HM Magazine, Issue #112 (March/April 2005) by Heaven's Metal Magazine

Also featuring Extol Starflyer 59 Winter Solstice Eisley Readers’ Poll Results

THE HARD MUSIC MAGAZINE

NORMA JEAN

March, April 2005 • Issue #112

$3.50 USA / 4.95 CDN

Be there.

Wonder why the Bible has often been called the greatest story ever told? Find out for yourself with The Story, written in an easy-to-read chapter format. Discover the intrigue, drama, conflict, romance, and redemption that fill the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. Bring the great stories of the Bible alive in language that is written for you and your time. For more information about The Story and other products using Today’s New International Version (TNIV) of the Bible, visit www.TNIV.com.

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TA B L E O F C O N T EN T S

REGULAR

From the editor Doug Van Pelt

Letters Hard news Live report Morrow metal report Heaven’s metal

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FEATURETTE

WHAT WILL THE CHRISTIAN MUSIC SCENE BRING US IN 2005? In my little “Editor’s Note” from last year’s “GMA issue,” I published a challenge of, “Where are the Keith Green’s of today’s music world?” It wasn’t long after this proclamation that a potential answer to this call came staring me in the face. Prior to Norma Jean’s raucous set at the Cornerstone Festival, a slam poet by the name of Bradley Hathaway came out on stage to warm the crowd up. While offering laughs and scenester “I can relate to that” commonalities, he pierced the air with sharp, prophetic declarations of truth and pleas for how it should be. Referencing an accidental collision with a girl’s “boobies” alongside a scriptural treatise on remaining sexually pure until a blessed and holy matrimony presented one of the freshest and culturally relevant sermons I’ve heard in a long time. Now, this skinny beat poet doesn’t sit down at a piano and sing about sheep and goats, nor does he claim to be a prophet. But let me tell ya: this talent is huge and blessed. It is my privilege to sometimes just sit back and write about the sounds and artists that have perked my ear. Here’s hoping that 2005 brings us many more moments of musical joy, riffs that threaten to destroy, and actions that speak as if God is revealing Himself through His people. With new albums promised by Norma Jean, As I Lay Dying, P.O.D., Blindside, and No Innocent Victim, this might just happen in 2005. When putting together a magazine, sometimes we have to edit some text that we wish we could leave in. I’m glad to report, however, that our website [HMmag.com] offers us the luxury of posting much of this content online. For example, this month you can find additional quotes from Norma Jean, Olivia, Fear Before The March Of Flames, and the Crucified. This issue marks the first one in over two years where David Allen has not designed the pages. As is obvious, though, his imprint is felt by the fine example and “template” he’s left me to follow. We will miss his optimistic, cheerful and joyful personality around here; but we are so excited about where God’s taking his talent, and plan on continuing to cultivate our rewarding friendship with him. (God bless you, David!)

Nodes of ranvier Winter solstice Subseven Far-less The afters Stellar kart The chemistry gods Olivia Eisley

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FEATURE Readers’ poll winners Norma jean Extol Starflyer 59 Scorpions says

40 44 50 58 63

INTERMISSION The ipod is taking over Columns

67 76

REVIEW Music DVD, book, & gear Indie pick

69 74 78

10 L E T T E R S T O T H E E D I T O R

SEVENTH SEAL FANS HATE ME

THE BLOB

Hey, I got the new issue with Comeback Kid on the cover and this may be a dumb question, but I’m a big fan of Showbread. So, is there supposed to be a picture above the writing or is it just all black like it’s shown? – [A13PStePC@netscape.net] Ed – Hey, A. Wasn’t that the coolest layout?! The blob was very much on purpose. I hope in the future, when I use a magnified view of a shoe instead of the typical press photo of your favorite band, that you understand and appreciate our bizarre, fun creativity.

ADVERTISING HATE

Dear Knights of the New Crusade, My name is Stephen Christian, and I sing for the band Anberlin (T&N Records/EMI). When I saw your ad in the newest issue of HM Magazine, I must say I was taken back with horror. I cannot believe that you would pay homage to this massacre by naming your band after them and insinuate “taking out the trash,” by throwing people of other religions into a trash can. Have you no decency? Have you no couth? Do you know that it is people like you that give Christians a bad name by reliving an autrocity that took the lives of 1.5 million people? I ask you, do you know anything about the crusades? Did you know that this is a black mark on the face of Christianity? How foolish of you to try to dress like murderers in the name of Christ and Christianity. Christ taught peace, not murder. Christ taught to love your neighbor, and pray for your enemy. You are trying to relive a period of hatred. Please, for the sake of all Christians everywhere, STOP! –Stephen Christian [boywiththorn@aol.com] Ed –To see dozens of Stephen’s points that we edited out, see Stephen’s letter in the “Internet Exclusive” at HMmag.com

Doug, Doug! Where in the world do you get some of these people who do reviews? I’ve been following Seventh Seal for a while now, and know the guys personally. How in the world could your guy call this album “Rap Rock” and get away with it? I don’t even know the guy’s name that did the (“Pick of the Litter”) review, but it sounds like he didn’t even listen to the disc. Travis Wyrick, who is a phenomenal producer, did this disc and it’s 100% professional and you can tell it’s Travis. Now, I know the guy said the disc was good, but why call the thing “Rap Rock” and give the readers a “negative” impression? Thank God your guy got the web address wrong and now some other band named Seventh Seal will get the label. I love HM. I really do. I’ve been reading since the 80’s, but man, tell these guys to listen to the disc and give it an honest review. I’m an HM supporter but let’s support the bands that are trying to make good music, not what’s the flavor of the month. Come on, brother . . . you know I’m right. God Bless. –Greg Brewster [gcb@adelphia.net]

EDITOR/PUBLISHER MANAGING EDITOR OFFICE MANAGER ADVERTISING SALES CONTR EDITORS

Kemper Crabb, Greg Tucker Chris Wighaman

CONTRIBUTORS

Eric W. Alexy, Tiffany Chow, Mark Fisher, Chris Francz, Lee Haley, Kern County Kid, Dan MacIntosh, Matt Morrow, Len Nash, Brian Q. Newcomb, Jamie L. Rake, Bradley Spitzer, David Stagg, John J. Thompson, Darren Tindell Jr, James Wetz, Patrick Weaver, Christopher Wiitala

COVER PHOTO BACK PAGE PROOFREADERS

SCRIPTURE

MAILING ADDRESS

CUSTOMER SERVICE FAX

Ed – The guy that wrote that “Pick of the Litter” review was named Doug Van Pelt. He honestly thought it sounds like Godsmack and a smattering of similar bands. I’m sorry for the false label. There’s not a rap on the album, and Seventh Seal is not a raprock band. And their website should have been printed as seventhsealband.com.

IPODS ARE TAKING OVER

EDITORIAL ADVERTISING BOOKS & COLLEGES MUSIC GEAR

SUBSCRIPTIONS

Ed – Great idea! With David’s imminent departure leaving one less rating-giver, I’d say it’s time to try it out now.

Ashlee Allen, Eric Alexy, Vicki Bobick, Valerie Maier, Heather Norman, Carolyn Van Pelt “For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) 6307 Cele Rd. #573 Pflugerville, Texas 78660-7543 877.897.0368 Service@HMmagazine.com 512.670.2764 DVanPelt@HMmag.com Heather@HMmag.com 512.940.0744 Scott@AdolphAgency.com 949.206.9806 Bruce@AdolphAgency.com 253.445.1973 U.S.A. – $15, Canada/Mexico – $20, Overseas – $25 Please send us a note with your new address at least 6 weeks in advance, or you may not receive the most current issue. Note that filing a change of address with the USPS will not alter your address in our records, nor guarantee delivery of future issues.

WRITE US

Letters/email must include full name. All submissions become property of HM Magazine, and may be edited/condensed for publication. For printing purposes, please try keep the word count under 250 words.

SEND TO

Letters 2 Ed, POB 141007 Austin, TX 78714 Letters@HMmag.com

Ed –You’re welcome! Just promise not to complain if we print a big blob instead of a photo of your favorite band in a future issue, okay?

HM rocks, & now I get my fix every month w/the help of Heaven’s Metal! A suggestion: in your cd review section, since the review is often not written by Doug or Dave, please have the reviewer rate the cd. Although one can usually get a pretty good idea of how the reviewer would rate the cd, it’d be nice to know for sure, & it’d be nice to know if it differs from what you or Dave thought. –David Kroll [dskroll@charter.net]

IF YOU MOVE

Hi, guys. The ipod arrived safe and sound today. It’s awesome. Thank you both (HM & Flicker) for making this contest available. I really appreciate it! –Joe Burgers [punkshowjoe@hotmail.com]

RATE YOUR OWN BAD SELF

Doug Van Pelt David Allen Charlotta Van Pelt Heather Reynolds

HM Magazine is dependently owned and operated (Psalm 62) Printed in the U.S. HM Magazine (ISSN 1066-6923) is published bimonthly for $15 per year by HM, 6307 Cele Road #573, Pflugerville, TX 78660. Periodicals Postage Paid at Pflugerville, Texas and at additional mailing office. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: HM, PO Box 141007, Austin TX 78714-1007 All contents copyright © 2005. HM contents may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or in part, without prior written permission. For retail distribution, please call Ingram Distributors (800) 627-6247 (ext. 33501)

HARDNEWS Quick & concise ALLAN AGUIRRE & FAMILY ON ABC

THE BILLIONS

Allan Aguirre, vocalist for Scattered Few and Spy Glass Blue, participated in a reality tv show called Wife Swap in early December, where his wife joined a strict Baptist family in North Carolina for two weeks, while they played host to the other family’s mom. “I figured we could speak into her life,” admits Aguirre, “but I never guessed people would be touched by watching the show. It’s taken on a life of its own.” The visiting mom was blown away when she saw the Aguirre’s faith beneath the veneer of their appearance. His children’s band, Drama Dust, was shown rehearsing its cool garage-style punk (just bass, drum and vocals), which is certain to give them a boost. The show spoke volumes about the godly lifestyle that many in our scene live out daily.

The Billions have been making soulful, beautiful music for years, but it’s been almost three years since their Never Felt This Way Before album was released. This doesn’t mean they haven’t been busy (building a studio, making a video, etc). While John Jared Bowes has just left after a 7-year stint (to join their friends in the hot and buzzing band, University), the rest of The Billions have been wrapping up their latest album, Trash And Treasure, which should hit this Spring on Northern Records. The band (made up of brothers Sam and Dan Billen, Simon Bates, and Ken Komiya) actually live together in a farmhouse on a working farm in rural Lawrence, Kansas (near the Univ. of Kansas). To add to the “family,” Sam Billen just got married.

CHRISTIAN OSBOURNES SHINE

FINISHING TRASH AND TREASURE

News bullets Winter Solstice is heading out on tour with It Dies Today, Twelve Tribes, Anterrabae, and If Hope Dies. Starting off in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, it mostly travels up and down the East Coast for the entire month of February and the start of March. Stavesacre has a new 4-song EP out (available at stavesacre.com), called Bull Takes Fighter. “We are doing it all ourselves,” explains frontman Mark Salomon, “and we couldn’t be happier.” Anyone who’s seen the band live the past year or two might recognize the title of a song they’ve been playing live for a while (along with “A Handful of Words”). Flicker Records is releasing a DVD on March 1st, called Flicker Rocks Harder: The Videos, which features Pillar’s “Bring Me Down” video, and others by Kids In The Way, Staple, Subseven, Mortal Treason, Stereo Motion, and Everyday Sunday. A promotional sticker on the new Chariot album (Everything’s Alive, Everything is Breathing, Nothing is Dead and Nothing is Bleeding) says: “The debut album featuring former Norma Jean front man & circus performer, Josh Scogin. For fans of Converge, Every Time I Die & Ashlee Simpson.” Amazing metallers Aletheian are still going at it, playing shows and recording, despite guitarist Alexis’ hand injuries. A new album should hit in June.

Living Sacrifice Record Three New Songs 01. November 3: Drama Dust plays HM Magazine “New Issue Release Party” in Austin, TX. 02. December 8: Drama Dust is shown rehearsing on ABC’s Wife Swap, showing downto-earth and hip (gasp) Christians on network tv. 03. December 31: Bruce Fitzhugh, Lance Garvin, and Rocky Gray recorded 3 new Living Sacrifice songs for a Living Sacrifice compilation/best of album. It will be called In Memoriam. It will come out Solid State Records on March 29.

Sinai Beach has finished work on its sophomore album, Immersed, with a late Spring release planned. Two-time surfing champion Daize Shayne has been working with producer Ken Tamplin on some rock. She was recently scheduled to perform at the NAMM Show accompanied by rock vets Steve Morse, Jeff Watson, and Doug Aldrich. She’s also been asked to appear in the Albion Entertainment film, The Still Life.

HARD NEWS 13

Fear Before The March Of Flames BY DOUG VAN PELT Fear Before The March Of Flames (FBTMOF) first garnered attention with their debut, Odd How People Shake, originally released on Rise Records. After hearing the album, Equal Vision quickly snatched them up and reissued it last year before putting them in the studio with Matthew Ellard (Converge) to record Art Damage. Forming in high school, FBTMOF members Adam Fisher (guitar / melodic vox), Brandon Proff (drums), Dave Marion (screaming vox), and Michael Madruga (bass) built up their chops locally while taking frequent weekend trips to play such far-flung locales as Arkansas. Now they’re displaying their controlled chaos alongside groups such as Coheed and Cambria, Bad Religion and NOFX (on Warped Tour). Below is an excerpt from an HMmag.com online exclusive interview with Proff. From your perspective, how do chaos and melody marry in your music? I don’t know exactly. It just kind of happens. You want it to be intense. I really like music that kind of suffocates you, I guess. It’s like, “Oh my goodness! I can’t believe somebody came up with this at the same time.” I don’t want to be bland. You just try as hard as you can to take an element that’s melodic and an element that’s chaotic and just try to fuse it together. It’s mostly guitar driven for us. That’s where all the writing starts for us.

What do you think about Jesus Christ? I became a Christian when I was in middle school. I grew up in a Christian family and I never really had taken it very seriously because of that. It was just always around, but there were things that affected me that couldn’t be explained. There wasn’t anybody telling me, “Well, this is God. This is what happens, and that’s why I think you need to accept Jesus.” It was completely something that happened to me and it was between me and God, and it was amazing. And so right now it’s just a constant journey… It’s really rough, because I’m young and very imperfect – especially being in a touring band. There’s a lot of things that can really challenge me and get in my way, but I have a lot of accountability from all my friends at home and stuff like that. It’s just been a very interesting life to have for me, I guess, being in a band and stuff like that, but at the same time having something that I’m totally in love with and have as part of my life – even though I don’t have many opportunities to surround myself with people who believe the same thing.” Your thoughts on Norma Jean? Their new record is going to be amazing. A couple days ago they stopped by, because we were in Seattle and they’re recording up there with a guy that did the Botch records and he’s in Minus The Bear. It’s gonna be ground-breaking compared to Bless The Martyr. It’s just going to be amazing.

The Huntingtons have announced that they are disbanding, with their very last show at Cornerstone on the Decapolis Stage. Tooth & Nail Records are releasing a best-of as a farewell gesture, and the band has invited Cliffy Huntington to record a couple new songs with them for it, as well as join them onstage for that last show. “It will have over 30 Huntingtons originals and one or two unreleased songs from the Get Lost era. A nice way to go out,” describes Cliffy. “It shows amazing class on their part to allow me the chance to be a part of the official end to something that I had such a large part in starting. I wouldn’t have been angry had they not chosen to do this, but I’m quite overjoyed at them extending their hand to me in this way. It’ll be a blast.” His current band, The Stivs, is recording a new album with Jack Endino. The Juliana Theory is teaming up with Zao for the City of Champions Tour, a 35-date trek that kicks off on March 2nd. Open Hand, The Takeover UK, The Black Maria, and Sinai Beach will appear on select dates. This will be a nice reunion between Brett Detar with his former bandmates... “We have been discussing the idea of touring together for years,” says Detar. “Some of the Julian Theory’s first shows were opening for Zao when I was still in the band. We are looking forward to spending several weeks on the road with our best friends on this tour.” The Juliana Theory is putting the finishing touches on its fourth album in Los Angeles with producer John Travis (Social Distortion, Nada Surf). The as-yet-untitled album is set to release this Summer. Buddy Miller, whose recent and Grammy nominated Universal House of Prayer album has been getting rave reviews, has just been licensed into the Christian market (an ironic twist on licensing Christian music) through Floodlight Records (Word Distribution).

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HARDNEWS Page fourteen News bullets Yellow Second have signed to Floodgate Records. Their debut, Altitude, was mixed by Masaki and will release on March 8. Kevin Max just signed an album deal with Northern Records. The Deal is calling it quits after their Facedown Fest 2005 performance. Seventh Star’s new one, Brood of Vipers, hits in May.

Seventh Day Slumber BY LEE HALEY Seventh Day Slumber are not newcomers to the Christian music scene. Chances are if you’ve ever attended any of the popular festivals, or been exposed to Christian music in any way, their name is sure to come up. Their latest release, Once upon a Shattered Life, is a retrospective of sorts delving into Rojas’s past demons and reflecting so much more to the listener than a glimmer of hope. “It’s one thing to say you’ve had a tough life, but it’s an entirely different thing to say you’ve had a shattered life. That brings it to a whole new level. That’s serious. Whenever we play – from show to show, city to city – our main goal is to let the kids know that somebody loves them, that God truly loves them. So many kids come up to us and tell us nobody loves them. We make sure before we leave that they know that ‘somebody’ does actually love them. These kids are contemplating suicide, or cutting themselves everyday. I can relate to that, and that’s why we do what we do. To let them know that there’s another way, and that life can be beautiful.” Seventh Day Slumber arguably is one of the hardest working bands on the music scene today. Apparently also Tooth & Nail founder Brandon Ebel thinks so, too. Ebel recently inked SDS and signed them to his BEC label. One of the deciding factors besides musical talent was gumption and a dedicated work ethic. “We couldn’t have ‘hand picked’ a better label than BEC/Tooth & Nail to be on. They are totally in line with our vision, and have made repeated attempts to tell us, ‘to do what you feel led to do and what you feel God wants you to do.’ They let us do exactly what we wanted in the studio, and let us be ourselves to create, write and structure music. We feel very blessed to be part of the Tooth & Nail family.” In the past SDS has had a sort of a Creed-influenced vibe, which is now a dated sound. On the new record it seems like they are starting to come into their own, discovering “their” sound. Rojas adds “We didn’t write this record to make gobs of money and sell millions of platinum albums. That would be nice, but we wrote a record that everyone who has struggles of any kind can relate too. We wrote it to reach out to a lost and hurting world. I feel that if we write a record unselfishly to reach out to hurting people that God will truly bless this record.”

Norma Jean’s song, “Vertebraille: Choke that Thief Called Dependency,” (also featured on this issue’s subscriber-only Hard Music Sampler CD) hit #1 on purevolume.com almost as soon as it was posted. The band is part of a huge contest with Hot Topic stores, where 12 guitars painted with original album art will be given away as prizes. Christian music critic Chris Well has published his first novel, Forgiving Solomon Long, with Harvest House Publishers. Word has it that one of his characters is a big P.O.D. fan... Sleeping At Last is planning a big show (along with Duvall) at Chicago’s infamouse Metro club. The string section that played on Ghosts will be accompanying the band at this show. The band plans a US tour in the Spring. Relient K is starting a headlining club tour in February that will cross the US. Collectively the band has sold over a million albums, with their Two Lefts Don’t Make A Right But Three Do and The Anatomy of the Tongue in Cheek both nearing RIAA gold status. KEKAL, who survived the gargantuan tsunami, as they are fairly inland in Indonesia, have now released their fifth album, Acidity. Phil Usher (ex-Beanbag), guitarist/ vocalist for Australian band Tonjip,

HARD NEWS 15

has been staying busy, with two releases in 2004: Coolite and the Nice Guys? EP.

Opposition of One “In the time and society we live, right now it is getting modern to be an opportunist and change opinions as we change our shorts. Many people feel they are tolerant, though they are without support and aim. We seem to define ourselves through our job, our cars and through our positions in society. But we, as a band, firmly oppose this way of life.” Thus the name: Opposition of One. And, fittingly, this southern Germany hardcore band is adamant on letting God dictate what is right and wrong. Finally, after five years of hard work in Germany, this March the band will be bringing

its message and music to the States. By joining forces with Strikefirst Records, the band’s first full length, In the Line of Change, will be released and distributed locally. To further support the release, Opposition of One will be touring the US with Alove for Enemies and Life in your Way this March. Sponsored by AMP Magazine and Black Rose District, it’ll kick off in New York and end over on the West Coast with a performance at the always popular Facedown Fest. It’s not often we get the opportunity to enjoy good music from overseas, so make sure to catch them as they tour through your state.

