The Meltdown 111

New music from I Am Empire, Jars of Clay, New Waters, Sev Statik, and more.

New Waters - Lions EP

Blood and Ink Records doesn't ever seem to get the credit I think they deserve. With each new signing and release, the label proves that releasing great music is more important than succumbing to current trends and stylings.

The label's newest act is New Waters. The Finnish act's new ep, Lions, will easily appeal to fans of Converge and Advent.

Empty Graves comes roaring out your speakers in a blaze of feedback and punk ferocity. That vein continues throughout the entire ep. Manifest starts on a sludgier note but the track quickly loses that shell to bust into an all out punk assault.

New Waters' debut is an extremely solid hardcore ep, that combines the punk attitude of Converge and the chaotic nature of The Chariot.

You can preview songs and download Lions here: http://bloodandink.bandcamp.com/album/lions-ep

Those Who Fear - Unholy Anger

Those Who Fear have come to fill the void that A Plea For Purging left when they broke up last year. Ok, that's an over simplization. But there are elements of Those Who Fear that remind me of A Plea For Purging. Plea was Facedown's heaviest band. Those Who Fear are now Facedown's heaviest band. John Healy's vocals remind me of Andy Atkins' vocals.

That might be where the similarities stop. Heavy bands with breakdowns, who's vocalist remind me of each other. A Plea For Purging was a metal band. Those Who Fear lean toward the hardcore side of heavy music. Still, Plea fans should check out this album.

Unholy Anger is a start to finish brutal assault. From Daggermouth to Colossus, Unholy Anger is unrelenting track after unrelenting track of deathcore. It's a mosh pit inducing record for sure.

Schematic - Color (n.) Inside The Lines

A friend of mine posted about Schematic, the new solo project from Dave Elkins, formerly of Mae, a couple months back on Facebook. I didn't really think much of it. I like Mae just fine but I've never been over the moon about them and I wasn't sure I'd really give Elkins' solo project much thought.

What I found on Color Inside The Lines was a frailty that Mae never had. The hints at great indie rock from the late 90's and early 2000's rings beautifully in my ears. The dynamics  and density on the album are far greater than anything I was suspecting.

The riff on Outside that opens up the album reminds me of songs from Mae's first two records. And honestly, there are moments on Color where Elkins previous work shines through. But I would never put Outside in the same realm as Mae. While the guitar riff and hook have a familiar vibe, which Mae fans will love, Outside has a beautiful instrumental bridge section that takes it out of the rock and roll/emo arena and moves it into the indie rock vibe. The song as a whole as a more chill vibe than anything Mae ever released.

On the flip side, Senseless Charade's guitar movement reminds me Radiohead (The National Anthem). The song is kind of sludgey and dirty sounding before hitting this circus keyboard riff on the bridge. It's an odd combination to write about but it creates two contrasting, yet beautiful layers in the song.

There's an interlude on Where's The Soul, where the kets hit and the song goes into a half time groove that reminds me Ester Drang, which I love.

Color Inside the Lines is a beautiful diverse, layered indie record. A half dozen listens in and I'm still hearing and discovering new things in each song. Fans of Mae won't be turned off by Elkins new project, but it's also such a departure that people who may have never enjoyed Mae could find something they love on Schematic's debut record.

Hope For The Dying - Aletheia

Dissimulation was an amazing record. It was tech metal at it's finest. Hope For The Dying gave us something special. Follow-ups to beloved records are tough. Will it be as good? Different? Better?

Aletheia smashes Dissimulation. Dissimulation was a great record. Aletheia is a classic in the making.

The acoustic riff on Acceptance that opens up the record, gives Aletheia a completely different vibe from the start. The epic three minute intro to the nearly ten minute song sets the tone nicely for what's to come. Acceptance is super rifftastic, but in a more progressive way than Dissimulation was.

Aletheia is to Dissimulation as Crack The Skye is to Blood Mountain. You tracking with me?

Visions (ten minutes) and Open Up The Sky (thirteen minutes) have wide open sections of beautiful guitar solos. So many, lovely, piercing guitar solos. From great acoustic and classical runs, to slow, meandering squealing solos, to some nice sweep picking and tapping. Aletheia has it all.

Aletheia is more than just long songs with solos that never end (not that I would have a problem if it was). Tracks like Reformation and The Lost are hard hitting metal songs. The songs feel similar to those on Dissimulation but  there's a magnified grandness and epic quality to Aletheia.

It's not lost on me that Dissimulation and Aletheia have opposite meanings. Where Dissimulation means to hide and conceal one's true feelings, Aletheia translates the state of not being hidden. Aletheia is "the very heart of Hope For the Dying."

