April 2012 - HM Magazine by HM Magazine

The Overseer Flying Colors MxPx Thousand Foot Krutch SXSW 2012 recap War of Ages Barren Cross 速

THE HARD MUSIC MAGAZINE

DEMON HUNTER April t Issue Number 155 $1.99 DIGITAL EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME

Photo: Todd Myra

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From the editor Doug Van Pelt

REGULAR I SUCK ON MANY LEVELS Here we are again, into the month of an issue before it hits the browser. Oh, how I wish I was back on time with the production schedule at HM Magazine. If you were up for a very sad, sappy and depressing blues song, I’d wax eloquent right now with all my excuses, listing off additional projects I’ve taken on and yada-yada-yada. Let me just say that I hope to be back on time (and to the virtual “printer” early – a good five days prior to the first of the month – instead of after) around, say June or July. Until then, let’s hope I can narrow the gap between issue releases and that turn of the calendar month. One thing I’ve discovered about this going digital and going monthly at the same time thing is that we have the freedom to add anything and sometimes do so at the last minute. Two cases in point this issue: Daniel Frick and Andreas Vosseler dropped an interview with Barren Cross on my lap. I immediately accepted sightunseen, promising that, worst-case scenerio, it would post online at hmmag. com. Once I saw the photos they took, though, I decided to “splurge” and add an massive 8-page story on Barren Cross. Once you see the photos, I think you’ll immediately understand my call on that one. The second last-minute add was the story on Sons – a band I almost gave a five-out-of-five in their album review last issue. They sound so stinkin’ good! (By the way, the 5/5 “Classic” rating to me is hard to give. I’ve got to know in my gut that an album is going to be a classic and get multiple listens even five years in the future – and that’s a big deal to me.) I was like, “I wish I had thought of this article idea earlier!” Well, I’m excited to say that I’ve held an advance copy of Rock Stars on God, Volume 2 in my hands. I’m very pleased with the results. After I fix the last remaining typo (probably a pesky single quote mark instead of a double – or viceversa), I’ll place the first big bulk order of copies (probably days from now). I’ve been talking with a few graphic designers about some new HM shirts, so keep your eyes out for those. Go check out our coverage of the SXSW festival online, as well as the spin-off “South by So What” one-day event that happened up in Dallas around the same time. Please keep sharing the link to our free and packed 12/11 issue, because (the idea is) more people will come and start reading HM: tinyurl.com/HM151

SPINNING AT THSFT SIDEWALK PROPHETS NEWWORLDSON MICHAEL CARD FOR TODAY WHITE C. SIDESHOW JOHN M. MCMILLAN DEMON HUNTER

NOW

Get Low Live LIke That Rebel Transmission Beginning of the Gospel Immortal The Witchhunt Economy My Destiny

The Hot Shot Freight Train do fun, laid-back Americana. Imagine Train boldly singing about Christ. All over the place stylistically, but fun riding. Some songs I love, that ﬁrst one not so much. Wow. Shocked at melodic side, but I like it, nevertheless. Ooooh, I’m digging this. Reminds me of NIN a lot. Digging his soul and that E Street b... Well, almost. Arrived last day of deadline, but lovin’ the raw power!

Letters Hard news Live report

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FEATURETTE The overseer Record store day Modern day escape Sons

14 15 16 17

FEATURE Manafest Thousand foot krutch Mxpx Flying colors War of ages Barren cross Demon hunter Hermitage

18 20 22 24 26 28 36 43

INTERMISSION Photos Columns

46 56

REVIEW Music Lifestyle Indie pick

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06 L E T T ER S T O T H E ED I T O R ®

TOP 100 ALBUMS LIST 1. Deliverance - Weapons of. 2. DC talk - Jesus Freak. 3. P.O.D. - Fundamental Elememts..., Satellite. 4. Living Sacrifice - Reborn, Inhabit. 5. Betrayal - The Passing. 6. Bride - Snakes, Stryper - To hell with the devil. 7. Tourniquet - Pathogenic, Psycho... 8. Believer - Sanity Obscure. 9. Dogwood - More than Conquerors. 10. The Crucified - Pillars of Humanity. It doesn’t get better that that! IMO:) –Darren Richter, via website Ed – Glad to see “the list” is still causing some discussion – as it should be. Hey, I’m glad you didn’t put the list together. Your math/organization skills would’ve left some loopholes!

APRIL 2012 EDITOR/PUBLISHER MKTG & ADS

CONTR EDITORS

Allan Aguirre, Kemper Crabb, Matt Francis, Chad Johnson

CONTRIBUTORS

Anthony Bryant, Clutch, Matt Conner, Daniel Frick, Daniel Garcia, Seth Hecox, Dan Macintosh, John Nissen, Jamie Lee Rake, Don Redondo, Rob Shameless, Dr. Tony Shore, David Stagg, Charlie Steffens, Andreas Vosseler, Kurtis Wilson

BACK PAGE PROOFREADERS

Marcia Furman Corey Erb, Tom K, Valerie Maier, Carolyn Van Pelt

SCRIPTURE

THE VIOLET BURNING RULES! STAY AWAY FROM BLUE LIKE JAZZ You need to check into this movie. The book is used as a recruiting tool for the Emergent Church. They believe that the Bible is not to be taken literally. The author Donald Miller is a leader in this movement. Please be careful endorsing this. They are Christian Post Modernists. They think if it’s ok for you, then it’s ok. –Rich, via website Ed – I just don’t believe that. If what you say is true, you’re speaking for Don Miller, you’re identifying his motives for the book and movie and you’re choosing a label for him. I’ve read all his books, seen the movie and wouldn’t believe any of these serious accusations you made against him. Perhaps you could take the word, concepts, movie, book for what it is, consider it, and evaluate it instead of trying to read conspiracy into it.

I HATE THE NEW DIGITAL VERSION Hey I’m old-fashioned. I enjoyed getting the hard copy of HMMag. I enjoyed getting it in the mail. It was something I always enjoyed. I was one of I’m sure many who had sent money to try and help keep it going and I guess it’s now gone. It was just nice to have. I’m still with the U.S. Army and I’m again deployed to the Middle East (Qatar) and it was always nice to get my hard copy and after I got done reading it I always placed it in locations where other people who loved hard music would find it. Many who were not Christians and they had the opportunity to read and see some of the great stories in each issue. I do still look at the online version, but it’s just not the same. I do look and when I see something about the artist and bands I like, I still check it out. So, I guess I should have explained it better (instead of just saying, “I hate it.” I just miss getting something good in the mail besides bills and junk mail. HMMag and Heavens Metal was always a treat. I still appreciate your ministry, so I hope I’m forgiven. By the way, any news on Payable On Death putting out any new music in the near future? Sincerely, brother in Christ, –SSG. Kelly Williams Sr, via email Ed – Hmmm. I guess so ... okay, you’re forgiven. P.O.D. has a new one coming out in June, called Murdered Love. Read all about it in the June issue of HM Magazine.

Thank you for confirming what I’ve thought for years, that bands like Delirious took a major cue from The Violet Burning and Chosen. I was always sad TVB kinda got left behind in the wash. –Encron Muss, via website Ed – That’s cool. I don’t remember either one of us (Pritzl or myself) making that statement, but the Violets certainly were ahead of their time and made some amazing music. It sucks they didn’t get widespread recognition for their talents, but I do believe that the “audience of One” concept means something, so there was a payoff spiritually and who know what awaits in eternity as a result of some of this music?

WHAT’S THIS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL? Pretty good write-up. I just found your blog and wanted to say I’ve genuinely loved reading your opinions. By any indicates I’ll be subscribing for all feeds and I actually hope you submit another time soon… –Pei Upole, via website Ed – I’ll be posting a review of that movie, Touchback soon. I have an affinity for time travel and football...

Issue #155 Doug Van Pelt Doug Van Pelt, Frontgate Media Charlie Steffens

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THANKS HM magazine is awesome! I work in radio and just started a radio program spinning the best in Christian Rock and Metal music. Having HM magazine definitely helps. From the music news to the new releases and everything in between. It’s a Rocking resource to have. Great job! Thank you. –George Martinez, via email

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Ed – Thanks for the encouragement.

PDF HAPPY I just realized that I can download PDF versions of the digital editions of HM Magazine to my Macbook. I like this, because then I don’t have to go somewhere with wifi to read it. –Jared Lacey, via email Ed – Isn’t that cool? I’m glad the HM digital edition browser has so many cool tools like that. Computers should be cool “servants” like that, instead of breaking-down task-masters that cause frustration. But I’m venting again.

HM Magazine (ISSN 1066-6923) is no longer printed in the USA, however, you can get either/both color or b&w copies printed and quickly shipped to you from a cool and fast print-on-demand place (lulu.com). Go there and search for “HM Magazine” and you’ll see all the available issues. All contents copyright © 2012. HM contents may not be reproduced in any manner, either whole or in part, without prior written permission.

HARDNEWS Quick & concise HARVEST BLOOM WALK THE RED...

TOBYMAC TAKES REMIX UP

VIDEO AT NEW MEDIA FILM FEST

NEW APP ALLOWS FANS TO REMIX TUNES

HarvestBloom’s Music Video for “The Narcissist” was just accepted to the 3rd Annual New Media Film Festival, which will be held June 12th and 13th in Los Angeles, CA. As part of the festival, the video will be included in the festival’s competition, which Linkin Park won last year. The band will walk the Red Carpet on Tuesday, June 12th and “The Narcissist” Music Video will debut in the Landmark Theatre in L.A. on Wednesday, June 13th. The video was shot with the RED EPIC® in Baltimore, MD, and was directed by Charlie Anderson and Justin Beckenheimer of StrataTek Studios. While HarvestBloom is in L.A., they will also be filming a couple of upcoming episodes of G Rock, which airs on JCTV on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m. and 10 p.m. PST.

To give fans a chance to build their own remixes, Toby has launched an interactive app on his Facebook page where visitors can create their own remix of his hit song “Showstopper.” After creating it, fans can share their unique remix via Facebook and Twitter. “For remix records, an artist can be very involved or back off, and for me it’s the latter,” Toby explains. “For all of my remix records, I choose the producers and remixers and let them do their thing. Then I either say ‘yes’ or push back with ‘what if you did this or that?’ The way I see it, I’ve already taken my shot at the songs and put the recipe together.”

News bullets Demon Hunter have posted new tracks right up to the release date of True Deﬁance. The band is playing dates in Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Belgium and one in Seattle at the end of April and into early May. Fruhstuck and Willet have both been booked to play some outreach shows around the Olympics this summer. Alice Cooper hired an old gun (former guitarist Ryan Roxie) to be in his current touring band, who are calling its 2012 tour the No More Mr. Nice Guy Tour. It’s hitting all over North America in June and July and then taking on Europe in August. Phil Keaggy reunited with his old band, Glass Harp, for a show in NYC at BB King’s Blues Club and Grill. KJ-52 released a new album (his seventh) called Dangerous. Fallstar has launched a Kickstarter campaign with the goal of getting a new touring van. Speaking of Kickstarter, the O.C. Supertones, Guardian and Lust Control are in the midst of campaigns to fund new full-length albums with all new material.

The Whosoevers hosting LA conference

This event should be awesome. It’s a two-day affair with music, conversation, art and action sports in Diamond Bar, CA. Friday, April 20 will feature Love & Death (Head’s band), Icon for Hire, Listener, Dominic Balli, Hit Dog Hollar and a skate demo mini ramp jam session. Saturday’s activities include onstage “interviews” with Sonny Sandoval, Fieldy and Head (appearing together for the ﬁrst time in years), Ryan Ries, Bethany Hamilton, Lacy Sturm, Lance Mountain, Sierra Fellers, Brian Deegan, Ronnie Faisst, Josh Harmony. Speakers include Raul Ries, John Randall, Sean McKeehan, Garid Beeler and Michael Guido. Performances on Saturday include Lacey Sturm, Dominic Balli, Josh Harmony and YouTube sensation Jefferson (I Hate Religion). Besides John 3:16, The Whosoevers’ motto is: “Starting ﬁres worldwide… Imagine people just like us, that were once left for dead… Now with hope, life, and love… Connected through a worldwide movement. No one has to be alone.” This is good stuff. I’m bumming that I can’t make the event. We’ll have a report in the May issue, though.

End of September (Ulterium Records) have released a digital single for the song “Isolated.” Rob Rock and Sean Peck (Cage) are both singing on the new Empires of Eden album. For Today have release their ﬁrst single, “Fearless,” on iTunes. The new 12 Stones album, Beneath the Scars, comes out May 22. They’re touring with Saliva.

HARD NEWS 9

The Sacriﬁced have released a really good new album called III. They’ve released a single for the song “Words on the Gin.”

of worship writers including Matt Redman, Brenton Brown, Anthony Skinner and Ben Cantelon. “I’m a huge fan of co-writing,” says Travis. “That’s just how I do it; we’re better together. It’s such a powerful way to communicate community, bringing together two hearts to write a song.”

War of Ages have released a new 5-song teaser for their upcoming album, Return to Life, which can be heard at YouTube. Return to Life comes out April 24. Zao is playing a rare concert at the Stand Together Fest on April 13th and 14th, 2012 at Rocketown in Nashville, TN. In addition to Zao, there’ll also be sets by Saints Never Surrender (a reunion), Flatfoot 56, Venia, As Hell Retreats, Debtor and more.

Based on Redman’s recommendation, the title track became a prayer of sorts, a template for facing the evil within and enemies among the world. Though we walk through darkness our God is our fortress, sings Travis in steady voice backed by his band’s modern edge technique that goes from graceful to growling with ease.

The Van’s Warped Tour has announced its summer lineup, which includes For Today, Impending Doom, Divided by Friday, Memphis May Fire and Miss May I.

Other selections follow suit, like the early U2-influenced, incendiary pop/rocker “Awaken Us.” Travis says the song is a direct call to the sleeping church and was penned while he and Redman were sitting in a beautiful church in Brighton, England that had not been filled in years.

To Speak of Wolves have released a single from their upcoming sophomore album, Find Your Worth. The song, “Stand Alone Complex,” features guest vocals from Oh, Sleeper’s Micah Kinard.

Travis Ryan “… THESE ARE THE SONGS I WOULD WANT MY CHILDREN TO POINT TO AND SAY: ‘THAT WAS MY DAD; MY DAD BELIEVED THAT.’ THIS WHOLE THING IS AN ALTAR TO GOD.” Whether in America or Great Britain, China or India, on African sands or Arctic tundra, no one is a stranger to fear – no matter what the person believes in. That’s why Travis Ryan, a worship pastor at Saddleback Church in California and a dynamic new artist signed to Integrity Music, journeys through the topic with such purpose on Fearless, his distinctly reverent yet musically vibrant debut. “The title track, and the whole album, is really a prayer that the church would live out 1 John 4:18 – There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear,” he says. “It’s a prayer for me as well; the entire record is a collection of the ‘songs of my life,’ but it’s also something for the church to sing.” Music and church have always been key components of life for Travis, showing up in unique ways throughout his upbringing like markers on the sure path to Fearless and his calling as a worship leader. From watching his own father work through the challenges of being a songwriter/worship leader, to the encouragement found in time spent at Saddleback as a teen, to a discouraging pursuit of a mainstream record deal, Travis eventually discovered his love for music through the calling of a church. After the record deal fell through and Travis headed back to California for college, he was so discouraged about music, that he didn’t even pack a guitar. But when a small congregation near his campus was looking for a worship leader, Travis says, “I stepped through that door and fell in love with the church.” And he began to see music in a completely different light. “I began to feel a calling, like every part of my life had been puzzle pieces that were now coming together,” he continues. “At that church I began to see the things I am really passionate about.” Rooted in definitive rock influences and propelled by the love for beautiful worship melodies, Fearless inspires believers and seekers to press on past fear, becoming courageous and marked by God’s boldness. You can hear it in the themes of overcoming and awe on these songs of personal introspection and musical explosion – songs Travis penned with a remarkable list

With an eye on eternity, Fearless is also topical. The pure praise of “Jesus, Precious Jesus” was written during the height of the recent Royal Wedding excitement as a way of meditating on our true King. Similarly, the anthemic “Lord Most High” was stirred by coverage of the trapped Chilean miners whose lives Travis saw as a metaphor of what God does for us. “You’re watching guys pulled up from the earth, out of darkness, and people are shouting out their joy like an army. It reminded me of how God has rescued and redeemed us,” he explains. In the end, Fearless is also deeply personal. “The Wrestling” and “Chase” are snapshots of Travis Ryan’s life as he and his wife raise their two young sons. Awakening to what it means to be a father, the songs hint at everything from the steadfastness of his earthly dad’s story to the endless wonder of his heavenly Father. Lord, your love has no end / It chases us. Travis concludes, “If I died, these are the songs I would want my children to point to and say: that was my dad; my dad believed that. This whole thing is an altar to God.”

House of Heroes had its song, “We Were Giants,” played on the WWE special, Once in a Lifetime: The Rock vs. John Cena. The band plans on having its new album, Cold Hard Want, come out this summer. Before Their Eyes released its new album, Redemption, on March 27. They will soon embark on the headlining Redemption Tour, with label mates Legacy and Belle Histoire lending support. Alternative Press will premiere the new Serianna cover of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” on April 24, before the band hits the road with The Great Commission.

10 LIVE

LIVE REPORT SXSW 2012

March 10-17 REVIEW & PHOTOS BY CLUTCH (Austin, TX) South By Southwest (SXSW) is Austin’s biggest party and it’s thrown by a town that knows how to party. This is the reason why people love Austin. People from all over the map (both regionally and philosophically) can feel welcome here. It’s a fun place. This year I ran into something that is not unusual for the typical SXSW visitor - I was shut out of a really good showcase. While I covered a lot of f ilm, music and a little interactive action during the week, it felt like a slap in the face to miss out on Mychildren Mybride (our March cover story) and For Today, who both played in a small fenced-in area under a tent called Emo’s East, but I had a friend inside who’s a part of the media, so I leaned on him to report on what he saw. Thank God for Clutch!

On Thursday night I was stoked to catch Impending Doom at the Scoot Inn over on E. 4th. Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the 6th Street and Red River scenes, the seeming calm of East Austin was primed to be shattered by the face-ripping metal showcase which was also the kick-off show of the muchanticipated Metal Alliance Tour. Late in the evening, Impending Doom took the stage ready to blister SXSW with their brutal blend of metal and message. Their set was well worth the wait as the warm spring night was again electric when Doom churned out “Murderer” from their eOne debut album, Baptized In Filth. Before the crowd could recover, Brook and the boys went right into “There Will Be Violence” and “For The Wicked.” But, the band’s biggest surprise came when they quickly said, “OK, we’ve got one more for you tonight before we go.” Even for an all-too-shortSXSW-set, this was short! I suspect that it was due to DevilDriver going long and breaking down all their equipment on stage (a band faux pax). But, my disappointment quickly turned to heavy metal joy as Impending Doom wrapped up the night with “More Than Conquerors.” On Friday, the big white tent at 6th and Red River across from the ghost of Austin’s famous alternative venue, Emo’s, could hardly contain the crowd and energy overflowing from a full day of heavy music. The showcase included amazing sets by To Speak of Wolves, Gideon and many others, including heavyweights Mychildren Mybride and For Today. Mychildren Mybride immediately kicked everyone in the teeth by launching into their set with their new single, “On The Wings Of Integrity, Pt. 2.” Lead singer Matthew Hastings commanded

the crowd from his perch atop the stage monitors. When asked, “How many people have heard of Mychildren Mybride?” the audience went wild. They were rewarded with the fan favorite “Terra Firma” and then again as MCMB ripped into the song that will be the band’s next video, “God Of Nothing,” leading the frenzied pit in a lyrical chant of “We were bathed in blood that is not our own!” MCMB closed their set in a proper bookend fashion by whipping up the pit with “On The Wings Of Integrity, Pt. 1.” The night wore on and it seemed the crowd would have nothing left after the brutal swirling pit, stage dives and chaos brought on by a heavy set from Stick To Your Guns. But, then Mattie Montgomery’s familiar scream tore through the tent with “I WILL NEVER BE SILENT!” For Today had arrived to shake and challenge the sweaty swirling masses as

hard as they’d seen all day. For Today ripped through a set that played like a hardcore greatest hits list. But, for all the energy the crowd was pushing towards the stage, Mattie was pushing back; you could see him praying over the crowd as the songs flowed over them and boldly stating, “We come to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the King above all kings!” before launching “Fearless” – the first single from their highly anticipated Razor & Tie release, Immortal. Then, a challenge was thrown down from the stage: all demons and sickness were to leave the tent and the crowd had to decide if they were indeed unafraid and unashamed to stand up and make a difference in the world for Him. As they were called to decide the spiritual battle anthem, “Seraphim” blasted Austin’s night sky. Before leaving the crowd that was crying for more, the band ended their set with the well-known “Devastator.” DVP’s review on next page. (Also, check out a fuller SXSW review at hmmag.com)

Photos (clockwise from top): For Today; MCMB; Impending Doom.

