Tag: hard rock

This rarity band appears to have come from Ohio. I have not found much on them, but on the Christian Tape Underground site. This SOTD comes from a HM Magazine compilation. I know they also have a song called I Cried. Their music is of the hard rock genre & have been compared to Saint & Messiah Prophet. And  this post is dedicated to my stepdaughter Alissa who is having a birthday today! And be sure to check out my website www.castingsuchathinshadow.com and my Ripper Radio show that airs on Sundays 5-6 pm EST.… Continued →

Pioneers of the early Christian metal scene, Daniel Band formed in 1979 in Toronto, Canada. Along with Resurrection Band, they were one of the first band to fuse true hard rock with faith-filled fervor and lyrics. The band’s sound often rode the line between hard rock and traditional heavy metal, much like secular artists Kiss, Van Halen, and AC/DC. They released 5 albums between 1982 and 1988, with a live album in 2001 and a handful of re-issues. Though they haven’t released any new material since the 80s, the band have played a scattering of live shows, including appearances at Ohio’s Immortal Fest as recent as 2024, and they are scheduled again to play Part 2 of the festival this August!… Continued →

Demon Hunter is heading out on the “There Was a Light Here Tour” with War of Ages, Convictions, and Cultist. Dates and info right here . Demon Hunter just released the song “Sorry Light The Way” and you can watch the music video below.… Continued →

After going out of print with its 150th issue in early 2012, Heaven’s Metal (HM) Magazine has returned with a 40th Anniversary special edition. Editor Doug Van Pelt was discussing print options with his friend Anthony Gober of Anchor Merchandising, who wanted to print a program for the upcoming two-weekend Immortal Festival events this summer (July 25-27 & August 29-31). One thing led to another, and Van Pelt volunteered to take on the whole project when he proposed, “Why don’t we make the festival program a legitimate 40th anniversary issue of Heaven’s Metal Magazine?”… Continued →

Everyone’s favorite nautically-themed hard rock band, Rusty Shipp, are set to release their latest marine-inspired offering, Capsized Empire to digital outlets this Friday (06/27). The album addresses the Problem of Evil from a philosophical standpoint–you know, standard, lightweight indie rock material (/sarcasm). In true Rusty Shipp form, the album follows a storyline, all of which will be included in the liner notes. Order from the band’s website here: rustyshipp.com… Continued →

Long running metal band DEMON HUNTER, surprises the world with the perfect new song for summer titled “I’m Done”. This song from the legendary head bangers is classic Demon Hunter in action and just sounds incredible. Check out the music video below here on our website. Put those love sign hands up and bang those heads to the metal goodness.… Continued →

Along with the 80s alternative rock bands like U2, Midnight Oil, The Alarm, and Simple Minds, King’s X were the ultimate “Christians in a band” scenario. Despite numerous Christian labels and festivals trying to get the band on board, they always felt their audience was much wider. And yet, their lyrics always hinted at faith in bountiful ways. Musically, the band often functioned as a ‘band’s band.’ They were praised and recognized by members of Pearl Jam, and tons of others as an influence. They played a strange mix of classic rock, funk, heavy metal, and alternative in a unique concoction of progressive metal that predated genres like grunge, alternative metal and even post metal.… Continued →

Hey guys, there’s been a few new albums and other notable news that’s dropped lately, so I thought I’d just share a few with a couple thoughts, and maybe introduce a few new bands to you that you haven’t had the chance to check out yet as well. Sorry if there’s 1 or 2 that were recently posted, just take them twice as serious.   1. We’ve got the new/renewed album, “Nevertake” by Anberlin. This album is a recreation of Never Take Friendship Personal, only this time with Matty Mullins on the mic.… Continued →

Magdalene Rose, formerly of Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh, has dropped a new single titled, “Hey, At Least I’m Feeling Something”.  Check it out below! The track is pretty eclectic, featuring heavy guitars, some easycore/pop-punk feeling moments. This coupled with Maggie’s melodic, yet driving vocals make for an audible one-two punch sure to please long-time fans while garnering some new ones in the process. But the heart of the song is found in the lyrics, which deal with the heavy subject of cutting. Very well crafted songwriting for such a weighty subject matter.… Continued →