Clear Convictions BY DAVID ALLEN Formed in 2001, this band is known as one of the longest running hardcore groups in Puerto Rico. They’ve got road experience supporting bands such as Madball, Figure Four and N.I.V. and have released a four-song demo. But, more important than hitting the road is the message behind the music. When finding out about the band, every contact had the same response: their name says it all. And in a time where most acts are still calling themselves “Christians in a band, but not a Christian band,” the straightforward approach is a welcome (albeit straight-talking) approach. Standing behind the title, Clear Convictions is direct about its faith. Interview after interview, the guys are simply doing everything they can

to take the message of Jesus Christ to all the nations. Hardcore heavyweights N.I.V. has toured Puerto Rico often. After spending time and getting to know Clear Convictions, N.I.V. drummer Jason Dunn signed the band to his label, Strikefirst Records, and the rest will be history. Ready to drop the full length in the States, the new release, entitled Warning, is an incredibly diverse hardcore experience. Completed with Tim Mason in the studio, they consider their style more “new school,” but with strong old school roots… following the hardcore line. Punctuated with a straighttalking exclamation point, this is an exciting band to follow.

Skillet was just nominated for a Grammy for “Best Rock Gospel Album.” Their new 30-city Collide tour has been playing to packed venues and, in a gesture that’s been repeated across the world, they are gathering funds for the newly organized “Must for Relief” efforts to bring aid to the tsunami victims in Southeast Asia. “Since the disaster,” comments frontman John Cooper, “we’ve been asking ourselves as a band, ‘What can we do?’ We’ve all seen the footage on the news and the despair and loss is unimaginable.” Carl Groves of the prog rock band Salem Hill had the chance of a lifetime recently. Neal Morse invited him over for a jam. Phil Keaggy turns up and he trades solos with him during a cover of the Hendrix classic, “Little Wing.” His jaw dropped when he saw Keaggy “rip the harpsichord solo from the Beatles’ ‘In My Life’ on his guitar.” An iTunes poll voted Switchfoot’s The Beautiful Letdown as one of the best of 2004, alongside Modest Mouse, Wilco, Green Day, Loretta Lynn, and others. Falling Up has, to this date, sold over 58,613 copies of their debut album, Crashings. The band is following up its stint on the Pillar/Project 86 tour last Fall with the X-2005 Tour, featuring Hawk Nelson, Seventh Day Slumber, and KJ-52. The band is throwing down a song in the studio to go on the X-2005 disc to coincide with the tour. They plan on entering the studio “for real” again in April with producer Aaron Sprinkle to record its sophomore album. Gideon’s Press has changed its name to The Illustrated Band and have a brand new CD.

16 HARD NEWS

HARDNEWS Page sixteen News bullets

The Roosevelts BY DYLAN JENKINS Tennessee is widely known as a hotbed of music, but most minds turn quickly to twangy guitars, banjos and women with price tags hanging from their hats. There is a new, up and coming scene that’s just far enough outside of Nashville that indie rock bands can spread their artistic wings and create a sound that merges the eclectic and the mainstream. Murfreesboro, TN is home to The Roosevelts. A staple of the local scene since 1998 and touring nationally full-time since 2002, the band consists of Noah Curtis (vocals, bass), Kyle Benson (guitar, vocals) and Erick LeFevre (drums). Recently signed to Word Of Mouth Records, the band’s first national release, It’s So Hard To

Make A Sound, has begun to gain the attention of critics and music fans alike. “This is a coming of age record,” says Curtis. “Its songs are about growing up, about getting married, about finding your place; the transition between youth and responsibility. But not in a way that shuns these changes. These are songs about the journey, and the choices you make along the way.” The band is currently on the road supporting their new CD, touring with Last Tuesday, Side Walk Slam, and Chasing Victory and playing several festivals this summer, including Ichthus, Cornerstone, Sonshine, Inside Out Soul Fest and many more. Check them out at www.theroosevelts.net and www.womrecords.com

You can’t just listen to Blessed By A Broken Heart; you get crushed by them. Inhumanly fast double bass, a deep growl, a relentless attack of songs—you pretty much either join in or get out of the way. And the fury is about to move back a couple decades. “Watch out for Frank’s electronic drumset,” vocalist Tyler Hoare warns me. “We’re going totally ’80s now. The new stuff sounds like Boston, Van Halen…” he’s telling me before he breaks off into humming the intro to Van Halen’s “Jump.” The Montreal-based metal six-piece—Tyler, Robbie Polton and Simon Fournier on guitar, bassist Joel Sauve, drummer Frank Shooflar and vocalist Hugh Charron—is finally settling down with a solid lineup, after going through a blender a few times. “Everyone got engaged and got married and got really old,” Tyler laughs. “I was actually the youngest at 23. After that I started figuring out that we needed to get some young kids in the band, right out of high school; ones that all they wanted to do was play music.”

Anberlin is hitting the road with Sugarcult, Hawthorne Heights, and Head Automatica for the Take Action Tour. This is, of course, what vocalist Stephen Christian does in his spare time, when he’s not writing letters to the editor of music magazines (!). As I Lay Dying have hit the studio to record their second Metal Blade album. First they have to take a short break to tour Japan and Australia with Shadow’s Fall. A new Kids In The Way album drops on May 1, Apparitions of Melody.

Blessed By A Broken Heart BY DAVID STAGG

Pedro The Lion has released an iTunes exclusive EP, called Stations. The six tracks were all recorded live at radio station appearances. The band is touring with Low in February and March.

Hugh was going to be a bassist, but they got him to switch to vocals after a nervous audition. So shy, in fact, that at the first practice, he sang from the other room. “He was too scared to sing in front of other people,” Tyler says. “Robbie was looking at me like, ‘Where’d you find this guy?’ Finally, he let out a nice big scream and everyone was like, ‘Whoa!’” BBABH is a self-proclaimed ministry band—“We don’t preach from the stage or anything, though,” Tyler says—that ended up playing more and more shows, getting bigger and bigger, getting signed and are now “planning something really big,” as Tyler lets on. The name is even a testament to their pursuit of God’s affection. Two in the band were both dating girls named Sarah—Tyler’s eventually got engaged to their old singer— when both relationships ended about the same time. “When both of us were going out with our girlfriends, we sort of put God second,” Tyler explains. “Once we broke up, we got closer to God. So we were basically blessed with broken hearts.”

Mono Vs. Stereo Records signed Last Tuesday. The band, who plays some 185-plus shows per year, releases a new album in May. Their twin vocal attack promises an early-Midtown and Taking Back Sunday vibe. Matt Thiessen of Relient K and Joe Martlett (Blink 182, Queens of the Stone Age) will be producing. Lucerin Blue have just finished a new independent release. 12 Stones, Evanescence, and Switchfoot join Thursday, Jet, and others on the Elektra soundtrack. Eisley is planning a lengthy Spring tour with New Found Glory and Reggie & the Full Effect. Tooth & Nail just signed Waking Ashland, who played on last year’s Warped Tour and toured with Mae. Lou Giordana (Taking Back Sunday) is producing their debut full-length. Escape From Earth are hitting the studio with Rae Dileo (Henry Rollins, Filter), recording a new album.

LIVE 17

LIVE REPORT

No Innocent Victim, Sinai Beach, First Blood

BY TIFFANY CHOW

Photos: Chad Sengstock

Ten-year old hardcore outf it No Innocent Victim has decided to resurrect themselves from the grave. Lead singer Jason Moody expressed his disappointment with the current state of hardcore in a recent interview with TheSceneZineOnline, “It was put on my heart…how instead of the Christian kids being where they should be they just blended in with the secular scene. There was no distinction.” Inspired, NIV reunited and signed with Facedown to release a brand new album. Until then, NIV decided to make November 19th the night of their return, playing to a packed Glasshouse in Pomona, CA. During First Blood’s set, it was clear to see exactly what traits of the scene were disappointing to NIV. First Blood played formulaic hardcore, with generic drumming and lowquality guitars. The sweaty mass of audience responded, displaying their aggression via circle-pitting and hardcore dancing, fulfilling the common “tough guy” role. There was a serious lack of the ideals of brotherhood that reigned supreme in the former glory days of NIV and other old-school hardcore. People fell down in the pit only to be left on the floor. Although this was discouraging, it set the stage perfectly for what NIV was hoping to accomplish this night and throughout their newly restarted career. Along with the other openers, one of hardcore’s hottest acts was there to welcome NIV back. Sinai Beach has blown up quickly, recently inking a deal with Abacus/Century Media after dominating their former home, Facedown Records. The change from First Blood to a professional band like Sinai Beach was as apparent and clean-cut as seasons in New England. The audience was so familiar with Sinai Beach’s material that each breakdown was anticipated in the pits, and the words to each song were sung from beginning to end. Near the end of the set, the singer took a moment to fill the audience in on exactly what Sinai Beach was about, aligning themselves with the goals and hopes of NIV. In regards to their new album and the recent deal with Century Media, he explained that they are going to continue doing exactly what they’ve always done—standing up for what they believe in, and never backing down. This statement was met with overwhelming response from the audience, indicative of what Sinai Beach’s entire set had been—an endless cycle of passion, energy, and fervor

flowing from the band to the fans, and back again. Finally, after a long wait between Sinai Beach and what everyone was there for, NIV walked onto a dark stage. The anticipation had grown so much, the entire venue was buzzing with excitement. NIV was going to make an unforgettable return. When the band started in on their first song, it was like a throwback to the older days of Christian hardcore. If the audience was involved during Sinai Beach, it was like they were one with NIV. Every song was known and sung along to from the first note. There was an endless flow in the pit. What had to have been most inspiring to the band was the obvious change in attitude in the audience. Between two songs, singer Moody called out to the audience, asking how many people were his brothers and sisters in Christ. The audience erupted with cheers and affirmation. From the second NIV came onstage, the atmosphere changed…the pit was no longer a stage for testosterone, but rather a place of community and brotherhood. It was truly encouraging to see what effect the return of

NIV had on just this one night, and it will be an amazing thing to watch how they turn the scene upside down in the coming years.

18 M O R R O W M E TA L R E P O R T

Morrow Metal Report

Crimson Moonlight

Morphia

To look at the surface of Crimson Moonlight, one would see an extreme metal band that has released a handful of albums that have progressively gotten better. But to look beneath the surface, one would see a band that has endured a roller coaster ride to arrive at where they are now. After releasing their Eternal Emperor EP in 1998, the band went five years before releasing their first full length, The Covenant Progress. As the new release was nearing its unleashing, lead singer Pilgrim’s wife left him. So an exciting time for the band led to grief for Pilgrim and put a damper on the excitement of the release. Soon after, the revolving door of band member changes began. When all was said and done, there were somewhere around nine member changes between the release of The Covenant Progress and the release of their new disc. While Crimson Moonlight is still looking for another guitarist, they are currently promoting their fantastic new release, Veil of Remembrance. Their last offering combined the extremeness of black metal with the brutality of death metal. And this new disc takes that combination and ups the ante. Pilgrim explains, “We are all into extreme death and black metal music and we think that kind of music should be fast and brutal... We tried our best on The Covenant Progress, but this time we know much more about how to play and produce brutal black metal.” The lyrics on the new album are very dark and poetic. Written first in Swedish and translated to English, the lyrics are real-life experiences that deal a lot with Pilgrim’s marital struggles and the confusion, grief, and pain he experienced. His lyrics also point out that Jesus Christ is the light that never fades away and that His love is greater than all the pain in the world. Crimson Moonlight’s goals for this new album are that it will be well known in the secular metal market and that it will be a tool for God to crush prejudices that many people have about Christianity and Christian music as well.

Fading Beauty is Morphia’s third full-length album, and the band’s doomy, death metal style from The Netherlands has further progressed to a masterpiece level of extreme music and extreme beauty and emotion. Lead singer Jasper Pieterson unravels the passion that seems to flow through the band’s work, “Everyone on this earth lives with emotions and has to deal with them. We pay attention to the heavy kind of emotion that has great impact on lives. Those emotions are the same for every one and that’s why a lot of people can relate to the music and the emotion that’s in it. Most of us are ridiculous perfectionists in the music we make, sometimes arguing about things for hours, but somehow we always manage to settle our differences in the end and come up with the best possible solution each and every time. This way it takes a lot more time to come up with a new album, but when we’re finally done we have all put in everything we have and I think that shows.” One reason the band’s sound is so emotional is their lyrical content. Pieterson explains, “The lyrics deal with things and emotions we all go through once or more in our lives. We write about the meaning of forever, the way beautiful things around us go away, like your loved ones, or the man/woman/child you once were.”

http://www.crimsonmoonlight.com

http://www.morphia.nl

Emotions aside, the band seems stronger now than ever. They’ve kept the same seven-member lineup since their last album, Frozen Dust, and have grown their fan base with great promotion from Fear Dark Records and tours with Kekal, Crimson Moonlight, and Immortal Souls. The band has balanced all of this while their personal lives have expanded as well. Guitarist Roger Koedoot became father of a second daughter, Pieterson became a father for the first time, and five of the band members bought new houses and moved. The band continues to push forward, already working on their next album, but for the most part they are content with savoring Fading Beauty and enjoying the reactions of their adoring fans.

H E AV EN ’ S M E TA L 19

Metal tracks • The new Apologetix album, New and Used Hits, features parodies of the Guns N’ Roses hit, “Welcome to the Jungle,” AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” and Jet’s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” It’ll either bring a big grin to your face, a grimace, or both. • A few folks (including HM) are working on getting Once Dead to perform for this year’s Cornerstone and Sonshine festivals. Talks are also underway for a full-blown Holy Soldier reunion as well. • Nineteen88 is releasing a DVD in March, which includes live footage, and the video of “Metal Pokey.” The Great American Rock and Roll Spectacle will soon be released on vinyl. • It’s amazing how quick albums go out of print – especially in the Christian hard music scene. Here’s how/when it happens: Most every album reaches a point a year or two after its release where the title is costing the record company more money to warehouse and store than it is making money

in sales. When the album reaches this critical point, a “junk dealer” is called and the remaining units are sold for “pennies on the dollar” or even sometimes destroyed as a tax write-off for a depreciated asset. Thankfully, collectors of older, out-ofprint albums are seeing companies like Retroactive Records (and don’t forget Rad Rockers, who often buys up those albums from the labels) re-release some classic music. The latest slew of Retroactive releases all feature cooler-than-theoriginal full-color disc artwork, which is nice. The Resurrection Band’s DMZ album was the band’s most metallic sound up to that point (1982), marking a critical shift in sound during metal’s early heyday. Believer’s Sanity Obscure is still one of the best thrash metal albums – ever. Anyone reading this without it, you know what to do. One of the band’s earliest tracks, “I.Y.F.,” appears as a bonus. Another brutal Northeastern metal band from that era was Sacrament, whose Testimony of Apocalypse is coupled with the Presumed Dead 7-song demo (poor sonics and all) as a bonus. These are all licensed for 1000 units each, so it’s possible that this second go-around will be the last.

Album reviews ECHO HOLLOW – Superficial Intelligence This sucker was recorded about two years ago, but shelved when chief financer and vocalist Guy Ritter demanded money from the rest of the band to manufacture and market the release. So it sat until since-departed Gary Lenaire announced he was releasing those songs on one of his solo albums. Then the parties involved agreed to release it now. While not as intense or high-energy as their Diet of Worms debut, there are moments of haunting metal (“A.D.H.D.” and “Empty”), but also some mellower experiments that aren’t quite as on – the most memorable of which is the GN’R-ish “Late Movie.” CREED – Greatest Hits This album is aptly titled, I guess, because it certainly isn’t a “best of” by anyone of discerning tastes. They picked 4 songs from each of the three albums, which seems fair, but they left off such majestic tunes as “Faceless Man,” “Wash Away Those Years” and “Beautiful.” If it were me, I just would’ve repackaged Human Clay with a couple songs from the first and third albums. The best part of this package, though, is the bonus DVD, which includes all of the band’s concept videos. I wish more big bands did this (like P.O.D.), because fans want to own these things.

THE RISE THE RISE – Bluezone This group reads like a Who’s Who of Swedish Christian metal: Sonny Larsson (Motherlode, Leviticus); Peter Carsohn and Micke Ulvsgard (both in Jerusalem); and journeyman guitarist Ulf Jenevall. Old school arena rock vocal histronics from Larsson ride atop some crazy dance grooves and electronica. Almost a modern euro-worship sound for most of the songs.

Live reviews TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA – Austin TX, 12-11 The hype was right – TSO puts on an amazing show. For the metalhead shredder guy, it’s paradise. For average rock fan, there’s every cool trick in rock’s history working – lasers, fog, even artificial snow. It’s a world class r&r spectacular that never gets boring – quite a feat in a world where virtuosity isn’t a virtue anymore. 7 vocalists, a narrator, and a string section back up a full band with two talented guitarists. The theme of the night was, of course, Christmas and, dare I say, the Gospel was presented. It’s always kind of neat when something like this comes from an unexpected source, too – namely, outside the church/Christian scene.

20 F E AT U R E T T E

NODES OF RANVIER ourselves. I really don’t care if the kids like it or not, but if I don’t like it… it’s not going to matter what anybody else tells me.” Tell us more about writing the music. “Well, usually Ryan and I do a lot of the grunt work with it. Sitting down… we’re the three nights a week kind of guys – strict schedule.” In the basement, chewing tobacco and wishing on a star? “Not really, but yes about the basement. Ryan and his wife lived in this house for awhile. Right now it’s me, another guitarist – a guy who roadies with us and his friend all living in the ‘band house’. Actually we wrote the last record in the basement.” Wonderful. Now give me a visual. “Hmm. Picture our vocalist, Nick, writing lyrics to each song on a dry erase board. He’s getting himself ready to do some singing. Now our drummer, Ryan has some pipes on him, he’ll be waiting for the Tuesday morning paper and lending a hand to the higher harmonies. Terry, he’s our bass player and has done vocals for almost every band he’s been in... He’s a bit older, so he’s wise and usually late for supper. Just ridiculously energetic and needs an avenue to get it out. You can see him screaming in the background.”

BY DAVID ALLEN All quotes have been spontaneously edited into any sort of mangled and muddled shape to better fit your reading experience. Don’t worry about it though, you’ll get the gist of it. Catching up with Nodes of Ranvier guitarist Jon Parker was a bit overwhelming. He’s a great guy, but when you reach him in the middle of a project, it’s a bit hard to catch up to his stream of discussion. It’s not that he speaks too fast, and it’s not that he fails to articulate ideas. He just says a lot and he means what he says. Let me give an example. Towards the end of our exchange, a vague question was thrown: What are you looking to do with your next album?

“We want to make this record our opus,” said Jon, “it’s do or die.” He then added, “I want creative, yet catchy and concrete. Not too formulated.” Creative, yet catchy? A formula, but without too much formula? The answer felt manufactured. It’s so easy to jump into cliché band phrase mode and turn a deaf ear. But something about his phrasing was different. Each adjective was a sentence with a whole slew of meaning behind it. So he proceeded to break down his comment and kept me in his left palm the whole time. Taught me a lesson really. If a man truly means his little, verbal nuances the listener doesn’t have to worry about sticks and stones, ‘cause he’ll know when his bones are being broken. “The biggest critic we’re going to have is

Perfect. So this is Nick’s first album as your vocalist. How are things going? “We wanted to get to the point where Nick was doing his own songs, and here we are. We’re looking forward to trying some new things with him. He paid his dues as far as stepping into someone else’s shoes. Some people expected him to be the same as Thomas, but he’s Nick. His range is different, if not better. His new lyrical content is really good. He’s not trying to paint a Dali, it’s more direct.” And after this time recording, will you return to the sweet, sweet tarmac? “I miss it. We’ve been off the road for four months getting ready for this. We’re trying to make quick work and get back out there.”

22 F E AT U R E T T E

WINTER SOLSTICE Winter Solstice doesn’t claim to be a political band—“That’s the last thing we would like to come off as,” Cuneo says; they only started playing music for fun. But before long, the band had done a small tour, gone through a couple line-up changes (eventually solidifying a group consisting of Cuneo, vocalist Matt Tarpey, guitarists J.T. Turner and Caleb Goins and bassist Nathan Smith), released a couple EPs that generated label interest and was ready to be on the road. But first things first—they hadn’t finished school yet. The discipline to stay in school was the only thing that outweighed the initial response to get on a label, drop out and tour. “Education was a huge priority for us,” Cuneo says about finishing college at Liberty University. “Even if a deal would have come along at the time, it probably wouldn’t have been an option for us.” The maturity and restraint to hold out for graduating college led to an intimacy with each other as musicians, and, over time, has finally led Winter Solstice to a finished record, and soon, the early Spring when The Fall of Rome will be released. They had been writing songs for the record for over a year, took their time in the studio, and are now ready to release, what the band feels, is the highlight of their somewhat infant careers.

BY DAVID STAGG There’s this old essay written by a man named Taylor Caldwell called “Honoria” that tells the story of a nation that once was bright and beautiful. Though savage at first, this Honoria went on to provide free public education and establish churches. The country united colonies, had senators, was a republic, but over time had civilly eroded. Eventually the middle class died, the country’s armies were spread thin across the world, and when the moment was right, the “wild sword of the Barbarians” tore the country in two. As it is, Honoria isn’t fictitious; it’s a pseudonym for Ancient Rome, and the parallel Caldwell was making between the famous

empire and the United States rang true with what Virginian thrash metal band Winter Solstice was trying to convey—just before reading the essay, the band had decided upon naming their upcoming debut full-length release The Fall of Rome. “It’s really kind of a metaphor for what we’ve got going on,” drummer Duke Cuneo explains. “Basically, we feel there are a lot of similarities between the Roman empire and the society we live in today in the sense that they both started out as republics, as great societies, and we’ve slowly kind of drifted away from certain things, morally and culturally.” Even though their album title and future CD artwork depicts this civil degeneration,

“The album is definitely our best work to date; I know that’s probably what most people would say. It’s a little bit more focused. We’ve kind of settled into a style I think is more our own, rather than try to figure out what we want to sound like.” And when they take it to the road, their hope is that God will shine through—not implicitly through their performance, although that would be desirable. It’s the kids in the scene, the ones there day in and day out, their fans, they’ll rely on. “Our main purpose as a band is to be who we are as Christians and encourage other Christians,” Cuneo finishes up. “The likelihood that we’re going to go on stage and say a few words about Jesus and they’re going to come to Christ is fairly slim. But we know that realistically, the work—the spiritual work—is going to be done by the kids at the show that are Christians.”

