And How – Idling
So I am gearing up to write a review of last year’s Inchworm when out of nowhere And How releases Idling. So I guess you get a two for one review here, even though the title says Idling. If you have been a fan of And How in the past, these new releases will only entrench your fandom. If you have not been a fan in the past, but are looking for new tunes in the same vein as many of the classic alternative bands we cover – And How is a great place to start. I don’t know how he does it, but Sean Severson continues to grow and improve with each release while still sticking to the distinct And How sound. Seriously – check it out.
LIV. – Be The Change
Hardcore is back! Or, more accurately, the hardcore most of us grew to love in the early 90s. LIV. Sounds like they could have been on a Helpless Among Friends compilation back in the day. I always felt that particular form of hardcore got swept under the rug too quickly by the new hardcore that came after it (as well as all the other cores), so it is good to hear bands bringing this sound back. But, I will say: LIV. Is not a Focused clone. They still have elements of modern hardcore in the mix…. but without the “getting tired of the whole hardcore scene but I still play it just because” thing that plagues some bands. You can tell these guys mean every word sung and every note played. They jump in, blaze through nine songs, and leave a bunch of sweat on the floor in the process.
ShiSho – The Sisters EP
ShiSho is a band that was a casualty of the death of MySpace (for my music collection, that is). I first tuned into their cool, crazy music when they covered Michael Knott’s “Daddy’s Whomp.” Then I lost track because I failed to ever go back to MySpace to see what I was missing. But they popped up again on Facebook, and lo and behold they have new music! This is a great EP that showcases a huge leap forward in songwriting and style. These quirky sisters could fit in quite easily alongside any act on the Sounds Familyre label. They even get The Dead Milkmen to play on a tribute song to… The Dead Milkmen. A really impressive ep that hopefully is just a sign of what is to come.
Ambassadors of Shalom – Abdicate Self
The three piece Ambassadors of Shalom outfit is the latest punk rock addition to the Thumper Punk family. AoS are UK-based and the British punk influence shows in the music. These songs mostly blaze by fast and loud – just the way punk rock fans like it. Gang shouted choruses, snotty vocals, growling guitars, and energetic rhythm section – all present. Oh, and not a hint of pop punk (for those that care). I’ve said it a lot of times before, but Thumper Punk has found a huge hidden cache of good punk bands that never seems to end.
Deni Gauthier – Quiet Town
Alright, stick with me here. I don’t want to scare people off, because this is a different album for Deni. But trust me, the difference is good. Quiet Town is more textured, deeper, richer, and more of a grower than Deni’s previous albums. Not that his previous work wasn’t deep – this just seems to go deeper. Quiet Town is one of those albums that strikes you as different on the first listen, but you’re not sure about it. However, you are sure you are intrigued by it. So you go back to listen again. Which then leaves you feeling that you’re still not sure what you think, but you can feel the music getting its hooks into you. So you listen again, and again, until finally you are telling yourself: “I wish this was on vinyl.” Oh, but wait: it will be! “Into the West” starts off with a strong feeling of nostalgia and longing – I’m not even sure what is making that spaceship sound in the beginning, but it’s pretty cool. “Silly Boy” is a bit of a fun, rambling song that dips into Americana territory. Then there is the cover of “In The Air Tonight” that adds an interesting sonic twist near the end before the album closes with the hopeful song “Gospel.” A hopeful song with no real lyrics? Yeah, you have to hear it to know what I mean. For those that want a good, deep album to dig into with layers of sounds and lyrics, I can’t recommend this one enough.
Soup The Chemist: Through My Window: The History Behind Holy Hip Hop
I listen to many types of music, I’m a self-proclaimed music snob, but of all the styles I listen to I take Rap the most serious. Hip Hop culture is near and dear to my heart, in fact I am Hip Hop! I was exposed to the culture in 1984 when my uncle gave my brother and I a tape that had songs like ‘The Message’ and ‘White Lines’ by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, ‘Planet Rock’ by Afrikan Bambaataa, and ‘Jam On It’ by Newcleus. I heard Punk Rock for the first time that year as well (I was 8 years old); both of the styles of music forever changed me as a quest for knowledge of these young cultural movements began. I was also listening to Steve Taylor and Stryper at that time. Through the years my music collection grew, my knowledge of music and the world grew, my eyes began to open. Fast forward to 1992 on the new release shelf of my local Christian bookstore when m y eye was caught by a fish eye lens picture of a rap group SFC – the album was Phase III. I had heard of SFC from magazines but could never find the tapes. My local CCM stores were the ones who decided what we got but wouldn’t even special order stuff for us. So I was stoked to finally hear the group. That album has since remained a staple in my Rap collection. It was the first time I heard real Hip Hop in the Christian industry. I was also lucky enough to see SFC on the Phase III tour in Concord, Ca at the Screem. Soup The Chemist aka Super C from SFC is one of my all-time favorite Emcees. He covers a huge range of flows, every album is different, and a total lyrical genius! Soup wrote a book about the history of Holy Hip Hop and I couldn’t wait to read it. I read it in one day, couldn’t put it down. Biographical, motivational, biblical, spiritual, and conspiracy minded. Soup hides nothing about himself and the industry. Even if you’re not a fan of Rap I recommend this book! SFC were pioneers. They paved the way, but sadly like many artists we cover in this zine, they were taken advantage of, lied to, and swept under the rug by those professing to live in Christ. Great tales from the road are included, like a witch following the group on tour, as well as a small history of groups like P.I.D. and Freedom Of Soul. Soup also talks a bit about his relationship with DTL favorite, the late great Gene Eugene. Some very personal things from his life are shared throughout. This stands up there with Mark Solomon’s book, both have great insight to the early days of the underground movements in the Christian biz. Get this!!!!