This is not a drill, Blindside are set to drop their first single, since July of 2019 this Friday!!! The new single, titled “Dead Weight”, sounds like it will be everything fans of the band have loved them for over the years. Who’s psyched to get some new Blindside??? https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1YzPgv5Wyf/?mibextid=oFDknk… Continued →

We continue our series in February of focusing on contributions to the Christian independent music scene from our black brothers and sisters for Black History Month. While heavy metal, and especially this form of ‘glam metal’ was dominated by people whose skin color resembles mine, Seventh Seal stood out from the crowd. They were a commercial metal band from Palmdale, California whose 5 members were all African American. Seventh Seal was truly an anomaly in this regard. While there are other heavy metal bands with black members, I can’t think of any others where the entire band was made up of black members *and* who played in this particular style.… Continued →

For 33 years, Sonny Sandoval has been the front man for P.O.D. The band hardly requires introductions, having been highly successful band in both Christian and secular music. Known for a highly energetic live show and an eclectic sound that ranges from reggae to hard rock to nu metal to hardcore, the band has surely set their feet on more than enough stages around the world, that Sonny surely has an immense trove of tales to tell.   Well, the wait to hear some of these tales will not last much longer.… Continued →

To Speak Of Wolves have posted a couple new shirts as well as news that at the start of March, they’re heading back into the studio to get to work on their new ep. This will be the band’s first release since 2017’s “Dead In Shadow” on Solid State Records. Who’s up for new music from these guys??… Continued →

The artist known as Ben S Dixon a multi instrumentalist and songwriter from the Northern Virginia area, just dropped his intense and heavy new song “Moths & Rust” which based off the verses in Matthew 6: 19-21. This has a really incredible sound and I was expecting it upon first listen. The song also features Nate Parrish which is always a good thing, right? Check out the track below and listen/stream wherever you get your music. (The lyrics are also on the YouTube video page so be to visit and check those out).… Continued →

Looking back, I feel like 2024 was a fairly average year for music. It had it’s ups and downs, a few surprises here and there, but all in all, I feel like the albums that show up on my year-end list are going to be ones that I’ll be listening to and enjoying for many years to come. So kick back, take a look, and drop your thoughts in the comments. Here’s looking forward to 2025!!!     1. Poppy – Negative Spaces I heard of Poppy in passing for a few yrs now, but knew she was more of a pop artist.… Continued →

When Applehead surfaced, sole member Greg Minier had already cut his teeth as axe-slinger in highly respected crossover thrash outfit The Crucified, and put out a one-off EP (as a solo project) of more straight-forward thrash under the simply-named Minier. Just as The Crucified was ending, the guitarist changed directions considerably and recorded a full-length album of grunge/alternative metal under the band name Applehead. In fact, the project’s debut album Meaning was one of the most authentic attempts at grunge in the Christian market. The album hit hard not only musically but lyrically as well, tackling subjects like alcohol abuse, struggles with sin, devotional inconsistency, and as the album title suggested, the search for meaning in life found via hope in the Creator.… Continued →

Blessed By a Broken Heart have either released (according to their instagram) or about to release a NEW SONG. This one is titled “Back From The Dead” which should be a hint of what’s to come? Check it out on all digital networks as soon as it goes live. More info on the band here: https://linktr.ee/bbabh… Continued →

Letter Kills have returned with a brand new song titled “Closer” that is some of the best music they’ve ever written together. Check out the music video for the track below this post and you can stream/download the song now wherever you get your music. I can’t wait to hear the rest of the new stuff because if this is any indication of what’s to come, we are in for a mind blowing listening experience.… Continued →

I’ve been following this band for several years now. This Beatles cover has found it way onto mainstream charts & as of the time of this writing (24 July 2024) is sitting at 65/100 which isn’t too bad for one of the first concept progressive hard rock “Christian” bands to have made it this far. Check out their whole catalog that goes back to 2001.   … Continued →

