Author: Loyd Harp

Possession was a thrash metal band (with speed metal, black metal and death metal tendencies) from Kansas. They released one full-length album and 2 EPs in the mid-90s (as well as a 2-disc compilation of all recordings in 2020), and despite their innovative, genre-bending sound, managed to stay very underground. To evade a controversy with secular metal label Metal Merchant–and some alleged wrongdoing on the part of the label–Possession self-released their recordings, to much critical acclaim but to no commercial success. Ironically, what made them a listener’s and critic’s favorite, yet kept them in the underground, was precisely their unique take on extreme metal.… Continued →

This top-notch emo band came to us from Florida (members called both Tallahassee and Orlando home). They released two singles and two full-length albums in the short span between their formation in 1999, and calling it quits in 2006. But that’s not the full story. Forever Changed stood out from the seemingly limitless pack of faith-based emo bands in the late 90s/early 00s, in a number of ways. They were incredibly musical–complex arrangements, fitting production, and capable instrumentation. And their lyrics/songwriting skills matched the music. They were open and bold in expressing their faith, but achieved the rare feat of not sounding trite, preachy, or platitudinous.… Continued →

I’ve been a fan of Starflyer 59 since the affectionately titled “Silver” (officially self-titled) released in 1994. So when offered the chance to interview Jason Martin in advance of their new album Lust for Gold, I jumped at the chance. Always known for being brief in interviews, he still managed to be substantial in his correspondence. LH: The response to the new single “909” has been incredible so far, with many people commenting how the sound hearkens back to 90s-era SF59 with the later style of vocals.… Continued →

Legendary hardcore band Focal Point, from Northern California, is well-known not so much for the music they created (tragically), but for the groups that had their origin in the quintet. Training for Utopia, Demon Hunter, Nyves, and Low and Behold all trace their origins back to Focal Point at least in part. As important as those connections are, it’s a shame that too few actually remember the music of Focal Point, as it’s probably my favorite of all the aforementioned. They arrived on the scene late in the “new school hardcore” movement of the early 90s as hardcore was becomingly increasingly more metallic, and yet hadn’t fully shifted into metalcore, which would happen a year or two after Suffering of the Masses dropped.… Continued →

Resurrected Divinity Lycanthropy II (Broken Curfew Records) For the uninitiated, Lycanthropy II is essentially a deluxe reissue of the Lycanthropy 4-song EP, but with an additional 5 bonus tracks extending the release to a full-length. Several of the bonus tracks are covers from a wide variety of bands, making this an interesting album all the way around. The album wastes no time getting started. “Suffer With” comes right out of the gate with blastbeats and growls. No lengthy intros needed here. This is old-fashioned death/grind here with lots of tempo changes—alternating superfast blastbeats with slowed-down sludge riffs, and then occasionally incorporating both into a singular section by taking the rhythm section double-time.… Continued →

One of the elders of the Christian indie scene, John J. Thompson, has written a new book. Ballad of the Lost Dogs of East Nashville will be the third title from the author, and his first as a novel. Thompson had this to say about the book: This story is about how music brings a diverse community of characters together – after some profound personal and community tragedies – to accomplish something miraculous when they least expect it. It’s based upon people I have known and pieces of stories I have heard, and is set right here in the community I have called home for over 17 years.… Continued →

Most of us first heard sintax.the.terrific as a member of hip-hop supergroup Deepspace5, a massive rap cypher featuring members of Mars Ill, Labklik, The Pride, and Ill Harmonics. The group’s debut hit stores in 2001 via Uprok Records (the hip-hop sublabel of Tooth & Nail Records). sintax’s first solo album released in 2006 for Illect Recordings, interestingly enough, run by the former head of the short-lived Uprok, Josh Niemyjski. That is, of course, if we don’t count his 2003 indie release. What’s cool about “Moonlighting” is the autobiographical take on being an independent Christian rapper by night, while being a real-life lawyer by day.… Continued →

One of the few bands in the Christian scene that played in the groove metal style (that slightly slower, but just as intense cousin of thrash) was the Canadian band Erase. I remember when Mental Overload first came out and it made a huge impact on the then-stagnating Christian metal scene. The band’s popularity was, in part, owed to Jason Campbell, the ex-Mortification drummer, who was now pulling double-duties on vocals and guitar. Sadly, they only released one album (for David Villalpando, AKA Burrito’s Morphine Records label) before going their separate ways.… Continued →

One of the funnest and most interesting aspects of the Christian indie/punk/metal/whatever scene is that no matter how long you’ve been involved and no matter how much of an expert you may think you are, there are always new–or in this case, old–bands to discover. I found out about The Living via our friends over at Christian Tape Underground, a blog that specializes in unearthing rare and underground cassette tapes and demos from indie bands of all genres. The Living was a great little post-punk/goth rock band with lots of potential.… Continued →