24 F E AT U R E T T E

SUBSEVEN always ill. We like to meet people and let them know you don’t have to be gloomy or ill. God has a purpose and a plan for your life. Live in His blessing. Truthfully, that’s the main reason we are in this band. To expose people to the way that God truly intended for them to live. It’s important to have the right sound and for kids to like us as a band and buy our records, but the real reason we do what we do is to shed some light on a dark world.“ Clint adds, “We’ve tried to do something everybody can relate to. And no matter where we may be playing, we’re gonna stay bold and encourage people in every part of their lives.” Subseven started the Little Green Tour in mid-January in Seattle with Spoken, Falling Up, and Mourning September, which ends in February in Tucson, AZ. They also plan to shoot a video for the first release of Free to Conquer with video director Todd Strauss Schulson, as well as some upcoming tracks for Purevolume.com.

BY LEE HALEY Subseven is a five piece band from out of the dust bowls in Oklahoma; consisting of: Wesley Fite, vocals; Clint McManaman, drums; Reed Corbin, bass; Caleb Wilkerson, guitar; and Jake Sullivan, guitar. Their sound lies somewhere between pop punk and rock to the Cure and Nirvana. Their influences range anywhere from Sparta, The Mars Volta (not ironically, both At the Drive In spin-off bands) along with mewithoutYou, Norma Jean and Beloved. Subseven was one of Flicker Records’ “hard music trio” of bands (along with KIds in the Way and Staple) signed to the label a little over a year ago, joining Pillar to spearhead the small label’s ship through today’s more aggressive rock waters. (Who would’ve guessed that an Audio Adrenaline dropout would go on to unleash screaming riffs into the Christian music scene he once played powder-puff rock for?) Subseven has just wrapped up the Where Do We Go From Here Tour with Pillar, Project 86, and Falling Up. Their latest (sophomore) release, Free to Conquer, should already be released as of this writing.

Subseven formed several years back, but after several lineup changes in 2000 the band took on a whole new light. “It was just like starting over,” explains Corbin. The band’s motto or mission statement, if you will, is known as a prosperity message. “Most people don’t understand what it is when we mention the prosperity message,” he explains gingerly. “It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with financial resources. We go on God’s Word that simply says, in Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV): “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Clint defends. “Our whole basis is that we want people to know how they can prosper in every area of their lives, beginning spiritually and carrying over into mentally and physically. So many young people go through some seriously dark issues, and we want them to get everything they can out of their faith and out of the Bible.” Corbin also adds, ”So many people are living in a sick situation; and by that I mean they are

“We hope to really grow and develop with Flicker Records. We feel they are a great fit for us. We hope we do them proud,” says Corbin. When asked what was the one thing Subseven would like their fans to know was, he simply put it this way: “No matter what you believe or what you are involved in, Jesus is the Truth, The Way and the Life. It doesn’t matter how bad you’re hurting, He will always pick up the pieces and put them back together again. It’s so important that people are exposed to that on a daily basis. We strive to encourage kids of all ages, whether they are Christians or not. We show them love, because that’s the way our Father would do it.“

26 F E AT U R E T T E

FAR-LESS

BY PATRICK WEAVER Virginia is a beautiful place that I have not had the chance to grace my eyes upon. New signees to the Tooth and Nail Records empire, Far-Less, are hard at work. Conceived in 2001, Far-Less’ goal is to fuse all of their differences in influences and to make music that was unheard of before. Two self-released EPs, Emerge and Apposiblity brought them a decent regional status and their fan base started to grow. Then in 2003 Silent Uproar Records released Far-Less’ first full-length, Broken Hearts Unite and Far-Less was off and climbing the local and regional ladders, slowly but surely. Last year brought them a contract from Tooth and Nail and the release of a six-song EP aptly named Turn to the Bright. Corresponding with the release and a need to introduce Far-Less to the masses, T&N

threw them onto The Youngbloods Tour and Far-Less started gaining recognition among the fans in the general public. As lead vocalist Brandon Welch says, “It’s us trying to ignore all the crap that goes on around us and focus on what’s real: God, love, and hope – basically, dismissing the past and looking to the future.” Far-Less’ music is known as a mixture of influences from the five guys in the band. What will they be up to in 2005? Who knows, but I know that they will be hard at work touring in support of Turn to the Bright. I had the pleasure of seeing them with one of my international friends. It was the first time she had been to a live concert and she said that, “she liked the guys that were playing up on the stage,” who turned out to be

Far-Less. They had an awkward feel to them upon seeing them live that was unexplainable, yet unbelievably talented. The lead singer reminded me of Mike Williams from The Agony Scene, yet he could not quite reach those extreme highs. The band’s first single is the ferocious, “Scorched Earth Policy,” but don’t be fooled kiddos, this band can slow it down quite nicely in songs such as “Georgia” or “The Mountain Song,” both of which are on the EP. Hopefully 2005 will bring a new full-length amidst all the touring.

28 F E AT U R E T T E

THE AFTERS

BY JOHN J. THOMPSON Vocalist and guitarist Joshua Havens was consecrated as a musical prodigy at the age of three. Classical piano training led to sold out concertos, prestigious schools and talk of greatness. Enter the teen years and Havens gladly traded his classical voice and music theory training in for the six-string weapon of mass reduction and a collection of CDs. “I needed to use my gift to His glory and wanted to go as far as I could with it,” Havens recalls. Destined to wear blue jeans instead of tuxedos, Havens’ musical destiny began to degenerate into the beautiful mess that is modern rock ‘n’ roll. Strains of Keane, Nirvana, Radiohead and underground classics The 77s and The Choir combined for a potent effect. Add the addictive vice of strong coffee to the mix and only bad things can happen. Havens hooked up with other lads of like musical and spiritual passion, booked a few gigs and did what countless thousands have done each year since 1964 – tried to become the next Beatles. Havens explains, “There’s something about music that speaks to people stronger

than words alone. There’s a connection that you can achieve that is very special.” While talk of Abbey Road is definitely premature, Havens and company have already defied the music biz odds. They have cultivated a devoted following, landed the ever elusive record deal and gotten the opening spot on a major tour. The alchemy doesn’t stop there, though. While the band fits squarely in the “Christian Rock” camp due to their transparently spiritual lyrics and the company they find themselves in (INO Records, Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, etc,) their musical prowess has engendered enthusiasm from Epic Records, who plans to film a video and release a single to multiple mainstream radio formats in February. The irony, however, is not so much in that this is all happening for The Afters, but in the fact that with their taught live show, their melodically accessible – yet artistically impressive – music and their heartfelt love of God and art, this is a band that actually deserves this kind of success. After an opening slot for Mercy Me on Halloween 2001, fellow Dallas native and

founder Bart Millard was actually nervous to follow the band’s performance. Havens, along with guitarist Matt Fuqua, bassist Brad Wigg and drummer Marc Dodd became the first signing for Millard’s new label venture Simple Records, an imprint of INO Records. After their unlikely but effective pairing with legendary CCM producer Brown Bannister, the band proceeded to create one of the most convincing Radiohead-meets-Coldplay modern rock records in recent memory. The resulting disc was powerful enough to turn several heads at major labels, with Epic winning out in the end. As a result The Afters may have just put together the most obviously “Christian” record to be picked up in the general market. With nods to Switchfoot, Sixpence and others, Havens seems unphased by the unique positioning. “I have a lot of respect for Christian music,” he says, “but I also recognize that you are going to have a limited audience as long as you are tagged ‘Christian Music.’ To The Afters it’s about meeting a need, wherever it might be found.”

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30 F E AT U R E T T E

STELLAR KART But in the case of Agee, learning to play music really was just as easy as it looked. “It became obvious to me that it was what God wanted me to do, because I learned extremely quickly how to play and how to sing, and got decent at it quick,” Agee explains. “Then songwriting came next, and we wrote some songs that people liked. It was a natural thing that I couldn’t really explain. I prayed about it a lot and figured, ‘Yeah, this is what I really need to do.’” These sudden musical skills may have been at least partly hereditary, since his mom is a former church pianist. The only thing slightly musical about his dad is his love of Elvis. “He plays some Elvis songs on the guitar, but that’s about it,” Agee notes. Stellar Kart, however, is not very Elvis-y. Instead, it has been positively compared to such mainstream acts as Green Day and Blink-182. Agee’s personal tastes also surprisingly include an appreciation of Fountains Of Wayne, and – believe it or not – John Denver. Agee, whose Elvis-loving father is also a former pastor, shares his dad’s heart for ministry. One of Stellar Kart’s primary ministerial focuses is on promoting teenage sexual abstinence. The group, in fact, has a song on its new album that addresses this issue specifically. “We had the idea in mind,” says Agee (when describing the song “Second Chances”), “and then we became involved with the organization Silver Ring Thing. The idea we came up with on our own, and then being a part of that (organization) kind of made the lyrics into what they were.”

BY DAN MACINTOSH Stellar Kart is a new pop-punk band from the Phoenix area, and is a quartet comprised of Adam Agee, Jordan Messer, Cody Pellerin and Tay Sitera. And since this group is an outgrowth of the Mt. Ridge Baptist Church worship team, the overtly worshipful “Love Song,” off the group’s debut All Gas. No Brake. CD, isn’t at all out of place sitting next to the project’s other more ruckus tunes. “Jordan, the drummer, and I started leading worship for our youth group as soon as I knew how to play guitar,” Agee recalls. “And that was in 1999. Once I could change chords fast enough, I started singing. Then we led

worship for a youth group of six people. Then Tay, the bass player – he lived in Yuma at the time – would drive up to Phoenix, which is about a three-hour trip. And he’d play with us. And then we added Cody, the guitar player, into the band.” Before long, the group was performing in front of audiences significantly larger than a mere six folks. “Our first actual real gig was a youth evangelism conference called Make Waves, and that was in June of 2001. And we led worship for about 4,000 people,” Agee continues. “So that was kind of our big break.” The first Christian concert Agee recalls attending featured Audio Adrenaline and DC Talk. Most kids come away from such first concert experiences saying, “Yeah, I can do that!”

This band is not always so dead serious, however. How else would you explain its decision to cover Bon Jovi’s campy “Livin’ on a Prayer?” And only a slightly silly group would ever record a 23-second song titled “Tree Climber,” which -- albeit briefly -- tells the Biblical Zacchaeus story. The band is signed to Word Records, which is a label usually associated with pop artists like Amy Grant, instead of rowdy punk bands. “It was kind of a gamble, I guess you’d say,” Agee admits. “We thought that being a big fish in a small pond, and being one of the only rock bands on the label, might get us a little more attention.” With a fine debut like All Gas. No Brake. Stellar Kart has certainly earned a little extra attention.

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THE CHEMISTRY

BY ERIC W. ALEXY While you may not be willing to admit it in public, odds are if you turned on a radio any time during 1997, you’ll certainly remember the downright contagious chorus of the Third Eye Blind smash hit, “Semi-Charmed Life.” However, while 3EB’s star quickly faded (despite releasing a pair of superb follow-ups), the mark their debut release left on one budding Temecula, California-based rock band in particular will certainly not be forgotten any time soon. The Chemistry – vocalist Daniel Mitchell, guitarists Thomas Scriven and Tom Hamilton, bassist Jared Valencia and drummer Justin Shultz – formed in early 2003, and, after recording an impressive set of demos and touring successfully alongside Zao, Beloved and This Day Forward, the band signed with

Razor & Tie Records, with their 13-song selftitled debut set for a March release. Produced by former 3EB guitarist Kevin Cadogan, The Chemistry’s debut does much more than pay homage to 3EB – a group all of The Chemistry’s members note as their largest musical inspiration to date – intertwining myriad influences ranging from The Used to Further Seems Forever in a concise and wellexecuted manner. For Scriven, the experience of working with Cadogan was truly a dream come true. “I started playing guitar because of Kevin,” he explains. “[When] I was about 16, almost 17, I went to a show to see Third Eye Blind. It was the most amazing show I had ever seen. It changed my life and gave me a direction.” “Pretty much I was keeping in contact with Kevin’s manager and we talked about Kevin producing the record,” Scriven says. “One day

Kevin called me up and then we decided to go for it and make the record. We obviously made a right choice because we are all 150 percent happy with the way things turned out, and that is rare for every member to be completely satisfied with the turn out of their record.” With the band’s impending debut release, big things are quite obviously ahead, though, says Scriven, no matter what, he feels quite blessed to have the band make it as far as they have. “Honestly, there’ve been so many breaks from the get go, and so many people deserve credit for helping us get our start. I would say that all of the credit is due to a big miracle, cause we still don’t know how we got this blessed. We wake up everyday and are just blown away by the amazing people that have had faith in our baby band.”

34 F E AT U R E T T E

GODS writing a lot of songs and playing guitar and things just ended up happening that way. It’s cool. I enjoy it. “Zao was really cool and they just put out an awesome record without me and I’m sure they’ll put out more. I just wanted to personally move on. If people don’t agree with that or if it bothers them, I’m sorry. I wanted to do something else. I wanted to be able to have more of a voice.” His new band definitely gives him the room to express that voice, which is also reflected in the band’s chosen name. “It’s just gods. I wanted to pick a name that would be, first of all, shocking. And kind of cause questions as to, ‘What is this about?’ The concept behind the band and all of the lyrics on our full-length, which is called, I See You Through Glass, is just about (how) people serve gods. People have a god, no matter what – whether you’re serving Jesus Christ or whether you’re serving Buddha or whether you’re Baha’i or whether you’re worshipping your tv or you worship pornography or money… People have vices in their life. I just used to hear people be like, ‘Well, I don’t have a god. I don’t believe in God.’ And I’d be like, ‘Well, you have some kind of god.’ That’s kind of the basis of the name and stuff. By no means is it (meant to be blasphemous). I remember my mom being like, ‘Why’d you name your band that?’ To make people think about stuff, I guess.

BY DOUG VAN PELT “I’m really, really happy with the new record,” gushes former Zao drummer turned frontman Jesse Smith. “I would probably even go as far to say that I’m the most proud of this over anything else I’ve ever done musically. We spent three weeks in Virginia, sleeping on a cold floor and eating beans. We really busted our butts and I’m really happy with how it came out. It sounds really good.” Those that have heard the recently released self-titled EP and think they know what gods sound like will be in for a pleasant surprise. “Things have changed,” elaborates Smith. “I think the EP is garbage. It was recorded in a

basement on a small Pro-Tools setup. Lyrically, some of the stuff going on was a little whack. I was kind of bitter at the time.” Seems the band was anxious to get material out, they had a demo in hand, so they released the 5-song disc. Since then Smith and company have written 20 songs and picked 10 of the best for their debut – I See You Through Glass, which debuts on May 5. When asked about the transition from legendary drummer to frontman for a doomy/gothic melodic rock band, he shrugs it off as a simple adjustment for songs and a style he’d been wanting to create for awhile. “It wasn’t like a mental note of, ‘I want to be in the front’ or ‘I want to be a band leader,’ or even, ‘I don’t want to play drums anymore.’ It was just I was

“The themes on the album are pretty much just lost love and life. Some of it’s like praise and worship songs, you know? And some of it’s kind of more like Psalms kind of stuff – just like, questioning certain things, like crying out, ‘Why do we experience so much crap as human beings?’ Whatever plane you’re on, why if you have loads of money, you’re still empty? If you’ve found peace and spirituality, why’s there still, you know, (things happening)? Obviously, questions of human nature… I hope people keep an open mind about what we’re doing as a band. Most everybody in the band is a Christian and… I’ve been talking about that for years – just the kind of tearing down that line and getting kind of away from some kind of scene and some kind of shaped idea of what… I don’t know. I’m not trying to put anything in a box with this band – especially God. I hope people check out our record and I hope they like it, because we’re very proud of it.”

36 F E AT U R E T T E

OLIVIA, THE BAND Christian Perreira) certainly take this approach to heart, with six adults sharing a three-bedroom house in San Diego’s suburbs. “We didn’t take lessons and form a band like a bunch of guys,” explains Cromwell, “like, ‘Oh, you play good guitar, Gabe. Let’s make a band.’ We’re all friends and family that started off and then were like, ‘Oh, let’s make a band!’ We did it the backwards way.” Hearing bandmates Cromwell and Abilla interact, with the occasional jokes and laughter, it underscores the assumption that the smiles prevalent in the CD packaging are not forced or put on. These kind of organic relationships always seem to offer more hope for longevity than the token “want ad bands” that pop up in every city on any given day. It also translates into an onstage authenticity that will win over an audience. The message may slightly change between one of their bar shows and one of their Christian youth group performances, which Abilla describes as tweaking the encouragement a little bit. “If somebody wasn’t a Christian, I wouldn’t say, ‘Yeah, keep striving on the right path, and living for God,’ you know what I mean? Overall, we don’t act any different. A show’s a show. We get up there and play our songs and meet a bunch of cool people.

BY DOUG VAN PELT “We’re bummed,” confess the otherwise joyful and grateful members of Olivia, “we’re over here and we’re missing this big wave contest that only happens when the surf is big enough.” The contest they are speaking of is the “In Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational,” which is staged only if swells measure at least 20 feet at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, which it did on December 15th. Massive crowds formed along this beach once word went out that 24 of the world’s best big wave riders would be attempting to ride waves that sometimes reach 40 feet tall.. The transplanted Hawaiians that make up the 4-piece pop punk band known as Olivia must’ve turned green with envy when their friends on the other end of the phone report-

ed the rare aquatic occurrences. While envy is a powerful emotion to resist, it doesn’t hurt when you’re in a band that is doing interviews and prepping for West Coast dates to promote its debut album. “We moved out here (San Diego, California),” explains vocalist and bassist Reed Cromwell, “just cuz it’s so expensive to fly back and forth from Hawaii to here to do tours and stuff, you know? It just makes sense.” There are other ways to get over relocation regret, too. “We don’t really care to surf out here. We would if it wasn’t…if we didn’t turn into an icicle and get ear infections every time we go.” Another great way to alleviate missing home is by being in a tight-knit family. The members of Olivia (rounded out by lead guitarist Justin Abilla, guitarist Gabe Watts, and drummer

“We’re always together, and God has just totally hooked us up and blessed us with so many rad friends. Everywhere we go, all the shows we play, we usually leave with at least a couple of good friends that keep in touch, so when we go back it’s like we’re not just going back to play a show, we’re going back and getting to see your friends that you haven’t seen in a long time. That makes me happy. God hooked it up. It’s a joy.” “Hearing about good waves at home bums me out,” Cromwell adds. “That kinda sucks. My mom tries to rub it in. I’m not there to see it, but I think if I wasn’t playing music in this band and not here, I’d be working anyways, so I wouldn’t get to watch it even if I was there. But then again, I always make a way to get to the Eddie Aikau Big Wave contest, because that one is right in our old backyard. That’s a lot heavier than any of the other contests, for sure. It’s pretty crazy. I’d probably call in sick for that one, if it happens...”

38 F E AT U R E T T E

EISLEY

BY BRIAN QUINCY NEWCOMB There’s a lot that Eisley’s 16-year-old singer/ songwriter Stacy DuPree doesn’t know… and that’s okay for now. Signing off, after failing to answer many of my questions and beginning most of the ones she did with a rhetorical “I don’t know,” Stacy DuPree admits “I’m not good at interviews, and this is only my second phoner.” No kidding, I think. Then again this is that young band of Texas siblings that can sing the Peter Pan credo: “I shall never grow up, make believe is much too fun” (in “Brightly Wound”) and remain believable. There’s something about the way Eisley’s gentle female harmonies inhabit the

floating melodies with fanciful lyrics about “Marvelous Things” and “My Lovely.” At 16, Stacy is the youngest of her two sisters, Chauntelle (22) and Sherri (20), that are the pretty front faces of Eisley. The have the support of their brother Weston (18) on drums, and family friend Jonathan Wilson on bass. When I sat down to interview the band after a set at SXSW in April of ’03, I remember joking with young Jon that he’d be the envy of many, as he was in a position to date the girls. There was enough nervous laughter to have made Aunt Bee proud. And this was a band that had already played a string of shows opening for Coldplay. They went back on tour with them, and then opened shows for Brand New and Snow Patrol. They played the Coachella Music

Festival, releasing two EP-CD’s, and earned “Next Big Thing” assessments from places like Blender Magazine. But, with nearly two years under the bridge and their completed full-length disc Room Noises finally ready for release on Feb. 8, you’d think Stacy would not still sound so innocent, fragile and a bit uncertain. “It’s still pretty new,” she says. “I don’t think we’ve changed our overall sound all that much. I think we will evolve over time, but so far it’s been about taking the songs that we’ve developed over the last few years and getting them all put together on an album.” But when I broach the spiritual aspects of the songs, she’s not so sure. As I try to feed her the right information, to let her know that she was in safe company, to let her know that I knew a few things about her band: That they’d formed to play around her folks’ church coffeehouse, that they’d played the Cornerstone Festival, that many of their fans find their music inspirational. That, I thought all that was okay… even cool. But the Christian vs. secular discussion is not meant to be. “It just kind of just evolved into the direction we’ve taken,” Stacy says. “Early on, we played a couple of churches, but I don’t think they really got it. We wanted to reach a broader audience. (CCM)’s just one small market; we wanted everyone to hear our music.Our songs are mostly artistic expressions, personal reflections on life, and the things we encounter that inspire us. The song ‘Golly Sandra’ is a story about a father/ daughter relationship. It tells of the regret of the father, and the girl’s longing for a fatherfigure, I guess, and how important that is. Sometimes, I write about relationships, things I see going on in families that aren’t necessarily my own.” As for their spirituality, Stacy’s seen how the music connects for fans. “We get a lot of email from people that say that our music has helped them get through some really hard moments, and that’s a major blessing for us. It’s incredible, I love that when it happens, and it has happened a lot.” As for life in the rock band family that still all lives together in the same house, Stacy for once is sure how to answer: “It’s crazy; but it’s wonderful. We’re all so close that I can’t see it being any other way. It’s amazing, really.”