Aletheia is a masterpiece and a future classic.

The Meltdown 110

New music from Hope For The Dying, Schematic, and Audio Adrenaline. Plus tracks from Roadside Monument and Symphony in Peril.

No Punk Influences joins Thumper Punk Records

Monmouth, Illinois punk band No Punk Influence (NPI) have joined the Thumper Punk family. 

Press Release:

Like an adrenaline shot to your eardrums, No Punk Influences is blasting out of Monmouth, Illinois with their brand of thrashy, in your face, punk rock.  NPI seeks to influence a lost and fallen world with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Since its inception, the band has been dedicated to playing shows and using their driving guitars, and breakneck drums beats, as a vehicle to deliver the message of hope and redemption, found only in Jesus.

The members of the band are:  Loudmouth LaVal (vocals and bass), Chris Lefler (guitar and vocals), Sal-Val (guitar), and Joshy (drums and vocals).

"I hate newspaper style reviews, I hate uninformed descriptions of music, and I hate most punk music.  In spite of that, it is worth saying that NPI is one of the strongest bands, genre aside, in the local Midwest underground scene.  Their music is aggressive, their show is intense, and their dedication to their band is a little disturbing.  Check out NPI."  -Michael Cook of A Hill To Die Upon

No Punk Influences will be releasing their musical debut this summer.  You can learn more about the band at:

http://www.facebook.com/No.Punk.Influences

Jeff Schneeweis - Closer

We have an idea in America of what worship music should be. There was a lot made two years ago about Gungor's Ghost Upon The Earth  being "creative" for worship music. Mars Hill started their own label to try and break through the creative rut that is worship music. I've even heard people talk about the new Hillsong United record as being too artsy for congregations. It appears that artists are not happy with just presenting worship that's been before to the Lord.

Number One Gun and The Make front-man Jeff Schneeweis might have released my favorite worship album since The Insyderz released Skalleluia.

Schneeweis set out to make an 80's new wave worship album and he successfully accomplished that feat. Closer is dancey and fun. If you didn't know it was a worship album, it would probably find a place as one of Pitchfork's best of the year. But the lyrics strike me as honest worship lyrics. It's easy to fall into how great Closer is musically and overlook the heart behind the project. But overlooking the lyrics and heart is to overlook the point of the record.

Follow As You Lead is a great declaration of following God's Spirit. The song is upbeat and will get your body shaking. It's worship music that disarms anyone with preconceived notions of what worship is. The music grabs your attention and gets you into Closer. It breaks down this notion that worship music is one thing and not another. Schneeweis has created something outside the box and it's exactly what worship music needs.

Musically, Closer catchy, upbeat, and moving. But it's in Schneeweis' lyrics that the heart of the record lie. There's a heartfelt outpouring of worship and adoration for God would be easy to overlook in the musical landscape of the record.

I highly recommend picking up this ep!

Shai Hulud - Reach Beyond The Sun

First Further Seems Forever and now Shai Hulud. This return of the original lead singer is good. Yet unlike Further, Chad Gilbert's appearance seems to be nothing more than a one off for just the record. No touring involved. Oh well... At least we get an album out of it.

And a killer record at that!

Shai Hulud's always been an amazing hardcore band. And each record has been solid and a progression from the last record without leaving the path completely.

Reach Beyond The Sun builds on the musical progression of Misanthropy Pure and infuses it with some of the old school melodic elements of Hearts Once Nourished. While Chad's vocals sound great, his screaming has changed just enough to not feel like the band is rehashing something. It's not quite as extreme as hearing Shawn Jonas with Symphony in Peril for the first time, but it is different.

What Reach Beyond The Sun has that Misanthropy Pure was missing is an old school vibe. Maybe that's not something that matters a whole lot but I imagine to Shai Hulud fans, the vibe on Reach Beyond The Sun will make them happy.

There's a great combination of aggression and melody. The songs are some of the meanest sounding songs Matt Fox and the boys have ever given us, in a good way! The title track has one of my favorite openings to any song on the record. Super fast drum groove giving way to a killer melodic guitar riff before the song fades away and Gilbert's vocals come blazing in.

The songs are vicious, the guitar riffs tight. Shai Hulud brings back a side of hardcore and metalcore that's only not missing from the scene when the band releases a new album. Reach Beyond The Sun is my favorite record from the band since Hearts Once Nourished.