With only 6 months into 2024, it’s already been a tough year for Christian alternative music fans. Joining Brian Quincy Newcomb, Michael Knott and Ezekiel Vade in the heavenly throng is indie champion, journalist and label owner Randy Layton. Randy was the founder and owner of Alternative Records, who put out releases by the Seventy Sevens, Steve Scott, Robert Vaughn and the Shadows, and 2 Pound Planet, in addition to releasing very influential compilations, featuring music by the above artists plus Daniel Amos, Scratch Band (pre-Seventy Sevens), and others.… Continued →

I only discovered this band a few months ago when I acquired a huge box of Christian metal CDs. Sáwol come to us from Finland, which is no surprise considering that nation has the highest number of metal bands per capital out of all the countries in the entire world. For some reason I missed out on them, even though their debut was released in 2010 through Bullroser Records, whom I was familiar with. The CD I acquired was actually their 2007 debut, which I enjoyed immensely.… Continued →

Kevin & Anita Robinson (Viva Voce, Blue Giant) had a short-lived funk/soul project called Francis, that released a split release with Lackthereof about 20 years ago. This project even opened for Fugazi once in North Carolina (talking about indie cred)! The band is releasing a new track (well, sort of)–actually an unreleased track from 2004, which will be available tomorrow (June 27) on Bandcamp or Friday (June 28) on other streaming platforms, thanks to long-time label partner Velvet Blue Music. Kevin is a Middle School teacher in Alabama specializing in Multimedia Production and some of his students created this video for the song.… Continued →

“Gravity” is the second single from the forthcoming I Write the Songs I Need full-length album from indie folkster Good Saint Nathanael. The single still speaks to past traumas songwriter Nate Allen has endured, but there’s clearly now some distance and perspective gained as the songs from the new album are lighter than 5 years ago. “Gravity” is now available for streaming or download. Additionally a video for the song has been released as well. Both can be found on the artist’s Bandcamp page: https://goodsaintnathanael.bandcamp.com/track/gravity… Continued →

Good Saint Nathanael (Nate Allen of Destroy Nate Allen fame) has just dropped a brand new single called “Extension Chords,” in advance of a new full-length which is set to release next week. The indie folk artist has revealed that the new album will have a very different feel than 2019’s highly introspective Hide No Truth. The single can be downloaded via Bandcamp: https://goodsaintnathanael.bandcamp.com/track/extension-chords… Continued →

Let’s get this out of the way. Some of you hate U2 for one reason or another–the ‘pompous’ nature of the lead singer, the ‘self-importance’ of their message, the fact they had the audacity to include a free digital album to people who didn’t ask for it. Others of you will love U2–the ingenuity, the forward-thinking approach to a genre that was struggling when they reinvigorated with new life, and the sincerity with which they tackled a whole host of social issues. Then a few more will be indifferent to the band whatsoever.… Continued →

xREDLINEx is somewhat of a supergroup, from the DIY/independent hardcore scene, featuring ex-members of Zao, 2Minute Minor, October Bird of Death, Blindside (the one from Chicago, not Sweden or Pennsylvania), and several others. The music on Tongue Tied features a throwback sound that is a mixture of late 80s hardcore and mid-90s metallic hardcore. Unlike 2Minute Minor, there is not a strong punk presence, and while there is no metalcore whatsoever, there are some clearly metallic riffs a la 90s ‘chugga chugga’ style hardcore. That’s all cool in my book as that’s one of my favorite subgenres of hardcore, and there seems to be a real lack of the style is the current scene.… Continued →

Every Day Life, commonly known as E.D.L., was an early innovator in the rap-core scene, fusing hip-hop and hardcore into something new, several years before it morphed into nu metal and became ubiquitous on rock radio. The band came from Southern California, and while musically innovative (our featured track also has a slight nod to industrial), they were also not afraid to touch controversial subjects in their lyrics, especially those related to racial relations in the United States, and other social topics and justice-related issues. Their debut album cover featured a scene from the L.A.… Continued →

Dream pop darlings Slow Salvation have just released a brand new single. The duo wowed listeners last year with their dreamy shoegaze full-length, Here We Lie. The new single is over 6 minutes of layered musical bliss. Check it out on bandcamp: https://slowsalvation.bandcamp.com/album/call-a-friend… Continued →

Welcome to the 1990s, the decade of alternative rock, grunge, flannel, and a time when MTV still played music videos. While the Christian music scene had tons of alternative rock bands, few were as effective as Springfield, Missouri’s Johnny Q. Public. The band found the right combination of distortion, melody, noise, and big rock hooks (but not too big) to make a huge impact on the music scene. They released two albums, 1995’s Extra-Ordinary (for Gotee Records) and 2000’s Welcome to Earth, which was also on Gotee but licensed to the mainstream Roadrunner Records.… Continued →

