Tag: song of the day

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It’s hard to believe it has been 10 years since the release of the first Close Your Eyes album on Victory Records – “We Will Overcome”. This album had a ton of great songs including this one called “The Body”, which is a favorite of mine and perfect for this Song of the Day post. Melodic hardcore and punk combine to make a furious blend of energetic singing and screaming all delivered in one healthy dose. “The Body” has inspiring lyrics and a solid message felt through the music.… Continued →

Lovers of traditional, old school death metal will know there is a significant lack of it coming from bands with a Christian worldview. The reasons for this are complex, and we won’t get into them here, except to say that it probably has something to do with the lyrical themes that often accompany their secular counterparts: death, gore, and the occult all being regular topics. Minnesota’s Crimson Thorn have often led the way in Christ-centered brutal death metal. Building on work from predecessors like Australia’s Mortification, CT got even heavier and unlike the boys from down under, Crimson Thorn didn’t dabble in other styles.… Continued →

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The song “Silent Streets” appears on the 2nd official (or 3rd if you’re keeping count) album from this punk/hardcore band out of Canada called “Every New Day“. It appeared on the album, “Even In The Darkest Places”. This song was unlike most I’d heard in the genre around that time period. END pieced together hardcore, punk rock, and hard rock to create an explosive mix. Elements of your favorite bands from the 00’s taken to a whole other level and with the sound quality/production most bands only dreamed about.… Continued →

Mad at the World has had a very interesting and diverse career as a band. They started out doing somewhat dark synth-pop on their self-titled debut (in the vein of Depeche Mode, New Order, Clan of Xymox), then added guitars to their new wave sound for Flowers in the Rain. By their third album, they ditched the synths and morphed into a full-fledged alternative rock band with metallic influences. This carried on for three albums (Seasons of Love, Boomerang, and Through the Forest).… Continued →

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After releasing last year’s opus Young in My Head, Starflyer 59 are already back. The veteran indie rock band have just released a new single, “This Recliner” and boy oh boy is it good! Fueled by inspiration from the best of his 80s new wave AND shoegaze influences (The Church, Psychedelic Furs, Jesus and Mary Chain, et. al.), the man truly knows how to write a pop song. Sometimes I think his skill lies in brevity. Rather than dragging stuff out, founder Jason Martin always leaves you wanting just a little bit more.… Continued →

When Extol’s first album came out in 1998, the Christian hard music scene had been dominated by hardcore and the then-developing metalcore sound. This was being spearheaded prominently by labels like Solid State Records (a division of Tooth & Nail), and Facedown Records. Enter Norway’s Extol. No one quite knew what to do with them. Sure, there was still an active underground metal scene, but Solid State had not signed any heavy metal bands yet–only hardcore bands that dabbled in metal. But Burialwas a full-on heavy metal cacophony, bridging subgenres–progressive, black, thrash and death metal–often within one song.… Continued →

As has been the case of late, I am doing a great deal of write ups on little known songs/releases and this one is no exception to that rule. This is one of the better Off The Record songs from their mostly unheard final EP in 2004 titled “Nothing New”. Nothing New was released in 2004 on a west coast punk label called New School Records. The label released albums by 7-10 Split, Off The Record, Twenty2, Not Long After, No Trigger, among many others.… Continued →

While metallic industrial became the dominant form of industrial music in the mid 90s and beyond, it was the dancier stuff that held my attention better. I liked the heavier stuff too (Circle of Dust, Mortal, Generation) because it gave a new spin on metal, but after the while the genre seemed to blend into one. Industrial-dance, or electro as it’s sometimes called (not to be confused with the hip-hop/funk genre from the 1980s) combined harsh vocals and samples with danceable beats into something altogether different.… Continued →

SoCal hardcore band Point of Recognition (or Point of Wreckinthangs as they were affectionately known by fans) released 3 full-lengths, an EP and a pair of split releases before disbanding in the mid-2000s. Members popped up elsewhere in the scene, but the band’s existence was sadly short. Nonetheless, their impact was felt strongly in both the Christian and secular hardcore scenes. Playing a heavy form of “new school” or “tough guy” hardcore, they stuck close to their roots, not following into the more and more metal-influenced versions of hardcore that were developing rapidly around them.… Continued →

"And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him." - Mark 16:6

This Easter Sunday is unlike anything our generation has ever faced. Most of us are in quarantine, secluded to our homes and celebrating a momentous occasion from the comfort of our arm chairs. No standard Easter Services, no fellowship in person, and no Sunday school. This is an unprecedented week, month, and year in our histories that is being literally written before our eyes. Despite the seclusion, despite the dreariness and loneliness for millions we all know there is an answer. An unrelenting, purposeful Love through our savior, Jesus.… Continued →

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16 (warning: graphic video)

"Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, let this blest assurance control, that Christ has regarded my helpless estate, and hath shed His own blood for my soul."

"Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace."

You’re probably tired of hearing it, but these are strange times we’re living in. How could any of us have been prepared for the reality in which we find ourselves? I don’t know about you but I’ve read a lot of dystopian fiction and watched a ton of post-apocalyptic films. Neither of them are all that helpful in our current scenario. But you know what is helpful? Hope. Friendship. Solidarity. Though the song touches on a depressing topic, it is ultimately these themes that emerge. Listen to the urgency with which Steve Taylor croons: If it all comes true And our dreams fall like bombs from the blue Oh!… Continued →

I loved Spoken from the moment their 3rd record dropped “Echoes of the Spirit Still Dwell”. The minute I heard this song, “Promise”, from the album “Moment of Imperfect Clarity”, I couldn’t shake my Spoken fandom. This band and their music came out at the perfect time post-9/11. It was uplifting, positive, and the songs were incredibly addictive in melodies. The Used, Story of the Year, Senses Fail, and Blindside all would have made perfect tour mates during this time period. The song “Promise” was really an inspirational song, one that felt like a warm pat on the back and an embrace when you feel broken and miserable.… Continued →

Ok, yes I know, I am incredibly biased toward the music and sound of Five Iron Frenzy. They are high up on my list of “favorite bands” and I hold their songs close to my heart. I was browsing Instagram this morning and saw a couple of fans cover this song in their own unique way as seen on the FIF page and I had to bust this track out from the dusty bins of my fragile mind. It’s a beautiful song in and of itself.… Continued →

Do you like playlists comprised of multiple genres featuring songs that span several decades? Yeah, maybe this was a bad idea but it’s too late now! I’ve compiled a playlist of all Song of the Day picks from our staff since we started the feature last summer. Well not all. There were at least dozen or so songs I couldn’t find on Spotify. But there is still over 5 hours worth of songs here if you fancy yourself a genre Renaissance man. … Continued →

If you’ve been following my new release lists closely you may have noticed one artist has been in every list this year. Poor Bishop Hooper is Jesse and Leah Roberts and they’ve been busy working on a new project called EveryPsalm. Over the course of the next three years Poor Bishop Hooper will release a new song inspired by a psalm every week until all 150 psalms have been covered. That’s some dedication! Tomorrow the band will be releasing Psalm 12, but in the meantime I’d like to share one of my favorites from the songs they’ve released so far this year, Psalm 10.… Continued →

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2 Timothy 1:7

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." - Romans 12:2

Along with L.S.U. and the Altar Boys, another band that was really influential in getting me into alternative music (as opposed to straight metal and thrash of my teenage years) was Breakfast with Amy. Their debut album had enough punk rock influence to appeal to that side of me that wanted noise and aggression, but there was more to their sound than just loud, fast, and angry. There were also these weird, angular, noisy expressions and interesting metaphors about the faith that I wasn’t hearing anywhere else.… Continued →

Though a fantastic classic/doom metal band, Chicago’s Trouble were always slightly confusing. They often used Christian imagery, biblically-themed lyrics, and somewhat uncharacteristically for doom metal–a positive outlook. Take this ballad from their 1990 self-titled album: Please, take His hand The time has come to learn Please, take my hand Let me take you to learn And yet, the band played almost exclusively secular venues with other secular artists, and depending on which band members you talked to, they seemed to distance themselves from the “Christian” tag.… Continued →

Zao had already made a name for themselves, working up from the underground, with a 7″, cassette demo(s) and 2 full-lengths. They were quickly becoming known for taking hardcore in a new direction. I remember a friend telling me that although he loved the riffs on their sophomore effort Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation, he also found them really hard to dance to. With the third album, they would push the metallic limits of hardcore even further. From those opening riffs you knew this was going to be something special.… Continued →

We now approach the 20th anniversary of this now classic punk rock split release between 1 huge fan favorite band – Dogwood, and 1 lesser known, extremely underrated melodic “new school punk” band, Incomplete. I’m left feeling sentimental just looking at the simple artwork and being reminded of two extremely important bands of my youth. I first discovered Incomplete while in High School. I don’t remember who passed a demo to me but I held on to it tightly and followed the band right into “I’m Your Biggest Fan Vol.… Continued →

HEAVY METAL, Dudes! Despite popular opinions and clearly showing my lack of “scene cred”, I instantly connected with The Showdown “Temptation Come My Way” album back in 2007/2008 and haven’t changed my opinion since. David’s grit-filled voice is front and center just the way a good heavy metal band should be on the song, “We Die Young”. Well produced and placed instrumentation, with soaring vocal harmonies that really take this album completely over the top. It’s like that perfect combo of 80’s hard rock meets metal and 90’s era Metallica (Black album), solos and everything.… Continued →