Demon Hunter: Summer of Darkness
Demon Hunter returns this summer with a worthy follow up to its debut with Summer of Darkness. The band punches us in the face again with songs filled with heavy screaming and a good dose of loud healthy anger. Besides having one of the coolest names on the Solid State roster, Demon Hunter has a good bit of talent as well, making heavy music to suit any metal fan. Whether you’re into Ill Nino, Fea...[Read More]
Joy Electric-The Magic of Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a guitar was tuning, not even feedback. The programmers were all tucked in their beds with visions of synthesizers playing in their heads. Ma and Pa in their robes and caps had just settled online for a long winters download. CD burning and MP3’s for the kids in the morn and a portable laptop from Ebay and samples from Napster for the ...[Read More]
Disciple’s Back Again
Disciple returns with their fifth disk of hybrid metal infection. Back Again showcases the mosh pit friendly side of Christian rock with a molten cored electric embrace. 13 shredding tunes filled with harmony, melody, frantic guitar work, riffs, hooks, finger splitting solos and enough screaming to rival Slayer. Lyrically the disk is drenched with Bible verses and references with a healthy mix of ...[Read More]
Tait-Lose This Life
Tait returns with a remarkable record playing tunes of high-powered groove and rock. The sounds crescendo into a high voice of hope and empowerment then back down to slow paced emotional ballads, crying out of misery and for lost lives. Lose This Life is the most memorable track opening the disk with powerful prose and a message of giving to God. The 80’s returns to us on the Eddie Grant anthem El...[Read More]
The Message and Muscles
The Power Team headed by John Jacobs bashed, pounded, ran over, pummeled, ripped and tore everything in their path bringing the nightly audience of their week-long stay at Hillside Chapel a show and spiritual experience never to be forgotten. With safety barriers up the men and women sprayed the audience with oceans of Sprite, ice and other heavier plunder. The 6’4 200lb weight lifting champion fo...[Read More]
Brave Saint Saturn Brings Astro-Rock
Members of Five Iron Frenzy bring you a new project of both stellar message and music. Astro-rock and space pop are the new lingo used for this Brave Saint Saturn (Tooth & Nail Records) album of a space age story that both glorifies and pays homage to fallen heroes, whether on earth or in the heavens. The CD jacket tells a story of the USS Gloria and her five man crew on a three year mission t...[Read More]
Good Music Gives Peace of Mind
When you pop in a CD by a band called Peace of Mind (Tooth & Nail Records) some may have predisposed thoughts of what they’ll hear. The old saying goes sometimes you can guess a band’s music by their name. However this is very untrue of the ten tracks making up the self-titled disk. In fact the first 20 seconds begin with a certain word play irony. Turn It Up begins applying a noisy, scratchy ...[Read More]
Jesus Wept: From the Ashes of xDisciplex AD
After nine years playing as xDisciples AD the boys now known as Jesus Wept played their last show at the 2004 Facedown festival. They’ve returned with a new 7 song EP that starts with the gravel roar of an inner city mountain lion. Sick City is waist deep in swamp muck rock, sprinkled with punk and coated with a sinister sledged out delivery. There’s slow churning guitar work that could rival any ...[Read More]
Trauma: Solidarity
Southern Cali’s Trauma gives us a tour of the not so sunny beaches and shady trees instead we’re smacked upside the head with hardcore punk, some grindcore and the surely blasphemous classical instrumental. Yes that’s right, Trauma plays hard and screams as any hardcore band must but they throw in some surprises you don’t see coming. We have some melody on this here record next to the grunting gui...[Read More]
The Cynical Limit
The gods of metal and rock would be happy with these guys from Canada, specifically Ottawa Ontario’s Cynical Limit. They’ve made one darn good listen that’s as catchy as anything recently released. If you want Christian influences like Skillet and Monsterus you got it. If you’re looking for Alice in Chains, Dream Theatre or Godsmack, it’s here. They’ve stirred the metallic crusted cauldron of rock...[Read More]
Disciple at the Gathering Grounds
By religious standards Sunday’s are usually a day of rest. A time to kick back, relax on the couch or the backyard porch with a glass of lemonade or headphones. However this doesn’t apply to all people especially if you’re in a band playing a gig as the atmosphere at the GG was anything but leisurely. Punks, goths and metal heads milled around the premises chattering excitedly about the show. The ...[Read More]
Haste the Day-Burning Bridges
Once again Solid State brings us another band that sounds as soothing and gentle as an oncoming train on a high bridge with no escape. Indianapolis’s Haste the Day hit uncomfortably close with a pelting shot to the stomach with Burning Bridges. With a fusion of punk and metal they prove they’re not just another heavy band that screams. CD cover art of a heavenly Goth chick is laden with dark eerie...[Read More]