Stryper are back and in a big way with their new lead single, “End of Days”. You can check out the song below which is available now on all digital networks and streaming sites. The band just recently released their acoustic record “To Hell With The Amps” that sounds quite amazing I must say. Give this new song a listen. The band also just revealed that they will embark on a 40th anniversary tour this September!… Continued →

In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Demon Hunter’s sophomore album “Summer Of Darkness” which is heralded as a classic among fans and peers alike, is getting the vinyl re-release treatment. Not only are there 4 different color variants but you also get this: “IT’S HERE. Summer Of Darkness on 2xLP vinyl. 20-page large format booklet w/ extensive liner notes by Ryan Clark, 24×24 foldout poster, silver metallic ink throughout. 4 color variants, each limited to 500. DemonHunterStore.com” So pick up your copy from either the DemonHunterstore.com… Continued →

Islander are following up their last few singles leading up to the new album “Grammy Nominated” due out June 28th with this brand new track “What a Time To Be Alive” which is rich in sound and melodies. This is definitely a great sounding song and I think a lot of you will dig it. Check out the music video below and comment with your thoughts.… Continued →

A really great band by the name of Collision of Innocence just unleashed their new brooding yet inspiring and altogether heavy, rock track titled “Silence” and you can listen to it below this post. What do you think of this band and their new music?… Continued →

Demon Hunter just dropped a surprise single last week titled “Black Stained Glass” that’s more on the somber, moody side which is certainly not a bad thing at all. This song sounds great even in simplicity, and Ryan’s vocals are top notch. Check out the lyric video for the song right here on our site, below.… Continued →

Truth be told, heavy metal was my entry point into any kind of independent Christian music. I mean, I started out on Petra, Amy Grant, and Russ Taff as a young teenager, but it wasn’t long before Jerusalem, Whitecross, and Sacred Warrior were taking up my listening space. One of the pioneers of Christian metal was Swedish band Leviticus. The band formed in 1981 in the town of Skövde. They recorded 4 albums, plus an alternative/Swedish language version of their debut, before breaking up in the early 90s.… Continued →

Lightworker just dropped another new track that’s hot like the sun and fiery like the depths of…well a bowl of carolina reapers! It’s a really great sounding song with unrelenting passion and melodic singing parts that keep you entertained throughout the length of the track. They really do remind me a little of Howard led Killswitch Engage which is a good thing because Joe Calderon is an insanely talented lead vocalist and screamer. These guys have a bright future with the release of “How The Beautiful Decay” (Out April 19th) and beyond.… Continued →

While much of the music we cover here has its origins–or at least its influence–in the music scenes that developed in the 80s and 90s, there was independent Christian music long before that. I won’t get on that soapbox once again, as I’ve written about it multiple times elsewhere. All I’ll add for now is that there was some incredible and influential faith-oriented music in the 1970s. One such act was Louisville-based quartet Kristyl. The band only released one album, 1975’s eponymous full-length, and then disappeared.… Continued →

Lightworker return with their first new song in several years. The song is titled “First Light” and it’ll be appearing on the band’s new album “How The Beautiful Decay” which is out April 19th on Solid State Records. Imagine a Howard Jones led Killswitch Engage crossing paths with For Today, Phinehas, and Bleeding Through but even more spectacular. This band shows real promise and potential and I can’t wait to hear what album number 2 sounds like. Check out the music video for the song right here at IVM, below.… Continued →

Check out this brand new track from Spoken titled “Sleeper” that features none other than Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter fame. The song is now available on all digital networks and streaming sites. Check out the song below.… Continued →

Facedown Records is proud to announce that indie darlings, Meadows, are dropping their brand new, full length record on March 29th. The album is titled “Familiar With Pain” and the first 2 singles have just been released. You can pre-order this huge album over on the Facedown store site here to grab the vinyl, and other Meadows merch. The Red vinyl is limited to just 300 copies fyi. Read more about the new album and listen to “Old Friend, New Leaf, below.… Continued →