40 A N N UA L

Favorite Band Demon Hunter

Favorite Singer Christian Lindskog

2004 Readers’ Poll Favorite Band

Demon Hunter Project 86 mewithoutYou Blindside

Favorite Album

Summer of Darkness – Demon Hunter Catch For Us The Foxes – mewithoutYou About A Burning Fire – Blindside Songs To Burn Your Bridges By – Project 86

Favorite Song

“Not Ready To Die” – Demon Hunter “Walls” – Emery “Reinventing Your Exit” – Underoath “A Shadow On Me” – Project 86

Favorite Album Cover

Summer of Darkness – Demon Hunter Songs To Burn Your Bridges By – Project 86 They’re Only Chasing Safety - Underoath The Funeral Of God - Zao

R E A D E R S â&#x20AC;&#x2122; P O L L 43

Favorite Guitarist Jason Truby

Favorite Singer

Christian Lindskog (Blindside) Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYou) Ryan Clark (Demon Hunter) Dan Weyandt (Zao)

Favorite Lyricist

Andrew Schwab (Project 86) Aaron Weiss (mewithoutYou) Dan Weyandt (Zao) Christian Lindskog (Blindside)

Favorite Live Band Blindside

Favorite Guitarist

Jason Truby (P.O.D.)

Noah Henson (Pillar) Russ Cogdell (Zao) Randy Torres (Project 86)

Favorite Bassist

Traa Daniels (P.O.D.) Steven Dail (Project 86) Kalel (Pillar) John Cooper (Skillet)

40 A N N UA L

Favorite Band Demon Hunter

Favorite Bassist Traa Daniels

2004 Readers’ Poll Favorite Band

Demon Hunter Project 86 mewithoutYou Blindside

Favorite Album

Summer of Darkness – Demon Hunter Catch For Us The Foxes – mewithoutYou About A Burning Fire – Blindside They’re Only Chasing Safety – Underoath

Favorite Drummer

Jordan Mancino (As I Lay Dying)

Jesse Sprinkle (Demon Hunter) Aaron Gillespie (Underoath) Ted Kirkpatrick (Tourniquet)

Favorite Live Show

Blindside

Norma Jean Project 86 Pillar

R E A D E R S ’ P O L L 43

Favorite Live Band Blindside

Favorite Drummer Jordan Mancino

Favorite New Band

The Chariot Emery Staple Showbread

Favorite Indie Band

Disciple

The Kick Slingshot 57 Anathallo

Favorite Article

“Underoath Tour Journal” (David Allen) “mewithoutYou” (Adam Robinson) “What So & So Says” (Doug Van Pelt) “Demon Hunter” (Doug Van Pelt)

44 COVER STORY

Norma Jean

NORMA JEAN 45

Pinch Me I’m Dreaming BY DOUG VAN PELT

“IS THERE ANY WAY I CAN CALL YOU BACK IN A LITTLE BIT?” NORMA JEAN DRUMMER DANIEL DAVISON SHEEPISHLY ASKS WHILE HE MANEUVERS HIS CELL PHONE IN THE CAR. (ISN’T THIS THE BAND THAT TITLED ONE OF ITS SONGS, “I USED TO HATE CELL PHONES, BUT NOW I HATE CAR ACCIDENTS?”) “CUZ I’M DRIVING TO THE STUDIO RIGHT NOW, AND I JUST PICKED UP SOME LUNCH. CAN I JUST GIVE YOU A CALL IN, LIKE, HALF AN HOUR OR SO?” Daniel is excited because he’s headed to the last of four different studios utilized to record Oh God, the Aftermath. It was done using Pro-Tools, so the producer and engineer have just been popping hard drives in and out from location to location – a long ways from the ancient practice of two-inch master tape. But Davison isn’t just happy to be nearing completion – he’s in awe that it’s Robert Lang Studios, where Nirvana did their last sessions of recording. “The first Foo Fighters record was done here, and just tons of amazing bands have been here, so I’m real happy to be here.” The band’s been in Seattle for a month, and are spending the last week just adding guitar parts, harmonies, backup vocals, and the random noise samples that one would expect from Norma Jean. “I couldn’t be any happier with the outcome so far.” It’s been almost three years since the band’s last album, Bless The Marytr, Kiss The Child, and even though he still loves it to death, they all decided to take a different approach with this one. “On the last record we recorded the whole thing live – vocals and everything. We just set up in the studio and basically pressed record and played our songs. And it came out good. It captured what we wanted at that time, and it was awesome. A lot of the songs on this new one are more technical and there’s a lot more going on. It’s weird, too, (cuz) at the same time the songs feel more straight-forward – as far as structure goes – but technical on the instrumentation. “So this one we’re not recording live. We’re doing it each instrument at a time. Like, drums first, bass, then guitar and vocals. Now we’re in the process of just going back and doing overdubs and kind of beefing up the heavy parts and adding a little feedback and noise and that kind of stuff, which is the fun stuff and when everything

starts actually coming together and sounding like songs. The guy that we’re recording with, his name is Matt Bayles, and he has worked with a lot of bands that were or are a big influence on us, like Isis, Botch, and Mastodon. He’s also worked on Deftones records and Pearl Jam records. So, he definitely knows what he’s doing. He goes for a more raw, natural sound, which is good. We don’t want, like, a typical metal recording with triggered drums. There’s not really any of that going on. But he’s definitely a perfectionist, so he makes us go back and play a part, like, ten times – until it’s perfect. The guys would be playing a guitar part and I’d be listening and be like, ‘Cool, they nailed it! It sounds so good.’ And he’d be like, ‘Nope, you bent this note and this is out of tune.’ At the time it’s kind of trying, and can be stressful, but in the end it’s going to make our record that much better, so it’s worth it.” When Davison drops the names of other bands, he does so without pretense; nor does he feel obligated to explain how his band doesn’t sound like this one or that one. His voice still carries that youthful enthusiasm that was present back in ’97 when he approached a certain magazine editor about playing on his Cornerstone stage. Anyone who was privileged to see this band in their formative, “Luti-Kriss years” probably remembers an energy level that each of the individual members seemed bent on spending before some imaginary curfew would call off their fun. While Davison, guitarists Chris (Derr) Day and Scottie Henry, (and newcomers) bassist Jake Schutlz and vocalist Cory Brandan have gotten slightly older and wiser, there’s still an air of widened eyes and bushy tails from this group. They might blow many of their contemporaries and musical peers away at any given show, but they’re still unapologetically fans of music.

Due to the building-block structure that this album was being put together as, listening back to nearly-finished tracks has ironically had a kind of “fan” experience on Davison and his bandmates. “Some of the songs we just wrote last month. They couldn’t be any newer, so when I hear ‘em they’re still so new to me that sometimes I don’t even really remember what part’s coming next and when I hear it, it excites and surprises me as if it were like a different band – especially some of the songs that we had never heard vocals on. It’s almost like listening to it as an outsider, ya know?” This is good news for those that are looking for progression and maturity from the band. “I definitely think kids are kind of getting tired of just the same old breakdown after breakdown. I don’t know. I’m hoping that our record is well received, and I think it will be. Not so that we can (get) big or anything like that at all, but I just think it’s something new. I guess every band wants to say that they’re different or whatever, but I just really feel like there’s nothing else going on,” Davison pauses, before offering a necessary disclaimer in today’s rapidly-changing world of music: “at least at this moment. I mean, it’s not just another hardcore band recording. Even the way that we’re going about the recording process... It’s a lot different than what’s going on right now. So, hopefully that’ll work in our favor. People could hate it. I don’t know. I think it’s a step up from our last record. “There’s a lot more vocal diversity, as far as just yelling and screaming, but also there’s, like, singing. Not at all like a pop band or pretty singing at all. It’s more just kind of raw and emotional sounding. It definitely gives it a different element and brings a new aspect and a new level of creativity to the band, which is Cory’s doing. The guitar parts are definitely more technical, just because we’ve grown as musicians and people over the past two or three years. But we have kind of strayed from just the straight-up crazy, never repeat a riff kind of thing, ya know? I don’t know if you’d call it a laid-back song structure ... more straight-forward maybe? Not saying that the songs are straight-forward by any means, but just kind of the layout of the songs. I don’t even know if that’s something people are really going to even pick up on, though.” Before the band finds out if the public is picking up on its songwriting nuances or buying the album in large numbers, they will be in the middle of a tour with Atreyu, Unearth, and Scars of Tomorrow. While the band’s recorded output is still fairly small, their touring experience has made them veterans of the road and their live show is what they’ve built an enviable reputation on. With this in mind, it was a shock to hear that Norma Jean has some changes in store for its audience. Are the kings of chaos mellowing out? Has hardcore claimed another victim to emo? Not quite. “The whole craziness thing – that’s something that just kinda happens, as well. We never talk about, “Hey, we want to do this at our show.’

It’s just kind of a gradual thing. Like, when we first started playing, years and years ago, we knew that we liked a few bands that kind of felt it and got into it and that made it that much more inspiring and that much more entertaining and fun to watch. And then when we started writing music, we knew we wanted to play music that we could feel and get into and definitely have meaning behind it and not just dudes going crazy or trying to look cool, but it was more about, like, the passion behind the music and that the music was more as worship to God. It just kind of evolved. We definitely don’t physically go as – I guess you could call it – ‘crazy’ anymore on stage.” (What? This can’t be true!) “We more try to focus on what we’re playing, but still . . . if you’re feeling the music, definitely feel it, then get into it. I think we used to be

of people have told me, ‘Hey, they had your exact light show.’ So, we’re not going to do that anymore. We’re going to figure something out new and different before our next tour, which is in February. We have a couple of other ideas in mind that we haven’t really seen done on this level yet, so we’re going to try and accomplish that.” In addition to a new live show, the band has hooked up with new management, which is already making a difference. “Things are going to get taken to a whole different level in the next couple of months. We’re going to be making another video. We’ve already made two on our last record that did pretty well and we went and hosted the show Headbanger’s Ball on MTV, which was just a crazy experience in itself. It’s unbelievable how it’s even true, basically. While we were there in Times Square at MTV Studios, we were not even able to believe it. But that was really cool and I know that’s helped to grow the

“I don’t think we’ve retired from our ‘craziness.’ But, we definitely don’t want it to be a thing that’s forced or anything like that.” more concerned with, like, ‘Hey, we’ve gotta be crazy.’ And that was cool for back then. We were younger and not as many bands were doing it, but now there are tons of bands who do it. Like, it’s just gotten kind of old and stale and overdone. But back then I think it was, I guess you could say, ‘more pure,’ because it just wasn’t as common. Not that we’ve gotten over that or try not to do it if we’re feeling music... It’s just something that’s naturally going to happen. I like where we are now, because we’re not trying to be that band that is the craziest band around. We’re just trying to play the music that we like and if we happen to feel it one particular night, then we will. But if not, we’re just going to play it. But it usually works to where we feel it, because it’s the kind of music that we want and that we enjoy. It usually ends up being kind of crazy, I guess you could say. (Whew!) “I don’t think we’ve retired from our ‘craziness.’ But, we definitely don’t want it to be a thing that’s forced or anything like that. We do want to do something different and step it up on each tour, and do something new as far as lighting goes and we’ve got projection and samples and stuff like that. We definitely weren’t the first band to have our own light show and even the kind of lights we use – we weren’t the first band to do that, but now, like… pretty much every band on Solid State I guess does it, cause the Solid State tour just came through… I didn’t see it, but just a bunch

band and stuff, but over the past couple of years we’ve all definitely grown as people. I mean, when we started our band I was in high school. We were all real young and we had just become Christians and I was 14. We were all, like, teenagers, basically. And now we’re, like, in our early to mid-20s and… I don’t know. We’ve definitely all grown up a lot as people and it’s kind of weird, because we’re not growing apart, but we have different interests now than some of us did back then. And some of us are married now, so a lot’s been changing and stuff, but it’s all been good and I really feel like right now we’re closer than we ever have been, just because we are kind of growing in different ways but we’re still striving to be best friends, and we are. But there’s definitely been a lot of change going on. But I’m excited about it. Today in particular, I’ve been really happy. Just coming over to this new studio that’s been somewhere where I’ve wanted to record and work for the past couple of years. And just being here. I don’t know, I’ve just been really stoked today and excited and I have a lot of joy at the moment, so it’s good. “All the other experiences, like Hellfest and Furnace Fest and going to Europe – those are all things that are just crazy. Hellfest is something that we’ve wanted to do for a long time and when we played last (2003), it was just ridiculous. We were completely blown away by the response. Three or four thousand people – like, every person – singing along. It was probably one of the

biggest shows we’ve ever played; and to hear every person singing along and lots of the people there aren’t Christians and they know that we are, so it’s just cool to have their support and hope to become friends with them and hope that they’d somehow be encouraged and inspired through our band and just meeting us and hanging out and stuff. That in itself was just a really awesome thing. And going to Europe – we’ve done that, like, four or five times now. That’s another thing that’s kind of hard to believe that it’s really true. We have plans in April to be hitting Europe again and Australia and Japan. It’s just really unbelievable. I can’t even imagine that that’s real, but on the other hand, it is. So, I don’t know. I’m just really thankful and very happy about it. “It’s hard to know where we’ll be in five years, because five years ago if somebody would’ve asked me that, I would’ve been clueless as to where we’d actually be. I would’ve never thought that we’d have gone on a couple tours of Europe and all the way around the US and now we have this world tour planned for the Spring. As far as our goals: my main goal and us as individuals, like, I hope is to please God and to serve God with our lives and our lives to be worship to God. That’s us as individuals, so if that’s true, then that’s going to shine through in the band and also be true of the band. We just wanna, first and foremost, just please God and commit everything we have and we do to Him. As long as that happens, I’ll be happy. Even if we never tour again, if we’re pleasing God, then that’s fine with me. I would like to see this continue on for more years to come and more records and more tours, more good times and more ministry going forth and stuff. I really can’t say that I have any goals, as far as physical things that I would like to see us do. Not that we, like, don’t care and don’t have things that we want to accomplish, but I try not to think about that kind of stuff that much, but just kinda take it as it comes, you know? (That way) it’s all new to me and it’s always exciting instead of me, like, trying to think, ‘What can we do?’ Not that goals are a bad thing, because they’re for sure not a bad thing, but (I) just try to take it slow and not even really think about it that much.” It’s refreshing to hear a “happening” artist that’s able to hold on to the solid things of relationships over the fleeting vanity of material success. “The best part is just getting to make music and play music with my friends. Like, that’s just a crazy thing in itself – like just deciding, ‘Hey, we’re going to write some songs.’ And then you do whatever you want. You make up songs. That, to me, is really exciting and just fun. Out of nothing ... creating songs that potentially thousands of people are gonna get to hear. That’s just really, really exciting. Now that more of us are involved in the writing of the lyrics and stuff like that, that’s also very exciting – just getting to share things that we’ve come up with and share things that you wanna share and that people are going to read and memorize, you know, and be singing along (to) at your shows. That in itself is kind of unbelievable and really awesome. Just getting to tour and meet and make friends and the ministry

that goes forth between us and those friends. And also a big part of the ministry is between us and the people that we work with, whether it be the guy that’s recording our record or the bands that we tour with. I mean, I think that’s maybe where most of our ministry takes place – between us and the people that we’re around. More than just, like, the kids at the shows.” You’ve got to hand it to Norma Jean. They’ve got perhaps the brightest eyes in the industry, they offer honesty and hope to everyone they meet, and yet they dominate and destroy stages like madmen. And they’ve been able to carry on after surviving some of the harshest conditions and mishaps that would crush most bands. They left the studio after recording Bless the Martyr, Kiss the Child and immediately hit the road for several months straight, playing with the likes of Eighteen Visions, Every Time I Die, Bleeding Through, and Hopesfall. Things were going great and then they experienced something that could’ve been a scene right out of Almost Famous. During a prayer time before going on stage at Furnace Fest, vocalist Josh Scoglin sprung the news that he was leaving – immediately. Now those had to be strange conditions to perform under! “Both Josh and our bass player, Josh Doolittle, left the band, like, unexpectedly. There was no bad blood or anything. They just felt like their time with the band and the ministry there was up. They were supposed to move on with their life. So, we couldn’t argue with that. But Chris and Scottie and I – us three knew that we were supposed to continue on by whatever means. We really didn’t know how at that point, but knew we should.” The band kept touring with friends filling in, which also included some infamous “instrumental shows.” They later picked up their current bassist, Jake. After hooking up with Eso Charis’ Cory Putman for a European tour, they knew they’d found their new lead singer, as well. “People just loved Josh so much that they were ready to, like, shoot down whoever it is, you know, that’s going to be our new singer. You know, they just want to hear Josh. But I couldn’t be any happier with what Cory’s doing. The elements of creativity that he’s brought to the band are just unbelievable. I don’t know. He’s brought a lot vocally, but also, like, guitar parts. He’s had a huge part in the writing and arrangement of the songs and stuff. It’s been a pretty crazy last couple years, but I can’t really complain. There’s definitely been a lot of ups and downs, but somehow… I mean, obviously, through God, we’ve really come out on top in all those situations, so it’s all good.” Now if you think that’s a good attitude, just ask Davison what he thinks about Scoglin’s new band, The Chariot! “It’s a really weird thing. He’s had the Chariot kind of thing going for the past two years, I guess, but nothing ever really happened. I don’t know, but now that’s it’s kind of blown up, I’m super stoked for him. Like, I love all those guys. I go to the same church as all those guys, so I see them almost more than I see the rest of the guys in my band, because

we live so spread apart. I think they’re a really good band and I couldn’t be any more happy for ‘em, because I know they’re doing it for the right reasons and it’s just another solid ministry that’s gonna be out there, just kind of shining light in places where kids would usually be opposed to that, and going about it the right way and being real with what they’re doing. But my first fleshly reaction to it is it’s just really strange, like, to hear his voice in another band. Like, I feel like it’s our second record when I first hear it, you know? And then I’m like, ‘Wait, this isn’t us!’ It’s kind of weird, but I don’t want to feel weird about it. I truly want to be happy for him and I am happy for him, but my initial reaction is, ‘It’s just really strange.’ But it’s not bad in any way. Yeah, I love those dudes.” Before this love-fest gets out of hand, Davison reflects praise to the biggest underdogs in rock – the fans. “I mean, I don’t think there’s a way I could express how thankful we are to all the kids who have, like, stuck it out with us through the hard times and the good times. It’s just made it kind of a reality for us. All those people and kids have made it possible for us to do this as a job and, like, a full-time thing. Being on the road so much, and like, every night we’re just blown away by how many kids come to the shows and how many people are there to support us. We’ve been on the road and we didn’t have a singer at all, just doing instrumental shows and kids were jumping up on stage and filling in for us. Those are some of the times of our life and I’m sure the kids who got to do that with us – I mean, that’s probably some of the times of their life. So, it’s just been a really cool thing to be involved with the people who listen to our music. I wish that there was some way that we could say, ‘thank you,’ for them. We can, like, in the 45-minutes that we’re on stage at night, but I mean we definitely don’t hide behind the stage after or before the show. We’re out there trying to meet as many people as we can that are there to see us and to hear our music and paying the money that they’ve earned to support our band. It’s hard to imagine. I remember playing for five or six a night and being blown away by that, and now it’s like, 500, 1,000, 1,500 kids sometimes. It’s cool, because it’s been a slow progression, so it’s still, like, not normal to me. You know, I’m not, like, used to it yet. And I hope I don’t get used to it. I don’t ever want to become like, to where that’s ‘normal’ – to where I expect that, and I expect people to buy this and that. That’s not at all what it’s about. We just want to make music so people can get into it and be inspired and encouraged by it, then that’s… I mean, whether it’s 10 people or thousands and thousands of people, it really makes no difference – as long as we can stay true to it and stay true to God and do what we feel like He wants us to do – then that’s success. It’s not whether we sell 50,000 records. I don’t want to be concerned about that at all. We just wanna please God through this band. That’s what we’re striving to do.”