SXSW 11

Chad Petree of Shiny Toy Guns (Photo: DVP)

12 LIVE

SXSW

is an ever-expanding beast that hasn’t lost its step. Over 2,000 acts on over 90 stages, over 900 interactive conference sessions, over 125 films screened ... and those are just the three main facets. Rock poster art has its own place in Flatstock, music gear is displayed in abundance at the Music Gear Expo, the latest games get maxed out at the ScreenBurn Arcade and there’s even a trend-beating fashion segment called StyleX. Tons of tech companies send their brightest to mingle and catch the latest advances and sometimes show off their own. I was especially intrigued by seminar sessions about branding (“Building Social Media-Proof Brands” and “Brands as Patterns”) and the “Building a Jewish Presence Through Social Media” panel caught my eye. “Digital vs. Print” held a personal interest, too, as do most of the Journalism & Online tracks. “Has Twitter made the Sports Reporter Obsolete?” begged an obvious question (the answer is “No,” but the old-school reporter does now have a lot more speedy competition flashing out the news). There’s lots of obvious overlap between the three main tracks, of course, which makes for great synergy. One interactive session was called “The Future of Music Consumption,” which previous years hinted at the cloud technology we’re all leaning on now. Another music/interactive hybrid session was “Can Printed Electronics save the Music Industry?” The Trade Show is one giant exhibit hall that fuses it all in a personal and fun way. Last year I got stoked on the ease of multipleuser video chat rooms, but this year’s mesmerizing booth for me was the DIY vinyl-making machine. Vinylrecorder.com was in full-production mode every time I walked by, where they took a vinyl “blank” and cut the grooves on the spot with the spinning device. Truly awesome.

RE:GENERATION was an excellent film that did a nice job of forcing five world-class DJs to connect with five different major roots of music: rock, country, soul, jazz and classical. It was rad seeing Skrillex making new original music with the surviving members of The Doors, as well as DJ Premier asking Dr. Ralph Stanley to alter his vocal delivery (and seeing Dr. Stanley basically refuse – “I’d rather just do it my way”). The end of the movie shows all five artists performing their creation in front of a live audience. It goes over great. The movie’s producer and creative director, Nick Davidge, explained the challenges that each DJ had with their respective genre and also made the pronouncement that: “If there is a global musical language in youth culture right now, it’s electronica.” It’s true. It spans all nations and is so happening.

The Last Fall takes an up-close and personal look at the unglamorous reality for the vast majority of NFL players – the average career of which is only 3 years. It’s these players we don’t know the names of that are usually broke or divorced just a couple years after leaving the game. This isn’t a dry documentary with facts, though. This is a drama with pretty good actors that brings one player’s story home in a believable, sad-yet-hopeful manner. Waiting For Lightning was another sports movie, but this one followed mind-blowing skater Danny Way – who is easily our generation’s Evel Knievel and skateboarding’s Michael Jordan – recapping his childhood, but focusing intently on the dude’s amazing skateboard aerial/jump over the Great Wall of China. Even though the film is airing years after the jump, watching it is so captivating that it’s easy to get scared and wonder if the guy’s gonna survive it.

SXSW 13

While SXSW always blows me away the most with its music, I think the World Premiere of Blue Like Jazz took the cake for me this year. Seeing Director Steve Taylor and author Don Miller walk the red carpet outside the Paramount Theater put an accent on the anticipation that much of us waiting out front felt about seeing this wonderful book get adapted for the big screen. Right off the bat there were a few surprises and differences from the book. The goofy, young, impressionable Don is more fully engaged in the typical Southern Baptist subculture of his youth. I figured the intricacies of Don’s brilliant mind would be on display right from the getgo, but instead he’s 90% awkward and, even though his father character (!) affirms that he’s bright and intelligent, you don’t quite see it showing itself yet. As a going-away-to-college gift, his church buys him an “armor of God” plastic uniform – the kind an 8-year-old kid might wear. It gets even sillier as the kids in the congregation swing at a cross-shaped piñata, which Don finishes off for ‘em with his sword of the Spirit. Another surprise was how dark the film gets. The movie’s character of Don wholeheartedly rejects his faith in the face of the looser culture at Reed College. These liberties taken from the book are used effectively, though. It’s nice to see the film’s honest approach that doesn’t demonize the non-believer, but instead shows a context that’s a realistic portrayal in some places (like university settings in general). It is also bold to bring up faith in Jesus without flinching. I think making fun of yourself at the start (showing Don’s goofy church-guy identity) gives the character authority to later invoke the Name of this faith’s central figure in a loving way. It is said of Penny (in narration form) that “She loves Jesus,” and there is almost no more powerful moment in the film. As promised by the movie’s Kickstarter campaign, the credits of the “Associate Producers” scroll by at fairly high speed to compensate for the vast quantity of supporters that gave x-amount toward the film.

Musical highlights included a nice set of soulful tunes by Tyrone Wells in a cozy upstairs club. He told the audience that one surprise he hears a lot is that he’s white (with a name like Tyrone...). He played some new songs, including “Train Wreck.” He ended by sharing that in life there are “so many things we can’t control,” but “we can love each other.” Shiny Toy Guns had a nice slot on the big outdoor stage at Auditorium Shores. Their new songs sounded great. Their female singer is totally flowing with the band now – a marked difference from the first couple of shows I saw when she was still new. “Le Disko” was hot and went over well with the large audience. Another new one was called “Speaking Japanese” and it was very guitar driven, though there were some big blips and bleeps from the keys. It’s always cool to see interpreters for the hearing-impaired at big public events, but with her interpretive dancing I wonder if she truly knew the STG lyrics or was just improvising. The band played its version of “Major Tom,” with its refrain of “4, 3, 2, 1, earth below us, drifting, falling...” They ended the buzzing set with the spiritual “Don’t Cry Out” and “You Are the One.” I hadn’t seen The Cult too many times, but I don’t remember them starting off their sets with this declaration by frontman Ian Astbury: “Father, forgive us our sins.” The veteran band sounded great and in command of their tunes. The HM Magazine Showcase went off well, with Dead Words and These Hearts bringing the rock hard and relentless. It was cool to find out that the folks at djtheonelive.com were streaming the sets in their entirety. Light Up The Darkness brought their family band to the stage while one of their babies slept in a stroller by the merch table (!) and they jammed. Their lead guitarist (Paul Brakebill) really shreds. Rocky Loves Emily attracted a ton of girls into the club for their set and frontman Brandon Ellis really played the audience well. Quiet Science ended the showcase with a blistering set that would’ve gone nice right up against Shiny Toy Guns. My Heart To Fear played a small corner of a small club, which made it even more fun to watch them explode with passion, energy and spit-flying intensity. Photos by DVP (clockwise from top): Steve Taylor, Don Miller & Marshall Allman; Shiny Toy Guns; My Heart To Fear; Light Up the Darkness; Rocky Loves Emily; Quiet Science.

14 F E AT U R E T T E

Album: We Search, We Dig Label: Solid State Release Date: June 19, 2012 Members: Bradley Riggs, bass; Anthony Rivera, vocals; Darren King, guitar/vocals; Abishai Collingsworth, drums RIYL: Underoath, Norma Jean, Thrice

facebook.com/theoverseerband

THE OVERSEER The dudes in The Overseer know how to have a good time. I’m sitting in a green room in Germany as Brad, the bass player, prepares to chunk a rockhard loaf of bread out of a 4th story window. Those Germans seem to prefer their bread the same way Americans like their Chevys, so we’re about to test just how much “like a rock” this bread is. Brad is ﬁlling in on bass with my band Becoming The Archetype along with his Overseer drummer Abishai. I’m thinking of how much fun these guys are and how much it sucks that this is the last tour they’ll be able to do with us, because Solid State Records has ﬁnally listened up and realized how cool The Overseer is: they’re signing to become our labelmates as soon as the tour is over. It was a long road for these four guys to get signed. Formed in 2007 and touring nearly nonstop since then, they had to perfect their sound and their energetic live show before they could live their dream of being a Solid State band. The band started with the same four dudes they have now and they’re as close as brothers. Hailing from the only part of Arkansas that isn’t the armpit of the country (the Northwestern part), Brad, Abishai, Darren (guitars) and Tony (vocals) are the most hilarious four guys this side (that side?) of the Mississippi. Going to high school together and watching Razorback football together bonded them like brothers and it seems like the bond goes deeper than blood. This was obvious to Adam Skatula as he watched them

BY SETH HECOX

perform at LifeLight Fest in South Dakota last September. What Adam (Solid State A&R) saw blew him away, because the band had cemented into a cohesive, ubertight metal band that was fun to watch, fun to listen to, fun to talk to. Says Adam, “They were just insane live. The amount of sound they put out and energy they created as a four piece was unreal.” So ﬁnally they’re on their dream label and their gritty debut album comes out on June 19. It’s called We Search, We Dig and is appropriately titled, because these guys are gritty and real. You can tell they’ve dug into themselves to work as hard as they have for as long as they have. You can tell they’ve dug into each other to create the four-headed monster that they are. You just don’t get this legit without getting scrappy and real with one another. We Search, We Dig was produced by Matt “The Sheriff of Tickle Town” McClellan at Glow in the Dark Studios in Atlanta. McClellan works at the studio beside renowned producer Matt Goldman and the two have churned out several great Christian metal albums in the last few years. The album’s production matches the gritty nature of the band, with organic distortion and drum sounds. The production is professional, though, so the band comes off as sounding like veterans who know how to make analog tones sound like

expensive, top-of-the-line production. You’ll hear hints of the new Underoath sound here and there as well as some of the artistic side of Thrice and the Deftones. The band isn’t into copying current trends, but their influences do show through on the songs and since I happen to like their influences, the outcome is rather enjoyable. Darren happens to play organ and sing very well, so the band isn’t balls-to-the-wall heavy all the time and I appreciate that. Keeping with their past habits, The Overseer will be touring nearly nonstop this year and next in support of the record, so if you want to see them live, it shouldn’t be difficult. If you are going to see them, do yourself a favor and pick up the album before you go so you know the words and can headbang in time. And if you don’t mind spending some time after the show, the guys are very approachable and would love hanging out to talk about spirituality (Abishai has “Religion is dead” written on his snare head) or college football (Brad has the Arkansas Razorbacks mascot tattooed on his thighs) or music gear (Darren plays through some sick pedals and an all-Orange full-stack) or having Jedi hair (Tony used to rock the padawan braid). These dudes will be sure to provide a great show every time and great albums for years to come, so pay attention now and be the first to see where Christian metal is going.

F E AT U R E T T E

Date: April 21, 2012 recordstoreday.com

RECORD STORE DAY For those of us who still like buying music in formats incapable of being stored in iPods, Record Store Day is a festivity for the increasingly rare retail institution for which it’s named. Celebrated every April since 2008, shops throughout the U.S. and elsewhere do everything from have sales on their regular stock to bringing in bands and speakers and offering free food to complement the copious freebies offered by indies, major labels and press in order to foster good will and encourage shopping. And every year, it seems more releases are issued on Record Store Day, many to become instant collectibles in limited runs. On April 21, 2012, more Christ-professing acts have new music and reissues to buy for those who get to their favorite vinyl vendors early enough. Before Anberlin became hit makers on general market alt rock radio, their early albums on Tooth & Nail Records built their following. Their first two longplayers, Blueprints For The Black Market and Never Take Friendship Personal, see their debut in the LP format this Record Store Day. T&N also saw fit to put emo dudes Mae’s wonderful 2003 concept album, The Everglow, on a couple of slabs of black wax;the project’s original cartoon artwork’s going to look wonderful blown up from the size of a CD insert, too, I suppose. Christendom’s favorite band named for a surfing move, Switchfoot, saw fit to have a few tunes from last year’s Vice Verses album

BY JAMIE LEE RAKE

remixed by such club/electronic luminaries as Photek and Owl City for a CD EP wittily named Vice Re-Verses (Atlantic). In another synthetic vein, Sufjan Stevens teams up with Rosie Thomas for a collaborative 7-inch single, Hit & Run Vol.1, where the freaky folky and his distaff duet partner ponder more of the Big Themes he has become known for broaching

Many of the other RSD special releases of Godly interest come from rootsier perspectives. The acoustic music elder statesman whose voice deﬁnes high and lonesome well as anybody’s, Ralph Stanley got a career boost in the ‘00s when producer T Bone Burnett included him on the multi-platinum O Brother, Where Art Thou soundtrack. Now, just like in his youth, he’s putting out a limited edition 10-inch 78 RPM single, this time of “Single Girl” and “Little Bird” (Tompkins Square). Pikers compared to Stanley, bluegrass stalwarts Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice’s 1980 album together, Skaggs & Rice makes its reappearance on vinyl with a few ﬁne gospel numbers in its mix (Sugar Hill). Listeners with tastes spanning girly-pop cCm and darker, critically lauded folkiness must appreciate the former genre’s former sweetheart Joy Williams being half of the latter camp’s The Civil Wars. The duo has two RSD delights, a 7-incher on which they remake Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” (?!) and Portishead’s “Sour Times” (hmmm...) and a live CD EP recorded at Hollywood’s Amoeba Records (Sensibility Music).

What this writer is especially ﬁending to nab? As part of Warner Music’s Side By Side colored vinyl singles series wherein two artists are heard performing the same song, “You Be Illin’” appears on one side of a pale green (think old school Coke bottle) playing surface, with African-American string band The Carolina Chocolate Drops proffering their rendition on the other; the latter has the great Buddy Miller – who could stand to unleash another solo album any time now – behind the studio board. On a probably related note, a copy of the original stash of the 1970 Buck Owens coloring book (with ﬂexi-disc!) that will be available may beckon me, too. Remember that many RSD releases are one-time offerings that won’t see the light of day again. If you’re only going to shop only one store, you’d best make an early morning of it, as items can sell out if you don’t get there fast enough. Against the pervasive specter of iTunes and big box retailers that dominate music sales, Record store Day seeks to help specialty brick & mortar outlets thrive and remind people of their existence. They’re still places where local musicians and fans can share ideas and glean inspiration from what they buy and personnel who know well what they sell. Happy Record Store Day, and here’s hoping what you want won’t be sold out. too soon.

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Album: Under the Gun Label: Standby Release Date: March 26, 2012 Members: James Vegas, vocals; Marti Rubels, guitar; Mark Burn, guitar; Shep, bass; Sandra Alva, drums RIYL: Silverstein, Black Veil Brides, Escape The Fate

myspace.com/moderndayescape

MODERN DAY ESCAPE After five years of shifting personnel, it seems that Orlando-based rockers Modern Day Escape are as stable as a rock and roll outfit can be. In 2011, guitarist Mark Burn and drummer Sandra Alva, formerly of Black Veil Brides, joined the fold and MDE began to work on fresh material almost before the two new members had unpacked their gear. Now, with the release of Under the Gun, the band’s second release, the future is looking good for Modern Day Escape. “We started writing the album as soon as I joined, Alva confirms, on getting right to work with her new band. The guys were based out of Florida, so as soon as I joined the band I flew out to Florida.” As drummer for Hollywood glam metal band Black Veil Brides, Alva is no stranger to the studio or the road, or at playing different genres. She had already laid a good foundation prior to her two-year stint in the group, having started her percussion skills in her church’s worship band. “Black Veil Brides was my first big band,” says Alva, “but I’ve been doing music since I was 11. I started playing drums at my church for worship. My cousins played guitar, so we started rehearsing music for church. I started off on a drum set for youth group with super simple beats and just kept playing. I started playing for the main service on Sundays. I would jam with my

BY CHARLIE STEFFENS

friends at school and play local shows.”

can’t really go anywhere.”

Alva contributed much to the making of the new Modern Day Escape record and recalls a moment in the studio where she was mystiﬁed after playing her drum parts for the track “Angels up Above.”

As stated earlier, Alva’s beginnings as a drummer started in a worship team at a church in South Gate, California. I asked her what she thought of Jesus Christ.

“When I heard it played back, I didn’t even know I was playing it,” Alva confesses. “It just came out naturally. I got out of the drum booth and I thought, ‘What did I just play?’ I honestly did not remember. Every time I hear the ﬁrst couple strums on the guitar I feel it again. It’s really weird to explain. I feel like that song is my baby. It reminded me of when I started playing drums and how excited I was. It’s a very emotional song. I play every song from the heart, but that song particularly – that’s one of my favorite songs.” Eschewing a comprehensive self-appraisal, Alva unveils her simple, yet most effective method behind the kit: hit ‘em hard. “I’m going to make sure that the drums are being playing very loudly, Alva says, unapologetically. “I just love getting into the groove and feeling it. Guitarists can move around and jump around and go wherever. I’m kind of stuck back there, so I want to make the most out of it and rock out as much as I can and put on a show back where I’m sitting, because I

“I believe in Him,” Alva admits. “I was born to believe in Him and praise Him. I still pray everyday. I still pray before we go on stage. I’m super religious and my family is super religious. I don’t think a lot of fans know that because of the whole Black Veil thing. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. My grandma, who just passed away, was super religious. I was really close to her, so we’d read the Bible all the time together. I pray everyday. I thank God for my life, for my mom, and for my brothers. I accepted the Lord when I was little. I got baptized when I was 14. I used to go to church every Sunday and every Friday for youth group. I still believe that one day the Lord’s gonna come back and take everyone that believes. “I want to show the world what I can do and make my family proud, pretty much is the main reason, Alva says, on why she chose her career path. I’m really excited that I got the chance to put my name out there. Seeing bands growing up at Warped Tour and being a fan of different genres of music going to shows and seeing people up there just enjoying music, playing with passion. That made me want to do this.”

F E AT U R E T T E

Album: Keep Quiet Label: SloSpeak Release Date: February 14, 2012 Members: Aaron Newberry, vocals/guitar/piano; Jake bundren, bass; Ethan Kattau, guitar RIYL: Copeland, Brand New, As Cities Burn sonsofficial.com

SONS

How does a band start with a mission minded label, release an EP, gain grassroots support through Kickstarter, sign with an indie label, change it’s core members, and still release an awe inspiring full length? It’s not easy, but for Sons, they pull it oﬀ beautifully. We sat down with Aaron Newberry, front man of the band to ﬁnd out more about their amazing journey.

what was given from the Kickstarter initially. We had to basically save up money to fulﬁll the incentives. We kind of had to take the stance of better late than never. It was a little embarrassing trying to get everything together and it taking so long, but all and all I really feel like we dealt with it the best we could. That is, with what we had, and really to be honest, what we didn’t have.