Not so much a new band, as a continuation of a previous one, Famous Names was essentially the same line-up as Writz. The core of the band is husband-wife duo Steve and Bev Fairnie. They had begun earlier in the 1970s as Fish Co. doing folk-pop not too dissimilar to a lot of Jesus Music of the day, before heading into a distinct punk/new wave direction in the late 70s as Writz. However, they had to change their name due to an American pop group of the same name.… Continued →

Eyes of the Defiled was a deathcore band (death metal + metalcore) from Maryland. Information about the band is scarce, but it appears that they formed in the early 2010s, putting out their debut EP in 2012 before signing with Vision of God Records, for 2016’s Distant Tellings album. They were also involved in almost every installment of the Christian Deathcore compilations on Bandcamp. The band’s sound focused on traditional deathcore–heavy riffs, often in a breakdown style, the occasional melodic lead guitar, and lots of pig squeal-type vocals that are associated with the genre.… Continued →

Lugnut was a hardcore punk band from Northern Florida, only active for a few short years in the late 90s/early 00s. Their sound was somewhat melodic, but they were way too intense and too fast to be pop-punk. Some have called this sound skate punk or new school punk. They only released one full-length album entitled . . . Like the Dickens and a split release with fellow JCHC punk Officer Negative. Both releases were on Screaming Giant Records. In the band’s ashes, members went on to play in a number of other acts.… Continued →

Some of our readers will be familiar with Seth Metoyer’s work through his extreme metal bands Mangled Carpenter (brutal death metal/grindcore), Pulpit Vomit (grindcore), or Brain Matter (industrial metal), but he has also been moonlighting in the film industry, creating scores for horror films for well over a decade. We recently caught up by email to discuss the prospects and perils of making scary music for scary movies as a not-so-scary believer. LH: For those who don’t know, how long have you been making music? SM: I’ve “officially” been making music for about 20 years.… Continued →

Early 90s indie pop darlings The Swoon have just released a new version of a long-lost track from 1990, originally released on a demo cassette. The band have premiered “Army of Plenty” on YouTube, and have been hinting at the possibility of a new release in the near future.… Continued →

Alright, you’re gonna need to buckle up for this one. For two reasons: 1) Koinonia has a somewhat lengthy history, and the band’s members are/were probably more connected than any other band ever in contemporary Christian music; and 2) they were a jazz fusion band, which is probably not a genre most IVM readers are astutely familiar with. The band formed in 1980 and were active throughout that decade before disbanding in 1991. While the members were Americans, several of whom were of Latin/Hispanic descent, their music was more widely-known in Northern and Western Europe where they often played to sold out crowds.… Continued →

Two raw European black metal bands meet head to head on this new split CD. Both of the ‘bands’ are effectually one-man projects. Duister Maanlicht hail from the Netherlands, while Kärv is from Sweden. The first thing we’ll notice after popping the CD into the player is how well produced this is. The style is raw/primitive or “old school” black metal, but fortunately for the listener, this doesn’t sound like it was recorded in a metal barn. All of the instruments come through clearly, and yet nothing is too polished or over-produced.… Continued →

One of the “Big Three” in Christian ska, The Insyderz formed in Detroit, MI in 1995 out of their Salvation Army worship band. Like their counterparts in The O.C. Supertones and Five Iron Frenzy, the band featured a mix of third wave ska, punk rock tempos, and worshipful lyrics. Unlike their counterparts, The Insyderz were the first of the group to release an entire album dedicated to ska-core worship songs. For their second album, the aptly-titled Skalleluia!, the band assembled a setlist of mostly modern praise and worship songs and turned them into ska anthems.… 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 →

SoCal rapper Peace 586 (born Rene Vasquez) has been hitting the hip-hop game hard since the late 80s (first as M.C. Peace), as a member of the seminal and innovative Freedom of Soul, and through numerous collaborations with artists like S.F.C., Jon Gibson, Scott Blackwell, J.C. and the Boyz, and many others. He went solo following the break-up of Freedom of Soul and released his first solo album in 1996. As impressive as that is, what’s even more impressive is the fact that he’s still been active as recently as 2023, releasing a full-length solo album on his own label.… Continued →

Impossibly difficult to categorize into any nice, neat genre, Norway’s Drottnar originally formed as Vitality, in 1996. They began playing death metal, but changed names when their sound shifted towards black metal. The band’s sound continued to evolve more and more, incorporating progressive and technical elements into something more avant-garde over time, while still retaining elements of black metal, death metal, and other extreme sounds. It is this level of experimentation and excellence that both sets them apart from their peers musically, and simultaneously makes their music less accessible to the general populace of listeners–even amongst fans of heavy music.… Continued →