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48 COVER STORY

Norma Jean Sidebar

name change some names that we were throwing around before we actually decided to use Norma Jean were, The Sleep Pattern, Broadcast Relief, scatter pattern, Tie Cobb Down (which scottie and i really loved at the time...mind you, this was over three years ago), the concentration pattern, The Human Face Divine (which if i remember correctly, was the first idea we had...which we almost went with....i think this was Josh’s favorite for a while). i know there were more, but that is all i could really find, looking through my old journal from that time period. it is obvious that we wanted to use the word “pattern” in the name. and probably would have, untill Josh found out that Norma means “pattern” and Jean means “God’s grace and mercy.”

accidents i think the biggest accident on stage was in north carolina. a bass hit brad, who was our singer at the time, right in the face. it was at the end of the set and when it happened, he just blacked out and hit the floor. later on we had to take him to the emergency room where he had a few staples in his head, stiches in his face and a broken nose. i think the words “facial reconstruction” were said but didnt happen. so he couldnt sweat for a few weeks, therefore, he couldnt play shows. so we did two weeks of shows instrumental. it was fun but it sucked for brad...

equipment...... scottie plays a fernandes vertigo thru a mesa boogie dual rectifier, a mesa 4x12 cab, a randall 4x12 cab. chris plays a fernandes vertigo through a peavey 5150II, and two randall 4x12 cabs.

other name change i didn’t change my name. i just started using Brandan (my middle name) in place of my last name . its kind of just something i am used to now because ive used it for so long so it kind of stuck. my real last name is putman but i prefer brandan (cory brandan)

the nj movie daniel would be...........Dooley Wilson. (Sam the piano player from Casablanca) cory would be............Diedrick baber. (lawrence, next door neighbor on office space) scottie would be Mark Hamill chris would be.....billy bob thorton and (jake) would be the Remonster from the “Universal remoster” episode of Aqua teen hunger force, Volume two.

the album title i really like it, because it’s kind of an open-ended thing. It can be taken several different ways. as far as my personal meaning behind it, and we could all have different ones... i don’t know, but i think it has, like, a positive thing, like the aftermath of salvation, the aftermath of grace or repentence. to me, it’s like speaking of salvation. it’s like a pleasant, glorious aftermath, you know, of our past life, kind of thing. Not past lives, as far as reincarnation, but like our sinful life before Christ. that’s the way i’m looking at it and that’s a lot of, like... the artwork and stuff like that is inspired with that direction. that’s my take on it.

50 FEATURE

I’M CALLING IT: 2005 WILL THE YEAR EXTOL RULES THE PLANET – OR AT LEAST THE METAL SCENE. THEY’VE SEEN THEIR SHARE OF STRUGGLES RECENTLY AND HAVE COME AWAY WITH A RENEWED STRENGTH AND BOLDNESS. THEIR NEW ALBUM, BLUEPRINT, CONTINUES TO SHOWCASE THEIR TECHNICAL PROWESS AND ADDS AN ELEMENT OF MELODY THAT ONLY COMPLEMENTS THE HEAVY SIDE OF EXTOL THAT WE’VE ALL GROWN TO LOVE. You recently parted ways with two founding members. How did this transition affect the group? Peter: Well, it came to a point where we wanted to take Extol further, and put a lot more time and energy into the band, and when Christer and Ole told us that they wanted to prioritize other things, we pretty much found ourselves standing on bare ground in the search for new and dedicated members. It was a strange feeling to part with Christer. I mean, he’s my brother and we’ve played with him in this band since 1994. And also Ole, who has been with

us since we recorded our first album, who has contributed very much together with Christer in writing songs for Extol. We took some time to search our hearts. We even opened ourselves up for the possibility that this was the end. It didn’t take long, though, before we realized that the vision for Extol was clearer than ever, and the fire in our hearts burned even stronger! So, we started searching for new members. Finding two guitar players that not only were good at their instruments and good songwriters, but that could also share our vision and be willing to give everything for the band was not easy.

EXTOL 51

Extol

ALL YOUR METAL ARE BELONGTO US Story by Bradley Spitzer; Photo by Rolf Anders Storset

54 FEATURE

So, we were very happy when Tor and Ole H said that they wanted to join the adventure! We have always wanted to focus on God in everything we do with Extol, and both Tor and Ole H share this longing, so spiritually the changes haven’t affected the band much. Obviously, replacing 2 guitar players and songwriters change the sound of a band. When we began writing for Blueprint, we just wanted to try as much as possible to start from scratch and do something completely new and fresh. We didn’t really know how it would sound before we entered the studio, and a lot of the elements that took some of the songs to a new level, basically just happened while record-

have to fight, and it gets very real when you are an artist and people suddenly start looking up to you, and give you a lot of attention because of something you make or do. I thank God for His mercy to me on these matters! I truly don’t know where I would have been in life if I wouldn’t have had my dear friends in Extol to drag me down when I’ve been flying too high, and to lift me up when I’ve been crawling in the mud. To us the band has over the years become so much more than just something we do to have fun. It’s living a life committed to each other and to the vision for the band, and heading in the same direction to reach a goal.

What will 2005 hold for Extol? It sounds like you’ve got some major touring and promotional support planned. Ole H: We sure have. This will be the busiest, most exiting year for Extol so far. At the moment, we’re planning tours both in Europe and the U.S. The U.S tour will be the longest tour so far – spending three months over there with you guys, from mid-April to mid-July. Personally, I can’t wait to get on the road, finished with all these boring preparations, enjoying the gift of music and the fellowship with other music lovers every evening. We just got to see the final result of Extol´s first music video. It turned out better than we’d dare hope

“Compared to Synergy, I’d also describe the new material as more groovy and straightforward – not as technical and thrashy. The progressive and technical elements will never leave Extol.” ing. It was like we kind of lost control over things, you know? But in a good way! Now, listening to the album, I can honestly say that this is the most interesting and diverse album we’ve made, and all of us are extremely satisfied with the end result! I hope that the listeners will take the time to really take a deep dive into the music and the lyrics, and explore the depths of this album. You guys had the privilege to begin Extol at a young age, and eleven years later you’re still doing damage in the metal scene. How have you seen yourself, and the group as a whole, change and transition? Peter: When we started Extol I was 14 years old. I guess it’s obvious that now, 11 years later, we all have grown and become a lot more mature in all areas of our lives. Personally I feel much more secure in myself, and in what I do. Day by day I see and understand more of who I am in Christ and that I need to depend on God in every aspect of my life. As a band I can honestly say that I don’t believe we would have been where we are today, if it hadn’t been for the grace of God. He has always given us everything we need, opened doors; and as the years have gone by, we’ve learned (and are still learning) that playing in a band and doing the things we do would be quite meaningless if we didn’t involve God in it. He is the One that has given us all our talents and everything we have, and we really want to give the glory back to Him. When you play in a band and start to get attention it might be easy to start looking at yourself and wanting to take the glory yourself. We pray a lot that God would keep us humble and that we would not fall for the oldest trick in the book: to worship the created instead of the Creator (basically what Lucifer did when he got kicked out of heaven)! I think it’s a tough fight that all Christians

So what can we expect from your upcoming release, Blueprint? How does it compare to Synergy and your earlier work? Ole H: I know a lot of Extol fans are worried about this – knowing that Tor and myself took a great part in the songwriting for the new album. And, of course, things sound different. I think what characterizes Blueprint maybe the most, is that it’s a lot harder to tell what style Extol’s playing now. The songs differ a lot from each other, providing a range from really heavy, atmospheric metal to rather calm rock in the other end, with hardcore, melodic hard rock and thrash metal in between. Another obvious difference from previous Extol releases is a heavier emphasis on melodic vocals. There’s, however, still no doubt that Peter still does the vocals. His signature of quality and aggression is easily recognized. Compared to Synergy, I’d also describe the new material as more groovy and straightforward – not as technical and thrashy. The progressive and technical elements will never leave Extol. There’s still a lot of those, but they are perhaps more discrete in their appearance this time. I also think the record as a whole reflects the whole process of the songwriting in a special way. We had four months of playing together with this line-up before we were going to enter the studio and record a whole new album. The time-pressure was, in other words, really hard – both before and during the studio-period. This became a very creative period, and I think the spontaneous and playful, experimenting way of working has given the record a special nerve. We had to come up with material for a whole album, and we had no idea of what we’d end up with – so we had to just throw ourselves into it and give all we had. I guess that’s part of the reason why Blueprint ended up as it did. I’ll be very surprised if anyone should think it sounds like any album they’ve heard.

for, our inexperience with such things considered. We’re doing tons of interviews these days, and the interest in and response to the new album so far has been just great. I guess everyone in the band feels that these are the times for a huge step forward for Extol, the times where we’ll see how far we can get. This is our dream. We’re giving it all now, so at least we can look back on it when we’re forty, married and with a bunch of kids, and know we didn’t chicken out. What spiritually encourages and challenges Extol as a band made up of Christians? Ole H: First and foremost – God does. He challenges us all the time – to trust in Him, to take new steps of faith and to be true and whole-hearted. It surprises me quite often that we have to learn over and over again the fruits of giving up our own efforts and relying on His promises. It never seems to stick in our minds once and for all. I think it’s somehow funny – in all its irrationality and weirdness. Reading God’s Word is truly challenging. It’s so radical, so clear – it just doesn’t work out to come with excuses for our actions, our egocentricity and indifference when confronted with the message of this Book. Different from all other messages communicated to us every day (if we want it or not), the message of the Bible speaks clearly (not saying that every sentence in God’s Word is easily accessible or simple – notice the difference). As a band made out of Christians, we also desire to create a fellowship after God’s heart. This is also a huge challenge as human beings, with different personalities, different weaknesses and needs. What encourages us is the same things that do challenge us – the fellowship with God and other people. Without that, there would be no Extol.

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STARFLYER 59 58 FEATURE

A Pact With Bryan Gray By Christopher Wiitala

STARFLYER 59

The first time I saw Starflyer 59 was on a hot summer day underneath a large striped tent. I have vague recollections of the concert; I mostly remember their drummer saying things in French between each song. But my memory is lacking and therefore proves to be a bad reference to give you a history on how I first heard Starflyer. I must admit, I wasn’t into their music all that much and I didn’t bother to listen to them for real until The Fashion Focus showed up in my mailbox as I began my illustrious career as a “rock-writer.” This record had piqued my interest with its decidedly poppy feel and, at least in my opinion, the strains of 80’s New Wave heard in the melodies and synth lines. Almost ten years and records later, they have made some of the best music of their career in recent years. Their most striking release in these recent years is 2003’s brilliant Old. Now, I use the term “band” loosely, as anyone who is familiar with Starflyer 59 knows that Jason Martin and, until recently, Jeff Cloud were the mainstays of a group that had a revolving door behind the drum kit. When Martin and Cloud enlisted Frank Lenz and Richard Swift to work with them in studio as well as on stage, the uniting of these great musical minds resulted in the aforementioned record. Old is an unabashed foray into loud guitars and loud drums while retaining the mannerisms one can expect from a Starflyer record. Both extremely talented individuals themselves, Lenz is one of the most under-appreciated and unnoticed drummers in music today, and Swift’s additions of various synths and other keyboards to Old are fantastic. Their latest release, I Am The Portuguese Blues is actually almost entirely made up of songs that Martin had written and shelved after releasing Americana in favor of making a pop record, which resulted in The Fashion Focus. Interestingly, I Am The Portuguese Blues stays in the vein of Old minus

STARFLYER 61

Swift’s keyboard work. Here Martin, Cloud and Lenz are bashing away, loud, fierce and uninhibited. True to form, Jason’s vocal delivery is subdued and his singing simple. Subtly adding quiet melodies underneath their adrenaline driven rock. In a lot of ways this is the obvious follow-up record to Old, even though the majority of it was written six years ago. If the newer songs written for this record, “Wake Up Early” and “Worth Of Labor,” are any sign of the band’s future, then their next record Talking Voice Vs. Singing Voice, which is slated for release in April 2005, should be rich in Martin’s layered guitar work and Lenz’s chopping wood. Simply put, Martin and Lenz are weathered, hardworking musicians. While Martin has been at the helm of Starflyer, Lenz has been active as a session drummer as well as working on his own material. Their desire for making music is quite strong and is evident in the fact that they have both been playing for years, with great passion and skill. Playing music because they love music. It’s this love that makes their music real, and real is something worth listening to. Jason once told me that the day Bryan Gray quits music will be the same day he does, and Bryan shows no signs of slowing, so I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from him. Until then, here are ten questions I asked Jason and Frank, through Lori Lenz, who graciously supplied me with their answers. After playing music for so long have your expectations been met? Jason Martin – No. Frank Lenz – My expectations have been met, I suppose. All I ever really wanted to do was be a working musician guy. I can consider myself that. But they haven’t been met because at my age, I would like to be working more, but I can’t complain too much.

Why do you continue to play music? JM – I like writing songs. I’ve been doing it half my life, and really don’t know what else I would do. FL – Because I don’t know how to do anything that would be considered a career. I don’t know anything about software, sales, business; I don’t know what an executive does. I don’t know anything about that stuff at all. I would be miserable if I wasn’t a musician. Are you happy with where you are at musically? JM – Yeah, I think Lenz and I did a good job on the new record. FL – Yeah, in the sense that I am getting to do more projects that are satisfying...but I’m not going to say I’m comfortable. I always need to be expanding what it is that I do, staying current and staying on top of things. I need to not slack off and become someone who loses touch with not only my love of music, but I also need to be great at expressing that love. Analog or digital? Why? JM – Digital is way cheaper. FL – Analog sounds better. Digital is a lot cheaper and easier to manage, so right now digital is what I use, because I can’t afford analog. If you could only listen to one record, which one would that be? JM – New Order Substance. FL

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The

longest

compilation

every

made...

What do you think about the current state of music? Is there anything you wish would change?

If you could only watch one movie, which one would that be?

JM – I wish that music would change so we can become successful.

JM – Glengarry Glen Ross.

FL – I would like to see major record labels disappear. I don’t think the way the music business is run is good for anybody – not good for the labels, the people they employ and hire and fire and keep in an economic flux. It’s definitely not good for the artists. It’s only good for the retail outlets and the few people who run everything. The way they keep prices ridiculously high is bad for music lovers. There is also a lack of musicianship – the money goes to make “kid music” that isn’t really thought out, doesn’t have substance. It sells to the lowest common denominator, and doesn’t teach kids to appreciate music. It makes me sad that I think we’re dumbing down music. I wouldn’t want to be one of those guys who complain about pop music/radio. Every era has its terrible music. It’s not worse now...it just seems that the bad music is getting badder.

FL – Ben-Hur, because it’s so long, and then I could watch it in segments. It would take longer for me to learn to hate it. What happened to PorchCup? JM – PorchCup is alive and well and working on new material. FL – PorchCup is alive and well...we have been having some availability issues – not having enough time to finish everything, but there will be more hits coming soon. �

What Scorpions Says

FEATURE 63

IN THE HISTORY OF METAL, THERE ARE A HANDFUL OF BANDS THAT AT ONE TIME SAT AT THE TOP OF THE HEAP. THE SCORPIONS WERE ONE SUCH BAND. ALONG WITH IRON MAIDEN, THEY TOOK THE TWIN GUITAR ATTACK AND BROUGHT IT TO A WIDE SCALE AUDIENCE. THEIR INFLUENCE CAN BE FELT IN SOME VERY UNEXPECTED PLACES. LISTEN IN AS THE FORMER SPANDEX-WEARING GUITARIST FOR THE SCORPIONS, MATTHIAS JABS, TELLS ALL BACKSTAGE IN THE BOWELS OF AUSTIN’S FRANK ERWIN CENTER.

Well, Matthias, it’s been well documented that doing the acoustic album and the Moment of Glory kind of gave you reason to want to get back and rock again. And you’ve come out with a real kick (bleep) album. Can you expound on the reasons why this album is so hot and so heavy? And maybe tell us something we haven’t heard in the bio or the website. Okay. Most of them haven’t even read the bio (laughs). What you mentioned – the so-called time-out which we took in order to do these – we call them side projects – like the Berlin Philharmonic and the acoustic album, which unfortunately is not even released in the States, but might be, though, in the future. After taking, like, time-out for four or five years, even though we were still touring and playing all of our classic material, we were thinking, ‘In order to do new album, first of all, it’s no more experimenting, no more side projects – we are running out of them – and we wanted to come back to what we are originally doing. So we didn’t have to think too hard. First of all, we had a bit more time to write songs. We had plenty. I didn’t even count it. We had more than 50 real ones and I think we recorded 23 completely. There’s 13 on the album and it wasn’t hard at all, since we didn’t have to look for concepts. We didn’t have to think things through, like, twice. We just went for it, more or less – do what we like to do. I think we did what our strengths are, like the more simpler rock songs, good melodies, hook lines, heavy guitar riffs, heavy groove, and try to get a very heavy sound. But the thought behind it was also, ‘We’ve been playing our shows lately – the stuff that’s sometimes, like, 20 years old, 10 years old, 15 years old, you know – some songs you always have to play, like “Rock You Like A Hurricane” or “Still Loving You,” but you want to renew your live set. When we started out in Europe at the end of April, we played 8 songs off the new album. It was very brave, and the people actually enjoyed it a lot. Then we cut down to, like, 7, 6 and at the moment I think we play 5, since we are limited in time here. We can only play 85-minutes. Over there we can play 2 hours and so that is a good sign. I think if you play a new song that can actually hold up between “The Zoo” and “Bad Boys Running

Wild” and “Rock You Like A Hurricane,” and then you have many of them. I think that’s a very good sign for an album from a band that is around for such a long time. Does it in 2004 and the songs fit right in to all the classics. That’s, to me, the best proof that this album is definitely us. I agree. It dismays me to hear that I’m only going to hear about 5 new songs tonight, because I’d love to hear about 8 or 9. Yeah, talk to the union about it (laughs). They have a strict curfew or whatever they come up with. And especially tonight, UFO is on the bill as well, which limits us in time just a bit more. I’m sure you keep up a little bit with current music trends and what’s going on. There’s a lot of hardcore bands that are playing double guitars. And you’ll pick up a lot of infl uences. You can hear Scorpions or Iron Maiden twin axe attack in this music. How does it feel to know you’ve made an impression on that? What are your feelings on some of the music you’ve heard that’s out there today? And just expound on that if you could. First of all, it is always like an honor if other bands, especially when they are getting quite successful, mentioning in public to the media that they’ve been influenced by a band like Scorpions or bands from that era. I hear in between almost every night, “Hey man, we have been influenced by you.” Whether it’s in the meet and greet or somebody from the other bands playing guitar. That is nice to hear and it gives you the feeling that what you’ve been doing had more impact than just record sales. It’s traveled beyond. It’s music that’s stayed to a certain extent. As far as guitar players go, quite obvious. It’s a good feeling. As far as new music is concerned, lately on tour I haven’t listened to it too much. We’ve been

64 FEATURE in the studio and, without any break, we went on tour. We started in the studio pretty much, like, a year ago – the middle of October – and we’ve been so concerned with our stuff. When you’re on tour, sometimes I don’t wanna, like, after a show sit on the bus or in a hotel room and put headphones on and listen to music. You know, your ears are ringing and you just don’t want to do that. Radio doesn’t give me much, unless I want to listen to old songs, then you dial into classic stations and, unfortunately, they’re not flexible enough, as we can see with our new album. They play us, but they play the old stuff. We have a new album out. They don’t play the new material. And on the newer rock stations, they don’t play (our) new stuff, even though we have a new album out, because we are an older band. So, it’s like a catch 22, and it’s not very nice. That sounds tough. Yep. Let me take you back way back to the past. What was it like for you to fill Uli Roth’s shoes? It was obviously not easy. The guy’s a great guitar player. But I remember when I prepared myself, listening to all the old albums. It’s not too many, looking back. You know, it was only 4 or 5 (laughs). Then I prepared myself learning the stuff inside-out and therefore when we went onstage for the first time, an ex-drummer, Jurgen Rosenthal… He played on, I think, Fly to the Rainbow or something and did another album. He was in the first row and said he closed his eyes and couldn’t tell the difference. That was a very nice comment. It was not easy to do, but at the same time it was like a big challenge. I was ready to take the challenge, and it worked out well. I agree. It did work out really well for you. I’ve got a question that would be great for Rudy or Klaus, but you’re the closest I’ve got to ask this… (laughs) Okay. The song “I’ve Got To Be Free” sounded like the ultimate kiss-off in rock and roll history to me, because it says, “I’ve got to be free / I’m not your stepping-stone / You’re not my Bugs Bunny / and I’m not your wife…” It sounds like Uli’s kissing off the band as he departs, but the band recorded it for his fi nal album. Have you ever thought about that? What’s your perspective? Actually, that’s probably something he could answer the best. He definitely was booking his departure earlier than it seemed. He was gonna do something on his own. He was always… I know him better than these guys know him. We grew up together – the same suburb of Hanover. We lived so close. It was like pushbike distance. I went to the same class as his younger brother, and we started playing guitar at the same time, so we knew each other very well. I know that he’s always been on a… to me, like, much too extreme Hendrix trip. Even though he was in the Scorpions for a few years, he was part of the Scorpions, he still wasn’t really. The band had, like, two sides – his side and the rest of the band’s side. I think when I joined it was from then on more like one unit and therefore much more successful. It’s like two people. It’s like they knew what they were getting. The Uli Roth days, you know, you either put on “The Sails of Charon” or some other song. It sounded like two different bands, especially when he was singing. So, you couldn’t tell, like, that they were from one album if you didn’t play

it in the context. He’s always had his own trip and his Hendrix thing to the extreme. He was together with Hendrix’ last girlfriend, Monika Dannemann. Something… I don’t know. I wish he’d be free. Interesting guy. I’ve had some long talks with him. Uh, tell me about some of the songs, like “Can You

and institutions and I’m not so sure. It probably would be forgotten without them. It wouldn’t be brought up again and again, you know? My feeling might be different, but if I have my personal conviction and my belief and that’s all I need. What would you rather play – a rhythm or a lead?