Previously having support from Come & Live and through your Kickstarter, why did Keep Quiet take so long to release? Most people don’t know when the record was ﬁnished and I have no problem giving full discloser. I think the record was wrapped April of 2011. At that point the record had been tracked, mixed, and mastered. We did almost 7 revisions of mixes. That’s part of the reason it took so long. Had we released on Come & Live, it probably wouldn’t had been available until June or July for whatever reason. Part of why it took so long is because when we made the transition from Come & Live to SloSpeak we wanted to give ourselves the appropriate amount of time to release it. We also were pretty much drained to spend any money on the incentives from

Any reason for not being a part of Come & Live with Keep Quiet? I’ve explained this before and I’ve said it to a lot of people, Come & Live would tell you they’re not a label. They would also tell you that when they quote, unquote, sign a band, it’s a non-binding contract. Which means, they literally say, Chad says, “If at any point you want to leave, feel free.” You have the right to, because they don’t want to feel like they have to harbor you to keep you. And really, if you didn’t want to be on the label, why would they want you to be? We got Come & Live’s blessing, because at a certain point we realized that just like people, bands obviously go through seasons, because, bands are comprised of people. We were in the season where we were like, “Man we literally can’t exist anymore unless

we have some kind of capitol, or money.” So unfortunately half of the reason was financially driven, that we were just drained. We were running dry. The other half was that we were being approached by major labels and we were trying to not allow that to go to our heads. I felt that none of us wanted to go the major route at that point in our career. But we felt like we needed a label – an actual label that would distribute the record. So a lot of it had to do with how sincere and genuinely Slospeak came across to us and wanting to work with us. We were really drawn in by their passion for what we were already doing. They didn’t want to change us; they wanted to facilitate what we were already doing. So that had a lot to do with it. As a listener I hear a bit of musical style where Brand New left off after Daisy. I’ve also heard comparisons of the band Copeland. Do you find these comparisons to be accurate? I think those are extremely accurate. ...To act like bands like that don’t have an influence on me would be definitely a mistake. I’m more then okay with drawing influences from bands like those.

Check out the full-length Sons interview at hmmag.com

BY KURTIS WILSON

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TEAMING UP WITH NEWSBOYS PRODUCER SETH MOSELY, HOP ARTIST MANAFEST (WHOSE BIRTH NAME IS CHRIS GRE EMPLOYED A FEW SONIC ELEMENTS THAT HE USED ON CRITICALLY PRAISED ALBUM, THE CHASE TO CRAFT H RECORD, THE FIGHTER. MADE UP OF BRAVE, TRANSPAR OF PAINFUL CHALLENGES FROM CHILDHOOD AND ADOL THE FIGHTER IS HIS MOST PERSONAL WORK TO DATE.

“So

many people were really surprised and shocked by The Chase” says Manifest, “and it just got a lot of critical acclaim and it continues to sell really well. I’m stoked. I think this is an even better record. It’s different, but I’m proud of it. It was a process to get there, but we got there. I definitely think it’s my best work the best record I’ve done.” While some of the material for The Fighter was written while Manafest was on tour in New Zealand, the album’s songs were tracked, finished, and polished with producer/collaborator, Seth Mosely. “He’s had a lot of notoriety with the Newsboys,” Manafest says about hiring Mosely as producer. “I heard his stuff and how clean it was. I took a chance, to be honest, when I kind of signed up with him for a whole record. We became really great friends. The writing went really smooth. He wanted to make the best songs possible and so did I. It really gelled. We’re going to keep writing songs together. It’s really exciting how that ended up working out, because some bands will work with a producer and they’ll try to make them what they’re not, or pull an artist in a direction where they don’t want to go.” A hard rock fan at heart, Manafest cites Guns N’ Roses, Metallica and Nirvana as a few of his influences. “There’s this rock element that I just really wanted to come out,” he says. “I started to just focus on that, because all my previous albums had a little bit of rock. Even in 2001, with the first five-song EP I did, one of the songs is a rock song and I’m actually singing on that song a little bit. When I focused on that it was amazing how more naturally came. Just like a painter or any type of artist, it takes time to find your style and what works. I think I really found what worked on The Chase, specifically, and this is an evolution of that.” “The title track of the album is really about getting up and not quitting, says Manafest, who was five years old when his father committed suicide. “The Fighter” was like lyrical catharsis and a previously unused platform for his healing. “I think it’ll be a really inspiring record. If The Chase is all about chasing after your dreams, The Fighter is, as you’re still working at it, ‘Don’t quit fighting until you’re done. And till God kicks us out of here. Keep going.’”

“’Never Let You Go’ is definitely very different for me,” admits Manafest, as he describes the origin of his most radio-friendly single to date. “I think it will connect with a larger audience in many ways. It’s one of the more softer cuts on the record. I was little skeptical at first about recording it, but I thought, ‘If I don’t keep trying new stuff, I’m not going to grow.’ Seth made me feel very, very comfortable in the studio recording lyrics and trying things. Seth was able to pull new things out of me and take me to another level singing-wise.”

things that were important to me in my life just really fall apart at the same time, so I was really lonely and dark at the time. Skateboarding was my life. Literally, that’s all I did. I graduated school, so all of a sudden I’m in this place where I have nothing to do. So there’s guys at my church who were into music and into rap and stuff. I ended up really liking it. I failed music in school, so I didn’t have a good experience with that. I could go on and on, but my experience in public school really turned me off of music.”

While the overall theme of The Fighter seems to be “Don’t give up, no matter what,” the powerful, guitar-charged “Prison Break” wails a cry of complete defeat, so that God can come in and save His child.

There seems to be a swagger that some performers, particularly rappers, have onstage that resembles them very little when they’re at home pruning their rose garden. Manafest admits he used to have stage fright, but confronted his fear anyway. He can “bring the ruckus” at full volume now, but confidence wasn’t something that came easy. Neither did recovery from his childhood trauma. God heals that.

“It’s definitely about addiction with someone being in a position they don’t want to be in anymore,” Manafest explains, “but they don’t know how to get out of it – a relationship or whatever. That is really emotional to me and I think it paints a really crazy picture of someone just getting the crap knocked out of them, but they still stand up relentlessly and don’t quit and finally get themselves out of that really terrible situation that they find themselves in. I think it’s important to hit on these issues,” he continues. “There’s a lot of pain, but there’s a lot of hope. It’s kind of what I wanted to point to in the end. I didn’t just want to focus on the negative, because I think that’s the difference between a not-necessarily-aChristian-message, but a message of hope, at least we have somewhere we can point people.” Some of us can relate to being bullied at school. Manafest confesses that he was bullied at public school for being shy and overweight, so he wrote a song called “Pushover,” about standing up and not being afraid to be yourself. Before his musical career took form, a young Chris Greenwood had another outlet for self-expression, as an emerging talent in the skateboarding world. “I hurt myself skateboarding. That’s what I really wanted to be – was a professional skater. It’s funny” he reflects, “I hurt myself almost parallel to the same time I got dumped by a girl, because I wouldn’t sleep with her. So I had two really big

Manafest says proudly, “I am who I am because of God and Jesus, who’s made me who I am. I went through a Bible camp that really set me on the right course. Having a full week, unplugged from everything and being in front of the Word for four or five hours a day can really transform you. Change is not always fun, but if you keep on the path you eventually start to see the good results and it gets easier and easier. Also, the church my wife and I went to really encouraged us and put their arms around us. The one guy just didn’t stop calling us. We would try to skip Bible study during the week and he kept us accountable on a lot of things. The words that we heard really made sense and really connected with us. They’ve really changed me and my wife’s life and kept us on point. And kept me out of the junk. It’s a dark industry, right? It’s allowed us to be light. And the biggest thing is setting boundaries. There are certain things we will not watch and we will not do, not because we’re role models, but because we want to have that calm in our life.“

BY CHARLIE STEFFENS

ROCK, HIPENWOOD), N HIS 2010 HIS LATEST RENT TALES LESCENCE,

MANAFEST 19

20 FEATURE

SOMEONE FROM CAREER SERVICES WILL TELL KEEP YOUR RESUME TO ONE SIDE OF ONE PAG OF US WOULDN’T HAVE A PROBLEM STAYING SUCH CONSTRAINTS, BUT FOR A BAND AS DEC AND ACCOMPLISHED AS THOUSAND FOOT K THAT MIGHT BE A BIT OF A PROBLEM.

nstead of listing the various highlights of TFK’s celebrated career, it’d be easier to make a list of what they have left to achieve. They’ve graced magazine covers, had numerous radio hits, sold hundreds of thousands of albums and garnered numerous awards. Their songs have been heard at sporting events, on movie soundtracks, within video games and on tour with some of the industry’s finest. In short, there’s little Trevor McNevan and company haven’t already done. So what’s a veteran band to do after 17 years of success? Apparently the correct answer is to return back to the drawing board. For the band’s latest album, The End is Where We Begin, McNevan says TFK chose to go the independent route – a road they’re quite familiar with given their history and something they felt they were supposed to do again. “This wasn’t a decision we made lightly,” explains McNevan of the choice to eschew label deals. “We’ve been doing this a long time and have been through and seen a lot. We had some great options and deals on the table, but really felt this was the right move for us. It was definitely a faith step we had to follow our hearts on.” McNevan says that some people don’t realize just how much of a DIY band Thousand Foot Krutch was in the early stages. After all, the band is as old as some of its fans now, so it’s easy to understand how that history has been lost in newer listeners. “What some people don’t know is that we were independent for a long time before signing with Tooth & Nail/EMI,” says McNevan. “We used to manage ourselves, book ourselves, hire our own radio and video, and everything in between. We ended up selling 80,000-plus records out of our van. God is good! “So we’re no stranger to getting our hands dirty,” he continues. “We’ve hired an incredible, passionate new team across the board and couldn’t be more excited! It’s always been about that connection for us, so being able to grow this together with the people who support this band is an incredible experience. We’re very thankful and excited for where we’re at; there are a lot of new possibilities.” McNevan also insists there’s no bad blood involved between any of the parties involved. Instead it was just about being faithful to follow

the path that felt illuminated before them.

issues grip every artist from time to time.

“Brandon Ebel/Tooth & Nail will always be family. We worked hard together for 10 years. We were signed to the label and our intent was always to honor our deal with them. So, when our deal was up, the timing made sense. It wasn’t a bridge we crossed before then – more something that came together and made sense for us in the end.”

“I actually teared up listening to some of the old stuff,” he says. “I shared this with my wife, and she said, ‘Why don’t you write about this? About how the Holy Spirit speaks to you and how you feel right now.’ It hit me like a brick. I went upstairs, picked up a guitar and wrote this song.”

McNevan says that the move is affecting everything, including the new music. The album title itself is descriptive of the place the band is in and how they are hopeful about where they’re headed. “In so many ways it captures where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going,” he says. “This transition has been a fresh start in some ways, and a return to where we came from in others. From working with Aaron Sprinkle and JR McNeely again, who both worked on Phenomenon, to being independent again, to an uninhibited new record. The title also holds a spiritual symbolism.” One song in particular is meaningful for McNevan is titled “Be Somebody.” The TFK frontman is the band’s principal songwriter and he describes the writing process on the new album as problematic. Specifically, McNevan had a hard time tapping into anything new despite the band’s proven ability to craft one impactful album after another. “It’s hard with songs sometimes, because you love them all for different reasons, but writing this song was a powerful experience – one I won’t forget,” says McNevan. “It was the first song written for the new record. I had been trying to hone in on what this record should sound like, what it should feel like, etc, and I started to get frustrated. I was shooting in ten different directions and wasn’t happy with my shots. “I remember going out to the deck, looking up at the stars and just talking to God, wondering, ‘Why the uncertainty?’ He reminded me of the beginning, when things didn’t always sound great and we didn’t always play great, but His anointing was enough every time.” McNevan said the band’s early material provided the inspiration he needed to turn the corner upon some advice from his wife. Even for an established songwriter like McNevan, the same fears and

The new song features the familiar modern rock anthems you’ve come to expect on a Thousand Foot Krutch release, and sports outlets are already picking up on them. In fact, the band is already getting strong play before the album is even released from the most prominent of outlets. “ESPN has been very supportive, they loved the new album and started spinning two songs months before the album even released!” says McNevan. “NASCAR picked up four new ones pre-release as well. Such a blessing!” McNevan says the band members are all big sports fans, so it’s still a very exciting move to be able to hear new songs like “Light Up The Sky” playing in venues across the country or on major sports promos. It’s also an avenue that brings new fans to TFK’s music and message. “It’s been amazing to see the relationships with pro sports and ESPN grow over the years,” says McNevan. “I can’t explain how exciting it is to hear the songs pumpin’ in an arena during a game or in a great movie or on a TV show. It’s nuts! It’s such a great way to get music out there, and the energy it creates when you mix the two is unmatchable.” Given the band’s journey back to their independent days where they are taking full control of everything, it’s not surprising to see them doing what they do best in terms of getting the word out. McNevan says that the rest of the year is just about taking the good old-fashioned road trip that most bands take to meet fans and share the music. “We’re gonna be busy hitting the road and reconnecting with everyone,” he says. “We can’t wait! It’s gonna be a busy summer/spring, but mostly we’re excited about sharing this record.”

BY MATT CONNER

YOU TO E. MOST WITHIN ORATED KRUTCH,

THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH 21

22 FEATURE

WITH THE RELEASE OF THE FIRST MXPX STUDIO ALBUM SINCE 2007, LEAD SINGER MIKE HERRERA SOUNDS MORE CONTENTED THAN EVER BEFORE. “YOU WORRY LESS, AND YOU WONDER MORE,” IS HOW HERRERA POETICALLY DESCRIBES HIS CURRENT STATE. MxPx calls its new album, which was just released on its own Rock City Recording Company label, Plans Within Plans. Plans. A name like that one appears to be a little mysterious. However, when Herrera elaborates on these ‘plans within plans,’ these activities are not nearly as cryptic as they appear to be upon first glance. “The bigger picture for me is continuing to do music,” Herrera explains, “continuing to live a fun, good life with people I love. Continue to stay married; just all these things. And with MxPx, all these plans have all been coming to just this weird pinnacle with this album.” You get the impression that when Herrera says “weird pinnacle,” however, he’s actually using the term in a complimentary way. Herrera certainly keeps busy with his various plans within plans. When he’s not making punk rock with MxPx, he may be creating roots music with Tumbledown. He even took a side road to a project with more of a classic pop rock flavor with Arthur. Despite his multi-direction-ality, though, Herrera doesn’t believe he suffers from any sort of multiple personality disorder. At least not clinically. “I honestly do write a lot of different styles of music,” Herrera admits, “but it all kind

of sounds like me – my songwriting. It’s one of those things where I want to start purifying the punk sound, the MxPx sound that we have, even more so, distilling it down even further than it’s ever been and, because of that, I want to do different styles of music and other projects.” Herrera particularly sees clear signs of purification and distillation coming through on Plans Within Plans. Plans. “I think definitely that [the music on] this new album is more focused than it’s been in a long time,” Herrera enthuses. “We’ve had a lot of albums that kinda had songs that are out there, and not that this album doesn’t have songs that are ‘out there,’ but I think they’re ‘out there’ in just the right ways.” One of the main themes running through Plans Within Plans is that of encouragement, which is definitely a good ‘in there’ behavior. It’s almost as though Herrera sings like a buddy that puts his arm around his friend, just when he needs it most. Herrera, however, is more than a little humbled when it’s suggested that he is this overtly empathetic. “I can’t take credit for being that in-tune with [those close to me],” he says with a laugh. “But there was a conscious

effort to be encouraging, I think, because that’s what MxPx is to people – it’s an encouragement. And not to everybody. But then again, hey, when I say statements, it’s just in general about what I’ve seen. Our fans have really been encouraged by us and by the music. And I felt that [the album] Secret Weapon was a really great comeback to that [encouragement] in the new decade, 2010 to 2020. I thought that when we came out with Secret Weapon, Weapon, it was a good direction. I was happy with the direction. And it was very encouraging – the song, the album. So if anything, that’s our legacy.” Herrera is not the kid he was in 1992, when MxPx started making punk rock music straight out of Bremerton, Washington. He’s been doing this for a long, 20 years now, which is longer than some people in the group’s fan base have even been alive. Thus, this is as good a time as any to ask Herrera questions about aging. For starters, how does a punk rocker age gracefully? “I think by learning more about how to be happy,” Herrera begins, “how to be true to yourself. How to take care of your family and your friends. It’s all one and the same, but you have to learn how to prioritize your life better. I think the older statesmen in punk rock; they are, for the most part, good

Photo: Jered Scott

MXPX 23

people. And if they weren’t as kids, that’s why you know who they are, because of the things they’ve done. Because of the music they’ve made. Because of the attitude they had. But just because you change your sort of demeanor… your heart maybe changes and because you become a better person with age … I mean, that’s what’s supposed to happen with us humans. We’re kind of built towards the older, the wiser. That’s true for a reason. And I feel like to age well as a punk rocker, you have to be aware of social issues. And just take care of your people and just take care of yourself. A lot of these guys that are still around are pretty cool cats. They have a lot of good charity work going on. They’re still making good music.” Speaking of aging gracefully brings one of punk rock’s true icons to Herrera’s mind. “Joe Strummer, he was always socially minded, and I feel that’s exactly how to age gracefully as a punk rocker.” These thoughts about Strummer lead to a philosophical question: is punk rock a musical style, or an attitude? “I think it’s both,” Herrera answers matterof-factly. “That’s one of things where it’s a weird Catch-22,” he continues. “You can’t really define punk rock, but that’s defining punk rock. It’s just a label, is what it is. I

definitely identify with being a punker, but it’s with a grain of salt. I’m not taking it too seriously, because deep down, we all love a lot of different things. We all enjoy things that aren’t considered punk.” Nevertheless, being as independent as possible has always been a large part of the punk spirit. By recently starting its own label, MxPx has learned how to take many of its career decisions into its own hands. “We’ve kind of just used it as a vehicle for merch-type items,” Herrera elaborates. “So with my other band, Arthur, we just put it out on Rock City. We really didn’t feel like we needed to go get signed to a label and do the whole band thing, because it was just a side project. And it’s been like that with DVDs and other EPs. With The Left Coast Punk EP we just self-produced it. We didn’t put it in stores. It was just available digitally and through our website. Traditionally, it’s been a really small operation. This [Plans Within Plans Plans]] is kind of the first big release, because we’ve teamed up with a distributer, through MRI, and then we’ve got it going to other countries, international labels as well.”

he plans to cross that one off his bucket list soon, too. “Our 20th anniversary is coming up soon, so we’re frantically working on a book,” he says. “We’ve never done a book, ever, so it will be a nice big book of photos of us. Incidentally, our new album, Plans Within Plans Plans,, has a nice photo book feel to it, because there are a ton of photos in there, as well.” Herrera never imagined he’d be making punk rock music for 20 years, but here he is still at it. “You don’t think about next month – let alone the next 10 years, 20 years. When you’re that young, it’s just you enjoy it. You go through the pain. You learn from it. That’s what you’re thinking about – you’re thinking about right then, which is good.” MxPx’s ‘right thens’ have turned into 20 years’ worth of positive punk rock, which you can – and really should – write a book about, which contains the group’s multiple plans within plans.

