Meet the new boss.

If you took Iron Maiden and you hog-tied the lead guitar players and put ‘em in a green room with a gag in their mouths and you took some old hippie and put a guitar in his hand and you had the singer sing a worship song out of the book of Revelation, you would have this Jake Hamilton guy. Strip away the classic metal guitars and you’re almost there. Just put this guy’s foot on the monitor wedge and you bring in two lead guitar players that are harmonizing and dominating the sounds and making the singer project more … and you have full-on metal worship. It’s pretty cool.

Fans of the passionate and prophetic delivery of Jerusalem will instantly lock in to this guy’s performance. This live album runs the gamut from hard rocking tunes that let the instruments rock out to vocals that push and press with energy to extemporaneous and improvisational worship.

This was an unexpected gem to come out of the glut of worship albums that get sent our way. Different, rough around the edges and bold. Bold as a lion. [Kingsway/EMI CMG] Doug Van Pelt

Aaron Gillespie
Anthem Song

Sometimes change isn’t a good thing. Upon the announcement that Aaron Gillespie was leaving Underoath to pursue other musical and ministry endeavors, many fans worried that this was the case for Gillespie. Anthem Song, his first full-length solo album, proves otherwise.

His recent traveling ministry and the release of Anthem Song are a testament to the call Gillespie felt by his faith. From beginning to end, Anthem Song is more than a worship album–to those interested, it feels empowering and inspirational.

The album opener, “All Things,” is among the many slower, more personal songs on the album. With an upbeat feel, it serves as foreshadowing for the motivation of each subsequent song. Driven by uptempo vocals, piano and drums, “Hosanna” leads into “Washed Away” beautifully. Clearly not in the vein of The Almost or Underoath, songs like “Washed Away,” “Earnestly I Seek Thee” and “I Am Your Cup,” cry out for something greater while showcasing Gillespie’s compelling, sometimes raw vocals. Keeping in tune, “We Were Made For You” is a profession of love and belief; though “I Will Worship You” rings a bit slower and softer, it carries a steady drumbeat laced neatly behind an almost unrefined cry of powerful vocals. True to it’s name, “Anthem Song” is a catchy, chorus-driven song sure to resonate with all listeners. Equally matched is the positive message supplied by “You Are My Everything.” In the meantime, “You Are Jesus” and “Your Song Goes On Forever” carry a more laid back feel.

Through and through, Anthem Song should have fans rejoicing at the willingness of a talented, young musician to step outside the box and be willing to share his beliefs and passions instead of sticking to the comfortable route.
[Tooth & Nail] Anna Hartenbach

Copyright © 2011 HM Magazine. All rights reserved.

Seventeen year old Colton Venner has been a heavy hitter in the Dallas Fort Worth hardcore scene over the last couple years now. With two popular hardcore bands under his belt. Colton now comes out and shows a side that a few have seen. Colton unplugged and and unashamed of his love for his Jesus. Colton over the last few years has recorded him self on a webcam and putting these songs on You Tube. At the many requests of family and friends he finally recorded these songs and now are up for free download. Colton has a way of bring you to tears. With songs like “White As Snow” a song of surrender and “Tragedy” about the lusts of man. Colton is a song bird to his generation.
-Rob Shameless

http://coltonvenner.bandcamp.com/album/freed-ep

Billed as the musical project that Adam Young was working on before Owl City, this gave expectations of showing a creative peek inside of Young’s songwriting process. While it does just that, the surprising part is how serious these tunes all sound. This, I guess, is before the lightbulb went off over his head in that dark Minnesota basement and he realized that bubbling, bouncing beats and high energy electronic music would make a heavenly match with his wit. This sounds more like the demo that an artist would make who wanted to showcase his voice, songwriting skills and his ever-yearning heart.

The haters won’t likely get near this project, but they might appreciate dude’s voice and lyric-writing skills more without the blips and beeps of his uber-pop. The Owl City lovers will probably embrace this thing, because one album just ain’t enough to satisfy that Owl City itch, but there is likely to be some level of disappointment when they hear the somewhat somber direction of these tunes.

On their own, however, this is a pretty solid indie rock outing.

© HM Magazine 2010. All rights reserved

Rumor has it that the only way to kill a zombie is to remove its head, and The Devil Wears Prada’s listeners should be warned that decapitation may very well be a side-effect of listening to their new release, Zombie EP.

For the occasional heavy music listener, this release may have disappointingly little prettiness dispersed throughout the mayhem. But for the metal fan, this album will gain TDWP more appreciation than any previous release. Vocalist Mike Hranica says that the album is “sinister and bad-ass,” and even if he didn’t have neck tats and a Chuck Norris-caliber mustache, I wouldn’t disagree with the guy.

The band admits that this record clearly pays homage to old school heavy bands like Slayer and Hatebreed, opting for heavy driving riffs and fast rhythms over generic breakdowns. For those who are wondering, yes, the lyrics are literally about Zombies. Not in the allegorical way either. We’re talking about Night of The Living Dead content here, folks.

Lyrics like “Mankind is the losing faction; retreat is eternally hopeless” have replaced the often spiritual messages of previous albums, but not in an offensive way. There is an odd sense of approachability to Zombie, and while I wouldn’t take TDWP seriously if all of their records were about the world being taken over by mythical creatures, this addition fits nicely in their discography. The songs are well written, powerful, and as catchy as any set of metal riffs can be, with a musical uniqueness that their scene is starving for.

Because of the lyrics, this record won’t be what The Devil Wears Prada is remembered for, but it will most definitely be remembered. [Ferret] David Denison

Various Artists
Punk Goes Classic Rock

How to think outside the 40-plus-years box you’ve grown yourself into.

It’s easy to treat a song with a “hands off” territory-ialistic attitude, but even though the original artist may have nailed perfection, there are no songs that are off-limits. Get over it and you might appreciate what’s going on here. First of all, this is not punk rock. If it were, these would be irreverent renditions that deconstructed the songs and failed to put them back together – on purpose. These are screamo/emo/scene bands that play a melodic rock with few variations between their peers. Some have a screaming/dirty vocalist that counters a singing/clean vocalist. Most of them sport two guitar players that can play, along with a keyboardist to counter the distortion in the low end. It’s a successful formula that works, partly because it’s a new variation on an old theme and partly because it marries aggression and melody. If you haven’t been paying attention during the last decade and a half, tribute albums have become a genre unto themselves. It’s not a get-as-close-to-the-original-as-you-can effort. It’s a re-interpretation with the performing artist’s imprint on it. For the most part, the performances turned in work. It’s kind of like cheating, because the band is starting with a proven melody. Some of the song selections are scary, like “More Than A Feeling” and “Separate Ways,” because the original versions have such proficient and distinct vocalists; but a little urgency and a lot of energy by Hit the Lights and A Skylit Drive, respectively, help carry the tune past the awkward parts. I have to admit, though, it’s hard to listen to The Summer Set’s aggressive-less version of “Rock ‘n Roll All Nite.” Forever The Sickest Kids probably tackled the biggest challenge with “Crazy Train” (and came up short), while Blessthefall tried another one with fairly straight-up cover of “Dream On,” (which works). The Almost turns in one of the better performances with “Free Fallin’” and, thanks to the previous adaptation by Jimi Hendrix of the Bob Dylan song, Envy on the Coast rocks “All Along The Watchtower” with prowess. If you’re old and still can’t get past these renditions of “sacred” melodies, then just hate this album. Call it the worst waste of plastic ever in the history of music – just don’t get mad at a lot of the rest of us who will enjoy it all summer long. [Fearless] Doug Van Pelt

© Copyright 2010 HM Magazine. All rights reserved.