Song of The Day

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 Missouri melodic emo/screamo band released one EP back in 2002. One of the members joined a band I saw live called Story of the Year after the band disbanded. This catchy SOTD I found through a site called Freerock1 back in the day which played the first Underoath releases along with numerous artists I found out about. Check out the remnants of the site here:   http://freerock1.faithweb.com/   … Continued →

I missed out on seeing Ilia live, but got the chance to meet & see Zahna (Suzy Martinez) a couple years back. This was always going be one of the hardest SOTDs to pick from a relatively short catalog. Ilia has had so many awesome songs that they are very hard to deem as personal favorites. I chose to go with their earliest incarnation of the band as Ilia changed vocalists 3 times until Zahna came aboard for the final lineup. Check em out if you haven’t already.… Continued →

I was given the Safety in the Sea cd recently from this band I have known about for quite some time. Thank you Eli!  Anyways, this article showcases 2 of my fave songs from them. Captive though hits hard with me especially with the following lyrics. We probably all have felt this way at some point, but now we are not alone with our thoughts and struggles as our Heavenly Father is here to help us through!!! So here I am, waiting with my perfect thoughts  But they’re all dead and wrong  This isn’t what I expected  This isn’t what I had in mind, but still I can’t move on  It’s been so long since I felt loved It’s been so long since I cared  This world has nothing to offer  This world is full of despair  I was full of glass  You can see right through  Push me down I’d break  Until I saw you  It’s easy to believe what you want to  When this world holds captive our hearts  There’s something in the way that binds you  It keeps us torn and apart   I can feel what it’s like  My fellas I won’t lie  I can feel, So here I am, I can feel something inside  But it is not my own, it’s not my own  I wish I could see my future, see how everything unfolds  ‘Cause now I’m not alone, I’m not alone   … Continued →

This Californian modern metal band I personally learned about through the Dead2Self radio site when they had a metal sister site before it combined a few years back. I don’t know too much beyond that on this defunct band, but this song hits hard. They do have a Facebook & ReverbNation page still up though.          … Continued →

This indie experimental rock band is not exactly my cup of tea, but they do have at least 2 things going for them. Their sound features a full band including many different instruments. The 2nd is one of the band members joined the band Fun. which became immensely popular. Anyways, I have always dug this SOTD.     … Continued →

This Netherlands EDM artist is still making music today. I have a few of his older stuff that is very hard to find & have uploaded what I have to YouTube.   … 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 →

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 →

This is an innovative band that at least started in the Christian industry & several of their songs found their way onto “Christian” radio/charts/comp cds. Here are 2 of my faves. And isn’t that an awesome snake they are holding!!!     … Continued →

This new oi/street punk band from Thumper Punk records is a great band akin to Hanover Saints & the like. Their lyrics are very anthemic for our Christian faith. HM has a great write up oon them if you want to know more here: https://heavensmetalmagazine.com/index.php/2024/06/17/lambs-and-lions-release-hymns-of-grace/ Check out some of the song’s lyrics below Sola Fide, by faith we stand, Sola Gratia, by His grace, not by human hand. Solus Christus, Christ alone, Soli Deo Gloria, to God be the glory, the cornerstone! No indulgence bought, no penance earned, Just the blood of Christ, the tide has turned.… Continued →

So I’ve been on an industrial kick lately. The following site is a great tool to find out more on the subject complete with tons of artists who have delved into the sub-genres: https://web.archive.org/web/20110915162856/http://automatapedia.com/index.php?title=All_Bands .  Anyways, Judean Radiostatic is my pick this time around. I personally found out about the project through the defunct website FreeRock1. Check out their other songs The Horsemen Ride & Valley of Bones. They (Melinda & Carlos) also do a cover of Rich Mullin’s Awesome God. Also, check out Richard’s Youtube channel as he is well versed in all things Christian industrial.… 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 →

Industrial project Bridgeshadows is composed of KL (Kenneth Lemery) who has also been in a few different projects over the years. He has finally signed with Broken Curfew Records that has put out tons of heavy bands ie Abated Mass of Flesh amongst many others. He has recently released several songs like Hidden in the Rust & Razor, but here is his latest & a live goodie from the past.   … Continued →

So I just saw this band last night, June 28th 2024. I know this band isn’t “Christian” at all, but I remember this song being on “Christian” metal playlists back in the day. I also see that they played Furnacefest. They are a great reminder of 2000s metalcore which I always have had a fond taste for. And they did say they will be releasing new music here soon. … 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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

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 →

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." -John 13:35

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 →