Herrera has done many things in his career, but he’s yet to put out a book. But

BY DAN MACINTOSH

24 FEATURE

The term “Super group” definitely applies, but it is often associated with half-hearted efforts and one-off projects that do not deserve the term “super” or even to be classified as an actual “group.” There have been exceptions. Asia is considered a successful super group, even though many hardcore critics and prog fans still feel the sum was not greater than the parts. Flying Colors may have already surpassed that with raving reviews and gushing fan posts calling the record a “masterpiece” and “the best thing these gentlemen have done.” That last fan quote may be a hard pill to swallow or for the band to live up to, considering the pedigree of the band members. The rock solid base of this band is definitely Mike Portnoy on drums. For those of you that may not have been alive the past 20 years, Mike was the driving force of Dream Theater and is also known for his drumming with Transatlantic, Liquid Tension Experiment, Avenge Sevenfold and Neal Morse. Next comes one of the all-time guitar greats in the world of fusion and progressive rock, Steve Morse. Steve’s pedigree speaks for itself from his band the Dixie Dregs to Kansas, Deep Purple and his own critically acclaimed solo career. Flying Colors’ bass guitar duties are performed by Steve Morse’s long-time sideman Dave LaRue. Dave is known for his amazing prog work with Dixie Dregs and his jazz-fusion playing with T Lavitz and the Steve Morse Band. The new kid on the block as the youngest member of the band is lead vocalist Casey McPherson. Casey is not without his own star, as he was signed by Disney/Hollywood Records and is the frontman for his own band Alpha Rev and was formerly with the band Endochine and also plays keyboards and guitar. That leaves one member who is not used

THIS IS A FANTASTIC STORY OF SYNCHRONICITY, A ELEMENTS COMING TOGETHER AT THE RIGHT TIME A WAY TO CREATE A PERFECT STORM OF MUSICAL PR P THE STORY OF FLYING COLORS, COLORS, THE UNBELIEVABLE C OF FIVE OF PROGRESSIVE ROCKS MOST RESPECTED

to sharing the bandleader duties – Neal Morse on keyboards and vocals. As the lead singer and guitarist for Transatlantic and former lead singer of Spock’s Beard, multi-instrumentalist and prolific solo artist Neal Morse has made a big impact on the world of prog rock. This story does not start with Neal, however, it starts with the promotional wizard and prog rock management guru Bill Evans. According to Neal, “Bill told me about this idea he had for a prog super group. Not as progressive as my solo stuff or Transatlantic, but artistically and musically a bit more commercial – more like a Kansas. In fact, at one point he had talked to me about getting together with Kerry Livgren of Kansas and doing something like this. That was quite awhile back and it never worked out.” Then came the real seed that became Flying Colors – Steve Morse. Steve is a versatile player that has roots in progressive and jazz-fusion. It was not just his name that appealed to Neal, “When Bill called me to pitch the idea of working with Steve Morse, it appealed to me because I had always liked Steve’s playing and I wanted to work with him. I had some free time, but Steve’s schedule was booked so we put it off. Then awhile later Steve said he had some time, but could I come to his place. I was up for it, so I went down there and we had a great time, just playing, jamming and writing. We came up with a couple of songs. That is how it all started. It didn’t all fall into place easily, though, with schedules and figuring out who was going to be in the band and do what, it was about a two-year gap between the time I first met and recorded with Steve, it was a slow process.” Even the creative force of crazed idea man Bill Evans was not enough to simply make something

like an album of Flying Colors just happen. An album of this caliber with these players had to come together in a natural way once Bill got the ball rolling with Neal and Steve. Those two prog masters have more than a last name in common – they are both consummate professionals that were already heavily involved with other bands. Neal has his solo stuff and Transatlantic and Steve has his solo work as well as his stints with Deep Purple and many others. They had their start and now it was time to find a drummer. This time it was going to be someone different. They had a few ideas, but none of them panned out. “I wasn’t sure Mike wanted to be involved, but the timing was right and I knew he was the best.” Neal and Mike already worked together on all of Neal’s solo prog material and with Transatlantic. Portnoy’s involvement with Dream Theater was coming to a close, another surprising development in the world of progressive rock, as Mike had long been considered one of the driving artistic forces of that band. Neal continues, “Mike’s talent, as not only a drummer, but producer and arranger are first rate.” So Neal brought Mike on board and Steve brought his friend and bassist Dave LaRue on board. Widely known as one of the best jazzfusion players, “Dave was a perfect fit and worked well in the mix with the other players” Neal said. “And then we needed a vocalist.” Neal Morse admits, “I was not going to be the lead singer on this one. We wanted a fresh sound and Bill had some great ideas, we tried out a few singers, but we weren’t coming up with anything. Then Mike Portnoy said he knew a guy that was really good – his name was Casey McPherson. Casey was signed to Disney [Hollywood] and had this band Alpha Rev. We checked him out and were extremely

BY DR.TONY SHORE

A STORY OF THE AND IN THE RIGHT ROWESS. THIS IS COLLABORATION D VIP’S.

impressed. He came to us with great song ideas and lyrics as well.” On the album his voice blends well with the musicianship and melodic and fusion that is Flying Colors, which has critics singing his praise. Neal’s own involvement was just as interesting – from the initial idea presented by Bill – to the jam session with Steve Morse to finding all the members. Neal had gone from leading Spock’s Beard, to prog super group Transatlantic to his own career of prog solo albums and worship records. Now Neal was a founding member of a new super group. Many wonder how he could keep it straight or make it real. “First of all, I don’t compare my records. I never try to hold up a Transatlantic record or a solo record and compare them. While I am involved in a lot of different projects, they are all very different to me. “Even with common denominators like working with Mike on many of them, they do not sound the same. I don’t want to just do solo prog records all the time. If you’re a chef making burgers all day, that gets old – you need to mix it up. You want to be able to work with a larger menu.” Flying Colors is not straight up progressive rock and Neal is quick to point out, “It sounds nothing like my solo work or Transatlantic or Spock’s Beard. “This is a more commercial record, but has some fusion and pop ideas as well.” Regarding his artistic input, Neal says he did not mind taking a back seat with the lyrics or the vocals, “I wrote a few things for the record, but Casey [McPherson] handled most of the lyrics.” When asked about his spirituality, Neal comments, “That has never been an issue with my bandmates. Any time I have asked if they feel I’m pushing my faith too much, they say they do not have a problem with it. I leave that up to the Lord. Casey’s lyrics on this record are more spiritual than my own in some areas.”

FLYING COLORS 25

The last key to the puzzle was a producer. Neal talks about the great choice that was made: “We all had experience, but wanted an outside ear – but not someone that would come in and overpower us or try to tell us what to do. We were all veterans with production experience, so we needed someone that could just help a bit with the sound and arrangements. We found the perfect person for this with Peter Collins. He really understood what we were going for and made the record sound great.” Peter himself comes with a heavy pedigree – having produced records for Rush and Queensryche. “Once we finished the record, he took all the parts and really did some great arrangements,” says Neal. So, with all this talent and 4 years from the time when the first seeds were planted, Flying Colors was released to critics’ praise. Neal Morse says the credit for the record cannot go to any one person, “This is a real group effort. The songwriting, the lyrics, the recording, everyone brought something to the table. No one person wrote all of the lyrics or all of the music. I think that may separate this from other super group records. Some of us did bring in songs we had written, but the group then added to them and finished them. This was truly a collaborative effort. We all enjoyed working together.” The next step is a tour, could that happen? “We would like to tour this record. We need to see what the response to it is and then get scheduling worked out.” Neal seems genuinely excited about this record and he is hoping people hear it and feel the same. “I believed in this project from the beginning. We didn’t have a label lined up, so I put all the money up myself to pay for the recording and to make it happen.” Neal Morse believes in Flying Colors and says that it is “up to God now,” but he hopes that you do, too.

WAR OF AGES ARE ONE OF THOSE BANDS ON FACEDOWN THAT I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO SEE GROW AS ARTISTS AS WELL AND M BOOKING THEM IN A ROOM THAT FIT 150 PE KIND OF A BUST. THEN I SAW THEM PLAY B PRAYER, THE COOL TOUR, AND CORNERSTON

26 FEATURE

This guys are some of the most down to earth and real guys I have ever made friends with. With eight years and five records under their belt, these guys never cease to amazing me with what they say in their lyrics and write in their music. Return to Life is boys becoming men. With most of the band married and starting families, the War of Ages camp are showing why they are a powerhouse to be reckoned with. First off I like to congratulate you on baby Scarlett. As well as thanking you for taking your time from your new duties to talk about the new record, and being a dad. On your last record, Eternal, you vented on a dark part of your family life. Now with Return to Life you were two months away from starting your own family. What was it like for you this time around emotionally in the studio?

Leroy Hamp: I had mixed emotions in the studio. I was happy with our new songs during the pre-pro stage, but nothing compares to hearing the final mix and mastered album. Unveiling all the hard work at the end is always exciting for an artist. However, at home my wife was due with our first child. So you can imagine how much I wanted to be home with her. At the end of the process we finished an incredible album and I was present during my daughter’s birth; that was a win/win in my book. You guys had the honor to work with Zeuss on Return To Life. As a fan of his work. What was it like being another great band being able to work with him?

Zeuss is an exceptional producer and engineer. We attribute the sound and flow of Return To Life to Zeuss’ ability to work with a well-oiled War of Ages writing machine. He pulled out the best in WOA, which we feel transpires well on our new album.

What was it like being in the same vocal both that Jamie Jasta had used before you?

He actually came by to say, “Hi.” (laughs) and to answer your question AMAZING! While talking to your brother, Alex, he said you guys did things a lot different with this record. He said this record is the band’s baby. With that being said. How was the record like birthing a baby for you, as seeing your wife birthing Scarlett?

Ummm… I’m not sure why Alex said that. Maybe he should answer this question (laughs). I personally feel it is our greatest masterpiece to date. We tried SO many new things musically and lyrically that the prior albums cannot and will not touch Return To Life. I’m sure others will have their own opinion, let’s face it, we all have our favorite album out of the discography, but to us this is it. Many people may not know this, but your brother Alex moved here to Dallas. Has it been hard to get used to not getting to hang out with him as much? Or were you so busy with preparing for the baby and the record it was a small thing that he moved?

It’s always difficult when family – especially someone very close – moves away. We still see each other quite regularly due to touring together and what not, so I wish him the best. You guys had some guest vocalists on the last record. Are we going to hear anyone new on this record?

To be honest, I think we reached the top when we had Sonny of P.O.D. on Eternal. The only way I could top that is by having Zack de la Rocha of Rage Against The Machine guest spot. Maybe some day, right?

Photo: LInsday Paramore

MEN OF GOD. I REMEMBER EOPLE AND THE SHOW WAS BIG FESTS LIKE SCREAM THE NE.

From what I have heard, you did some P.O.D./Downset-style vocals on this record. I remember you told me at Cornerstone last year you wanted to mess around with those kinda vocals on this new record. Did they turn out or better then you hoped?

Definitely better then I could have hoped for. I don’t think I broke any new ground on Return To Life, but I do feel I opened the door creatively for our future recordings. This new album vocally is a step in the right direction for WOA. You guys’ve got some sweet raffle prizes for pre-orders on Return. What prize(s) were your idea?

The guitar and snare drum were our idea. The skateboard, 16” x 20” canvas print, shopping spree and vinyl were all Jason Dunn at Facedown Records idea. If Hatebreed did pre-orders exactly like you guys are doing. What prize(s) would you want to win?

I would go all in for the shopping spree! Facedown Fest is a few weeks away. I know all the bands always look forward to this great weekend in SoCal. How many times have you guys played the fest?

This will be our sixth year playing the fest and you are correct – it’ll be a great weekend. I saw from some old posters I found that you guys have not headlined the fest since 2008. How does it feel to be the biggest band on the label again?

We don’t care when we play. Facedown Fest is why we make the trip, the fest is just gravy baby.

WAR OF AGES 27

I know you guys tour in the summer time. Can you give us any insight on what kinda tours we will be seeing you guys on this year?

Wish we could, but we can’t release that information at this time (laughs). BUT I can tell you we plan on playing out a lot this year. Being in a touring band and now being a dad, how have you preparing being away from your two ladies?

Just taking it one step at a time right now. It’s always hard to leave, but it does make it even harder now that I have a new addition to the family to think about. I’ve been blessed with these abilities and I’ve always believed that God provides for what He guides. Are you guys going to do more touring for this record cycle or less?

When we re-signed to Facedown Records, we promised to support this album like we would any other. With WOA our word has always been our bond and so the touring will be the same as any other. I know this is a crazy year for you and the band. You have from what your brother has told me the best album you guys have ever put out. You and Erin are now a family of three. What is your biggest hope, as well as your biggest fear going into the next season of 2012?

This is a big year for everyone in our band. Alex got married last June and they are expecting their first baby this September. Steve is getting married this coming July with hopes to start a family soon after as well. Our biggest excitement has been all the new additions to the WOA family. WOA fears nothing!

BY ROB SHAMELESS

barren cross: cross: the s

28 FEATURE

stage of re-intensity

BARREN CROSS 29

BY DANIEL FRICK AND ANDREAS VOSSELER

THE PERFORMANCE OF BARREN CROSS WAS THE HIGHEST ANTICIPATED BAND AT THISYEAR’S ELEMENTS OF ROCK FESTIVAL IN USTER (NEAR ZURICH), SWITZERLAND. THE WHITE-METAL VETERANS WOULD HIT THE STAGE FOR THEIR FIRST SHOW IN FIVE YEARS. WHEN THE FOUR GUYS (RAY PARRIS, GUITARS, MIKE LEE, VOCALS, JIM LAVERDE, BASS AND STEVE WHITAKER, DRUMS) HIT THE STAGE, THEY SHOWED NO SIGN OF SLOWING DOWN. ON THE CONTRARY, FROM THE BEGINING THERE WAS THIS SPECIAL ENERGY AND ATMOSPHERE – AS THERE HAS ALWAYS BEEN. EACH ONE OF THEM WAS OBVIOUSLY ENJOYING TO PLAY AGAIN WITH AUTHENTIC GRATEFULNESS WHEN THEY PRESENTED THEIR MUSICAL MESSAGE.

Photo: Andreas Vosseler

30 FEATURE

In the two hours that followed that wouldn’t change a bit and the enthusiasm of the audience kept staying even after the following bands had entered the stage. Besides “old stuff,“ an instrumental of Mike Lee and also the first song he ever composed in 1984, with “Withwashed Love“ there was the first new Barren Cross Song in 15 years. But not only the rock music experience was pleasing, but also the statements about their faith in Jesus Christ. Singer Mike Lee gave a testimony about having had idols for long years and to repent and get back to his Lord. After that, he had experienced a whole new joy and peace in his life. Bassist Jim LaVerde contrasted the lyrics of Nickelback’s “Rock Star“ to the ones of his favorite Barren Cross Song “Here I Am.“ Passionately he showed, that life is not about getting fulfilled in property, but about hard-line dedication to the Lord Jesus Christ. Finally he invited the audience to sing along with the band. Everyone sang out loud to the chorus with a mixture of enthusiasm and devotion. What experience. In the context of the festival we also had the opportunity to have an interview with Ray Parris and Jim LaVerde about Barren Cross in the past and the present (for the website sound7.de). We want to thank them once again and want everyone interested to have the chance to hear what they told us. So here’s the whole thing. Enjoy. Hello Ray, thank you for taking your time to talk a little bit with us about Barren Cross. We prepared some questions where we try to take you back in time.

RP: Oh, I did a two-hour radio thing while I was driving – they took me back to ‘83 and I said to them: “You want to do that? I don’t even know what I had for breakfast today.” Your Song “Out of Time“ from the Atomic Arena album is about the rapture. The whole evangelical scene at the end of the ‘80s unto the beginning of the ‘90s was affected by a very strong expectation of the coming of Christ. I think your song was maybe something like a mirror in the time. So, 22 years later we are still here. Looking back … what do you think about the “early” Barren Cross time? How did the band effect your personal life?

RP: Okay, so we’re not talking about the time now? (Grinning) (Laughing) Not this one. We’ve got some questions about the time now but some are far back. We’re beginning with them.

RP: Okay, I thought you were asking me a theological question. Because I can answer that, too. It wasn’t meant especially as a theological statement like “This is what you need to believe,” but it was just a song that says: “Christ is going to come and you need to be ready” – whatever time it is. Because even the apostles were thinking Christ was coming back in their lifetime. So we were just telling people at that time “Be ready.” You can’t live in hell and think you’re gonna be okay when the Christ comes. You’re a follower of Christ or you’re not a follower of Christ. So that’s all there was. But as far as the band – how did it affect me? (thinks). Well, I’m half deaf – 40% in one ear and 60% in the other. Is it because of the band?

RP: Oh yeah. I used to play extremely loud. Oh gosh, yeah. There was no hearing protection stuff in the 80’s?

RP: You know, I did wear them, but it only takes a couple of times. So when the sound wasn’t right I pulled my earplugs out. It only takes one night to ruin your hearing. I wore them 90% of the time, but that wasn’t enough. At least that’s what my wife says. “What? I can’t hear you!” (laughs). But you know, that’s a pretty hard question how it affected me. Well, you know, in many things. There are many things. What do you think your life could have been without Barren Cross? How did the band influence your life or your lifestyle and how you live today?

RP: Hmmm, I think that’s a lot of speculation. I probably would have stayed in school, probably would have worked in a regular job earlier. But I think that God had a plan with ministry, which I still carry today. I’ve got my own ministries in church, got an evangelical nature, always seeking how people are getting churched. So it probably gave me that band of wanting people to know Christ or at least to get the opportunity. JLV: I think my life would have been very boring without Barren Cross. It created a lot of great memories and a lot of great times that we had together. Most of all, we had seen the power of God move amongst people. How could I not have been part of that? I would have missed a lot good stuff. But I knew, going into Barren Cross, that God had a plan for the music and a plan for the group that went far beyond our capabilities as individuals. The whole is greater than its parts.

Photos: Andreas Vosseler

BARREN CROSS 31

“Those are probably the more emotional things than getting hits on my Facebook from people I don’t know.’” And it is interesting, because when you take Barren Cross apart you have four guys – really average musicians – nothing spectacular, but something special happens when we get together, play music, write music and when we hit the stage. What was the most important or most emotional moment in the band history? Is there one thing that you still remember today, saying: “That was a very special or emotional moment?”

JLV: When we finally signed up our contract with Enigma Records. That was huge for me, because we were waiting for a year. Negotiations between lawyers … and I thought we will never be able to get signed. I remember the day, we were sitting at this big conference table with all the people which were representing Enigma and our management and we signed our contract. A couple of weeks later we were making Atomic Arena. We were signed at a Christian record label first and then went to a secular one. RP: Oh, gosh. (thinking). Well, it wasn’t during the band time. In the late ‘90s, I called a good friend of mine, because I came to town where he lived for a family reason. He managed a guitar center and so he said: “Come on down to the store, let’s chat and catch up.” So I went down to the store and he said: “Wait here, there’s someone I want you to meet.” And this guy came up to me. He’s big, he’s bald, he’s full of muscles and I didn’t know what was going to happen – and he gives me that big hug. I mean – I’m big, but this guy was big and was all muscles. I looked to my friend and asked him: “Who is this guy?” (laughs) And he said: “I got saved in your show in East Germany.” When we played the wall had just come down. And they were allowing American bands, well, any bands to play shows. And he said he was stationed in the military. He was from America but he was in Germany at that time. He was there at this specific time, we played one show there and goes: “I got saved.” Wow. So, that was pretty heavy.

That was in Germany? I remember your tour, it must have been 1990, I was 14 years old and visited a concert in Ulm.

RP: Yeah, we were there for about a month, a little bit more I think. And we were just ushered all around, we had a home base a pastor had taken us, who set up the whole thing. We played clubs and bars and all these different venues. And I remember the show. I really remember the show, because they said: “If you talk you have to have a translator, because there was nobody there who talked English,” – so we got a translator. But I remember the show, I remember there was a lot of people there, the place was completely packed. I didn’t even know where we were. (laughs) But it was absolutely packed and sold-out and this guy came up and he was 17 years old at the time and gave his life to the Lord. So that was probably eight years later and he came home and he was still walking. You know, those are probably the more emotional things than getting hits on my Facebook from people I don’t know. He said “I got saved and I was 17 years old at your show.” That is why it’s worthwhile. And you don`t remember the name of the town?

RP: All I remember is that I got a piece of the (Berlin) wall the next day. It was a hall, it wasn’t a club. It had a stage and it was nice. You know, it was a good show, I still remember that. The Lyrics from Atomic Arena and State of Control are about Jesus and also about themes like love, drugs, abortion, suicide, occultism, racism. Themes which very often are more important for young people, people which were in your age at that time. So, what kind of lyrics would appear on a Barren Cross album in 2012, which is performed by people who are in their 40s? You have new songs, haven`t you?

