singer/songwriter by the name of Nightbirde, performed on America’s Got Talent last week earned her the coveted Golden Buzzer by none other than Simon Cowell himself. Nightbirde has been creating her own indie music for the past couple of years and overcame a terifying bout with cancer along with many bumps and bruises along the way to get where she is now. Make sure to follow her on Facebook here and watch the performance from last week, below.… Continued →

Synth, 80’s inspired pop-rock artist known as Teddy At Night, will return this year with his first official full length. He is currently working on LP1 with a recent behind the scenes studio shot. Teddy is a drummer by trade and has worked with bands like Family Force 5, Wavorly, and more recently with for KING & COUNTRY. He sings, writes the music, and plays on the Teddy at Night music making a concoction that can only be described as hypnotizing. There really isn’t anything much in current music like him.… Continued →

Winona Ave which is a new group featuring former members of Blank Pages, will drop their 12 song debut full length on June 25th. If you’ve heard any of the previous singles released over the past year then you are in for quite a ride. This is a lively collection of songs with singular focus of offering hope despite whatever circumstance you are in or curveball life throws at you. Read the press release below and pre-order the album at this link.… Continued →

I owned both the bands’ LP WBTF & EP back when I was in high school. I consider the band as thinking man’s music set to alt rock music & they had some minor hits back on Christian modern rock charts with Mudhouse, Ryan’s Driveway & Justified. The band would eventually reform as Model Engine. These lyrics always got me thinking & eludes to the yearning for Christian unity. The 5 Minute Walk record label (which I always thought was an outstanding label name) released the 2 albums along with music by Dime Store Prophets (whom I saw live), Mortal, The Electrics, amongst many others.… Continued →

Soulstice is a very obscure band that released one S/T LP in 2003 on Faithrunner Records. That’s about as much as I know about the band. They seem to be a blues tinged hard rock band. Finally was able to obtain a copy via Ebay after looking for many years. I saw them pop up on 2 online Christian indie rock radio shows back in the day playing the song Away & this rocking SOTD. … Continued →

Rock & Metal

• Empty Atlas – Dipping Vat Sessions (EP)
• Ocean Dark – Hope & Chaos

Pop & CCM

• Crowder – Milk & Honey
• Kai Neptune – ALL THE LOVE YOU’VE GIVEN (EP)
• Scott Riggan – Chapter Two: Simply Beautiful (Beautiful and Terrible) (EP)

Electronic & EDM

• Neon Beach – Takes Me Under (EP)

Folk & Singer/Songwriter

• Laura McElroy – Slow Medicine

Hip Hop & R&B

• Hunterdrinkswater – WEAPON
• JunSix – THE HOF SUMMER EP
• MainMain – Doggie Dog (EP)
• Meezilini Tha Messenger – Straight Outta Darkness
• Mike Teezy – Heat
• Not Klyde – Mastery Seven

Worship & Gospel

• As Isaac – Exodus: Chapter III (EP)
• The Fuzzy Robes – Night Prayers
• H.

… Continued →

Dakoda Motor Company was an awesome surf modern rock band that brought surf music to the 90s Christian rock scene imho. Guitarist Peter King even had a brief stint on MTV with its show Sandblast. The band had toured with several artists including Petra which I always thought was a weird matchup. This SOTD has always been my fave, but also check out Sondancer, Trip To Pain, All Good Generals & Railroad. I also included a live video of them performing Sondancer just because it’s cool to reminisce & wonder if they will come out with new music as they seem to be still playing shows.… Continued →

Those incredibly talented So. Cal. based pop-punk underground hit makers known as Mainsail, have returned as the band – Summer Years. A couple former members of Mainsail remain (Including Lead Vocalist Nick L.) along with some new talent and one can only guess at the sheer awesomeness that the sounds of Summer Years will contain. Follow them on Facebook here and stay tuned for their first single to drop. Also follow @summeryearsband on social media.… Continued →

What seemingly began as a solo project of sorts for Tommy Green of Sleeping Giant, HolyName is likely to become one of our music scene’s most important and dare I say, “influential”, acts in a long time. The music hits you in all the right spots, digging deep into the most hardened of hearts. The emotions swelling up between heavy, chugging guitars, thundering drum beats, and soft, soothing vocals building into this sort of adrenaline fueled, aggressive, and violent (sounding) worship music that you’ll never hear at a Church on Sunday morning.… Continued →