Audio Adrenaline - Kings & Queens

Audio Adrenaline was the first band I ever really attached myself to. Bloom was a great alternative rock record that captured my attention. The bass line in Never Gonna Be As Big As Jesus is still one of my favorites. Don't Censor Me, Bloom, and Some Kind Of Zombie were all great records! Even the band's later records all have fantastic moments. Audio Adrenaline were pretty consistent over their long musical career. While they had some more CCM moments, songs Like I'm Alive and Summertime (Lift), Clap Your Hands and Until My Heart Caves In (Until My Heart Caves In), and Church Punks (Worldwide), the band has always made great alternative rock records.

But what does a re-tooled, new look line-up, without Mark Stuart, look like?

Hearing the rumor, and then news, about Audio A reuniting with Kevin Max as their lead vocalist felt like a cheap industry move. Was this another christian band trying to make a buck by using the last member of DC Talk to "revive" their career and make money on a nostalgic generation?

Hearing the title track, Kings & Queens, I was intrigued. The song is great. It's not what I think of when I hear the name Audio Adrenaline, but it was very good.

Seeing the mini documentary about reunion, I was sold on giving Kings & Queens a fair listen.

Hitting play, you hear Audio Adrenaline. He Moves, You Move feels like an Audio Adrenaline song, which is a great accomplishment. Yes, Kevin Max and Mark Stuart have iconically different voices but musically, it's all Audio Adrenaline. Upbeat, fun rock and roll. Kings & Queens, like I said, is a great song. A great anthemic call to take care of the poor and orphans. Similar to songs like Hands & Feet, it's Audio A's call to arms. Believer is a great ballad about living a life of risk in God.

King Of The Comebacks features Mark Stuart on the bridge. And even though it's just a barely whispered vocal coming through the stereo, it's great to hear his voice.

Fire Never Sleeps is a cover of the Martin Smith (formerly of Delirious) song released last year. The arrangement is very similar, although Audio A's version might have more of a britpop vibe. It's one of my favorite tracks on the album. I Climb The Mountain is an amazing area rock anthem that's part DC Talk (Supernatural vibe) and part Audio A. It's a beautiful combo and while you hear both of those elements the song has something fresh and new. It's the song where you can really hear a rebirth of Audio A.

The Answer ends the record on an extremely strong note. Straight forward, dark rock. Similar to I Climb The Mountain, it's the rebirth of one of christian rock's great bands.

Kings & Queens is a new chapter or Audio Adrenaline. And it's a good new chapter. It's different enough to sound like a new beginning but there are elements that will keep old fans, like myself, happy. Kings & Queens will make older christian rock fans happy. Kevin Max adds a great new element to Audio A.

The Meltdown 109

New music from Stryper and Audio Adrenaline.

The Meltdown 108

New music from Plumb, Schematic, Mike Mains and The Branches, and Red.

Plumb - Need You Now

When Plumb released CandyCoatedWaterDrops, I became an instant fan. The mix of dark undertones with pop sensibility worked on every level. It moved away from their Garbage esque debut (which I liked). The band, aka Tiffany Arbuckle, has continued to release music and play with the mix of creating beautiful pop music without ever losing her alternative rock roots.

The other aspect of Plumb that I've always loved is Arbuckle's ability to write heart-wrenching spiritual ballads and soulful worship tunes while being able to compose some of the most beautiful love songs you'll hear.

Both of these elements find their way onto Need You Now.

The guitar riff that opens the album on Invisible feels a lot like riffs from the band's self-titled debut before the weird distortion kicks off and riff cleans up. The song is driving and has more kick than anything on Arbuckle's previous outing, Blink. Drifting shifts into an electronic soundscape. The album's first single, which has been out for a while, is super catchy and an extremely moving track. Dan Haseltine (Jars of Jay/The Hawk In Paris) on the bridge and choruses is a nice add touch to the song. Beautiful is the third element of Plumbs music. It's a beautiful love ballad.

Within the first three tracks on Need You Now, Arbuckle manages to show off what has always made Plumb a compelling artist and she does it flawlessly.

One Drop may be the poppiest song Plumb's ever released. In the vain of Train and Francesca Battistelli and well any other artist who's ever incorporated a ukulele into a song, One Drop is a simple happy song. Need You Now has songs that run the gamut of pop sensibilities. From ballads like I Want You Here, to the country, almost Taylor Swiftish, Unloveable, and happy go lucky songs like Chocolate & Ice Cream, Need You Now offers something or everybody. Even thoses hoping for another rock song get Cage. A song, like Invisible, that will make fans of the band's debut album happy.

The title track, Need You Now (How Many Times) is my personal favorite track on the record. An honest, desperate cry for God. It's a personal reflection of just trying to hold on day to day when things are rough that I think every one can relate to.

Need You Now is another beautiful record from Tiffany Arbuckle. While Plumb has evolved over the years, what has made the band great over the years is done very successfully on Need You Now.