RP: Yeah. I think that the recordings that we`re planning are still going to talk… Well, we used to call them “Issues of the Day.” We were always conscious writing lyrics about things that were taking place. And I don’t think they`re indicative of the 1980s. Everything we wrote about is still existing – like abortion and all those things. But I think you`re gonna find them a little more aggressive – theologically. It`s not gonna be “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,” but it`s going to confront people because I think the people that are listening to us are probably the die-hard Barren Cross fans and they`re in their 40s and they should be acting – spiritually – like they are in their 40s and not like they`re in their 20s. So I think you probably would find that we are a little more confrontational to really have people step back and look at themselves and who they are in Christ. Are they maturing or are

32 FEATURE

they “off the milk and onto the meat,” as Paul would say. I think that`s what you`re gonna find, where we`re heading. JLV: I think that young people still deal with suicide, they still deal with drug addiction – more now than ever. How many millions of babies have been aborted – in the United States alone – since we started the band? It’s like 5,000 a day or something ridiculous. How many people are going through depression? How many people deal with alcoholism? We still want to write music and write songs that count, that say to anybody that is a teenager or even 30 or 40. Pick a topic. There are a lot of topics to write about. I think that’s Barren Cross. Barren Cross has always been evangelistic, too. We are very interested in seeing people come to Christ, come to a true relationship with Christ. Not just saying a prayer and go home and live like you want to live. Make a commitment to Christ, lay down your live and take up your cross and follow Him. It was often said, that the thing which made Barren Cross special, was the fact, that the voice of Mike Lee sounds similar to the voice of Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden. What do you think, what makes Barren Cross special or what was special in the ‘80s, that really a lot of young people heard Barren Cross?

JLV: First of all, we were fighting the devil. You know, honestly, Satan didn’t want us out there, doing what we were doing and so we fought tooth and nail to get to the stage. Once we got to the stage, the devil had to take his hands off us and God said, “I’m going to come in and what you do is special.” One thing I told the people this weekend was, that 25 years ago someone gave his live to Jesus and today he is a youth pastor in a church with 300/400 people. RP: Well, I think it was several things. I think we were one of the first to record and to play. I think Stryper kind of came in tandem at one point with a little bit of the same thing. But when they released their record, they got a lot more notoriety. And the second thing is that I think we were much heavier. There was no heavy band out at that time. When I was trying to find members for Barren Cross – I couldn’t find them. I mean, there was no one. I advertised in a newspaper and got nothing.

and said: “We’ll give you a shot.” We recorded the first record ourselves, they didn’t have to do much except put a few more songs on it and re-release it. So it didn’t cost them anything. That was the Rock for the King record?

RP: It was Believe and became Rock for the King. So, we recorded that on our own and we sold so many copies. We sold out in several months, so we knew there were people that liked what we were doing. So, I think it was really that. We kind of pioneered metal. Because no one could get signed, it was impossible. So, we finally came out and then Enigma picked up Stryper and then picked us up. We kind of legitimized all the other bands that came afterwards. Obviously, the record companies realized there was something that could be made money from. But there was legitimate ministry that could take place as well. You know, we just opened doors and we finally got the better contract and everybody said: “It’s now okay to do it.” And then all the Christian companies started signing and then all the other record companies were popping up. So you were the right guys at the right time, and you had enough courage to do your thing.

RP: There was no courage. We just liked to play, but you know, we were striving. We wanted to be more on the secular, so we played Christian concerts and then we played clubs. So we played clubs for a month, which paid us fifty bucks and a pizza. But there were Christian concerts where we could make some more money. That was kind of our plan and we were hoping it would expand and we sold more records in the secular stores than we ever did in the Christian stores. So, with that we kind of had the right recipe. Was there a time in your band history, in which you earned enough money to live from that (with a family, children)?

RP: I lived pretty much from 1985 to 1990 off the band. I still earn royalties from iTunes. Thank God for iTunes. (Laughs). None of us had kids at that time, but it was enough for most of us, I think three of us could actually live on it. I heard so many stories of people, Christian artists who lost their houses and all these types of things. I think God just watched over us. He made the avenues to play, so we could open a lot of doors.

Because you were too heavy for the Christian music scene?

RP: Yeah, you know. I was fifteen years old and was listening to Black Sabbath. In my first years as a Christian I didn’t even know that there was Christian music, to be honest. And I was still listening to that, you know, Deep Purple and all those sort of bands and that’s what I wanted to play. But I couldn’t find anyone until I finally met Steve when I was 16 years old. He was 17. And we couldn’t find anybody even after that. There was just no one out there. They would look at us cross-eyed. And after that, after we finally found each other, there were the record labels. Everybody threw us out. They said: “We’re not signing you, you guys are crazy.” You mean the Christian record companies?

RP: Yeah, everyone. We went to all of them. There was nine at that time. All shook their head. Then finally Star Song came back

JLV: There is an old joke which says: “What do you call a musician with no girlfriend?” – “Homeless.” We did not live with our girlfriends. We were single guys, no family no children. You would have to play all the time and be away from home all the time. And we did. We spent 3 or 4 years solid playing all across America. We have a picture for you. We want you to look at it, at the guys and the way they are dressed. And then you tell us, “What is the first thing you think today or about those guys, okay?” (shown the album cover from Rock for the King)

JLV: You know, the first thing I think is this: “What were they thinking?” And “Do they still fit in those outfits?”, “Do they still fit in those things?”

Photo: Andreas Vosseler

BARREN CROSS 33

RP: I get pictures like that all the time. It’s funny. Well, I think, I weighed a hundred pounds less. (laughs) We were right at the end of that glam era, and actually there’s a long story behind that picture. Those are actually the undergarments. To the real costume. We had all this leather gear, it was white chaps, it was all leather and you actually could see only this part of the pant. (Points to thigh) and then on top, there was a leather legwear. And all the leather was stolen from somebody’s car who had them. So all the leather got taken and those were like half the costume. (laughs) I don’t know if I ever told this story before. Do you know if anybody recognized that it was just half the costume? Because you just said, you don’t know if you ever told the story before.

RP: There’s always stories like that. You know, our second video, “Cryin’ Over You,” what you have seen on MTV wasn’t the video. What you see was supposed to be the background shots. They were supposed to be projected and they hired a model and they hired an actor. We had a whole story and something went wrong – so you’ve got the whole background shots. A lot of things like that happened. How did it come to the reunion in 2005? Did you ever sort of split up or was it that you just stopped playing concerts? Was there a time when you went to the press, “Barren Cross is over, it’s finished now?”

RP: We actually played a concert in 2002 in California, which we called a reunion show. We didn’t go to the press, but it was over in 1990 when we officially had broken up. Mike quit the band and Jim and I finished the tour with a couple of hired musicians, that’s when we went to Germany. We were booked for six months in advance and we had to cancel a month of that tour and I didn’t think that was right, we’re obligated to it. We finished the tour in July, I think we went to Cornerstone, played in Texas and then we came home and it was kind of officially over. Did Steve Whitaker quit the band, too?

RP: No, he was married and was just taking a lull, he didn’t really quit. We took a drummer along, but he was planning to make the next record. He just had to take a break from being on the road. It’s hard to be away so much at a time when you’re married. How did it come to the first reunion 1995 and then the second in 2002?

RP: Wow. I don’t know (laughs). You know, somebody probably called somebody, then called the next person, and we got together and chatted. Oh, you know, I think it was when a friend of ours started Rugged Records and I think that maybe he had approached one of us, maybe Steve and asked: “Would you guys do another record?“ And that’s when we started talking and then decided: “Lets make another one.” So, you also went on tour with the Rattle Your Cage Album?

RP: Yeah. It wasn’t a long tour. We would actually play once a month and then fly to every show, because we were all working and had all families by that time, had kids. So, we just would fly out on Friday, played on Saturday and fly home on Sunday. We did that steady for about a year. What did you do in the years between 1995 and 2002? When I asked you

34 FEATURE

2005, you said you were working in a bank?

RP: I was a hobo. Well, let’s see: I got married, we started to have kids, I was working. I worked for a bank. I’ve been in sales ever since, so I sell software now. I went back, I finished my degree in theology. I have a degree from Vanguard University, it’s a Christian school in California. I was involved in a church, I was the worship leader, I had a home group and I was on the board. So I was more active locally for all that period of time. You said that you also were a worship leader. Did you have other musical projects, maybe like Mike? He always has something going on.

RP: I was kind of burned out on doing that music scene thing and traveling. Well, I still travel now, I travel a lot, but not like touring. I’m not gone for a month at a time. At that point I wanted a family and I knew that wasn’t the lifestyle that was going to benefit being married and having kids, by any means. So I made pretty much a conscious choice to stop. My guitar collection got a lot better (laughs). You have been at the Elements of Rock Festival 2005. For us (and a lot of the other visitors) it was an awesome evening and a great concert. We all felt like teenagers again. This is now seven years ago and during that time there where rumors, that you planned a Barren Cross reunion and want to record songs for a new album. So can you tell us, what you’re up to currently?

RP: Right now, the intention is that we’re going to try to record this year. We have music, that’s not an issue. We’re just trying to figure out how to do it, how it works within our lifestyles. I’m not gonna tour, so how is it gonna look when we play? What kind of shows do we want to play? So it`s about doing what we’re doing and then add this component of ministry back into our lives. So we’re trying to plan it out a little bit. We’re really at the early stage, the intention is to record. We’re trying a release… (thinks). Well, I don’t wanna talk about this. We’re trying to do something by summertime and then do some more original recordings by the end of the year. We have to package how we wanna do it, when we’re gonna do it and getting it together. For now, we’re recording in one state, in another state and somebody puts it together like a puzzle. JLV: Yes, we are going to do our very best to get new music out for the Barren Cross fans out there. We’re going to try our hardest. We’re going to do probably two or three songs at a time – no full-length CD, four months later do two or three songs again and so on, because we have to do it on our own. We don’t have finances to back us up to do it.

So, we’ve got to raise the money to do this and from that point on the proceeds from the songs we recorded with we take that money and make three more songs. It’s kind of our own business. But, with a little bit patience, your fans can look forward to more Barren Cross music?

RP: Yeah. I think what we’re gonna do is get the logistics down. When we fly back to America we will regroup, probably next month and we’ll start announcing everything at our Barren Cross page and Facebook and will spill what we’re up to. Will it be with Dean Cohn or Mike Lee or maybe both?

RP: No, it will be with the original band members. We’re trying to figure out who to record with and how do we wanna record. It’s really a lot of logistical stuff. Will we record in a studio or not, will we record digitally – Photo: Andreas Vosseler

BARREN CROSS 35

so it’s all about how we wanna pursue what we’re trying to accomplish. The intention is to record what we have together on… I can’t even say on tape. On something. (laughs) I guess on a hard-drive. There were also rumors about a re-release of your first record. What about that?

RP: We’re gonna try to put some really nice stuff together this year. Some of it may be re-release stuff. We’re trying to bring both original and new material out. That’s the really the intention. What music do you listen today? Is it Christian music? Is it secular music? You said you were listening Black Sabbath when you were young, so now is it still metal, is it rock, or what kind of style? Is it pop music?

RP: Oh man, gosh. My kids like dance music and it scares me. (laughs). I’m playing a lot of blues. You know, I did worship, so I like the “worship sound” for my own pleasure. I’m playing a lot of Stevie Ray Vaughan, a lot of Muddy Waters and just trying to process and create a personal style with a lot respect. I enjoy that a lot. Do you keep up with the Christian music scene of today?

RP: (laughs) Only through my kids. They like Skillet, bands like that. I have my feeling of what’s going on, I just don’t know who they are any more. If you look on the Christian music scene today, it has become sort of a business, especially in the US. And maybe the content has to step back behind the business. Do you think, that’s the case or what are your feelings?

RP: I don’t think it’s indicative of current. I mean, we saw the good, bad and the ugly when we were 20 years old. I have more stories than I could ever tell anybody about artists and companies and things like that. The muck and the mire isn’t anything new. I think there’s probably some very genuine artists out there. I think there’s probably some artists that are genuine Christians, but wanna make a career and I think there are those out there that just make it for money.

haven’t gotten the reception. It’s kind of a dichotomy, though, because blues is singing about the blues and when you’re saved, there’s that change in life. It’s hard to sing happy blues. I think I would put a project together and it definitely would be blues-based. I think I would go about it a little different, I think they would be based more in clubs, more than trying to play in church. There are some very, very good ones. So I think I would stick a band of Christians together and I’ll stick them in clubs. That’s what I would do. Okay, I have a last question, very short. What`s your favorite Barren Cross song? Is there one you like specially or is it like they’re your kids and you love them all?

JLV: I like “Here I Am” and the reason why I like it so much is, because it’s a worship song. It speaks to me, it is a praise. RP: Wow (thinks). Well, it’s kind of weird, because we play it so much, but I like the way “Rattle you Cage” came out. It’s a little more bluesy rock and that’s probably when I started to steer into more traditional blues and for the old stuff “Living Dead” is probably one of my favorites. We will play that tomorrow. Did you ever play it before?

RP: We did when we first released that album, we played it for a while but then, I don’t know. I guess we got bored. If you do it 60 days in a row… How do you manage it not to get bored of playing your own songs?

RP: You get bored. There’s some songs that I just don’t wanna play. There’s a song that we play tomorrow, but it’s part of the business. It has three faults: A – it’s part of what you do, because people are familiar with that. B – It`s why we`re talking now. You wouldn`t talk to me if I was just a banker. There`s a certain pleasure even in the mundane of going back and playing music that we recorded a long time ago that brings a lot of memories back. And then, lastly: I think we really play some complicated music. You know, if you`re a musician. We`re gonna play “2000 Years” tomorrow and I don`t see any band copying that song. I mean, I struggle with it and I play it all the time. There`s time signatures in there and everything. So I think for us a lot of music is interesting if it has some progressive parts in it. If we`re playing 4/4 glam music that would be probably a lot rougher. (Imitates simple guitar riff) You know, over and over again. We play a lot of different time signatures and that`s interesting. Some of it is hard, I`m gonna struggle with a few of the things tomorrow, because I don`t move as fast as I used to. So I think those three things together makes it okay. I mean, don`t you get tired of interviewing people?

Imagine you were a rich music promoter. Which band (maybe underestimated) would you bring forward/promote? Is there maybe a newcomer blues band or something?

(laughter): No, we really enjoyed talking to you. Thank you very much for taking your time. We`re looking forward to a great concert tomorrow.

RP: Gosh (laughs). Well, if I were a wealthy promoter, I would probably try to put a band together. They would be something that I would like, it would be blues-based. I knew there’s been a few blues bands and they

36 COVER STORY

demon hunt

THE IMPACT MADE FROM AN EARTH-THREATENING SIZED MET HAS MADETHROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY.THINK BACKTOTHEYEA BANDS WITH REPETITIVE BREAKDOWNS, PIG SQUEALING VOC LOCAL SHOW. DEMON HUNTER STOOD TALL AND FULL OF CON OR LEAVE IT” ATTITUDE. RATHERTHAN KEEPING UP WITHTHE P PO NOT ONLY GUT-WRENCHING AND HEART-POUNDING MELODIE LIFE SURROUNDING US EVERYDAY.

ter er:: focused

DEMON HUNTER 37

BY DANIEL GARCIA

TEORITE WOULDN’T COME CLOSE TO THE EFFECT DEMON HUNTER AR 2002 WHENTHE HEAVY MUSIC SCENE WASTRENDINGTOWARDS CALS AND DISSONANT CHORDS TO EXCITE THE MOSH PIT AT YOUR NFIDENCE WITH AN UNIQUE DARK SOUND DISPLAYING A “TAKE IT OPULAR HYPE,THIS BAND KNEWTHE WORLD NEEDED MUSIC WITH ES, S, BUT ALSO WITH LYRICS THAT REFLECTED THE UGLY REALITY OF

38 COVER STORY

True Defiance will be the 6th studio album published by Solid State Records. Ever since their self-titled release, each album held the same musical agenda with only minor tweaking. Of course every band stays with this mindset, but Demon Hunter does it in a way that actually makes you wonder what will come of next. “On a musical level, it was really our goal to push ourselves with this record,” says lead vocalist Ryan Clark. “You’ll notice a lot of faster material, increased technicality and a wider vocal range. A polarization of all things aggressive and melodic. It’s important for us to know we’re progressing and evolving, while still maintaining that Demon Hunter quality that our fans expect.” The theme brought forth in True Defiance deals with topics Demon Hunter has been known for, such as life, death, sin and morality. Clark’s style of writing as a Christian artist has always stood from the typical “I love Jesus” personality, but instead gave listeners the heavy truth and testimonies about why a person should rely on faith and not by sight. No matter how harsh or despising of a topic, Clark has been known to shine light onto it. “I tried to approach the themes from different angles,” said Clark. “I’d say the most overarching theme throughout the record is that of assuredness or confidence … in my personal world-view. It’s about being steadfast in my beliefs, even when times are trying.” Having Demon Hunter’s musical catalog expanding, one might think it’s possible for a group to have mental writing blocks. In this case they were right and wrong. This actually made the recording sessions more enjoyable for Demon Hunter and gave opportunities

to explore new methods. Even though Clark believes he is one of the most “prepared” musicians he knows when it comes to recording, he admittedly wasn’t as ready for this record as he was with The World Is A Thorn. Thorn. “By not being as ‘prepared’ I mean I still had about 8 lines of lyrics to write. All other cadences and melodies were written but not recorded onto the demos,” said Clark. “We hadn’t nailed down all of the guitar solos yet. The biggest hurdle in the writing process was definitely the lyrics. Demon Hunter has recorded about 90 songs over the past 10 years, so writing thought-provoking, interesting, meaningful, fresh lyrics can be a bit of a task. There were times when I’d have an entire song of lyrics written, save for a one-word blank … and I’d toil over that one word for days before I either found it or rewrote that section of lyrics. With all that said and done though, I’m very proud of the lyrics. I believe all the intense scrutiny paid off.” It is quite normal for a person’s worldview to change throughout their lifetime. Ever since Clark started his musical career with Focal Point and Training For Utopia, the world has changed numerous times for better and worse. He understands that he’s not perfect and is as guilty as any other sinner. “With every album, I’m forced to look inwards when writing lyrics … especially if I want them to come across as honest and legitimate,” said Clark. “There’s always a sense of self-understanding whether it’s progress or declining. I guess that’s why most of the lyrics are either about my personal frustrations about the sin in my own life, or the unrecognized/unredeemed faults in others.”

DEMON HUNTER 39

“I guess that’s why most of the lyrics are either about my personal frustrations about the sin in my own life.”

For quite some time, Clark has had the name of the album in his head, but no matter what titles he wanted to label the record, it kept coming to True Defiance. Defiance. It was a perfect match to what Clark had lyrically written down on paper. He believes that the metal scene has always been against society’s offerings such as religion and government. Being in a rebellious state, people from youth to old age have expressed this through wild hair, piercing, tattoos and other forms of expression that may interrupt the “normal” state of mind society has. However Clark believes that in the world of metal, nothing can be more defiant than showing your love and faith in Jesus Christ. Demon Hunter has been known for having exciting guest vocals on their records. Along with self-titled and The Triptych, Triptych, True Defiance will not have any “surprise” vocals. “The reasoning for that is two-fold: not only was I up to my eyeballs in the writing process right up to entering the studio, but after nabbing both Speed Strid and Christian Alvestam on the last record, I don’t know who I’d ask at this point.” Said Clark. “Those are literally my 2 favorite active metal singers.” In viewing the latest promo pictures, you’ve may have noticed a new member. This is none other than Jeremiah Scott. Not only has he been part of the group, The Showdown, but he’s also been the sound guy and tour manager for Demon Hunter the past two years. Ex-rhythm guitarist, Ryan Helm, had left Demon Hunter to pursue his career in Damien Deadson. Having that be the case, Scott has become great friends with the band and part of the family before ever joining them musically.

“Jeremiah has quite the roster of qualifications,” said Clark. “He’s a very talented guitar player and has done great work with other bands. He also is an incredible producer, working with bands like Living Sacrifice and more. He’s just an overall great guy to hang with and a very kindred soul.” Though Demon Hunter isn’t known for touring full time, they make sure to hold nothing back when they hit the road. Starting in late April this year, the band will head to Europe with sensational acts such as Deadlock, Nightrage and Insense. “It’s a really killer lineup and I think it’s going to be a blast,” said Clark. “As far as expectations we don’t particularly have any, other than just having a great time and meeting with our fans across the world.” Internet junkies have already been lighting up Demon Hunter’s YouTube page in order to listen to the new material. Before that the group released several studio update videos showing the band recording and having a good time. Two songs were given out to the internet for the fans to enjoy and one of them is the first single off of True Defiance. Defiance. “My Destiny” brings forth an exciting and energetic vibe. Clark’s vocals have risen to a new level with a higher pitch scream that reinsures Demon Hunter is still alive and well. “It’s a great representation of who Demon Hunter is today,” said Clark. It’s has our classic backbone sound, but it showcases the band’s evolution over the past few years. It’s still us, but cranked up a notch. It’s definitely one of my favorites on the record.”

