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There are so many different types of Living Sacrifice fans. People who started listening from the beginning, and those who joined somewhere along the way. Fans who praise their experimental phase, those who prefer the -core era, and those who swear by the traditional metal era. Heck, I even know one guy who claims they only released one album (he’s a thrash fan), and all the others were recorded by imposters! The band has certainly seen a number of different phases, most easily broken down into two main categories (metal and -core) with a few other splinters.… Continued →

Raspberry Jam is one of the earliest Christian alternative rock bands when alternative was such a genre. Heard their music through an indie rock station out of Springfield, MO while I was visiting fiends back in the early-mid 90s. This same station is where I discovered other greats such as Cloud2Ground, The Violet Burning & The Prayer Chain (the later 2 who evolved from the same southern California scene as Raspberry).  The band released and EP & 3 LPs before disbanding. Released on Metro One Records in 1993 (the same label who brought us Spoken & Precious Death), the 3rd release Chi-Ro was an alternative rock/funk hybrid with 2 vocalists: Phillip Kim & Angel Short.… Continued →

Scales of Motion’s latest release was eerily-prophetic. It’s a song strewn with gnomic phrases like “This whole year has been one long November”. Stylistically, it feels like a classic emo song, reminiscent of Mineral or early Cool Hand Luke. Check it out below. Hard Rains by Scales of Motion Lyrics: Take me down to the edge of the river To watch the banks be reshaped as it flows. When I was young, all of life was a blanket. Now I sleep shivering in the cold. There will come hard rains, And they may wash away The things you thought you’d always know.… Continued →

Reflescent Tide is one of the first Christian rock bands I heard of way back in the mid 90s. There was a college show out of the University of Illinois that had a DJ that would play all kinds of music I had never heard of. The 3 piece band out of Canada had a 2 cd career. Their follow up actually had a music video which is grainy on YouTube They do not look like rock stars akin to most music released at the time.… Continued →

Michael Bridges, a long time member of our Christian Music and Rock Scene has embarked on a journey to release a special docuseries all about his involvement in the scene, where its gone, and and what is has meant to him. Sure to be shocking, compelling, and altogether interesting. Check out the trailer below and view the special gofundme to help get this project off the ground, right here. This really reminds me of an Anthony Bourdain (RIP) style series in the most honest way and it definitely has my interest.… Continued →

Winona Avenue have jumped into the Christmas season with their own original pop-rock song, “December Night”. Check out the really cool music video for the song, below. “December Night” is available now on all digital networks and streaming sites.… Continued →

So this post is my response to one of my fave 90’s bands. TVB is imho a cross between The Smashing Pumpkins, The Prayer Chain & alternative worship music. Michael Pritzl’s voice & lyrics are a stark example of what made worship music exciting & caused at least listeners like me to think of our Savior & want to lift my hands & heart in worship. (Check out my fave song by them The Only One.) TVB is one of a few bands in my collection that I have collected most, if not all, their music.… Continued →

Rock & Metal

• Andrew Stanton – Entrance Music
• Boiling Point – Come All You Weary
• Diamonds to Dust – Decisions (EP)
• Fallstar – King Lazer
• Fight The Fade – In Love. in Hope. in Peace. (Deluxe)
• Neal Morse – Jesus Christ the Exorcist (Live at Morsefest 2018)
• Phil Keaggy – Keaggy, Blazier & Lunn (An American Garage Band)
• They Came Running – Movement 1: Dawn – They Came Running (EP)
• Two Dimensional – Superman // Between You & Me
• Winona Avenue – December Night

