The Meltdown 45

New music from Dynasty, Red, Mat Kearney, and Josh Garrels.

Sins

Sins is the side project of Aberlin's Joseph Milligan and it's the best music I've heard this year. Punk rock at it's finest. If you haven't given Sins a listen yet, you should.

Listen and enjoy!

Here & Gone by sinsmusic

Keep Quiet by sinsmusic

Please Take Me Home by sinsmusic

Lights Out by sinsmusic

Anti-Decompressionism by sinsmusic

Cut the Rafters by sinsmusic

Free Music Friday: Brett Detar - Bird In The Tangle

As a huge fan of the Juliana Theory I was stoked to hear that frontman Brett Detar was releasing a solo record. More stoked to find out he was releasing it for free. I didn't expect a country record. There are songs that are instant standout hits (Empty House on a Famous Hill, It's Only the Night) and songs that took a while to take hold with me. But overall the record is a fantastic country record worthy of you giving your attention to.

You can download Bird In The Tangle or free here: http://www.brettdetar.com/

The Meltdown 44

New music from Abandon Kansas, Sleeping Giant, and Sainthood Reps. Plus classic tracks from Every Day Life and Skillet.

Icon for Hire - Scripted

When I first heard Icon for Hire's debut single, Make a Move, my thought was that Tooth and Nail had found a nice Paramore sound-a-like band. It was probably an unfair judgment.

Scripted is a little all over the map and while gimmicky at times, you can hear potential. The band is cross of every female fronted act you've heard over the last 5 years. There are moments of Paramore, Flyleaf, the Letter Black, and Evanescence in there.

Theater kicks the album off and I like the song. At various points in the song you might think you're listening to Flyleaf and then Paramore. Nothing new but the song is super solid. Make a Move kicks in next and while I still hear a band that sounds like Paramore, I do like the song. The hook is super catchy and infectious and I love catchy tunes. Get Well is where Icon for Hire starts to lose me. The beefy krunk synth that intros the song and plays intermittently just doesn't connect with me. (I also realize I'm probably a good 10 years older then the bands intended audience). The Grey is a nice building ballad. There are some auto-tuned vocals on the album, something I loathe more then anything else in music.

Scripted isn't a terrible record and I did enjoy it more then I thought I would. But there's nothing special there to me. Fans of catchy female-fronted hard rock will like this record. Is it a must-own? Probably not. Is it worth a listen? Why not. The only thing awful about Icon for Hire’s T&N debut is the auto-tune.

Classic Album: Living Sacrifice - Reborn

I will state right off the back that I sleep on Reborn. It's a great record but it's not the Hammering Process and so I generally disrespect Reborn. But aside from just being a classic album, Reborn points to not only a shift in Living Sacrifice's career but also a shift in the Christian metal landscape. Reborn was genre defining and really paved the way for Zao's Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest. There was Solid State before Reborn and Solid State after Reborn.

Reborn Empowered kicks the album off and is really the only nod to the bands thrash days. Brooding, building intro that explodes into a circle pit inducing frenzy. As I've gotten older I've learned to appreciate the album a lot more. In high school all the songs sounded too similar to me. Now I notice the varying details in the riffs, the intricacies of Lance Garvin's drumming. While the guitar solos aren't the most impressive solos, they fit the songs. Reborn was Living Sacrifice trying to find a new identity, an identity they would define with the Hammering Process. If you had to ask people what song best described Living Sacrifice, I think most fans would point to Reject. The song is still a huge fan favorite live. And even though I was never a huge fan of LS before The Hammering Process, I loved Reject.

Reborn was a new step for Living Sacrifice. The first album with Bruce as lead vocalist, the first album on a new label. Reborn would take a largely unknown metal band and place them on the throne of Christian metal. No one these days argues that Living Sacrifice gets legendary status. But more then what it did for Living Sacrifice, Reborn made Christian metal more accessible. It made Solid State a more legit label and opened the door for every band that followed. It’s hard to think of an album more classic then Reborn.

Free Music Friday: Spero (Ex-Trenches) - City of Tears

Todays free music Friday comes with some bad news. A confirmation that Trenches is no more. Luckily Joel and Eli have given us a great rock record. The describes themselves as being influenced by 90's rocks. Band likes Hum, Cave In, Foo Fighters, and Codeseven. It's a great record. It's actually one of my favorite albums this year.

Note: If you don't like profanity there's a couple time the word shit is used. You've been warned.

You can download Spero's full-legnth City of Tears for free here: http://spero.bandcamp.com/