40 COVER STORY

Demon Hunter is sticking to what they do best when it comes to their album artwork. It has always been the illustration of using the fan-named “goat or demon” head with amazing art work that makes it flare out. Since Clark is always busy doing artwork for other bands, he likes to hire out as much as he can. True Defiance artwork was done by Justin Karmerer, which is an artist Clark has been following for a few years. In the past, Demon Hunter covers have been done with painted and photo-realistic covers, but Karmerer’s pen and ink style was just what Clark wanted for this record. In fact, his style is what the Demon Hunter skull was always supposed to look like. “There are 2 covers available on the regular edition of the record,” said Clark. “One features the skull with 10 nails circling around it, which symbolizes the 10 years we’ve been a band. There’s also a TD icon made of twine, hanging between the nails, which is an abbreviation for the album title. On the other cover, the skull has a candle burning on top which comes from the lyrics for the song ‘My Destiny,’ which says ‘The fire is on our name. We will carry that flame.’ This skull is also encircled by a crown of thorns, which symbolizes Christ. On both covers, the skull’s mouth is filled with flowers, which is taken from the song titled, ‘Dead Flowers.’” Demon Hunter has already released their music video for “My Destiny” which in 2 days has hit over 23,000 views on YouTube. The

band plans on doing at least 1 or 2 more videos for True Defiance. Defiance. Already Clark has the mental ball rolling for the next one. His all time favorite video to be a part of was for “Carry Me Down”. “Aside from the fact that it was the coldest I’ve ever been in my life, it was a really cool experience,” said Clark (no pun intended). The locations were absolutely amazing, we got to do it up in Washington and Zach Merck directed it. He is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.” For old school Demon Hunter fans, they remember when Clark displayed a heavy beard during the times of self-tilted and Summer Of Darkness. Darkness. Right before the hints of True Defiance being created, Demon Hunter released a music video for “Lifewar” from The World Is A Thorn. Thorn. The video consisted of only Clark being filmed from the chest up. It came to a shock when the light fixed above him showed us that the “Mega beard” had returned. Although this may have been exciting for most Demon Hunter fans, the beard is now gone. “Well, this might come as a shock, but I have since cut the mega beard,” said Clark. “And yes, I often get remorseful about it. I had a pretty well-shaven face when we last toured Europe in the fall of 2010. While we were there, we got to talking about beards and our lead-guitarist Patrick Judge said ‘I bet you can’t grow it for a solid

DEMON HUNTER 41

year.’ I of course had to take it upon him to do so and grew it for 15 months. It was the longest I’ve ever had it.”

Personal fun questions 1. Is there any sight of a Training For Utopia album or reunion tour?

“After we took band photos and did a couple of music videos where the beard was very well documented, I figured it’d be nice to take a break. Trust me when I say, especially if you want to keep the mustache long (I could wrap the ends of my mustache behind my ears) it is a lot of maintenance. It’s nearly impossible to eat anything remotely sloppy. Eating soup is ridiculous.” Demon Hunter will always be known not only as a band, but as a part of people’s lives. Many will see them as a band just to rock out to and others will appreciate them as a spiritual crutch to one’s faith. This is astonishing work from a group that hasn’t been labeled as a “full-time” act. Every blood, sweat and tear put into this band so far hasn’t been wasted and Clark wants to make sure of that. “In an average band sense, I wouldn’t agree that we aren’t necessarily ‘full-time’,” said Clark. “I’ve said that myself in the past, and it’s true for the most part. The only thing that sets us apart from other bands being full-time is touring. We record just as often or more than most bands. We’re very active throughout the year with videos, photo shoots, correspondence, merchandising, interviews, contests, etc… I spend at least a small part of every day doing something related to the band.”

Not a chance. 2. In the Lifewar video, what is the word tattooed across your chest and the meaning of it?

I got that in Albuquerque on tour in 2008. It says “I’m Broken,” which is one of my favorite Pantera songs. 3. If Demon Hunter ended today, would you feel good about the impact it has made?

I would be very proud and feel great about what we were able to do, but I would have trouble feeling completely fulfilled without the band … at this point in my life.

Finally released this month!

Volume 2 of the popular Rock Stars on God series. This collection of 25 interviews from the pages of HM Magazine features: Thrice, Collective Soul, Taking Back Sunday, Extreme, Megadeth, Fight (Rob Halford, Judas Priest),ChrisCornell(Soundgarden),MorbidAngel, King Diamond, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, HIM, Slayer, Meshuggah, Killswitch Engage, Slipknot, Lamb of God, Type O Negative, Every Time I Die, The Alarm, Midnight Oil, Scott Stapp (Creed), My Chemical Romance, Ronnie James Dio.

Volume 2 series. This the pages

of the popular Rock Stars on God collection of 25 interviews from of HM Magazine features:

T h r i c e , Collective Soul, Taking Back Sunday, Extreme, Megadeth, Fight (Rob Halford, Judas Priest), Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), Morbid Volume A n g e2 of l the , popular Rock Stars on God series. This interviews fromCradle the pages ofof K icollection n g of 25Diamond, HM F i Magazine l t h , features: Dimmu Borgir, HIM, Slayer, Meshuggah, Killswitch Engage, Slipknot, Thrice, Soul,O Negative, Taking Every Back Time Sunday, Lamb of Collective God, Type I Die, Extreme, Megadeth, Fight (RobOil, Halford, Judas(Creed), Priest), The Alarm, Midnight Scott Stapp Chris Cornell (Soundgarden), Morbid My Chemical Romance, Ronnie JamesAngel, Dio. King Diamond, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, HIM, Slayer, Meshuggah, Killswitch Engage, Slipknot, Lamb of God, Type O Negative, Every Time I Die, The Alarm, Midnight Oil, Scott Stapp (Creed), My Chemical Romance, Ronnie James Dio.

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What Hermitage Says THIS FASCINATING BAND CAME TO ME AND I COULDN’T HELP BUT BE INTRIGUED WITH THE DNA, CHALLENGES AND SUCCESSES OF A ROCK BAND FROM THE COUNTRY OF IRAN. I WATCHED THEIR VIDEO FOR THEIR BRASH AND POST-ROCK SONG AND IT LEFT ME WITH SO MANY QUESTIONS THAT I JUST HAD TO MAKE THIS CULTURAL EXCHANGE. I STRUCK UP A CONVERSATION WITH HERMAN MARS, THE BAND’S FRONTMAN. WHEN I ASKED IF THE BAND HAD A CONNECTION TO THE “CHRISTIAN ROCK” SCENE – EITHER INDIRECTLY (LIKE DASHBOARD OR DYLAN); OR MORE DIRECTLY (LIKE AILD, TDWP, ABR), HE REPLIED THAT THEY WERE VERY CRITICAL OF THE TREATMENT OF RELIGIOUS MINORITIES IN IRAN, INCLUDING THE CHRISTIAN PASTOR THAT’S BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH THERE. HE ALSO MENTIONED HAVING FRIENDS THAT CONVERTED FROM ISLAM TO CHRISTIANITY. IT JUST KEPT GETTING MORE INTERESTING, SO THE INTERVIEW WAS DEFINITELY ON...

What is the brief history of the band? I’m curious how similar and/ or diﬀerent the lives of young people growing up in Iran are from young people growing up in the US, and other western countries...

I went to England to study in an American university in London and that’s how I met Rob Buscher, who was also a student at the same university. We used to perform in local venues in London, which in my opinion was the birth of Hermitage. Some time later we got more serious about the band and decided to record our work and started rehearsing and songwriting. For a period of 6 months we were relentless. Every week we would go to the studio and jam until it was dark. We would have a bottle of whiskey in the studio and jam for 5 hours and then hit the London pubs and Soho scene, which could very easily become so overwhelming. Those were the wild days of Hermitage. Although don’t get me wrong we have not softened by no means. We have just decided to gain more creativity by abandoning all other substances. Speaking for myself, I feel more creative when I am sober. Young people in Iran are usually very eager to travel and learn other cultures and languages. They are fun-loving folks who have struggled for having a good time for years now. The underground scene in Iran is huge. There are underground Rock concerts and house parties, which are often busted by the authorities. There is a good movie if you want to know more about the contemporary lives of Iranian young people. It’s called Persepolis. Unfortunately, not having access to free press/internet or non-biased education has created dogma and extremism amongst a minority of the Iranian youth. That is a shame really... I strongly believe that there is goodness in every human being’s heart, which has the potential to thrive under the right circumstances. Everyone deserves a second chance.

I think American kids could ﬁnd out that they have a lot more in common with the Iranian youth than what they actually think. The two countries used to be very close not such a long time ago. The Iranian modern infra-structure after the second World War is roughly based on an American model. My grandfather studied helicopter engineering in Texas in the ‘60s and used to rent ﬂats to Americans in Iran. He taught me lots about the American culture and lifestyle. That’s how me and Rob, who is American, could get along and became best friends and band members. How expensive or hard-to-get-ahold of are quality musical instruments?

It’s not the question of price. It’s the question of availability. There are music stores in Iran – many of them. They sell traditional music instruments and often put a few electric guitars behind the window. I think ﬁnding the decent equipment could also be done somehow, but then comes the question of recording and gigs and album sales. There is a heavy process of censorship. There are so many subjects that are not necessarily taboo amongst the majority of Iranians, but are banned by the authorities. Showing aﬀection and love to another person is one. All the love songs are censored. The only sort of love that one is allowed to talk about is some segment of metaphorical love, which is often found in the the poetry of Rumi and Hafez. So you can imagine how frustrated these kids must feel. How does your band make money?

I gyrate and Rob plays the guitar (kidding).

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44 FEATURE

What’s a typical month like for Hermitage?

We are always struggling, working really hard to overcome the distance boundary. Rob is in America now, so we usually write the tracks and send them across the Atlantic ocean. They are truly international. Me and the producer work on them here in London and send them back to Rob, then Rob records some overdubs and sends it over here. Thats how we work now-a-days. I am in charge of coming up with most concepts and lyrics, so I go to museums most times and get my ideas from there. I love socializing with other musicians and artists as well. I have been giving myself a break for the last couple of days, though, because to release this upcoming album we had to work so hard and that happened simultaneously with my university graduation. Tomorrow is another day! Ever been to the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia?

Why do I get that question asked so often? I have to say I have always been fascinated with St. Petersburg – not because of the museum, but because of Rasputin. I heard so many diﬀerent stories from this mysterious character and would love to know more about him. I got the idea for Hermitage from another museum called the “Wallace Collection,” which is based in the London Marylebone area. It was a painting of a Hermit, which I liked very much.

You mentioned being critical of “the treatment of religious minorities in Iran. Including the Christian pastor who is imprisoned in Iran. We believe that individuals should be allowed to choose their own religion.” I’d like to know how popular your opinion is (or if your opinion on this issue is in the minority, too)

I am very sensitive whenever minorities are abused or harassed for what religion they adhere to, what ethnic background they have or which country they come from. Racism, xenophobia, religious prosecution and inquisition are such ugly terms and I personally hope that the human race one day learns that we are all the same at the end of the day, because what we have in common are more important than our diﬀerences. We are critical of that way of life wherever it is implemented – whether it is in Texas or Tehran. I don’t live in Iran anymore, but from what I hear through the UK and US media I am critical of why a person should even be questioned for his beliefs. Hermitage is a place where everyone is safe in. None will ask you: “Why are you dressed like that? Why is your hair long? What religion do you believe in?” We celebrate unity in diversity in Hermitage. What’s the latest on the pastor in Iran? I’ve heard conﬂicting reports (that he’s already been executed by hanging, that the State Dept says his charges “ have never been religious, but for rape...”) What can you tell us?

Every night Saddam’s army would bomb Tehran and we had to run into our basements and turn all the lights off. The next day we would hear about who survived and who didn’t in the neighborhood. It was morbid and it made (up) my first recollections. My first memories are from being in basements and bomb shelters and distorted sounds. That surely affects my taste in music. What do you think about Jesus Christ?

I think Jesus Christ was a charismatic man. I am not a Christian and I do not think it would be appropriate for me to become some sort of an activist for a political organization or a religious denomination, since Hermitage should at all times be independent. That does not mean I will lose my respect for Jesus Christ. You get all kinds of modern preachers, who try to reach out to the masses with the use of modern media, including television and internet and radio, and yet could never have as big of an impact as Jesus Christ’s. There must have been something extraordinary about Jesus Christ. What do you think of His claims to be “the Way, the Truth and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me?”

“There must have been something extraordinary about Jesus Christ.”

Have you seen the documentary movie about Acrassicauda (the metal band from Iraq)? I’m curious if you’ve ever played with them, have had similar experiences as them, or what their reputation is like in Iran.

Very brieﬂy, I would like to meet them. Iran’s similarity with Iraq is only in the ﬁrst three letters of their names. I am not surprised that heavy metal has an audience in Baghdad. It has been pretty hardcore there for years. I suppose the struggle for being yourself and not being a part of masses is a universal phenomenon. That way we have lots in common with Acrassicauda and many other bands across the world. I have been lucky to be able to break free and get the hell out. I feel for the artists and musicians who were forced to stay. I owe them. I feel like I am their voice in lots of ways... How free do you feel as a person there?

I don’t live in Iran anymore. When I did live in Iran I was always depressed, because I was not free to pursue my visions. I would have never in a million years been able to release a heavy album like this over there. It would have been strangled before birth. Thats just luxury really... I would have problems walking down the street with a girl. It’s a tough life being a youngster in Iran.

As I said, my knowledge is as vast as yours in regards to the pastor’s general health and condition, because I live in London now. I am against capital punishment wherever it is implemented. Everyone deserves to live. I hope he is alive.

I think this question should be asked from a student of theology. I know it’s from John 14:06. I feel like that way sometimes when other people try to steal my ideas. “It’s what inside that counts, it’s not the jacket, it’s the tailor.” That’s from a Mighty Boosh song, which I love the most.

You mentioned: “I’ve had friends who converted from Islam to Christianity.” Please share a story or two about this. I’m curious as to the treatment these friends have received over there after converting.

What do you think about the similarities and the intersection that the following three faiths have (at the person of Abraham) – Judaism, Christianity, Islam?

Yeah, I did have childhood friends. Sad stories, though. They were brothers. They converted to Christianity and decided to become pastors. Because they were worried of getting into problems in Iran, they had to leave the country and move to Europe. I have not spoken to them ever since. I really hope to see them very soon and catch up with them. Do you think our two countries are headed towards war? Why or why not?

I hope not. We have an old saying in Iran. “A knot that can be opened with ﬁngers, should not be opened with teeth,” the same thing could be applied to the problem of Iran. I am not a politician nor a political person, but I sure know what war looks like and I hate it. I was born at the ﬁrst half of the Iran and Iraq war, which lasted for eight years. It was bloody intimidating, frightening and terrorizing.

I believe that as human beings we have more in common than what is perceived to be diﬀerences. Following the same formula one can conclude that the three Abrahamic religions have similar roots regarding their formations. Is there such a thing as “Muslim Metal” or “Muslim Rock,” where artists would use their musical talents, songs, etc, to spread a message about Islam to their audience? I’m curious as to how something like that would go over.

Rock is always rock. Not a soul can change the sound of rock. Although the concepts could be changed. Every individual has got a story to tell. Consequently, when you get someone with Islamic background in rock music, then some of that will inevitably be incorporated. Lest we forget what art aims and rock is an art form, a very commercial one you may argue. If you listen to the early sounds of Queen, songs like

WHAT HERMITAGE SAYS 45

“Mustapha” or the “Bohemian Rhapsody,” you could ﬁnd Islamic terms sung in the form of rock. Because Freddie lived amongst muslims in Africa when he was young and still incorporated such terminologies even though he was a Zoroastrian. On the subject of the Islamic culture and the culture in Iran, does the older generation there treat modernism

“I believe that as human beings we have more in common than what is perceived to be diﬀerences.” (like playing electric guitars, for instance) as something evil, corrupted or to be avoided – like it’s ruining the minds of young people in your country, etc?

It happens everywhere. Older people hated Elvis in America, because he was something they were not used to. People are always afraid of what they can’t relate to. They don’t know what to make of it. It’s human instinct. It’s fight or flight, I suppose. Iran is a very young country. There are more youngsters than there are older people, therefore I believe that they need more control over their own lives. That way there will be respect for traditions, but if the new ideas are not respected by the older people then the traditions will not be respected at all by the younger generation. There will be a collapse of identity. The authorities call it Satanic, influenced by the decadent western culture and morally corrupt. We are not any of those things they say about us. We just portray what we see is happening in our own ways... It seems like some don’t like to see themselves in the mirror. I’m curious as to how people have responded to your music and your video. There’s an attractive young lady in the video. Is this seen as a “secular” or “worldly” thing by conservative people in your country? I’m very curious as to what kind of criticism you face in your country (if any) by being so “Western” by playing rock and roll, etc.

She is a friend of mine. A British Actress named Abi Titmuss, whom I respect very much. She helped me in all sorts of ways to ﬁnd out my true self and be born again. We face all kinds of criticisms, usually by people who wished to have known the attractive young lady (kidding). They sometimes don’t know what to make of it. We are way too modern for them. We talk about things that they will probably need a good half a century to reach, but we are always thankful to our devout fans for understanding and supporting us. It’s very heartwarming to know that you are not the only one. I’d love to follow up with more questions, possibly. Thanks for agreeing to this interview. I hope you ﬁ nd it though-provoking and enjoy answering. Thanks again.

I had a very good time answering your questions. Don’t be a stranger. Come by any time.

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FORTODAY’S MATTIE MONTGOMERY

Photo: Corey Erb

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MCMB’S MATTHEW HASTING

Photo: Corey Erb

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LEVITHE POET

Photo: Corey Erb

ALBUM REVIEWS

Album reviews

49 ALBUMS 52 GEAR, GADGETS, COMICS, BOOKS & FILM

THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH THE END IS WHERE WE BEGIN

TFK is known as everyone’s guilty pleasure. I had some moderate expectations for The End Is Where We Begin, but the first track is titled “The Introduction,” while the last track sports the title “The Outroduction.” Not the most encouraging sign. I confess that I had started to write off this album as I listened to the goofy robot voice come in on “The Introduction.”

