July 2010

Beyond the Crystal Sea by Jimmy Hotz

July 1, 2010
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JimmyHotz-BeyondTheCrystalSea

Classic prog-rock fans rejoice. If you know anything about Christian art rock, then you probably already know about this legendary album. Some would almost say mythical, because it was pretty hard to find for a while (even though copies were available on Hotz’s website for those that cared to search). Comparisons to ArkAngel, Pink Floyd, Yes, and Kemper Crabb are all well deserved. The re-mastered sound on this re-issue is far superior to any bootleg version out there. And where did they did up those two bonus tracks? They don’t sound like throw away tracks at all. They sound like they were just two songs accidentally left off the original release. Many thanks to Born Twice records (sub-label of Retroactive) for resurrecting this classic album.

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Old Angel by The Lost Dogs

July 1, 2010
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The Dogs are back, inspired by a trip down historic Route 66. I love to look at Route 66 books when out crusing the local B&N. Old Angel sounds like a perfect soundtrack to listen to while checking out those picture books. Or maybe even on a future road trip. The sound on this album is classic dogs: Americana with touches of all types of music set to quirky and thought-provoking lyrics. So far my favorite track is “The Glory Road.” It’s a bit gritty and it mentions the Grapes of Wrath. Can’t go wrong there. Stylistically this album still finds the Lost Dogs melding the sounds from each individual member into a cohesive hole. Some of the past albums seemed to sway a bit to one particular dog (which wasn’t a bad thing, it just was the way it was), but Old Angel finds the balance between the...

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Relative by Ojo

July 1, 2010
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ojo-relative

Ojo’s only solo album was Relative, and it is uniquely different from anything else you might expect from him. This disc had a bunch of his friends on here as well, it is a who’s who from alternative Christian music. In addition to Ojo playing guitars, there was also Greg Lawless and Gene Eugene. Michael Knott and Terry Taylor handled some vocal duties, and if memory serves me correctly, I believe Riki Michele was on background vocals too. This disc is remarkable, and if I had to define the sound I would say that it falls into the world music category, but uniquely so. This was a hard disc to find for some time, but in this day and age it is available at iTunes. If you missed this one when it came out, it still holds up well today.

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It’s All Crazy by mewithoutyou

July 1, 2010
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mewithoutyou-crazy

It took me a while to come around to checking this out. A ton of mixed reviews by Indie Rock Snobs and disgruntled Post Hard Core fans battling it out online. Me being neither just wasn’t in the mood for either musical affair. I love this band, the one and only time I saw them I almost quit playing music. It’s true, they were so tight, so creative, fluid, just reading one another, I never had that in a band, now well into my 30′s I don’t know if I ever will. I have loved all this bands releases thus far, and I knew this was supposed to be a different direction, ect. True this is a mellower album, but the intensity is still there. The desperation in the voice of Aaron Weiss is more present than ever. Lyrically I can only compare it to Return of the Frog...

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Burning Like The Midnight Sun by The Choir

July 1, 2010
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the-choir-midnight-sun

This is The Choir’s 12th studio release in their prolific career that started way back in 1985, back when they were known as Youth Choir. Burning Like The Midnight Sun is quickly becoming one of my favorite Choir records, and with as many stellar releases as they have, that is quite a feat. I first started listening to these guys back in 1987 at the tender age of 13 years old. The Choir was a band that I have faithfully followed and always admired because there is an honest transparency in the music as well as the lyrics. This band has maintained the integrity of creating music that is unique and artistic, while staying true to themselves and not following the trends of the day. This new disc is full of ambient guitars, steady bass lines, vibrant drumming and the well placed sax notes that provide warmth that is...

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III by Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster

July 1, 2010
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maylene-and-the-sons-of-disaster-iii

Dallas Taylor, former Underoath (was never much a fan) vocalist formed Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster in 2004 and released I in 2005. II followed in 2007, both stellar albums. Dallas is back with a new Maylene album and a new band line up (Taylor is the only returning member). III goes with the progression of the previous albums, a little more polished, and slightly more pop. Classic Southern Rock mixed with Screamo/Hardcore/Metal, and a touch of early Guns N’ Roses. Great guitar work throughout, a lot of acoustic, slide, and even banjo mixed into this shred-fest! Stand out tracks for me are ‘Just a Shock’, ‘Step Up (I’m On It)’, and ‘Oh Lonely Grave’. If you liked the first two, you’ll like this one for sure. Good for driving around on a hot Summer day, turned up to 11, alone, rockin’!

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O Ye Devastator by Doug Burr

July 1, 2010
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doug-burr-devastator

This is Doug Burr’s follow up to his acclaimed On Promenade album. O Ye Devastator is hands down simply a brilliant album. True to form for Burr, this is poetic melancholy at its finest. Burr’s voice is haunting, hitting the notes where the need to be hit and straining with emotion that drips through every verse and chorus. Doug has a storyteller’s heart and is able to write in a way that I think most can relate to. This disc opens with the standout track “A Black Wave Is Comin”, and continues to build musically and sonically like stepping stones to the last breath that we exhale before the heartache and hazardous lessons of life fall around us, threatening to fall upon us. This is a record that you must have, full of reflection and the often longed for promise of hope that exists just beyond our grasp, relational...

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Possibilities by King Never

July 1, 2010
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king-never-possibilities

Some of you might remember an underground Christian alternative band called Able Cain back in the 90s. Matt McCabe, the guitarist for Able Cain, went on to form King Never. That was just a bit of background for you. King Never has released several albums. The most recent release Possibilities is “A concept album featuring ambient, alternative and progressive rock songs that chronicle Sonja’s journey of self-discovery and spiritual awakening.” Don’t let the fact they decided to put “ambient” first in the list fool you – this album does frequently rock. Songwriting and recording qualities are both very high from beginning to end. In fact, you don’t have to take my word for it – you can listen to the entire album on their website before you decide to purchase it. And you will decide to buy it (hoping my Jedi mind trick skills are still up to snuff)....

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Infinite Titanic Immortal by A Hill To Die Upon

July 1, 2010
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a-hill-to-die-upon-infinite-titanic-immortal

I have to admit that I never got black metal when I first heard it. I think I was trying to listen to it as if it were death metal, but there are subtle differences. Black metal is more like alternative death metal… if that makes sense. I went in to listening to the debut CD from A Hill To Die Upon a skeptic and came out a fan. Of course, reading other reviews online, it seems that Infinite Titanic Immortal is considered one of the better black metal releases of the year – so maybe that was what helped convert me. The opening instrumental track sounds like a modern-day Viking call to war. The brutality just continues from there on out. But the brutality is not just created by playing all the instruments at breakneck speeds – although that does frequently happen. There are also many subtle and...

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Mountain In the Sky by Vision

July 1, 2010
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Vision-Moutain

Another obscure classic resurrected by Born Twice Records. Vision is probably best known to some as the band that had two members of Lynyrd Skynyrd after they survived the infamous plane crash and converted to Christianity. Vision is usually labeled as Southern rock. While there is some southern rock in there, there is also a progressive side to many of the songs. It kind of all mixes together in some places. The first song on the album is good example of this mixture. They don’t really ever get more progressive or more southern than this song for the whole disc. This album was also obviously recorded on a tight budget. The digital processes used to clean up the sound are slightly obvious in some places. Sometimes you think there is a weird buzz in the background, but it turns out to be the guitars way back in the mix....

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