Pop & CCM

• Drew Poole – I Love You I Love You
• Emily Brimlow – Nickel
• Freedom Heart – Lost and Broken
• Grace Graber – Heart For Me
• The Gray Havens – See You Again / / Autumn Sessions
• Heart + Soul, Vito Vasquez – Made In Heaven
• I AM THEY – I AM They Song Session
• joan – partly cloudy (EP)
• Joe Bae, Philip Shibata – Unravel
• Joseph – NYE (Violents Remix)
• Kios – Stay With Me (EP)
• More Than Rubies – Forgiveness
• Mountaintops – Wherever I Go (Ambient Version)
• Paul Cardall, Thompson Square – My Heart Beats for You
• Pyramid Park, Andy Lowe – Day and Night (Andy Lowe Remix)
• Timothy Li – Leaving

Electronic

• Chris Howland – Dive In
• Jack Izaak – I Have A Dream
• LEVV – I Am (Loving Awareness Mix)

Folk & Singer/Songwriter

• Cory Breth – Tangerine Sunsets
• The Dailys – Fill This Cup
• Jon Foreman – Love (EP)
• The Pharaoh Sisters – In Distress
• Praytell – Come Whatever
• Ray Nugent – Take a Drink
• Whale Bones – Sow Your Heart in Me

Hip Hop & R&B

• Aklesso – My Life is a Beautiful Mess
• Andy Mineo – Happy Thoughts (EP)
• Antoine Bradford – Seasons Change
• Cellus Hamilton, BlessThePen, Trubl3 – The Row Men
• Dillon Chase – Every Piece Matters
• Flame – Oh Yeah (Original Radio Edit)
• Guvna B, Madison Ryann Ward – Watching over Us
• I-Von – Hands to the Plow
• Jon Keith – Rose
• Jude.

… Continued →

No Lost Cause just dropped a new version of “Hope For The Hopeless” featuring smooth, warm, and well placed horn parts throughout. This is the best that No Lost Cause has ever sounded. The song will appear on the upcoming album, “Take 2” which will release on Thumper Punk Records next year. You can download this song, just click the description on the YouTube video. For Fans of The O.C. Supertones, Five Iron Frenzy Suburban Legends, The Insyderz, Goldfinger, Reel Big Fish, etc.… Continued →

Splits seem increasingly-rare; indeed, in a single-friendly, me-first musical culture, artists collaborating in mutual benefit is undeniably counter-cultural (as a side, it’s odd something even so simple seems adverse to some). But splits live on, if only solely as a remnant of DIY punk culture. There’s a raw, communal, anti-corporate element here. “We’re in this together,” the unspoken message goes. And there’s certainly plenty of community at play on this latest collaboration between Make Sure and Ezekiel Songs – the split includes one new song per artist, as well as a cover of the other artist’s tracks.… Continued →

Don’t you hate it when an amazing band releases one stellar album and then disappears off the map leaving virtually no trace whatsoever? That’s more or less what happened to Minnesota’s The Swoon. This intelligent, artsy, literate (one of the band’s song titles is a Dante reference) band made up one third of Christian jangle-pop’s ‘holy trinity’ (also including The Throes and The Walk). Their debut album was released on Narrowpath Records, in conjunction with Refuge (the obscure indie label also released such classics as debuts by Breakfast with Amy and The Crucified), and was made up of two earlier cassette-only demos, ben son, ben son Beatrice and Neverland, the latter of which was produced by Charlie Peacock.… Continued →

Put simply, The Harrow is an album of parables. No, you won’t need a dictionary, nor are any of the sentiments too obtuse. The central narrative instead rests in simplicity; an earthy barrenness meets dirty hands resulting in what can only be described as common man’s praise. Where others would opt for sprawling pedal boards and tireless crescendos, Wade Walker chooses a subtler option: vulnerable, poetic, alt-country worship without all of the glitz. Walker’s sophomore release is undeniably folkier than its predecessor, but what it lacks in percussion, it makes up for in craftsmanship.… Continued →

Listen: Amazon Music | Apple Music | Bandcamp |  Spotify | YouTube Music Lyrics: … Continued →