Bride – Skin For Skin +2 (Collector’s Edition)
This is one of my favorite Bride releases. Original release came out in 2007, this album got me back into the band and led me to look into all the albums I had missed. I’ve said it before, Bride may be the greatest hard rock band ever, huge catalog, every album has it’s own unique vibe, what brings them all together is that underlying Southern Rock feel in the delivery. I think if you are a fan of the earlier Bride albums like Show No Mercy and Live To Die you’ll really like this one. Easily their heaviest album, crunchy guitar, growling vocals, a lot of double kick. J Powell’s remaster really brings out the bass guitar and kick drum, something I didn’t realize was lacking in the old master, until I heard the new one, “Take The Medication” is a prime example of this. “Bang Goodbye”, “End Of Days”, “The Government”, are a few of the stand outs, this album flows well begining to end. Great riffs, good lyrics, strong vocals, this band should have been and should be huge, they’ve got the catalog to back it. A couple of remastered demos are on there as bonus cuts, but to me don’t really fit in with the rest of the album. Here’s to hoping Retroactive gets to rerelease and remaster the rest of the Bride releases!Stryper – No More Hell To Pay
By now you have probably heard the hype about the new Stryper album. Maybe you are even sick of it. But don’t be fooled by the hipster snobs – this album deserves the hype it is gaining. This is a darker, heavier, more mature Stryper than we heard back in the late 80s MTV heydays. The interesting thing is that they managed to go heavier without losing what made them Stryper in the first place. As much as I like Against The Law, it always seemed like they lost a bit of how they were to make that album. That was probably on purpose. I know that some fans are not happy with this album, and I get that the songs overall are a bit slower than some in the past. Of course, you do have “Water Into Wine” – an air guitar jam song if I ever heard one. The cover of “Jesus is Just Alright” does stick out a bit stylistically, but I still enjoy it. “No More Hell To Pay” is almost melancholy (in a good way), but still finds the band saying they will “rock for the Rock” in a more worn-but-still-hanging-in-there kind of way. Stryper has been on a roll for the last few albums – I hope they keep that going with future releases.
Fluxtional – Not Yet
Fluxtional is a new project from Curtis Proffit created for fans of “80’s and/or 90’s guitar rock music with a God given message.” Vocals are mostly handled by Chris Gildersleeve, who was at one time a member of Four Living Creatures and Elder. There is a distinct FLC/Elder influence on the sound, but overall I would say the 90s guitar rock description is fairly accurate. Lyrics are very clearly Christian, so it’s almost like you are getting a direct kick-back to the underground 80s/90s heavy alternative Christian music scene. I hope that this album is just a start of a project that keeps going – this type of music is rare to find these days.
Deliverance – Hear What I Say!
I am just not sure how any fan of Deliverance could not just love this album. Sure, they do try to represent all of their various stylistic changes on one album, but if Metallica had put out an album this good in the past few years, metal heads everywhere would be drooling over it. The only real problem is that this full-length is a bit short on original material. You really get six new songs, two covers, a short instrumental intro, and a German language version of a previous song. Stylistically, the tracks tend to move through the progression of the band’s sound in chronological order, starting with a few blistering thrash/speed tracks, they transitioning to the moody, groovy stuff, then the artistic side, then back to heavy and even a nod to side bands Fearful Symmetry and Jupiter VI. What you always hear on every track is the passion and musicianship of each person involved. This is not a half-baked reunion just for the heck of it – this is truly going out on a high note. Really cool album cover in my opinion, too. Like many fans, I am wishing this album was a sign of more to come. But as it is, it serves as a fitting last number from one of the great heavy bands of our time.