Rating system 05 04 03 02 01 *

CLASSIC FABULOUS SOLID SUSPECT AMISS 1/2

However, the first actual song is pretty awesome. “We Are” is a heavy, well-written tune. What follows is a crop of well-written songs that you can tell the band put a lot of effort and care into. I appreciate that a lot. TFK went independent last year, but you’d never know it from the great production on this record. Some of the vocal patterns match the cheesiness of many of the lyrics, such as in the song “Light Up The Sky” (which actually showcases sweet Rage Against The Machine-style riffs and aggression). My impression has always been that TFK’s fanbase rests squarely in the youth group and maybe that explains some of the elements of this album that don’t appeal to someone my age (a jaded, old-fart at the age of 27). Overall, The End Is Where We Begin continues TFK’s tradition of writing catchy, heavy songs that you can bob your head to and sing-along to without putting in

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

too much thought. Because you can tell TFK cares greatly about their craft and they have a knack for good songwriting coupled with great production, the little style blunders are forgivable. With 9 of the 15 tracks being heavy jams (the ballads are alright and kinda fun), TEIWWB delivers what anybody could’ve reasonably expected. Elitists will ignore this release, youth pastors will eat it up, as will their youth groups, which leaves the rest of us to just enjoy it, because we knew what to expect. [TFK MUSIC] SETH HECOX

GRAVE ROBBER YOU’RE ALL GONNA DIE Brace for the hit. This may cause bleeding. With an aptly-titled album, You’re All Gonna Die, the ghoulish-looking dudes in Grave Robber are back with hooks that kill. Guitarist turned producer, Tim Bushong (former Lovewar, Channel Surfers), co-produced the band’s fourth full-length album, along with Shawn Browning, and the two play some additional guitars on “Haunted House.” Wretched belts out his “vokills” on the rocker, “Something Wicked This Way Comes,” sounding much like a Danny Elfman/Lee Ving hybrid – a good thing. “Last Man on Earth” is a most edifying anthem with uplifting melody and heavy bass lines from Carcass. The bludgeoning “Fill This Place With Blood” gives a taste of Lamentor and Grim’s guitar playing. While it’s often the case that shock rock acts are considered parody due to use of costumes, gory theatrics and macabre lyrics, Grave Robber make themselves an exception again with this great record. [ROTTWEILER] CHARLIE STEFFENS

THE TUG FORK RIVER BAND VULTURES Being from the South, I’ve always been a fan of Southern rock and roll. With the amount of flavors of metal out there to listen to (thrash, death, grind, whatever), I’ve always loved the “metal with that Southern twinge” combination. The Tug Fork River Band does a wonderful job of it and have continued that pace on Vultures. It’s an EP release, a five-song barrage to follow-up their acclaimed debut, Catch For Us The Metal. Even though Catch For Us... was a solid release, they do everything better on the EP: The singing vocals are not only sung better, but the melodies are better as well. The Southern “country metal” instrumental breaks are better. The flow of the record is great, an improvement on one of my criticisms of CFUTM. For an EP, it’s a great way to whet your TTFRB whistle while waiting for their next full release. For fans of Maylene and the Sons of Disaster. [WHITE HORSE ENT.] DAVID STAGG

MXPX PLANS WITHIN PLANS Twenty years, nine studio records, two cover records, one side band, one Christmas record, a few EPs. MxPx is one of the longest-running Christian punk bands that made it okay to love God and punk rock. Plans Within Plans is a solid new-era MxPx record. Twenty years in the game, these guys have gone from teenage politics to a wife that loves for us for who we are. I like that they have not changed their sound – though “Stand on Your Feet” has a hint of Mike’s side band Tumbledown coming out. All in all this is a great record to have if you love Magnified Plaid. It has everything you would want from an MxPx record and then some. [ROCK CITY] ROB SHAMELESS

FLYING COLORS S/T Prog rock purists can just suffer, because when a prog rock band can write a cohesive album of songs (rather than forcing an audience to accept their 10-plus-minute epic songs and incessant noodling) it is a good thing. Widespread commercial acceptance does not equate with lesser quality and this album of 11-tight songs might just break out of the exclusive and sometimes snobby prog rock fanbase. Only three of these tunes clock in at over five-point-five minutes, so the songs have to concentrate on getting the listeners’ attention quick and keeping it occupied with crisp, short melodies and big, immediate hooks. While there are a few moments that wallow in the King Crimson, Caravan, early Yes wandering jams – like the 12-minute closer, “Infinite Fire” and the metal-bent “All Falls Down,” but for every one of those there’s two catchy songs like “Kayla,” “The Storm” and “Love is What I’m Waiting For,” with its complaining about everyday life and relationships in a common language not too unlike The Beatles. Here’s hoping that longtime musical luminaries in this band (Neal Morse, keyboards/vocals; his not-related bandmate Steve Morse, guitar; Casey McPherson, lead vocals; Dave Larue, bass; Mike Portnoy, drums) can drive this new musical vehicle to further places than any of them has experienced in previous bands. To do that would probably require another album with bigger hits, but this one’s a great start in that direction. [MUSIC THEORIES] DOUG VAN PELT

RHEMA SOUL RED Diverse, trick and slammin’ hip-hop. As musical as Mat Kearney at times, but edgy and street level with the right amount of distortion in the beats at other extremes. Fans of Tobymac will dig this (partly possibly due to the fact that Andy Anderson co-produced it), but it’ll appeal beyond that crowd. The multiple vocals rock. [GOOD CITY MUSIC] DOUG VAN PELT

DAMIEN DEADSON A WARM AND DARK EMBRACE Sometimes part-time interests can turn into full-time jobs. So it is with Ryan Helm and Damien Deadson. This band began as a solo project, which allowed the (now former) Demon Hunter guitarist to focus more attention on his singing pursuits. While there is plenty of the harsh rock you might expect from an artist with such respected musical credentials, the pretty piano song, “The Burning Sorrow Part 2: Liberation,” with its subtle dance groove, is pleasantly unexpected. On “Challenges of Change,” Helm combines dark screaming vocals with powerfully dramatic anthemlike vocals, over a guitar groove that takes on a nearly industrial rhythm. A Warm and Dark Embrace is sometimes like an auditory chameleon, because just when you think you have it pegged stylistically, it changes to something (nearly) completely different. Helm clearly has the vision of a solo artist; he’s not just dorking around in the studio, and this makes him well worth embracing. [DD] DAN MACINTOSH

Ratings DV

Writer

Thousand Foot Krutch

03*

Grave Robber

03*

The Tug Fork River Band

03*

MxPx

03*

Flying Colors

Rhema Soul

Damien Deadson

03*

War of Ages

Various Artists

03*

Pastor Brad

02*

NewWorldSon

03*

Dave Barnes

Frank Lenz

03*

Trip Lee

Mortification

Liberty N Justice

The End is Where We Begin

You’re All Gonna Die

Vultures

Plans Within Plans

S/T

Red

A Warm and Dark Embrace Return to Life

Passion: White Flag

Essentials 2003-2011 Rebel Transmission Stories to Tell

Holy Rollers Soundtrack The Good Life Scribe of the Pentateuch Hell is Coming to Breakfast

03*

ALBUM REVIEWS

WAR OF AGES RETURN TO LIFE Heavyweights War of Ages have brought the heavy back in a big way with their fifth release, Return to Life. The ten-track album was recorded with and engineered by Zeuss, who, along with the band, produced a different sound than on their previous records. With a noticeably richer, more melodic/ less hardcore sound, these are songs you’ll want to listen to over and over. “Redeemer” and “Psalms” are two numbers that flaunt the singing of guitarist Mark Randazzo (who’s been filling in for axeman Branon Bernatowicz), cleanly complementing frontman Leroy Hamp’s powerful vocals. The short, beautiful, “M.E.B.,” is a perfectly placed acoustic guitar interlude before the brutal, almost oddly-named, “Song of Solomon.” It seems too good to be true when a song of praise like “Final Act” can slam as hard as it does with lacerating guitar volleys to boot. That’s War of Ages forte, and they’ve continued to push forth their legacy with this one. [FACEDOWN] CHARLIE STEFFENS

VARIOUS ARTISTS PASSION: WHITE FLAG You may recall how U2 used to wave a white flag back in that band’s early concert days, which is why the Passion collective’s latest release, Passion: White Flag, carries with it a deep sense of déjà vu. When Chris Tomlin closes the track by telling the crowd that this is their moment, he even sounds like a Texas Bono. With that said, though, this album is nevertheless a fine collection of praise songs. It’s dominated by Tomlin’s singing, but also includes contributions from a few other notable artists. Christy Nockels, for instance, particularly brings a Hillsong vibe to two of her tracks, “You Revive Me” and “How I Love You.” Matt Redman’s “10,000 Reasons” piano ballad is a memorable quiet moment, while David Crowder*Band (RIP) shines with “All This Glory.” The album opens with “Not Ashamed” and then followed up that declaration with unashamed praise and worship, which is the kind of banner we can all get behind. [SIXSTEPS] DAN MACINTOSH

PASTOR BRAD ESSENTIALS 2003-2011 A “best of” collection from 11 albums, Essentials 2003-2011 has enough licks and leads to satisfy many a rock guitar fan, particularly those who revere the art of shredding. Pastor Brad’s release is lavishly filled with hardrockin’ songs of praise and instrumentals. Pastor Brad is a talented songwriter with amazing ability on the axe, as the contents of his discography reveal, yet in an age of attention-deficit, 40 tracks is a bit excessive. [GUITAR JAMS] DON REDONDO

NEWWORLDSON REBEL TRANSMISSION Listening to NewWorldSon is like traveling through music history in a time machine. That vibe comes through bold and beautifully during Rebel Transmission once a Motown beat kicks in during “Homeless Child” or as Chicago-meets-Earth, Wind & Fire at “Shake Holy Spirit.” The Bible speaks about making a joyful noise unto the Lord, but many modern acts only get the ‘noise’ aspect correct, while completely missing the whole ‘joyful’ part. Yet the rollicking church piano that matches wits with rockabilly guitar to create “Selah,” fills this particular track with joy overflowing. The thumping soul groove of “Son of Man” just makes it abundantly clear that these blues brothers know how to get the job done. When they slow things down with “Southern Cross,” it creates a beautiful change of pace, as well as a chance for the listener to catch his/her breath. The good feelings come through loud and clear, again and again, on Rebel Transmission. [NEW DAY] DAN MACINTOSH

DAVE BARNES STORIES TO TELL When Dave Barnes sings, “Forgiveness is the chorus in our rebel song” during “White Flag,” it suggests one really smart songwriter. Although Barnes shows flashes of compositional intelligence, there just aren’t enough of these bright spots to recommend this entire collection of tunes. Also, with an album title like Stories to Tell, you would likely expect a whole lot more story songs. Although Blake Shelton has taken Barnes’ “God Gave Me You” to the top of the country charts, Barnes doesn’t necessarily fit into the country music storytelling tradition. He’s more comfortable, in fact, with the sort of blue-eyed soul created during the keyboard-driven “Heaven Help Me,” instead. It’s difficult – and probably downright wrong – to argue with the heartwarming sentiments expressed through love songs, such as “Love Will Be Enough for Us” and “Warm Heart in a Cold World,” it’s also tough to get too excited about these songs. Barnes may think he has many stories to tell, but no self-respecting reporter would find much of a compelling story here. [RAZOR & TIE] DAN MACINTOSH

FRANK LENZ HOLY ROLLERS SOUNDTRACK I can count the number of soundtracks that I like on one hand. Most are just so atmospheric/slow and background landscape-y sonice palette stuff that it puts me to sleep. This one has its atmospheric moments – kinda like Explosions in the Sky – but without the trademark guitar sounds. This is a good one. It’s got enough dynamics with the rompier stuff to make it real interesting and cool. Having just seen the movie, it’s fun to remember certain parts of it already with these songs. [VELVET BLUE MUSIC] DOUG VAN PELT

TRIP LEE THE GOOD LIFE Pro-life pop songs are relatively common in Christian music, but when was the last time you heard one performed by a rapper? “Beautiful Life” is rapper Trip Lee’s moving anti-abortion song, and it gets the message across in a whole new (read: urban) way. Like Lecrae, Lee is the real hip-hop deal. As sonic proof, “One Sixteen” rocks to a stripped-down groove, with Lee coming off a little like a righteous Lil Wayne. This “One Sixteen” reference in question, by the way, is Romans 1:16 and with it Lee raps a story about “the hero dyin’ for the villain.” “War,” which paints a cityscape of the end times, is equally powerful, while “Robot” takes a sci-fi approach to explaining man’s freedom from slavery in Christ. Lee has a special way of sounding both contemporary, sonically, while still remaining spiritually relevant. For Christians seeking rap music that hits the mark artistically, The Good Life represents extremely good news. [REACH] DAN MACINTOSH

MORTIFICATION SCRIBE OF THE PENTATEUCH Probably titled as a nod to the band’s second album it can never seem to get close enough to for grindcore fans, the guitars of Lincoln Bowen and Troy Dixon shred all over this disc, conjuring the timing and counter-riffs of early Tourniquet. Rowe’s growls are tough and low (ocassionally mixing high and low, as in the title track or the pub chanting gang vocals of “In Garland Hall”). The overall mix, however, is a detractor at times, seemingly compressing the mids into the lows. Granted, it makes for a refreshing dynamic, though, when a lead break screams atop the din. I think the doom and speed of Scribe has just come the closest to Scrolls as anything in the Mort catalog. [ROWE] DOUG VAN PELT

LIBERTY N’ JUSTICE HELL IS COMING TO BREAKFAST Liberty N’ Justice is marking its 20th anniversary with this new release. Although celebratory, this album also marks time as the band finishes up work on The Cigar Chronicles, its ambitious 2 CD project. It’s easy to love an album with a song title like “Whack a Mole,” because, well, it just sounds ready-made for a rock album. This album’s title track is a kind of spiritual wake-up call put to music that works. Led by Justin Murr, Liberty N’ Justice is a winning throwback to a time when hard rock was as obsessed with melodies as it was with guitar licks and bass grooves. Speaking of throwbacks, the inclusion of an acoustic version of “Sin,” features the late Jani Lane of Warrant. It’s a sobering reminder that there are consequences to sin. Lane probably didn’t realize his own end would come quite so soon. Seriously, hell shouldn’t really ever be for breakfast anymore. [ROXX] DAN MACINTOSH

52 D V D S & F I L M

LIFEstyle HOLY ROLLERS The True Story of Card-Counting Christians is a bizarre documentary, but it’s fascinating and edited together very well. A team of church-planting pastors and workers share openly their working scheme to clean up at casinos. [ Connell Creations ] DV [ Cuss: 3 | Gore: 0 | Sex: 0 | Spiritual Conversations: 100 ]

THE STRANGE CASE OF ALICE COOPER Here’s a concert film from AC’s pre-conversion (1979) days, which reinforces the artist’s long-standing case that the Alice Cooper presentation is badness on display and a morality play where the idiot rots in his own stench, so to speak. This tour was right after his brilliant From the Inside album and has plenty of Vaudevillian moments with giant bottles of alcohol, snakes, goulish monsters and transvestite nurses. It’s a bit more over-the-top in places than his current show, to be sure. The rock guitars cut through with attitude, but the vocals suffer a little bit of that “live is rough” quality. [ Shout! ] DV

ﬁlm FROM THE SKY DOWN If U2 has become the multi-generational equivalent of the ubersuper-group, then all their movies are not really overkill, but a necessary scrapbook that captures an era. Achtung Baby was such a pivotal, career-saving album – the importance of which is not lost anywhere here in this fascinating documentary. There’s plenty of performance footage, but a few watches are enough. [ Mercury ] DV [ Cuss: 5 | Gore: 0 | Sex: 0 | Spiritual Conversations: 90 ]

FROZEN PLANET Gorgeous National Geographic quality visual footage makes this a high-def masterpiece. Granted, there’s a fair share of left-leaning eco-politics thrown in, but if you’re editing a magazine at deadline and watching 3 DVDs at once, this’ll be the screen that’ll attract your eyes the most. It’s simply stunning and can expand that child-like awe that the massive beauty of this planet offers. The breathtaking animals are a sight to behold, but so is the proximity of the film crew. [ BBC Earth ] DV lence & how tuitous sex, vio e. s w/cussing, gra er viewing it with someon ne sce of er = numb on” aft itual conversati KEY to Ratings pir “s a rt sta be to easy it would

GEAR

LIFEstyle

gear

FERNANDES VULCAN ELITE JP Boasting a two-piece Alder body, Maple neck, select Rosewood fretboard, and an EMG-81 pickup on the bridge position, the acclaimed Fernandes Sustainer System completes the specs for this versatile axe. Like its JP series model counterparts, the Vulcan JP has a titanium-reinforced neck, to guarantee maximum stability and consistent playability for years to come. Available in Chameleon Purple and Chameleon Green finishes (changes color with viewing angle). [fernandesguitars.com]

GRETSCH ROOTS COLLECTION Gretsch introduces its Roots Collection of acoustic instruments. This exciting new family of banjos, mandolins, resonator guitars, ukuleles and Rancher acoustic guitars feature classically authentic Gretsch designs that transport players to a bygone era well before the company made its acclaimed 1950s entry into the electric guitar world. [gretschguitars.com]

SUBSCRIBE TO HM MAGAZINE Photo: Lindsay Paramore

FRACTAL AXE-FX II PREAMP/FX PROCESSOR The world of guitar modeling (mimicking guitar tones that took hours of ingenius inspiration to create and now making them available as presets at the flick of a switch) has gotten an ear-opening boost from Fractal Audio Systems. This new all-in-one processor is available as a rack-mount. The promised results should make even the most die-hard purist take notice: “warm, yet tight bass, powerful midrange, silky highs, and the easy feel that makes playing a great amp so enjoyable.” [ fractalaudio.com ]

FENDER AMERICAN STANDARDS LINE The American Standard Stratocaster has been upgraded with aged plastic parts and full-sounding Fender Custom Shop Fat ’50s pickups for the very essence of Stratocaster tone. Its high-output hot-rodded sibling, the American Standard Stratocaster HSS, has also been upgraded with aged plastic parts, with Fender Custom Shop Fat ’50s pickups in the neck and middle positions and a Diamondback™ humbucking bridge pickup for an added measure of muscle that makes it more graceful and powerful than ever. Also available in a left-handed model. [fender.com] More

54 GADGETS

LIFEstyle

strange and different. (Excuse me. Back on track now...) The CordCruncher Headphone uses an elastic-sleeve to customize the headphone experience by allowing the user to take command of cord length. The elasticsleeve adjusts from 16 inches to 3.5 feet and eliminates extra cordage, allowing for tanglefree freedom of movement everywhere and every time! It is the perfect solution for the gym, golfers, yogi’s, boaters and music enthusiasts alike. The Kickstarter campaign has a $20 level that’ll get you a pair right off the production line. [ cordcruncher.com ]

JETSON E-BIKE Check this out: the first affordable, eco-friendly, super stylish electric bike. Safer than a Vespa and without the need for a traditional license or registration, Jetson is a no hassle, transportation choice for city or country life. The Jetson bike offers both the classic bike and pedal experience with the option of simply “going electric” when and where you want and need it to power up. Take a cruise with a friend around town or zip to the market and back in a jiffy. The Jetson

E-bike is easy and fun to ride. It’s as simple as, well, riding a bike. Jetson comes with a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery that allows you to simply remove and recharge, whenever the need, for hours of unfettered riding fun. The bike can seat two people and, with speeds up to 20 mph, a forty-mile range per charge and a 500w motor, LCD digital screen and heavyduty disc brake system, Jetson is safe and legal for urban and non-urban biking. The price starts at $1799. [ jetsonbike.com ]

CORDCRUNCHER HEADPHONES Wanna get a gadget before anyone else does? Or get in on the ground floor at least... Here’s a new gadget that is in the developmental phase that, with a successful Kickstarter campaign, will roll out into production within the life cycle of this issue of HM Magazine. It’s like a sock that holds your long, dangling headphone cords and “zips” them or compresses them into a length that is much more manageable and could hang around your neck, wrap around your wrist like a bracelet or even around your dog’s neck if you’re incredibly

gadgets

G R A P H I C N O V EL S 55

LIFEstyle

books & graphic novels

PLEASE GOD FIND ME A HUSBAND | SIMONE LIA

The author of Fluffy chronicles her cry to God for a spouse, sharing the ups and downs of being single at age 34 ... as well as the comedy found between the extremes. [ Jonathan Cape ] DV

LETTERS TO A FUTURE CHURCH | CHRIS LEWIS

Lewis not so much writes this book as edits messages from several Christian thinkers that offer prophetic words, correction and encouragement to the church of our near future. Music, art and media are all in these writers’ cross-hairs. It started with the question: “If you could write a letter to the North American church today, what would it say?” 25+ leaders gathered at the Eighth Letter Conference and took a stab at it. [ Inter Varsity Press ] DV

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Visit daughtryofÀcial.com/events and pick a show near you To enter send an email w/”Daughtry” in subject heading to contests@hmmag.com

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HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN GUITAR |TONY BACON

SQUIER ELECTRICS | TONY BACON

Here’s an oversized book with lush, huge photos of guitars both odd-shaped and revered classic models. Great care went into the photos, layout and historical documentation. This one will get picked up and flipped through a lot if you leave it lying around. [ Backbeat ] DV

Another coffee table book that chronicles the rise and amazing longevity of this imprint of the Fender guitar company. Early history, experiments and stories of collectibles accompany the fine photographs of these guitars and their odd paint jobs and fashions. For the guitar nut there are tons and tons of references. [ Backbeat ] DV