“I don’t have any heroes but Him ... I believe in Him ... It helps me through these not-so-easy times.” Feel It,” “Deep and Dark.” How did it feel when you were in the room writing these songs and you could kind of feel that it was clicking, that it was something special? Kind of describe that. Yes, we had that feeling a few times on this album. It’s a special feeling when you know that already the demo, when you play it, like, for someone else and everybody goes, “Wow! Here’s something.” We had that many times in our career, but it’s not always like this. Some songs have to be worked on. They improve and they surprise everybody at the very end, because they’re tough to work with and maybe because of that you put more effort in it, because it takes more effort to get it going and sometimes, you know, with all the right ingredients, something that started out slow wasn’t so convincing in the beginning, ended up being one of the best songs. Usually, it’s the other way around. There is something. There is magic there right away. Then some don’t need too much refinement. They’re right there. We had a few of those this time. As you said, “Deep and Dark,” or “New Generation” and those songs – once we started playing them in the studio all together again, it sounds very tight and very good together. And our new bass player – I must mention Pawel did a very good job. He fits right in. He was locked in the first day he was in the studio with us. It’s very good. That’s important. Yep. What do you think of Jesus Christ? Eh, I don’t have any heroes but Him. Yes. I mean, “What do you think of Him?” I believe in Him, you know? “What you think of ” is a different question (laughs), you know? I just believe and have been brought up this way and I kept it this way and I’m very happy. It helps through these notso-easy times. What do you think about His claims to be “the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father but by Me?” Hmm. Actually, I have my own personal way of looking at it. It’s more like a direct connection and everything’s, like, based on that and I’m not so convinced amongst all the human surroundings and interpretations and philosophies

Obviously, a lead (laughs), but since we don’t have that separation anymore… I remember on the old Les Paul, there’s this round thingie – the toggle switch – and you could switch, like – first probably from the old bands from the 50s – from rhythm to lead. And it actually means, “from this pickup or this pickup.” But we don’t have that anymore since many decades. If you play guitar, you play guitar – complete. Some people are better lead guitar players, but a lead guitar player, you always play a complete song. Take us through Matthias Jabs writing a song for the Scorpions – like, from A to Z. Umm, it’s hard to do from A to Z. First of all, it works two ways. I have an old collection of riffs and I don’t know how many. I record them and I put them on tapes and a hard disk and put them in some kind of drawer and very rarely I come back to them. One day, if I have to, I will, but (laughs)… I always prefer to write new stuff on the spot – as far as guitar parts are concerned. Lately, I’ve been starting with a vocal line and sometimes even lyrics immediately. The hook line, maybe, and try to figure out, ‘Where does the story go?’ To only a certain extent, so there is some meaning behind it already before you then start working on the second verse when you want to kind of take the story somewhere. But, I haven’t done this in my early days. It was very guitar orientated all the time, but now I’m more a complete songwriter guy, so I go for lyrics and melodies sometimes as the initiative. As a guitar player, first words, and then I figure out something on guitar. I like to complete my demos… I used to program drums and I have a drumkit now – an electronic one at home – so I can play it myself, but it’s even easier if you use something like a virtual drummer, something like a Cubase program. It grooves like hell and it’s much more simple than a drum machine. That helps, so the rhythm track is pretty easy to set up and I like to play bass. I always loved to play bass. I even did that on Scorpions albums – almost one song on every album. I can actually play all the instruments and do my singing, which is okay sometimes, but usually pretty horrible (laughs) and I learned over the years how to do it in a way that I can still do it and it’s good enough for Klaus to take it from there. If I do something that suits me better, then it’s not good for him. I’m not a real singer, but it’s good enough to express the feeling – the attitude – and the phrasing and everything, so that it definitely comes across. Everyone knows exactly what it’s about.

WHAT SCORPIONS SAYS 65 What’s one question you always wished a journalist would ask you? Um, (long pause). I could answer the opposite! (laughs) The question we’ve been asked for 20 years: “How long you guys want to do this?” We’ve been asked that in the 80s. The favorite question I’ve been missing out on for all my lifetime? I don’t know. There is none, I guess. Do any come to your mind? Favorite Scorpions song, and why? I would’ve answered “Rock You Like A Hurricane” 10 years ago. My mind has changed a little bit, just because it’s overexposed. People, they come to us as if it was our latest song. Not really, though. I think one of my favorites is “Send Me An Angel” from Crazy World. It’s a very deep song and a very nice song, and we don’t have to play it every day! We don’t have to listen to it every day. And we don’t have to listen to people say, “Hey man, ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane!’” And, of course, “Set your clock back to 1994.” Speaking of switching the clock back, you used to wear some bright yellow and black spandex. How do you feel about those? Do you ever wish you could wear them again? Why or why not? Actually, not that I invented the stripes, but I had my mother make me those clothes already, at the time when I was, like, 12 or 13 years old and I had just started playing guitar. That was my impression on, “This is a rock and roll look.” And so there was nothing available in stores at the time. Maybe somewhere else, but definitely not in Germany, so I went out to buy these fabrics and had her make these pants for me. And I kept it, even my guitars are striped, and all these stripe-y things, until, I think it was 1985 and all of a sudden the band called Stryper comes out and they have the nerve to dress and paint their guitars in yellow and black – and even do the cover in that color. That was the end for me, you know? That was very original, guys! (laughs) Great, you know? But the penalty in life is they didn’t last that long. I think my first pants are still alive. They are not now. Uh, but I still like the stripe look, but it’s… You know, you want to change. It’s very… It’s a very good look. It’s in your face and it… Maybe not because of my playing, but because of my look, it brought me to many front covers of music magazines in the 70s and 80s. I think it was the look (laughs). So “wow!” So flashy. So, I still like it, though. To come back I sometimes do it in a sophisticated way – some little stripes somewhere well hidden. It’s all too tasty now. This was, like, in your face. Those were the days. It’s good. I’m still standing behind it. But the band Stryper? Are they friends of yours? No? Actually, they are. Oh (bleep)! Play ‘em what I just said (laughs), ya know? Not a problem. (laughs) The song “Remember The Good Times” was one of the first times that you guys maybe have showed your age and just recalling some of these icons from the 60s and maybe even the 50s. What do you like about that song and what is that song about? It appears as a bonus track, like it was added on to the album for the US release. The thing is, somebody came up with that song and discovered later that it’s basically the melody of “Happy Days Are Here Again,” which is an old traditional. We have even the German version of it from the 50s or 60s. It sounded so catchy that nobody really paid attention, but it was,

like, on the table with all the other 60s songs. And we just jammed. “Okay, how does it go?” We all played it. And that’s the version which is on the album – that first take version. Because, later on, when we thought about, ‘Should we do it or should we not do it? And try to record it seriously?’ It was just another half-cover, half-pop song, halfwhatever, nothing real. But the original had such a nice, vibrant atmosphere and it was fun to play it, like the “first take fun,” that we took that version. It’s a bad mix, but that’s why we called it, “Retro Garage Mix,” you know, because it was recorded in Udo’s basement. We were starting the pre-production. And the other version, we never really completed – the serious one. It was, “Either we take that one, or we don’t take it at all,” so that’s an extra. We actually played it live, too. But if we play it here or not, nobody knows it anyway. Since this one album… You know it, I know it, but most people in the audience wouldn’t know it, which is a shame. It taught me some history. I didn’t know that Nikita Kruschev banged his shoe on the United Nations table… See? See? Yeah. He did, actually. A bit of history. It’s one of those things. I like it if things are not getting too serious as far as lyrics. After all, it’s rock and roll and it’s entertainment, first of all. And we try to keep away from too much message. Sometimes people interpret much more into the lyrics than was actually thought of by us, like “Wind of Change.” It’s obviously a song created in very interesting times. It was never about the Berlin Wall. The Berlin Wall was a consequence of what we were talking about. That was coming down. That was nice for us. Everybody loved it, therefore, and it’s more like a song about hope and the reflection of what we experienced in our first two years being in the USSR and the changes that were happening rapidly. That’s when the song came out. It’s a very authentic song. I think that’s why it’s so successful. It’s a beautiful song that’s very authentic, so that’s really what we experienced and it’s not like, “Okay, I’ll read a headline in the New York Times and I’ll write a song about it. And I’m way too late.” We wrote it before the headlines were coming out. That makes it special, because we’ve been there. What did it feel like when you walked on stage at the Moscow Peace Festival and some of those shows? An amazing feeling. Whereby we didn’t have “Wind of Change” yet. It was written exactly at that time and finished during the next production. But at the Moscow Peace Festival, we didn’t have that song yet, but 120,000 people each day (we did two nights) sang “Still Loving You” with us. I would say 90% of them were singing. 100,000 people singing the chorus in English with a German band in the middle of Moscow, and they had the Olympic torch on, which they didn’t put that on in 1980, because there was this boycott from the US and a couple of other countries, so that was a very nice feeling, and we were with all these other American bands, like Ozzy Osbourne, Bon Jovi, Motley, Cinderella, and a couple of others… That helped also, to feel that change, because we went over by ourselves on the first trip, but we were with 600 people, including all the production people, like from the States, from England, and from Germany. You know, the “Magic Bus” picked us up, stopping over, picking everybody up, flying into Moscow. It was like a tiny little bubble of the Western World in the middle of Moscow. I think that was the foundation for writing that song. Cause it says, “Going down the Moskva.” That is that river. That’s Moscow. We had a boat rented and all the bands and crew people are all on this huge boat

going down the river. That’s when we said, “Okay…” We basically wrote down what happened. Cool. Anything else you’d like to add? Yeah, talk about the greatness of the new album, please, so that other people know. (laughs) Not only us here in the room. That would be nice. I think it’s one of the only… In the last 15 years, so many bands of your style tried to reinvent… They saw the musical climate changing. They tried to adapt. Even yourselves maybe did that somewhat… Maybe, yep. Um, and nobody, nobody has come close to this Unbreakable album of just doing it the way it was done. But not like a nostalgia trip. It was… No. I want to point that out. It was back to where we come from in a way, but it’s not back to the roots in the stupid sense of, “Hey, we do Blackout again,” or another album from that era. No, it definitely has the sound of 2004 and has the attitude of 2004. That’s how I see it. It’s not like another Love At First Sting. But it is true, like I said at the very beginning, we didn’t do any thinking. We didn’t, like, think of a concept. No, we just do what we do best – simple and catchy, hopefully. You know, you brought up Stryper. That song, “Can You Feel It,” has a distinct Stryper feel – both lyrically and musically – big vocals. Did you ever hear much of their music? I never heard Stryper. Never. I saw a black and yellow striped cover and that did it for me. No, I never listened to their music. I know they had a hit at the time they were coming out in the mid-80s. Something that made them famous. I never really got to know them. “Can You Feel It.” Talk to James about it. He wrote the song, most of it. Maybe he’s good friends with Stryper. Good friends. Maybe. What are they doing today? They did a tour last Fall. There’s a concert review in this issue (points to HM #105 on the table). And they actually sounded great. You know, it’s very scary for a band from that era to come out and play again, because you don’t know. “Is this going to be a nostalgic trip? Is it going to be sad?” Did they change their clothes? Yes. They dress just like you! Oh my gosh! They’re still following you! Yeah, but I’m much harder to follow at the moment. (laughs) Every day something different. Thanks again for your time, Matthias. My pleasure.

�

I N T E R M I S S I O N 67

If you haven’t noticed already, the iPod® is taking over the world. It’s quickly become the mp3 player of choice for music consumers everywhere. Music journalists are no longer asking artists, “What CDs have you been listening to lately?” But instead query, “What’s on your iPod?” The NBA has told star player Vince Carter that he cannot “wear” his iPod during warm-ups for his Toronto Raptors games. It was one of the hottest items of this past Christmas season. And now it is headed into classrooms in the state of Texas. Pearson Scott Foresman, the world leader in elementary education instructional materials, recently announced today that its new Silver Burdett Making Music program will include the offer of a free iPod and a top-of-the-line Bose SoundDock™ amplied speaker system to adopting Texas K-5 schools. Upon adopting the Silver Burdett Making Music program for their classrooms, teachers can utilize the iTunes® software to access custom track information provided by Silver Burdett, organize the more than 5,000 selections available as part of the curricula to t their specic needs, and to download or create custom playlists for their classes and/or performances. And by connecting the iPod to the Bose SoundDock, teachers will be able to play music in their classes with true sound and clarity. The advantages of using this little gadget in a music class setting are obvious: With an iPod fully loaded with Silver Burdett Making Music recordings, teachers have access to program recordings anytime, anywhere to plan lessons without having to carry or bother with numerous different CD packages. Having the ability (with a 20gig player) to tap into 5,000 songs at high delity quality is quite convenient. The iPod dock connector allows the teacher to integrate tons of accessories, such as speakers and microphones, with no additional cables or plugs. With optional accessories, like a voice recorder, teachers can use the iPod to record students singing or playing instruments as part of performance assessments in the music

classroom. The iPod can be used with either PCs or Macs and supports a variety of audio formats. “The same tools that have revolutionized how consumers organize and experience music have nearly limitless applications to aid in music education for our Texas teachers and children,” explains Shirley Lacroix, the Music Product Manager for Pearson Scott Foresman. Lacroix, a former music teacher who spent 22 years in the classroom, states that the iPod is so convenient that it, “almost makes me wanna go back and teach again, because it would just be a great teaching tool for teachers.” She currently has most of the recordings from the program curriculum on her iPod, as well as her entire CD collection. “Music’s been a very important part of my life and I can’t imagine how I’ve lived without an iPod.” When schools bring new technology into classrooms, it will always benet the student for the future, even if that means just being familiar with it. And don’t forget the learning atmosphere that arises when a teacher appears cool, simply because they’re toting an iPod. When learning becomes fun, school is a good place to be. The fact that Pearson Scott Foresman has hooked up with Apple to add incentives to their programs for teachers mirrors the wise strategy that Apple Computers have utilized with higher education since its inception. Working closely with colleges has beneted the schools but also endeared themselves to the students, who will be inclined to stick with a brand that they grew comfortable with during their schooling. Starting earlier only makes sense. Making sure that new technology is used with music education as well is refreshing news. Lacroix concurs, “The arts are really important because they add another dimension to our lives. Schools are about learning, and they’re about math and science and reading, but they should also be about educating the whole child. Just imagine the world without music. Music is all around us. And it’s very important that we help to educate the young students and give them experiences in the arts so they can respond to the world in lots of different ways.” �

ALBUM REVIEWS

Album reviews

69 ALBUMS 74 ENTERTAINMENT 75 BOOKS & GEAR

EISLEY

ROOM NOISES If you heard that a small-town Texas band was chosen to open for notables like Coldplay and Snow Patrol, you’d probably expect one of two things: A) they have a great booking agent, or B) they are very talented. In Eisley’s case, they may indeed have an excellent booking agent, but it wouldn’t be very hard for anyone to sell such a musically gifted band. Room Noises is the first full-length CD from the group, following up two EP’s from 2003 (Laughing City and Marvelous Things). The result of Eisley’s latest effort is 13 diverse tracks (12 plus a remix) of artistic-yet-approachable melodies. To say that their vocals are impressive is an understatement. The DuPree sisters’ voices seem to float and linger, as if sirens from Greek mythology. Flawless harmonies are everywhere, and instrumental arrangements vary from dark and haunting to light and breezy – not just within the album as a whole, but also within the span of single songs. It should be noted that there are a few remade selections from previous EP’s. While the touchups may not seem drastic, a quick comparison with both versions of a standout like “Memories” easily reveals the improvement. Eisley has gotten better, and at ages varying from the teens to the very early twenties, there’s a good chance this trend will continue. Coldplay may receive awards for their music, but there’s definitely something to be said for their ability to select an opening band. [REPRISE] JAMES WETZ

Rating system 05 04 03 02 01

CLASSIC FABULOUS SOLID SUSPECT AMISS

70 A L B U M R E V I E W S

MAE

(DESTINATION: B-SIDES) For those immediately wondering about the title, B-Sides, is the follow-up to Mae’s debut full-length, Destination: Beautiful. And while this (somewhat) new 10-song collection may have been released simply to bridge the gap between their February 2003 debut and upcoming release (March 2005), it truly deserves more respect than might be expected from a group of “b-sides.” The downside of B-Sides is that it’s such a tease. At merely 10 songs, it’s a rather small serving of the melodic emo-rock band. In fact, only 4 tracks are not on the debut album in some form. The upside is in the something-for-everyone philosophy contained within this sparse track listing. Beginning and ending with synth-pop remixes of D:B selections (“This Time is the Last Time” and “Goodbye, Goodnight”), Mae elaborates on their atmospheric sound, and in both cases provides an excellent alternative to already stellar songs. Acoustic and piano versions of “Sun” and “Giving It Away” show even more range and highlight Mae’s ability to transcend the punk genre labeling they often fall under. What’s more, keyboardist Rob Sweitzer sings on a new track (“Awakening”) as opposed to regular lead vocalist Dave Gimenez, giving the listener yet another aspect of Mae’s collective capabilities. Live recordings and a couple of new and rare studio recordings round out the CD. B-Sides is indeed a bridge. On one end, there is the originally mature sound Mae always possessed (“Tisbury Lane,” the fourth track on B-Sides, is coincidentally the first recording project Mae completed as a group). On the other end is the future of a band with so much talent, they don’t have a mere one direction to take their music. So while they are busy recording their sophomore effort, this CD shows off the many possibilities of what Mae could be. As one of this album’s new songs (“Suspension”) so fittingly puts it: “It’s enough for me to get excited.” [TOOTH & NAIL] JAMES WETZ

THE CHEMISTRY S/T

Temecula, CA’s The Chemistry make their Razor & Tie debut with this self-titled album produced by former Third Eye Blind guitarist Kevin Cadogan. The band has shared the stage with artists like Yellowcard, Story of the Year, and The Used. The Chemistry’s debut is a melodic, slickly produced 12-song collection. The album has that kind of emo/rock/pop punk feel that is everywhere these days. There are driving guitars, predictable time changes, and lots of melody. There is little here that will distinguish them from the Hoobastank’s and Mourning September’s of the world, and songs like “From Within”, “Hopeless”, and “Jones” could be mistaken for any number of radio friendly popular bands. Kevin Cadogan’s influence is also heard in abundance on this record; “Deja Vous” and “She Takes You” could easily have been Third Eye Blind

songs. Don’t get me wrong though; there are some moments here that keep me hopeful about what The Chemistry could evolve into. “Still Alive” has a rockier edge to it and “Last Impression” takes the album out on a great note with its heartfelt delivery and subtle feel. The Chemistry have fallen victim to their influences on this album but if you are looking for a band that’s comparable to any of the aforementioned ones then The Chemistry will deliver and they throw in a healthy dose of positive lyrics as well. [RAZOR & TIE] MARK FISHER

THE CHARIOT

EVERYTHING IS ALIVE, EVERYTHING IS BREATHING, NOTHING IS DEAD, NOTHING IS BLEEDING Fronted by former Norma Jean vocalist Josh Scogin, The Chariot has set out to revive a tradition long since forgotten by the majority of today’s rockand-roll musicians—making an authentic record relying solely on human ability. Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead, Nothing Is Bleeding overflows with raw human emotion and unconventional sounds (“Die Interviewer” introduces itself with an eerie banjo solo). Scogin’s voice has improved substantially, driving songs with chaotic screams, deep growls and a few attempts at (or mockeries of) melodic singing. The lyrical format that graced Norma Jean’s Bless The Martyr, Kiss The Child has accompanied Scogin and company on this outing, adding to the originality of the album. “And Then, Came Then” is uniquely brought together by uncanny intro music, setting the tone for lyrics that speak profoundly about devastation. Directly following is “The Company, The Comfort, The Grave,” which adds to The Chariot’s in-your-face style (“This Christ you preach, I know, but who are you?”). Arguably the best track on the album, “Goodnight My Lady, And a Forever Farewell” is complimented by catchy guitars and well-defined drumming patterns. Multiple band members seemingly trade-off screaming through the track’s entirety, making for a breathless if disorienting listen. Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead, Nothing Is Bleeding is certainly the most brutal, aggressive music that Solid State has put out to date—and yes folks, that includes Norma Jean. [SOLID STATE] DARREN TINDELL JR.