Undercover went through a ton of style changes during their extensive tenure as a band. Labeled as new wave, punk, rock & even gothic, the band had its humble beginnings as a 2nd generation Jesus music band (which I briefly mentioned in another SOTD review) associated with Calvary Chapel in the early 80s. Bandmates included a wide variety of musicians including Ojo Taylor, Ric Alba, Chuck Cummings whom all 3 would go on to other projects. I remember picking up the gothic tinged Balance Of Power at my local library back in the day & was amazed at what I heard.… Continued →

So I saw a video recently on an Christian punk rawk Facebook group of Crashdog on Jerry Springer where they sang their The Pursuit Of Happiness song & vocalist Spike Nard had to defend it to some church looking guy whom was talking smack about Spike being a Christian & playing that genre of music. This totally made me want to do a SOTD on them so check it out sometime as is great if you can find it. Gotta love the bagpipes in this song which is why I specifically chose this one.… Continued →

Rock & Metal

• 2 Minute Minor – A Goons’ Best Friend Till the Very End
• Death Therapy – Melancholy Machines
• Diamonds to Dust – Decisions (Instrumentals) (EP)

Pop & CCM

• May Angeles – Never Wanna Go Back
• Pat Barrett – Nothing/Something (Live) (EP)
• Riley Clemmons – Godsend

Electronic & EDM

• God’s Warrior – Divine Power

Folk & Singer/Songwriter Hip Hop & R&B

• CS LIT, Horre’ – Triple Double
• Gabriel – Summer Tapes
• J. Monty – Free Me
• JStu, Hyper Fenton – Summer’s Back
• KB – Best Kept Secret
• Kurtis Hoppie – Problem Child (EP)
• N!x

… Continued →

Brazilian Doomsday Hymn remind me of Sepultara or Soulfly for some reason with their 2015 Rottweiler Records release. This post is in anticipation of an upcoming possible new release as they teased 3 newer songs back in 2018/2019 respectively. Today’s SOTD & album name is a play on MENE, MENE, TEKEL, UPHARSIN from the book Of Daniel when the handwriting on the wall doomed Belshazzar’s kingdom that was about to be conquered by the Medes & Persians which also eludes to the band’s name. … Continued →

Rob Ray’s latest EP follows in the path of his latest release, Yours is the Day. And while the two EPs were written concurrently, much in the manner of say Thrice’s Alchemy Index, there’s certainly enough distinction between the two. Much like its predecessor, there are strong spiritual truths and three singles preceded release of the full EP. But Yours is the Night feels more quieted and barren. It’s not necessarily deeper or more solemn than its counterpart, but the stripped-back, acoustic-driven nature results in a mood akin to laying awake at night, restless ruminations coursing through your mind.… Continued →

The amazing thing about “Martha” from Bloodshed’s 1995 self-titled EP isn’t just how complex it is. Yes, it hits that sweet spot, distinctive of top-notch emo-core where the perfect balance of harsh and soft, noisy and melodic come together. It’s also not how mature the lyrics are. They’re inspired by a poem written by a young girl (the song’s namesake) during World War 2. It’s also not how proficient on the instruments the members were. The track features complex, angular riffing that wasn’t all that common in mid-90s hardcore, a mixture of clean singing and hardcore screaming.… Continued →

Excited to share this brand new song from Too Bad Eugene. This is their first single after stepping back in the spotlight after almost two decades away. I strongly believe it is one of their strongest songs ever released and a perfect reintroduction for both fans and new fans alike. Check out the song below and look for it on all digital networks on Friday.… Continued →

So this post marks my 100th for the site! Today’s SOTD features the newer band Lightworker from California & is great metalcore ballad that falls in the lines of TDWP: Louder Than Thunder, Underoath: Too Bright To See Too Loud to Hear & Fit For A king Skin & Bones. The song features the regular vocalist & also Laura McElroy who also sings for Comrades (a band that I’ve seen live). What if I faded away with no trace left behind? You’d only hear fading words to let you know I’m fine There’s no expectations, I’ll let go It’s all said and done with nothing left to show There’s nothing left to show Now this is all I have to give of myself With my hopes wearing thin Now this is all I have left in pieces But just enough to begin again Here I find myself retracing the steps of what could have been And I find myself reflecting on the moments I failed in I’m only unwanted, disconnected, bruised and jaded I’m only spare parts but this heart will revive and beat again Now that you’ve faded away there’s no trace left behind What’s left of these memories are frozen still in time … Continued →