I know it’s not Christmas yet, but in the spirit of the season, Shawn Browning’s Rottweiler Records released their yearly Christmas compilation back on November 24, 2020. I remember seeing various Facebook posts about the upcoming project & is up on Rottweiler’s Bandcamp page. Consisting of 20 songs, this comp is sure to satisfy most hard subgenre lovers. The lead track For Unto Us is Malaysian band Shamash who actually released their first EP recently. Coming in on track 2 is progressive rockers Mawcore (formerly known as Blushing Well) with vocalist Joshua Redding who is pretty active on social media so it was nice seeing them here.… Continued →

Rock & Metal

• Anberlin – We Are the Lost Ones
• Brotality – Prisoners of The Abyss
• Heliocentric – Never Again
• Killdevil Theory – Die Another Day
• The Midnight Wedding – Enforcers
• Talkie – anna

Pop & CCM

• Alyssa Jordan – I’m With You
• Beach Chapel – Jerusalem
• The Brilliance – Tell Me I’m Dreaming
• Chasing Daylight – Heartbreak
• Common Courier – Let Go
• I AM THEY – Scars (Acoustic)
• I AM THEY – Tremble Acoustic
• J.Prosper – Never Let Go
• JJ Heller – I Have Enough
• John Gabriel Arends – God Is Moving Like a River
• Josh Sellers – All in My Head
• Shana|Lana – Goodbye Babylon
• Tom Read – Stabal Session (Live)

Electronic

• LoudWorship, Swedish Revolution, Retro Mars – You Say (Lauren Daigle Version)
• Trampolines – The Blessing

Folk & Singer/Songwriter

• hadassa morais – Love Letters
• Jon Foreman – Doubt (EP)
• Jonathan Gabriel Masters – Park
• Karissa Frampton – Memos
• TJ Harris – Walk Love

Hip Hop & R&B

• Adriel Cruz – Punk (EP)
• Bryann T – Kingdom Muzic Family: The Remnant
• Courtney B – The Evolution of Courtney B
• davecreates – Ascension
• Hyper Fenton – Darkest Hour
• IMRSQD – Fox Glacier (EP)
• Jalen Williams – Thank God, Show Love
• Jekasole, Scootie Wop – N Luv
• JohnLion.,

… Continued →

Underground hip-hop leaders Illect Recordings (home of Sivion, Terem, James Gardin and many others) are running holiday sales currently on physical merch (12″ Vinyl, 7″ Vinyl, CDs, Cassette Tapes & more). A few new items are included in addition to a couple re-stocks. There are also pre-orders, from tomorrow, for the Sivion x DertBeats Vinyl LP. Stock is expected to arrive in a few weeks from Europe. The official release date will be 6-8 weeks later but fans who pre-order the vinyl will be the first to have it.… Continued →

From the opening riffs of opener “Armadillo”, you know this is going to be something interesting—dual harmonic guitar riffs in fuzzy tones. Vocals reflect Markham’s alt country background, but this is clearly a rock record. His bio claims he was trying to return to the hard rock and heavy metal that made him happy as a child, and while that is certainly a tangible presence, it’s filtered through his alternative consciousness. It’s like the rock era of Starflyer 59 where they essentially wrote doom metal riffs but set them into the context of shoegaze songs.… Continued →

Earlier this year I shared a list of the best albums of 2020 so far from A to Z. Now I’m back to share my list of the best songs of 2020 from A to Z! Once again the letters Q, X, and Z gave me some trouble but I was still able to put together a great list of songs for you. Be sure and check out the playlist of all the songs and runners-up at the bottom!… Continued →

There’s a recurring debate about who the first Christian rocker was. It’s very often touted that Larry Norman was the “godfather of Christian rock.” And if we mean by that that he was the first artist to really capture the essence of the genre with a wide influence, you’d have a pretty decent argument. However, if we’re talking about who was first, it wasn’t him. Not by a long shot. Larry’s first Gospel album dropped in 1969, after an impactful encounter with the Holy Spirit led him away from a substantial career in famed rock group People!… Continued →