FAR-LESS

TURN TO THE BRIGHT Tooth and Nail made a good choice with signing Far-Less. What with the success of Underoath and Dead Poetic, who would blame them? Turn to the Bright is less scream fashion then Underoath and less of a hard edge then a more cranked up Dead Poetic. Far-Less was relatively unknown to most of the HM crowd before Tooth and Nail started pursuing them. Through getting pursued by, and eventually signing with Tooth and Nail, Far-Less was able to get some more recognition. Among recent notable

pieces of recognition was The Youngbloods Tour, with As Cities Burn, Showbread, He Is Legend, and The Chariot. Still pretty “unknown”, Tooth and Nail probably wanted to get Far-Less’ name out there. So as to keep up touring and display new music Turn to the Bright was (probably) released, kind of in the fashion of business done with Beloved’s The Running EP. Turn to the Bright is now out to introduce a new band and get the ears to start listening to this new music. “Scorched Earth Policy” comes in with a heavier impact of a post-hardcore/screamo mix. Three more songs showcase an aggressive Emo Rock/Screamo blend of melody and intensity. Six tracks, yes, but with two instrumental intro/outro’s, four actual songs. [TOOTH & NAIL] LEN NASH

OLIVIA THE BAND S/T

Olivia is a Hawaiian pop-punk band. But except for its CD cover, which looks a whole lot like an island surf shirt design, there isn’t anything particularly exotic about this new group’s music. The sound of “The Band” is crisp, clean,

Ratings DV

Writer

Eisley

Room Noises

03*

Mae

(Destination: B-Sides)

03*

The Chemistry S/T

03*

The Chariot

Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing...

03*

Far-Less

Turn To The Bright

Olivia The Band S/T

Stellar Kart All Gas. No Brake.

02*

Seventh Day Slumber Once Upon A Shattered Life

02*

The Lassie Foundation Face Your Fun

Daniel’s Window Strangely Looking Forward

Subseven

Free To Conquer

03*

Solomon Burke

Make Do With What You Got

ALBUM REVIEWS

and mostly fast. The songs are passionate, but not particularly personal. Instead, tracks like “Heaven” offer up punkish praise, whereas something such as “Kill The Grey” speaks of the un-colorful difficulties inherent in everyday Christian life. Lyrically, this outfit is fairly plainspoken. However, “Stars & Stripes” is not the 4th Of July-ish ode its title implies. Instead, its lyric explains the way the stars in the sky, and also the stripes Jesus took, are proof of God’s love. There’s no questioning this group’s sincerity, but this release sure would have been more memorable if Olivia had revealed a little bit of its unique perspective, or if it had thrown in a few touches of humor. Relient K, for instance, plays a similar brand of music, yet it also infuses its songs with plenty of wit and wisdom, too. But just like those products marked “generic” in your supermarket aisles, Olivia has given us a release that gets the job done. Alas, in the end, Olivia is far more functional than fun. [ESSENTIAL] DAN MACINTOSH

STELLAR KART

squeeze one more band in for the masses. Seventh Day Slumber, a Nashville-based, self-proclaimed “hybrid modern rock” band combines the heavy guitars, the occasional, obligatory scream and angst-driven emotion into a melting pot of a debut album, Once Upon a Shattered Life. A couple tracks are Staind/Chevelle incarnate, but they’ll give way to full-out, predictable praise songs on the next track. The same praise songs move right into songs with brutal metal riffs and the only reason you think you’re listening to the same band is because the singer Joseph Rojas’s voice sounds the same. The sad thing here is they’ve got some riffs that are great. The sound of the CD—courtesy of Aaron Sprinkle (Kutless, Demon Hunter) and J.R. McNeely—is amazing. You’ll find yourself singing some of the hooks. The potential seems to exist, but somewhere along the line, it gets peppered with cheesy lyrics and mediocre musicianship. When you listen to this CD, you know what you’re getting. It’s nothing new. I just don’t know how many more radio rock bands the public can take. [BEC] DAVID STAGG

ALL GAS. NO BRAKE. There is pop, and there is punk. With their powers combined, they form pop-punk. Stellar Kart’s All Gas. No Brake. is Christian pop-punk music. Some people may have stopped reading at that dreaded hyphenation, under the false impression that “all pop-punk is the same.” This is not true. If it were, Stellar Kart’s new CD would be much better than it is. From the first few seconds of the first track, “Student Driver,” it is quite evident that individuality is not high on the agenda. Listen to the intro of New Found Glory’s “Hit or Miss” immediately following “Student Driver” for the full story. Even worse is the junior-high rhyme schemes that plague the entire album. The only time I felt I was listening to semi-creative writing was on the fifth track…and halfway through I realized it was a cover of Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer.” This was immediately followed by an all-out praise and worship ballad, and the remaining tracks (unlike the first four) no longer go for metaphors as many of the Christian-based bands of the scene do; there is no confusion that Stellar Kart is trying to spread a Christian message. This in itself is the best explanation I gather from lack-luster writing and obvious rip-off melodies. The Phoenix-based group, as their bio will inform, is interested first and foremost in connecting with today’s youth and spreading the Word. And there’s no better way to do this than regurgitating what kids already hear on the radio with an over-produced, squeaky clean pop-punk CD. Though I won’t say this is a worthy excuse for putting out such a mundane effort, it at least makes for an interesting alibi. [WORD] JAMES WETZ

SEVENTH DAY SLUMBER ONCE UPON A SHATTERED LIFE

If there isn’t enough “edgy” radio-friendly rock around already, BEC Recordings manages to

THE LASSIE FOUNDATION FACE YOUR FUN

The Lassie Foundation obviously remembers the rock of the 80s, since its latest Face Your Fun release repeatedly draws upon bright alternative pop elements that were so prevalent during that decade. The rhythms here are mostly upbeat, and the production is crisp and clean. In many places, guitars jangle in a The Church sort of way, and hearken back to The Cult during harsher moments. And dang if the track “Sunset” doesn’t immediately bring to mind A Flock Of Seagulls, of all things! Lyrically, however, these songs aren’t nearly so Reagan-era optimistic. The title track, for instance, struggles with knowing when it’s time to finally give up the rock & roll lifestyle. “Signs may say that you’re too old to rock/A wife and kids, the countdown has begun.” This song is followed by “Saturday Night,” which states, “Every teenager’s in heaven/Every teenager’s in Saturday night.” Such sequencing seems to suggest that all of us need to reconcile the teenager we once were, with the adult we are – like it or not – quickly becoming. It’s a balancing act that’s never easy. To Face Your Fun, you sometimes need to face the facts. This is a difficult subject to address with pop music, but The Lassie Foundation succeeds at it by mixing a little musical nostalgia, with some distinctly grownup lyrical thoughtfulness. [NORTHERN] DAN MACINTOSH

DANIEL’S WINDOW

STRANGELY LOOKING FORWARD Praise&worshippy pop-rockers Daniel’s Window may have cheese all over them, but it’s tastier than Velveeta. Given the right circumstances, chanteuse Heather King could give Gwen Steffani vocal competion. Instead, on

Strangely Looking Forward, as on previous outings, she fronts a band treading between Delirious? lushness and SmashMouth fratboy turntable rock. Slower, more seriously worshipful numbers could garner D.W. adult Christian radio spins. Nonetheless, they’re more or less aimed at ‘tweeners grown out of Jump5 and not yet into meatier sounds. The male rapping throughout much of Strangely equals praise buzzkill when the intention is fostering vertical one-on-One, especially on the diluted nu-metal of “Kick It” (do not tell me to get crunk, brother!). Minus that, Daniel’s Window continue to offer sincere, fun, accomplished tunes that may make for guilty pleasure, but pleasure all the same. [CROSS DRIVEN/CUL DE SAC] JAMIE LEE RAKE

SUBSEVEN

FREE TO CONQUER There’s an edginess in Subseven’s first full-length release, Free to Conquer, that bubbles to the surface as the listener continues on through the record, though it does take some times through listening to it to get there. This five-piece emo-ish band pulls together a solid—and more importantly, coherent—release, dropping melody after melody that you’ll find yourself singing in the shower. But melody isn’t much without a foundation, and the paired music coalesces the vocal lines well. Unfortunately, there aren’t many standout clips— i.e. spectacular breakdowns, solos, etc.—other than the choruses, but the more the listener experiences the CD, the more it seems the band would be wonderful to watch live. The songs lend themselves to a great in-person viewing, but in the mean time, the hooks will catch up with you when you don’t realize it. [FLICKER] DAVID STAGG

SOLOMON BURKE

MAKE DO WITH WHAT YOU GOT Soul pioneer Solomon Burke’s voice has aged to a richly intuitive emotional pallet. He worked it in largely hushed, nuanced shadings on his ‘02 return, Don’t Give Up On Me. Rev. Burke follows up with a broader vocal attack on Make Do With What You Got. Burke assays covers and songs written for him with ease that belies their revelatory performances. Just as The Rolling Stones remade Burke, he takes on their “I Got The Blues.” Other contributions from Van Morrison, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams, Sr. and Dr. John’s titular track give the King of Rock & Soul opportunity to proclaim Gospel truths as he discerns a multitude of meanings in what he sings. A crackling band capable of turning from the Stax stomp of “I Need Your Love In My Life” to deep sadness for Williams’ “Wealth Won’t Save Your Soul” makes for symbiosis that brings out the best in both parties. Whether singing of a woman or the One who saved him, Burke mingles earthly and heavenly concerns with a gusto that should make younger r&b crooners want to study at his feet. [SHOUT! FACTORY] JAMIE LEE RAKE

72 A L B U M R E V I E W S

GLORY OF THIS ADORATION

Florida’s Glory Of This has titled its release Adoration, and even though this recorded work has a worshipful title, it is still by no means a praise music CD. Instead, the singer for this five-piece rock band – who goes only by the first name of James – takes a stubbornly realistic approach to living the faith life. This is a band that participated in the 2004 Warped tour, so its music is suitably aggressive. But the duel electric guitar playing featured throughout also gives it a fuller and deeper sound than what is commonly associated with much of today’s straight punk. Although these lyrics are not overtly Christian, “Loose Lips Sink Ships” may well be a sarcastically fine paraphrase of James 3. At one point during the track, James (the singer, not the Bible book author) poignantly sings, “You’d get so far/If honesty was a value not a task.” With “Flip For It,” the group builds up a hearty head of rhythmic steam, while during the bliss-less domesticity of “Fragile House Of Cards,” Glory Of This reveals its brightest moment of melodic hard rock. This song may also be the group’s most vulnerable point on the disc, as well. Obviously, this band is more comfortable singing about wading through troublesome waters, then it is at basking in worshipful adoration. But a steadfast determination to do the right thing, rather than the spouting of simplistic happy thoughts, is far and away the most glorious aspect of Adoration. [ INDIANOLA] DAN MACINTOSH

THE SUNGAZERS

NOT THIS WINDOW OF TIME Melancholic, experimental psychedelic indie rock heavy-laden with haunting guitar, keyboards, piano, strange electronic samples, and brooding attitudes. While the music is very multi-textured, the vocals are often one-dimensional and flat, but this could be fixed with burying the vocals deeper in the mix or masking them a little with effects. The varying moods on this CD keep it in my stereo and the sheer constant mood shifts keep this record from becoming boring. Small vocal-orientated gripes aside, the band has put together a nice collection of songs that run the full gamut of the emotional scale and make a perfect soundtrack for a depressing, rainy, dark Sunday afternoon. [WOUNDED] CHRIS FRANCZ

SEVENTH AVENUE ETERNALS

On Seventh Avenue’s new offering, Eternals, the band continues to forge on creating solid and energetic German speed/ power metal in the vein of bands like Helloween or Gamma Ray. Seventh Avenue blazes along at a furious pace on many of the songs here. The guitar playing is lightening fast and heavy with tons of tasty leads and guitar solos. The hooks on this disc are thicker than molasses and the band will have you singing in your head long after you put the

CD back in its case. And Herbie Langhan’s vocals continue to shine on this disc like on past efforts. He sounds somewhat similar to a more aggressive Les Carlsen (ex-Bloodgood). Although, I’d say that Langhan is a better all-around vocalist than Carlsen. He just conveys so much passion in what he is singing. Overall, the band continues to dish out some very nice, aggressive metal. While they might not be the most original band on the block, they do what they do very well. Fans of their earlier offerings will be all over this and will not come away disappointed. [MASSACRE] MATT MORROW

HOLY BLOOD

WAVES ARE DANCING On Holy Blood’s first album, The Wanderer, they gave us a great first impression. However, my opinion is that their sophomore album, Waves are Dancing, is a much more solid album with better quality songs and a more mature sound. Holy Blood continues with the extreme metal that you fell in love with on their first album. Lightening fast riffing, blasting, and screeching/shrieking vocals are the norm. The band also incorporates a good dose of perfectly placed keys, flutes, choir vocals, and some fantastic, yet subtle, female vocals. The band captures a passion and aggression throughout the album that begs your attention and respect. To top it off, this release also includes a video for the band’s song, “The Spring”. Overall, this disc is a terrific listen and has totally convinced me that Holy Blood is a force to be reckoned with. [BOMBWORKS] MATT MORROW

HORDE

HELLIG USVART (RE-ISSUE) I get it...now!! When I long ago bought this mysterious guy’s lone stab at uberextreme deathly unblack metal as one-man band Horde, I, firstly, was clueless as to it being (name edited at the request of the artist) sounding like he was simultaneously puking and huffing helium while reciting free verse decrying the Devil and uplifting the Almighty. I just knew it was one of the most ferocious onslaughts to ever pummel my senses. Now it’s clear to me that it was his spoof on and apologetic against the kind of satanic/racialist metallic sonic warfare being waged by those Scandanavian bands chronicled in Lords Of Chaos. Right down to rechristening himself Anonymous, just like those one-named moshmongers sporting corpse paint in the islands of reindeer and King Diamond. I may not inflict this kind of thing on myself with the regularity of fellow HM scribe Mr. Morrow, but a decade after its initial release, Hellig Usvart still wreaks holy havoc for me. Only now I understand how this guy was embracing the same kind of semi-cheekiness as The Darkness would a few years later, but applied it to a more self-serious brand metal. There’s a bonus track from an old Aussie metal comp, on par with old faves such as “Crush The Bloodied Horns Of The Goat,” “The Day

Of Total Armageddon Holocaust” and “Blasphemous Abomination Of The Satanic Pentagram.” Like those guys in the Guinness ads keep saying, “Brilliant!” [ROWE PRODUCTIONS/SOUNDMASS] JAMIE LEE RAKE

POWER OF OMENS ROOMS OF ANGUISH

Well, this is my first experience with Power of Omens. Musically, they play an interesting style of technical progressive metal. Fans of bands like Dream Theater, Balance of Power, Queensryche, and maybe even Symphony X should dig it. There are many hooks throughout and the musicianship is excellent. The band displays a myriad of good guitar work, great atmosphere created by well-placed keyboards, solid bass playing, and a drummer that is all over the place. Vocally, Chris Salinas is very hard to get into. He sounds similar to ex-Jacob’s Dream vocalist David Taylor and Geoff Tate of Queensryche, but he gets a little bit higher on the scale at times and also a little more aggressive. He puts in a solid, passionate performance, but nothing I would consider as great. This

Ratings DV Writer Glory Of This Adoration

The Sungazers

Not This Window of Time

Seventh Avenue Eternals

02* 03

Holy Blood

Waves Are Dancing

03*

Horde

Hellig Usvart

Power Of Omens Rooms Of Anguish

02*

Various Artists

Facedown Fest 2004 (DVD)

03*

Simple Shelter

A Phoenix From The Ashes

03* 03

Paradoxx Atomika

03*

Parakletos

Offerlammets Makt

Symphony In Peril The Whore’s Trophy

03*

Poor Man’s Riches

Energy

ALBUM REVIEWS

VARIOUS ARTISTS

is definitely the band’s weak point. I can’t say that Power of Omens is my favorite progressive metal band. They do, however, put on a very strong performance that should appeal to many of the genre’s fans. [METALAGES] MATT MORROW

FACEDOWN FEST 2004 (DVD) You weren’t in Pomona during March of last year? Poor you (and me), you missed Facedown Records’ first indoor festival; but thanks to the wonders of a multi-angle video shoot and home video, Facedown Fest can be yours, minus the sweat and attendant nasal stimuli. A whopping 16 bands, not all from the sponsoring label, crank out 54 songs delivered in crisp videography. Per Facedown’s most common aesthetic, hardcore/ oi/post-whatever acts fill the stage, but the revelations are plenty. Award for most visualy arresting act goes to Shockwave, whose masks-andflags aproach refereces everyone from Laibach and Saviour Machine to Slipknot and The Locust (their music tends to the latter two meeting Biohazard). Alove For Enemies acheive delightfully whiny guitar tones, and Symphony In Peril and Nodes of Ravnier broach textural plateaux nigh mathetimatical in their execution. xDisciplex A.D., in their last gig ever, Trauma, Sinai Beach, No Innocent Victim and the stagedivinginundated Comeback Kid rank among the other bands to kick glute maximally. No real extras, but packaging makes for a classy memento for those who made the show and the next best thing for everyone else wanting a mega-dose of diversely crusty ‘core. [FACEDOWN] JAMIE LEE RAKE

MXPX

B-MOVIE (DVD) DVD documentary chronicles pop-punk trio MxPx at home, on stage, on tour bus, partying with friends in bad ‘70s clothing (sorry for the redundancy) and generally being their genial, prankpulling selves. Especially revelatiry is footage of their recording an acoustic EP that comes as a separate disc. Arguably the most profound statement is Mike’s observsation that, since the band started when all of them were in high school, MxPx is all they’ve known their whole adult lives. Puts your life in perspective, huh? Coolest tour footage comes from some time in Japan, where they not only see the native adaptation of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? but play with a compact refrigerator that opens on both sides of its door. The gags Tom and Mike pull on each other are a hoot to watch, even if I’m relating more to more modestly attired and un-tattoed drummer Yuri. Only real disappointment is that none of them speak of their faith. That said, they’re musically solid as ever, and the bonus EP puts refreshing spins on old faves, obscurities and a new’un. [SIDEONEDUMMY] JAMIE LEE RAKE

SIMPLE SHELTER

A PHOENIX FROM THE ASHES Pretense, before probably knowing the full meaning of the word, was something I used to say I detested in music. Joshua Bradford’s one-man electro-goth act, Simple Shelter, oozes pretense, but dadnabbit if A Phoenix Rising From The Ashes hits many of the right notes for its intended artsy audience. Bradford sounds like David Bowie on the verge of strangulation while fronting Bauhaus. It’s an acquired taste of a tone this scribe hasn’t fully grabbed yet, though it matches Simple Shelter’s lurching, dancey (sometimes simultaneously) songs of spiritual longing, finding and confrontation. A cover of Enya’s “Orinoco Flow” is brave, if vaguely redundant. Originals, such as “A Floor To Dance On” and “Godspeed,” will solicit nostalgia among those who danced to 12-inchers on Wax Trax! and Nettwerk Records back when. Check Porno For Pyros’ guitarist Peter DiStefano’s fiery work on “Power,” too. Simple Shelter, pretensious? Dear Lord, yes! But the kids with the majority black wardrobe like it. Me, too, pretty much. [COLD FUSION] JAMIE LEE RAKE

PARADOXX ATOMIKA

The futuro-goths of Paradoxx know there’s not much separating ‘80s electro-hi-NRG disco from the variants of dance-oriented rock that held sway on club charts in the Greed Decade. The co-ed Aussie quartet keeps the beats-per-minute generally above 130. To that hyperkineticism, the distaff half of the acts sings with semi-cryptic seriousness of vampires, lovers who are either atomic and/or irradiated (?!) and more recognizable Christian metaphorical themes. Only when they grab an acoustic guitar or get trip-hoppy does Paradoxx’s Sprockets party let up some. If you touch their monkey, you might be dancing as foolishly as some would say they’re dressed (girls, Sigue Sigue Sputnik called, and they want their wigs back!). [COLD FUSION] JAMIE LEE RAKE

PARAKLETOS

OFFERLAMMETS MAKT If bands like early Crimson Moonlight, Vaakevandring, Dimmu Borgir, or maybe even Antestor make you salivate, then Parakletos should continue the process. This band really creates some great atmosphere. The music is a mixture of the ultra fast with some mid-paced and even slower-paced black metal. The guitars have a somewhat underground sound to them, but they do sound powerful enough to not be considered

wimpy. The band mixes in a good deal of keyboards and even a little acoustic guitar, flute, and violin. Occasionally, they will utilize some clean spoken vocals that sound really good. The more extreme vocals are very blackish in style, but at times they have a growl to them to give an almost blackish death feel. Probably the biggest down point is the fact that the band uses drum programming. While it sounds okay, it’s not the best I’ve heard. Overall, this is a quality black metal album that I would have no problem letting any of my extreme metal friends hear. [RIVEL] MATT MORROW

SYMPHONY IN PERIL THE WHORE’S TROPHY

Like it or not, this is the follow up album I’ve been waiting for since Zao’s Splinter Shards the Birth of Separation shook up Christian hard music. Sure, the vocalist happens to be the same guy, but S.I.P.’s last effort was nowhere near this. It’s as if the band has settled into maturity; being able to see a whole picture of each song. A few tracks are transitional, but the rest stand alone really well. Time changes aren’t used to create chaos, but, used with Shawn’s altering pitch, help blend together ideas. All of the sick breakdowns never feel cliché. The metal is really solid and fast paced. In fact, a few parts bring thick, metal groove. Yes, groove. And it’s hard to resist enjoying. Also, we can thank God they’ve stayed away from airy, feminine male singing that has littered every hard album in the past two years. Lyrically, the songs are pieces; fragments caught in the middle of some happenstance or current emotion. We’re thrown directly into the middle of an ongoing situation with no clear cut end. So, like all good art should encourage us to do, we piece it together ourselves. Ah, so what’s my conclusion? This is a surprising delight. [FACEDOWN] DAVID ALLEN

POOR MAN’S RICHES ENERGY

Cue Creed. A:B any of their albums with Energy (or 12 Stones, Big Dismal, Kutless, or Jeremy Camp), and you’ll get the same feeling – bad boy rock with dirty, down-tuned guitars underneath a low, tenor voice. This material reminds me of living in the Mojave Desert. When you’re parched, thirsty, and starving for some water, even Rosamond’s too-much chlorinated water will do – anything to wet the pallet. If I go see this band live and they all move in those convulated choreographed knee-jerk hops like 12 Stones (yes, I’ve seen them), then I think I’ll spit out that water. But, you know what? I still enjoy rolling up my sleeves, hanging one arm out the window and cruising long stretches of highway with this kind of hard rock rattling my dry ‘n’ brittle Jensen 6x9’s. [WORD OF MOUTH] KERN COUNTY KID, THE

Entertainment reviews DVDS, BOOKS & GEAR

02 24 : SEASON 3

FOX VIDEO

Jack Bauer (Keifer Sutherland) deals with more drama in one day than anyone else in a lifetime. The master suspense writers for this show provide max thrills. Being able to watch multiple episodes in one sitting is wonderful. Some commentaries and extended scenes are vulgar, but interesting.