56 C O LU M N S

Roots & Culture Allan Aguirre

of Olive Trees & Wild Branches (Part 5) We have established that the Punk Rock and Alternative genres established by bands like The Sex Pistols and Bauhaus have, through time, been replaced with mainstream hybrids and counterfeits like Avril Lavigne and Dave Matthews and that the essence of these genres have been buried deep below the sands of conjecture and opinion. I’ve shared my conviction that an understanding and application of the biblical roots of our faith would breathe new sound, scriptural Life into the Covenant relationship bought for us with the shed Blood of the Lamb. I shared how Paul, in Acts 24:14, defined Christianity as being a sect of Judaism and defended his faith by confessing that he believed “all things which are written in the Torah (‘law’) of Moses and in the Prophets,” whereas for nearly 1900 years a Greek and Roman linear thought process of a Jewish cyclical concept has buried the biblical roots and essence of our faith deep below the sands of conjecture and opinion. Paul’s teaching in Romans 11 should correct our modern perspective to the Jewish Roots of our faith, the Olive Tree of the House of Israel: “But if some of the branches were broken off [Israel], and you – a wild olive [a gentile believer] – were grafted in among them [Jews] and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree, then don’t boast as if you were better than the branches [Jews]! However, if you do boast, remember that you are not supporting the root, the root is supporting you.” Romans 11:1718 (emphasis mine) We discussed Ephesians 2 and how gentiles had no Messiah, were estranged from the national life of Israel and foreigners to the covenants embodying God’s promise (Torah) – but now have been brought near through the shedding of the Messiah’s blood (verses 12-13). We saw how Jesus has made both Jew and gentile one and broke down the wall of separation by destroying the Law of Atonement Sacrifice in his own body (the cross) (verses 14-15a). We learned that scripturally, the law is separated into sections; the oral traditions, the Covenant and the Sacrificial Law. Ephesians 2:12 speaks of Covenant while verses 14-15a obviously speaks of Atonement Sacrifice as being “destroyed” by the cross. This did not, however, “destroy” the Covenant Law and its observance (verse 10) with the goal being “One New Man” (verse 16). “So then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers. On the contrary, you are fellow-citizens with God’s people (Israel) and members of God’s family.” Ephesians 2:19 (emphasis mine) Our root and culture as believers are found in Torah and Israel. Christianity remains a foreigner to the Mosaic Torah covenant embodying Messiah and has rejected the scriptural foundational root of her faith, believing that she is “better then the branches”, and that she “supports the root” – thus estranging herself from the national and spiritual life of Israel. What does Jesus say about this? Popular Christian teaching has stated for centuries that Jesus “did away with” the Torah (law) of Moses – “the covenants embodying God’s promise” (Ephesians 2:12) – upon His resurrection. Actually, immediately following His resurrection, we find Jesus expounding to His disciples all the things in the Scriptures (Old Testament), starting with Moses, concerning Him. He then reminds them that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets concerning Him and then opened their understanding, that they might comprehend these Scriptures. (Luke 24:27, 44- 45 NKJV) Now, why would He default to the authority of the Law of Moses in regards to Himself – post resurrection – if He had just “done away with” it?

[ fb/twitter: allanAguirre ]

C O LU M N S 57

WE J UST D ON’T CARE ABOUT THAT, ANYWAY Mr. Nykamp was large, angry and perpetually out of breath, like an out-of-shape Darth Vader (interestingly enough, my Christian grade school had a teacher named Mrs. Vader). He was like the anti-Robin Williams of conservative-spiritual education; he didn’t enjoy teaching, and the only inspiration he gave his classroom was cautionary – to not turn out like him. One particular assignment was to research a prospective career path and report to the class. In the hands of the right teacher this has potential to be both enlightening and fun; you begin thinking how to steer your education with a clear goal in mind, fused with the excitement of your best years in front of you. You can be anything.

can only really be reasoned through public opinion (and I doubt my choice is favored, making it wrong). MxPx was the head, with Value Pac and the Huntingtons holding down respective corners. I imagine most authorities would place Slick Shoes over the Huntingtons, though I conjecture MxPx would remain as the ﬁgure-head. The trinity was useful for describing band’s similarities and blatant plagiarisms. For example, “They’re just an MxPx rip-off.” The ideology, even in a warped sense of limited musical exploration or tastes, is that once you’ve landed on the best, you would only listen to the best, because that represents the peak of the genre’s listening experience. What’s interesting is the Huntingtons were essentially the Ramones’ rebranded, yet the Ramone’s were not indispensable like the Huntingtons in this scenario.

Or so we thought. Mr. Nykamp was never to be teacher of the year; dream-crusher is a more worthy accolade. In front of a classroom full of 7th and 8th graders (classes were split due to low enrollment – this now makes perfect sense) I watched as Tauren broke down and collapsed his sobbing head into his desk. He wanted to be an NBA basketball player. Mr. Nykamp told him that was impossible and that he’d never make it to the professional level. Growing up, I was a reasonably smart and able student. I had a functional family (until my siblings were able to branch off to begin their own dysfunctional units). I remember falling somewhere between clever and intentionally provocative in my assignments and ethics in middle school. I would often argue semantics with my teachers, being able to carry on lengthy debates and watch their reasoning unravel. Of course, students never win, because when logic fails teachers, detentions and missed recesses serve to pad thin arguments. This is coupled with the ever infallible “because I said so.” It’s even worse when your mother is the office secretary – normal means of punishments are surpassed for Mr. Nymamp’s favorite phrase: “Go see your mother and tell her what you’ve done.” It wasn’t that I was a bad student (although I thought I was a bad person for the longest time, due to my constant school-advised correction). I could cruise on auto-pilot and did for most of my education. I hated school, but mostly because it failed to engage me. I was conscientious enough to realize that homework was little more than busy work, drawn from textbooks designed to compensate for poor classroom teaching and that most subjects become trivial beyond a 5th grade comprehension level (career-field pending). Yet, I wanted to be worse that I was. I wanted to fail, because the losers had a more charming quality than the winners. I was somewhere in between well-off and disadvantaged, floating between prodigy and hopelessly average. The music I related to was written by the underdogs and I’d be damned if I succeeded where they didn’t. What kind of music does someone content listen to anyways? Jimmy Buffet? “I never did homework after school / I did all the things I thought were cool” as MxPx compares education to prison. The Huntingtons had it one better on their aptly-apathetical “We Don’t Care”: “Mom’s yellin’ get a job / dad’s callin me a slob / but I don’t wanna work for no minimum wage / I was late for class again / Teacher gave me detention / Says ‘Boy, you better start acting your age.’” I shifted slowly to the lowest rung on the ladder, because that’s where the most emotive punk songs were spewed from. Regardless of whether I was loser, I would claim I was, because it resonated far deeper than being average or even exceptional. Quantity is often a selling point on consumer products ranging from cereal to laundry detergent, where more for less is a powerful bargaining quotient in the world of supply and demand. The first time I’ve seen this applied to art was in the form of punk rock – specifically the Huntingtons. Punk rock had the bargain mindset in place and often bargain music to begin with. I remember buying the Huntingtons’ “live” CD, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, for $8.99. Offsetting the black and white cover (very ‘80s punk aesthetic) was a round yellow sticker proclaiming the deal – 22 tracks for less than 9 dollars (and legend claims it was a one-take studio album with crowd noise ripped from a KISS show). I usually consider the Huntingtons holding ground within the Christian punk trinity, albeit the least of the three, link a Ramones-ripoff Holy Spirit. This is highly debatable and

The Ramone’s essentially wrote two songs: the blistering template of “Blitzkreig Bop” with its rapid-fire, monotonous bass-snare-bass-snare attack underneath a fuzzed-over three chord progression, or the slightly less vapid, bass-bass-snare of “I Don’t Want To Live This Life Anymore.” Yet this spanned a three-decade, nearly 20-disk career. One would argue that a carbon copy of a band that essentially carbon copied themselves was doubly unnecessary. The Ramones were great for what they were and the Huntingtons were essential to Christian punk, so it begs the question: were the Huntingtons great? And if they fall short, why would you ever listen to them with greatness out there? Gauging greatness can be a bit difficult. Somewhat subjective, sure, but there has to be a reason that most listeners universally laud someone like, say, Springsteen, while so many other artists have flown under the radar. But public perception can’t be the only gauge; bands like the Replacements were critical darlings, but failed to make a commercial dent, remaining largely confined to rock critic “best” lists and influencers to bands, many of which have gone onto achieve commercial levels so elusive to the band that spawned them. Another gauge could be emotion, or relateability, but that can’t be it. A factor maybe, but all it takes is a visit to a local open mic night to see plenty of acoustic singer-songwriters that are very sincere, largely trite and ultimately forgettable. “Passion over pitch” sounds nice, but should be left to drunken karaoke bars and shower stalls. The other gauge is more practical: musical complexity. Musical complexity can be measured using musical theory – an idea I am not accustomed to, but I’ve heard exists. I’m not completely incompetent to argue musical theory, however; I do have a grasp of three instruments, of which I’ve played live and on passable recordings. Complexity could be misconstrued as layered musicianship, like when a punk band adds keys for instant maturation or any populace punk band, say Green Day, releases an acoustic ballad to radio with a string-section backing. Then there’s chords, tunings and progressions that rely on suspended notes and 7ths and things mostly beyond my grasp and probably my ear’s comprehension. Which is interesting, because I can distinctly remember the before and after of my musical appreciation versus musical training. I think the biggest difference is that before, the music hits you on a purely visceral level, whereas when you understand the components you can either appreciate the sum or dissect it into lifeless mechanics. The emotions they evoke can be zapped away, or realized at a greater depth. The Huntingtons were the Ramones for conservative kids, not that the Ramones’ were particularly offensive (one could argue the KKK got a bad rapt as girlfriend abductors, but without sinking too far into hypotheticals, one could also view them as equal-opportunity human-traffickers). Still, in the album artwork for Fun and Games, the Huntingtons are seen drinkin from conspicuous dark glass bottles not unlike their idols. The picture’s caption: “IBC root beer is the official drink of the Huntingtons.” Not to be confused with alcohol, the Huntingtons were the sterilized clones of four heroin addicts. No sniffing glue or being sedated, caffeine is the only drug here. When I try to think of Huntingtons’ songs I would count as “great,” I’m at a bit of a loss. They have some songs I’d rank as classic, but that’s probably only to myself, which probably doesn’t count. I would say “No Pool Party Tonight,” “Jeannie Hates the Ramones”, “We Don’t Care” and “Allison’s the Bomb” (honorable mention: “Lucy’s About to Lose Her Mind”). Here you have simple riffs over a prototypical punk beat (I think the only difference between the songs is a few BPMs) – easily continued on page 59

58 C O LU M N S

WITH KEMPER CRABB Concerning “Jeus is My Girlfriend” Songs: Observations on the Imbalances of Today’s Worship (Part the Third) We have in the past two articles first seen that the current phenomena of the domination of contemporary worship music by experiential, sensual, subjective songs; and, second, that this is a departure from the historic worship of the Church, which, though in its reflection of Scripture included such songs, it also, like Scripture, held such worship content in balance with more objective doctrinal content. We turn now to consider the question of how such a development occurred. What has caused the current imbalance in worship? To understand what has given the experiential and sensual the ascendance over the doctrinal, we must first understand how such a division came to be in the first place. The impulse behind this imbalance is rooted in the Fall of mankind. Romans 1:18-32 tells us that everyone who has lived knows at least five things deep in their core being: (1) God exists; (2) God has created everything that exists; (3) God is Holy; (4) men are sinful and rebellious; (5) God is Angry about mankind’s sin and rebellion. Now, though Paul tells us that these things are known by every person (vss. 19-21), he also tells us that unregenerate men “supress the truth,” which has been revealed “in unrighteousness,” but that, even though they suppress the truth revealed through Creation, they still know that truth on some level (vss. 20-21). The combination of inescapably knowing these five things while attempting to suppress this knowledge (as Fallen men attempt to manufacture their own meaning and be their own gods) leave men realizing that there is a real existential reality of guilt and shame which they experience. Even though they know bone-deep that they are guilty and separated from God, they attempt to suppress the realization that it is the True CreatorGod Whom they have sinned against by imagining that the God against Whom they have sinned is some god other than the True God, but who still represents a spiritual entity beyond humanity. Even if it isn’t clearly articulated (though it frequently is), Fallen man, who experiences real spiritual alienation, knows, on some deep level, that there has been a separation, an imbalance, a deep offense against a governing or more fundamental part of Reality, an offense against God (or what is understood as God by non-believers). It works like this: God (Whom the non-believer mixes with his distortions) is correctly perceived as being

alienated from Fallen mankind by the sins of men, and, since God is spiritually separated from sinful mankind, and since God is a Spirit and men are physical, unregenerate men see the world as divided between spirit and matter (metaphysically divided in nature, rather than ethically and spiritually divided). The spiritual state is seen as perfect and static (since the Holy God is there) and non-physical (since God is Spirit), and the physical state (the world) is seen as imperfect and changing, and the spiritual state, since God dwells there, Who is seen as not dwelling in the physical realm of the world, the spiritual world is seen as vastly superior to the impermanent, flawed, and finally worthless world. Thus the realm of the human is seen as, at best, a necessary evil, something to be escaped from. Is this, though, a valid perspective Biblically? No. After all, as Scripture teaches, God created a world, though physical, communicates the spiritual reality with which it is intertwined, as Romans 1:18-20 and Psalm 19: 1-6 tell us. We are also taught by the Bible that the Incarnation of Christ is the Once-for-all Joining of the Eternal Word, the Second Person of the Spiritual Godhead, with a Humanity He specifically created to be joined to, Two Natures in One Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, Who is Both God the Spirit and a Human with a Body, Soul and Spirit. What we learn from this is that the world is a unity of matter and spirit, intended to be intertwined and unified, not divided, sundered or split. A dualistic sundering between matter and spirit is a result of the Fall and human rebellion in refusing to see Reality as it is created to be and in refusing to accept God’s Testimony concerning the purpose and state of His Creation as revealed in God’s Word. The Lord Jesus has died to reconcile the world He created back to God, as 2 Corinthians 5:17-19 tells us. Yet even Christians, who should know better because of what Scripture reveals, are still very influenced by a dualistic view of the world (the view that sees the world as split or sundered) and it is this pagan view which has informed, ultimately, the eventual split between subjective, experiential worship songs and objective, doctrinal worship songs as well as the ascendancy of the subjective songs over the objective in worship. In articles to come, we will (God willing) examine how, over time, this view produced today’s unfortunate worship imbalance. [kempercrabb.net]

C O LU M N S 59

Guest editorial by Chad Johnson Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. –Romans 12:21 Lately most of the talk has been Kony 2012. Nearly everyone I’ve come in contact with has asked the questions, “Have you seen Kony?” or “What do you think of Kony?” Now, less than a month and well over 100 million views later, we have all been made aware of the injustice that is Joseph Kony. This documentary has already more than served its purpose in making Kony famous. I remember first learning of this brutal LRA leader (who actually believes he is a spokesperson for God) when the guys in Underoath were touring with Thrice. They gave me a DVD. I watched it. It blew my mind. Not long after, in December of 2005, while I was still in the thick of A&R work at Tooth & Nail, we put together a little four day tour called Come&Live. Not only did we inherit the name and apply it to this work God has called us to, but that tour will forever remain a high-mark in my music industry experience. One of the special things about this tour is that we gave 100% of profits to several non-profit orgs, one of which was Invisible Children. I like Invisible Children and what they do. I can’t think of many organizations with such a compelling story and heart-felt passion to see children liberated thru mostly DIY work ethics. My interest is not to critique IC or Kony 2012. My interest is in challenging every believer who may have watched Kony 2012 and walked away with the idea that Kony “brought to justice” is as good as it gets. It is a wonderful idea and it should happen – no doubt there. He’s a coldblooded murderer, a twisted child-stealer, a deceiving sinner of the best kind. With all the attention being placed on just how vile and wicked Kony is, I believe we may have missed the notion that ultimate justice may look a lot different than what we would assume. It’s easy to allow hate and animosity to creep in and cause our feelings to run wild. “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Jesus, Matthew 5: 43-44). In Kony’s case, most of us would willingly agree with this first line, but Jesus makes it clear that we will have enemies where our call to love and pray for them is not in question. Joseph Kony is quickly earning the place in our hearts as the world’s worst war criminal. He should equally be earning the place of our most loved and prayed for enemy. Do not be overcome by Kony, but overcome Kony with good. Prayer: Jesus, we admit that it is hard for us to love and pray for someone like Joseph Kony. Help us, please. Would you give us eyes of mercy rather than doom. Allow us to see potential the way you do. Bring Joseph to justice. Disarm the LRA. Release and rehabilitate each and every child soldier. We pray that Joseph would be captured alive and that he would face the 26 years of chaos Satan has used him to produce. God, this war is not against flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities, rulers of darkness, hosts of wickedness and every force of evil in the high places. Bring down each of these powers and positions. Tear apart the demonic hold over Joseph Kony and his army. Cut down the towers held in place by the devil’s power and release the captives. We welcome your angels to do war in the heavens over Kony and the LRA. We especially pray that Joseph Kony and his army, would repent from their wicked ways, turning their hearts and heads to Jesus, receiving undeserved mercy for their sins. Jesus, would you draw Joseph Kony unto God and then use his life as one of the greatest testimonies of your grace ever told. Nothing is impossible with You, God.

Devotions with Greg Tucker “I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.” –Matthew 16:18 Since misery loves company, anyone who’s like me would enjoy standing next to the Apostle Peter. He’s the patron saint of Christians-who-are-definitely-underconstruction. In other words, Peter is one of us. Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?” in Matthew 16, and Peter declared, “Obviously you’re the Messiah.” But when the Lord followed with, “You’re right, and I’m going to die because of that,” the same man responded defiantly, “Absolutely not!” In one breath he acknowledges Jesus as the all-wise Son of God, but in the next adds, “You don’t know what you’re doing.” He’s illogical. Reunion Tour | cont’d

That sounds like me. dissectible. Topics include (you can probably gauge from the titles) – a cancelled pool party, a girl committing the cardinal sin of RamonesWhen Jesus satcool, to etc. wash feet in hating, a girl who’s really Thesethe songsdisciples’ are not great statements and hardly statements at all. They are more than the sum of their parts, John 13, Peter blurted out, “You’re not going however. They are infectious blasts of punk rock set within the mold of to wash ” But it’s explained, “If the Ramonesmy and feet. who can deny when their inﬂuence on music in general? their idol’s aesthetic, they gave adolescents something to IEncapsulating don’t, you won’t have any part of me, ” Peter shout along to, buoyed by its energy and sincerity. Even if they were jumps to something the other andthey says, “Then singing about trite extreme or inconsequential, believed it.

give me a bath all over.” He overreacts.

The most resonating song for me is “We Don’t Care.” The message, beyond a tossed off “my life sucks so I’ll decry it’s significance,” seems to be “I’m going to rise above my situation.” The band tapped into an That’s familiar, too. exaggerated view of the early punk stereotype I doubt they even experienced themselves. I can’t relate to every detail of the song and so force myself into that mold, but I can relate to not being content. So How about the time Peter is fishing on a boat why would anyone ever listen to the Huntingtons – assuming they didn’t with His shirt off in the listen hot to morning have a friends? great discography and youiscould, instead, greatness elsewhere? Because the flaws that make up the sum are often more sun, but discovering Jesus on the shore, John telling of the whole. The Huntingtons could be seen as a flaw in a record 21:7 says Peter jumped in tothat. swim collection, but they amount to more than They’retoward simple and they act viscerally. Complexity can overshadow an idea and even if the idea him, ...after getting dressed. (Incidentally, the is as basic as a girl you met at a rock show, with the Huntingtons, it will boat arrived a few moments Peter never get lost in thejust delivery. It’s loud and clear, fromlater.) brain to heart.

makes foolish choices. The Huntingtons inspired me to be a loser. Then they inspired me to rise above it.

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

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