This is a big year not only for music, anniversaries, but also Indie Vision Music in general. Yes, my friends, this year is the 20th Anniversary of the website/store/label and everything IVM means to me. I thought of a few different things I could do for the anniversary but due to time constraints and well, this pandemic which has completely changed EVERYTHING about our daily lives, I decided to keep it simple. I have put together this little write up on what I consider to be 20 of my favorite albums of that monumental year in music history.… Continued →

Continuing with the (former) IVM band news is a sweet little drum cover of “Broken Youth” (Homeplate) by Paul Hyde of the band Grandpa Loves Rhinos. Check out the drum cover below this post. Grandpa Loves Rhinos “Searching in the Sarchasm” and Homeplate “Derby City” EP available now from your digital network of choice and on CD.… Continued →

The pop-punk duo known as “Homeplate” are returning after just a few months from the release of their incredible debut EP, “Derby City”, to record MORE NEW MUSIC. That’s right friends, the guys will reconvene in the studio soon to lay down some new tracks for another EP. If you enjoyed “Derby City” as much as I did, you’re in for a real treat. No word yet on whether a label will pick these guys up and release future tunes but stay tuned. For now, pick up Derby City EP on CD from IVM or your favorite digital network.… Continued →

A classic Tooth & Nail pop-punk band, Hangnail, that everyone will claim is an underrated band who definitely should have been “bigger” (whatever that means) in their time is seeing a most triumphant return to the music realm. With hands held high in applause, we welcome these posi-pop-punk gentlemen back and we welcome their brand of uplifting, spiritual punk rock with our arms wide open (cheesy Creed pun, sorry). You can pick up or stream “Christmas Hymns” on your favorite Digital Network, December 4th, through long time label home, Tooth & Nail Records.… Continued →

Listen: Amazon Music | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Lyrics:… Continued →

Rock & Metal

• Awaken – The Veil
• CHPTRS – When You Came Along
• CLOUDLAND – Lights
• Faintheart – Growing Pains (EP)
• Kevin Max – Revisiting This Planet
• The Lasting Hope – Lead Me
• Mike Mains & The Branches – Briggs (Cinematic Version)
• No Lost Cause – Hope For The Hopeless (2020 Version)
• The Reversalist – Falling Embers
• VERIDIA – Crushed Velvet
• Weathered – Everything All at Once

Pop & CCM

• 21:03 – Never Let Me Down
• Bien – Megaphone
• Cristabelle Braden – My Story Now (Lo-Fi Remix)
• Daulton Hopkins – I Melt With You
• DC Talk – Trying to Find A Life
• Feikje Douwina – This Time (EP)
• Gabriel Conte – Belong
• Jacob Hilton – A Voice Shouting (Féz Remix)
• Jessica Love – Stronger
• JJ Weeks Band – JJ Weeks Band
• John Michael Howell, Ashylnn Rose – You Will Love Again
• Jordan St.

… Continued →

British Christian reggae artist Ben Okafor was born in Nigeria. Experiencing life as a victim of the Nigerian civil war, and even serving temporarily as a child soldier, Okafor was able to relocate to England in the late 70s where he began a career as a reggae artist. His early works were even produced by Bob Lamb (UB40). Musically, Ben’s music has always had an interesting mix of influences from traditional roots reggae (Ben’s clean guitar playing is noted throughout his lengthy discography) to lovers rock (AKA pop-reggae), but also including folk and world elements–all of which are impacted by his diverse cultural and geographical background.… Continued →

Listen: Amazon Music | Bandcamp | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Lyrics:… Continued →

Listen: Amazon Music | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Lyrics:… Continued →

Listen: Amazon Music | Apple Music | Spotify | YouTube Music Lyrics:… Continued →

Love and Death are back after a more than 8 year break, with a brand new song titled “Down”. Check out the lyric video for this explosive new track, below. The new album “Perfectly Preserved” is out in February12th, 2021 via Earache Records. For the low down on track list, guests, pre-orders, and more, see the feature on Alt Press here.… Continued →