03 CSI : SEASON 4

PARAMOUNT

This season of tv’s #1 show delves deeper into the personalities of Grissom’s crew, magnifying the frustrations and rewards of their jobs, as well as the depravity of Vegas nightlife. 22 puzzles challenge and entertain, while multiple featurettes and commentaries further enhance the criminology education.

01 LUTHER MGM

This is an amazing movie about a true hero. Like a good story can do, it was moving to see the sacrifice and courage that Luther – and local princes after him– showed by standing up for the Word of God in the face of tyrannical power. The movie doesn’t hype him as a superhero without fault or weakness, nor does it mince words and so muddle the convictions of a great man. One example is the scene where a younger Luther, after a funeral where he scandalously buries a suicide victim, he tells his congregation: “So when the devil throws your sins in your face, and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this, ‘I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? For I know One Who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God. Where He is, there I shall be also.’” Wonderful, passionate stuff. Too bad there wasn’t more commentary (save for some tiny cast interview snippets) to add greater perspective on this historical time in our history of faith. DOUG VAN PELT

04 BARBERSHOP DVD COLLECTOR’S SET

MGM

“Why did Jesus weep?” is a question that comes up twice in the sequel – the second of which is a gut-affirming back-bone straightening speech. Yeah, there’s plenty of “street talking” vulgarity/profanity, but both stories are good and moral – even drenched in humor. Both are a gas.

05 I,ROBOT

FOX VIDEO

In the spirit of Enemy of the State, Will Smith is all over this futuristic and high-tech action thriller. Even when a few obvious CGI special effects don’t seem able to handle the job (like the car wreck scene or the robots crawling up the building like spiders), it’s still very engaging. Little to no extras.

06 DODGE BALL

FOX VIDEO

It might as well be called Zoolander Goes Fitness, taking Stiller’s skill at stupidity for another pleasant ride. This one will do well for many a band road trip for years to come. “If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball!”

07 THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE

PARAMOUNT

Denzel scores another amazing hit with an unexpected underdog (a la Mel in Conspiracy Theory). Meryl Streep does a great job being a villain as Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber)’s over-bearing mother. The loaded commentaries (on the film, deleted scenes, and outtakes) nicely explain and accent the story.

08 NAPOLEON DYNAMITE

FOX VIDEO

To use a sports allusion that Napoleon would hate: “When you swing with all your might, sometimes you knock it out of the park.” That is what MTV Films have done with this cult-comedy hit. This is the kind of stuff that makes imitating movie lines fun, almost time-printing itself in your mental scrapbook.

SPIRITUAL RELEVANCY %

100

10 19 2 1

20 12 4 4

50 66

40 26 1

10 12

20 15 3

OBSCENITIES SCENES OF GORE NUDITY / SEXUALITY

EN T E R TA I N M EN T

The Complex Infrasctructure Known As The Female Mind Relient K – Transit/Thomas Nelson

Girls’ inscrutability figures as one of Relient K’s recurring lyrical themes. It therefore makes enough sense for Christendom’s favorite poppunk band to relate their findings on feminine mentality in book form. This is written to young women from the vantage point of guys who have observed their share of the tender gender. The Relients teach the estrogen set about 12 types of gals, 2 male types, varieties of same sex and coed friendships and the importance of everyone involved to the God who made them all. The latter is conveyed, just as in their music, in a straightforward way that doesn’t preach so much as humbly lay out the basics. It’s all pretty witty and observant, though rife with a few too many spelling and grammatical errors. Send the editor and/ or proofreader back to remedial lessons, but promote Relient K and co-author Mark Nicholas to the bookshelves of your fave femme friend who reads both Seventeen and the right music magazines. She’ll probably at least be amused. Jamie Lee Rake

Built To Grind

Bob Denike – High Speed Prod. Like its punk rock musical counterpart, the Independent Truck Company asserted themselves in a crowded skateboard industry in every way that their name would imply. Like a good rockin’ history book, it’s fascinating to read about the inside workings of a truly revolutionary group, especially in those early stages. But the interesting stories wouldn’t be nearly as impressive if it wasn’t for the magnificent photography that fills this gem of a coffeetable book. Those familiar to Thrasher Magazine and the mindset of the skate industry in the mid-80s will know that this is not particularly family reading material, as it reflects the irreverent and rough living that dominated the surf/skate lifestyle of this period. As authentic as it gets. Doug Van Pelt

HFI.650 [headphones]

NB-FX [headphones] [headph

Everything about these headphones are designed well. The chord is about 10 feet long. The cups block out sound (keeping the person next to you from hearing your exceedingly loud tunes). The lightweight unit folds up. The sound is wonderful, and they feature the special S-Logic technology. Reflecting sound off the listener’s outer ear creates a three-dimensional sensation, thus a “natural surround sound.” The best I’ve ever heard. $249 [ultrasoneusa.com] DV

These small cushion cups pack a mean punch. The noise-cancelling feature makes for a crisp sound in virtual isolation, effectively reducing unwanted noise by having a small microphone that receives outside sounds, inverts them and sends an opposite wave through the speaker. The compact size makes it an attractive add-on for portable listening devices, but it can go through batteries like mad. $69 [protechcommunications.com] DV

UltraSone

Noisebuster er

76 C O LU M N S

WITH KEMPER CRABB

A few observations on worship and the arts Part 2 We saw in the first part of this article that worship was primarily for the Pleasure of God, rather than for our own pleasure. We saw also that the Evangelical Church in America has largely lost this belief in the heat of the quest for their own pleasure. Understand that this quest for pleasure is normally called by more spiritual-sounding names like “seeking a Blessing”, “having an experience with God”, “feeling the Glory fall”, and other euphemisms. Please realize that, when God’s Pleasure in worship is primarily sought, blessings will inevitably result, worshippers will experience the Presence of God, and His Glory will fall. However, if we are only seeking to please God because what we really want is the by-product of pleasing Him, then those by-products (even if they are good things like blessings, or an experience with God and His Glory) become idols, things we want and value more than we want to obey, love and please God. To most American Evangelicals, this idolatry (all wrapped in spiritual, Biblical terminology) seems so normal and natural that we begin to mistake it for the true Biblical worship that Jesus demands in His Word. This has been the case for so long that we have deformed the forms of our worship to elicit emotional, selffixated good feelings with little or no thought for forming the holiness in the worshipper that enables the type of worship that truly pleases the Lord. This de-formation of our worship has also inevitably resulted in deformed content, focus, and (even) style concerning the songs used in our services of worship. Understand that the Church has historically

drawn from Scripture’s teaching an understanding that three general types of worship-song content are to be used in formal worship: (1) Songs that tell God Who He Is [such as “Holy, Holy, Holy”, “Our God Is An Awesome God”, and “Agnus Dei”], (2) Songs that tell God what He has done (does) objectively [such as “Savior, Like A Shepherd Lead Us”, “Thou Art Worthy”, and “He Leadeth Me”], and (3) Songs that tell God subjectively what He has done , e.g. what He’s done for me [such as “Amazing Grace”, “This Is My Father’s World”, and “Amazing Love”]. These three types of worship-songs frequently mix content genre, with some both telling God Who He Is as well as telling Him what He has done [such as “Thou Art Worthy”], or telling Him what He has done both objectively and subjectively [like “The Old Rugged Cross”]. We shouldn’t find this surprising, since this genremixing of worship-song content is common in the Psalms, which both the Old Covenant and New Covenant Churches used as their formalworship hymn-book for thousands of years (cf., Psalms 22, 25, 27, 33, 34, etc.) The reader will notice that there is a proper place to tell God how what He has done has affected the worshipper, even to the point of how God’s Actions make the worshipper feel. However, as in the Psalter, this is balanced by, and interspersed with, songs which tell God Who He Is and what He has done objectively. Even the more subjective Psalms, however, are aimed at praising God for what He has done, not to simply elicit good feelings or an emotional experience from Him by bribing Him with worship to manipulate Him to do so. In the next column, we will (God willing) look at some examples of how today’s self-orientation in worship has affected the style and content (and aim) of many of our worship-songs.

The way I see it Chris Wighaman

C O LU M N S 77

Devotions with Greg Tucker

Recently I traveled to San Diego to have dinner with my niece at Point Loma Nazarene University, which is arguably the nation’s most beautiful campus. Let me tell you about “The Point.” · From the softball field, homeruns are routinely hit into the Pacific. · Sometimes lunch in the oceanside cafeteria includes world-class entertainment, as pods of gray whales migrate South amid dolphins, seals and sea lions.

I know answering questions falls more under the “Judah What” part of HM, but I recently had a friend of mine ask me an interesting question. It was, “I ask God to help me with temptation and falling into sin everyday, so why doesn’t He help me?” I answered him by telling him this old story I heard a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. Day 1: A man walked down a street that had a hole in it. He didn’t see it coming, because it was hard to see and took up most of the street. He really couldn’t avoid it and when he came to it, fell in. He screamed and screamed for help, but no one was around. He scratched and clawed for hours and hours until he finally crawled out. Day 2: The man walked down the same street with the hole in it. He knew it was there, but forgot exactly where, and when he came to it fell in again. He screamed and screamed for help, but no one was around. He scratched and clawed for hours and hours until he finally crawled out. Day 3: The man walked down the same street with the hole in it. He knew exactly where it was and he walked right up to it and tried to go around, but lost his footing and fell in. He screamed and screamed for help, but no one was around. He scratched and clawed for hours and hours until he finally crawled out. Day 4: The man walked down the same street with a hole in it. He knew it was there, so he walked right up to it and jumped in. He screamed and screamed for help, but no one was around. He scratched and clawed for hours and hours until he finally crawled out. Day 5: The man decided walk down a different street. The temptation to sin isn’t easy to deal with. It keeps coming at us, and there is no cure all answer for it. One thing is for sure though, if we are struggling with a particular sin and allow ourselves to be put in the same situations, with the same people, in the same places, we will continue to fall into that temptation. It’s stupid to think we won’t. God wants to help us, but He also wants us to realize that sometimes the only chance we stand is to walk down a different street.

And the students are just candy. Point Loma is a highly competitive school to get into, so the end result is 2,000 amazingly bright Southern California-types who, not surprisingly, also have gorgeous tans. It’s also home to Jeff Boerneke and Ryan Weiss, vocalist and guitarist for RICH IN POVERTY, one of the West Coast’s most talked about underground bands. I heard about R.I.P. long before stumbling onto a copy-of-a-copy of a tape, but finally hearing them revealed that their style is powerful (think Norma Jean after four cans of Redbull), and their lyrics tell everyman’s story. Granted, waking to the sounds of the ocean every morning would help most of us write, play, or think creatively – I even sleep better there – but these guys don’t draw their inspiration from the beauty around them as much as the Presence within them. In other words, they’ve got the goods. God was very specific in the pledges he made to us, and they’re all based on the goods. He didn’t promise you a new suit of clothes, but a new person in your old suit; not a home by the ocean, but an ocean of peace in your home. Good thing, too, because not every life is a seaside existence. Someone is reading this from a farm in Iowa, hours before waking up to milk the cows. Another guy just came home from a job he hates. One man paid for his issue of HM MAGAZINE in quarters, and he’d love to have a job to hate. So not every life is picture perfect, but the prophet Isaiah put that injustice into perspective when he instructed us all to, “Sing for joy, shout aloud and burst into song, for the Lord has saved you!” (Isaiah 44:23) Walk with God in a meaningful way and you’ve got the goods. Get the goods and you’ve got something to sing about, wherever you find yourself.

78 I N D I E R E V I E W S

PICK OF THE LITTER Means

Leave it to a Canadian hardcore band to remind me of everything that I love about American hardcore. I have to compare Means to Sticks and Stones, a hardcore band from New Jersey from the late 1980’s, even though I doubt HM readers have ever heard of them. Means takes the same approach to hardcore as Sticks and Stones: melodic hardcore with guitar and bass work that wrap around each other and never get predictable. This is music that is actually engaging and does not give me the feeling that I have it heard it all before. Their vocalist, while not being totally unique, does not take his voice over the top and through this he is distinguishable; unlike most hardcore vocalists that are, sorry to say, getting quite generic. The reason that I am so enthused by this 9-song disk is that the band gives me the impression that they actually have something to say musically; which is not a feeling that I have gotten from most of the CDs that I have reviewed over the last two years. I listened to this disk a dozen times over the last day and I don’t hesitate in the least to say that this is top-notch. This CD goes places. It’s gonna be in my car stereo for quite some time. The hardcore scene needs more bands like this . . . period. (Chris Francz) hellomeans.com

HundredYear Storm

Beautiful and ambient with layer upon layer of lush instrumentation. They could put you to sleep or, at the same time, make your mind race at a million miles an hour trying to solve a musical puzzle by keeping track of where each instrument is and where it’s going. Not new or innovative, per se, but truly brilliant, nonetheless. (DV) hundredyearstorm.com

The Dawning

This band is breaking up, which is a real drag, because they ruled. The furiously fast death/slightly black metal with hardcore attitude they recorded is sweet-smelling perfume to these ears. guitarist224@excite.com

Might As Well

New school punk a la Dogwood with plenty of drive and passion; which make up for vocal flaws and flat guitar notes every time. Perhaps formulaic to a fault, the ingredients (staccato snare, predictable chord progressions, big sing-along choruses) are put together well. And you’ve got to hand it to a band that tackles pre-marital sex via song in story form (“Madison, Virginia”). mightaswellmusic.com

Jeremy

This prolific artist has been churning out tunes under the musical radar for the better part of two decades. Psychedelic bubblegum pop seems his specialty, a la Beatles, Bryds, and early Who (as found on Pop Dreams and Lost & Found); but his homegrown label (Jam Recordings – home to many other like-minded artists) shows that he’s also quite the instrumentalist, as his Kingdom Come, Still Waters, and Fruit Tree albums show. jamrecordings.com

Foxhole

Lo-fi complexity with hypnotic melodies and muted horns. We the Wintering Tree is a concept album of sorts, covering the changing seasons, life and death. Tasteful, recycled paper packaging, too. selah-records.com

Madison East

Emo melodic rock without the brash hardcore sensibilities. This means lots of pretty vocals, hooks, and words about relationships. madisoneastrock.com

Greenlight Grenade

Seems someone wants me to overdose on lo-fi sounds this issue, but good music is good music. Plenty of fun ideas, and this one has slightly schizophrenic vocals a la mewithoutYou. Nice. greenlightgrenade.com

Saving Blue

These Swedes know how to gel together musically and craft chiming lo-fi ambient fuzz guitar rock with enough patience and attitude to pull the listener in. savingblue.com

Pushstart Wagon

Remember these guys? They were upstarts in the West Coast altrock scene about a decade ago, releasing their Squeaky Clean album on the late Gene Eugene’s Brainstorm Artist International label. Now they’re older, smarter, more mature, and they’re back with clean, confident rock bordering on Americana. Their new album, L.A. Was Our Alamo, is proof that a true veteran will deliver every time. pushstartwagon.com

80 HARD MUSIC HISTORY

The story of the Crucified is an all-American story. The only things missing are the gold records and the happy ending. No one could have known back in 1984, when four young guys formed a musical unit with the quickly-discarded moniker K.G.B. (which, for a time, stood for Kids in God’s Blessings). They only played one foul-smelling 30-minute gig when Mark Salomon joined on as vocalist a year later (on the floor in the office of the Madera County Farming Bureau). They later wisely chose the more hardcore and punk-sounding “Crucified.” The very first Crucified gig (at Grace Community Church in Madera CA) never really happened – cancelled after a freaked-out pastor saw too many non-Christians in his church building (and smoking teenagers out front). For the better part of two years the band just practiced and wrote songs about three times a week. Judging by frontman Mark Salomon’s description of those formative years, it’s to our advantage that no one had really heard or seen the band during that time. After honing their sound, though, advantage was ours as two demos titled Take Up Your Cross and Nailed (both re-released as one album by Tooth & Nail in 1999) made their way across the world via the underground tape trading network (long before mp3 file-sharing, kiddo’s), and an appearance at the original Grayslake location of the Cornerstone Festival in 1988. Bands like Undercover, Weber and the Buzztones, the Altar Boys, Lifesavers and the Lifters had paved the way for punk in the Christian music scene, but it was bands like the Crucified and the Lead that played a distortion-filled, energized hardcore sound that reeked of authenticity and an intensity that married the power of metal with the passion of hardcore punk. Those that witnessed any of their sets in those old hot aluminum buildings at Cornerstone ’88 or ’89 knew they were seeing and hearing a band that had that special thing, that kwai, that hard-todefine element that grabs attention on a basic level. Their music demanded respect with its pummeling drum beats from Jim Chaffin, galloping bass lines from early bassists Trevor Palmer or Mark Johnson, and aggressive guitar playing by Greg Minier. Audiences showed appreciation by moshing or stage diving at high speeds, and chanting along to the great punk anthems that romped from one chorus to another with an ominous voice-over during the breakdowns. Almost every live show blew minds with the speed metal intensity, musical chops and the perfect intimidating frontman.

THE CRUCIFIED

BY DOUG VAN PELT This was an era where punks and metalheads didn’t have much to do with each other (save for the occasional fight), but the Crucified was a peaceful study of contrasts. Salomon describes the tension and ingredients in his book, Simplicity (Relevant Books): “Greg always loved heavy metal, which I hated, but Jim was sort of in the middle. Trevor didn’t really care, he just didn’t want us to suck.” He attributes a speed metal band from Berkeley, CA – Corrupted Morals – as an early inspiration. “One night Greg played me ‘Ride the Lightning’ by Metallica, and changed my appreciation for metal guitar riffs… Jim started playing with a double-kick drum pedal, and it became a huge part of our music from then on… It gave the music just a little more speed, which at the time was all that mattered. And not long after that, somebody found a copy of Speak English Or Die, by S.O.D., and we were content. It was the perfect blend of all the styles we loved, with a touch of insane and absurd humor. I had to admit it: ‘Okay. Some metal is cool.’” A small label from the San Francisco Bay area, called Narrowpath

HARD MUSIC HISTORY 81

Records, heard about the Crucified and got them in the infamous Casbah studio in Fullerton, California to record 14 songs for their self-titled album. Pure Metal Records licensed the album in 1988 and soon Christian retailers across the United States were introducing their metal music customers with the Crucified’s raucous sounds. (If only someone at the label would’ve released “Crucial Moment,” “Your Image,” or even “The Pit” instead of “Hellcorn” as the first orchestrated introduction, perhaps their appeal would’ve crossed over more in the “snatching up anything Christian and metal” era of the late 80s. Those that listened, though, knew that this hybrid was a perfect match. The skilled tightness of speed metal bands like Vengeance Rising, Slayer, Deliverance, and Metallica fit right in with the slightly left-of-center grooving styles of Pantera, Suicidal Tendencies, Scaterd-Few, and the Crucified. The band became a regular at the annual Cornerstone Festival, which was like a rite of passage or a status symbol of cool in the Christian hard music scene. With the anti-rock star ethos and image of punk rock, it’s ironic how cool their stoic faces would look as they’d take a stage, just minutes away from splintering the floor with

max intensity. A second album was released on Ocean Records, called Pillars of Humanity, which contained the monster song, “Mindbender.” Album cover artwork never seemed to come out like the band envisioned, and this album was no exception, where a threedimensional visualization of the devil and the temptations of this world were flattened in reproduction, coming off rather twodimensional and odd. With greater distribution via Word Records, though, the band’s reputation spread. Shows in Orange County with 1,000 to 1,500 in attendance were commonplace. Songs were written for a third album, but the band came to a close before it was recorded (the only ones ever heard from this era were “Power of God” (Light From The Underground, Vol. One) and “Straining Life” (Songs You’ve Never Heard/Light, Vol. Two). While not a glamorous ending, the band was able to reunite for a final goodbye at Cornerstone ’95, which ended things on their terms – intense, passionate, and honoring the God that inspired them to begin in the first place.