Samuel Lane

I am loving me some Samuel Lane right now. Really reminds me of secular artist Ray Lamontagne, but better obviously. His lyrics are really loving towards the Lord.

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Four Star Revival - Knights Of The Revival

Four Star Revival is a Hard Rock / Metal band based out of the Dayton, Ohio area. The singer has Layne Staley (Alice In Chains) similarities at times, but also has a real Power Metal aspect to him. The guitar playing is very decent. You have to have good guitar stuff going on in metal. That's just a prerequisite. Drumming and bass are also very, very good. I am impressed that these guys are making this kind of solid Christian music. 


Their overall sound has Hard Rock and Metal elements to it that definitely remind me of 80's/90's with some Black Sabbath nuances. After a little investigation, I found out that the singer was in a band with former members of metal giant Armored Saint. I think I may have even had something by them on cassette back in the day. Too long ago... Anyway, the guitarist was also in an 80's band called Warminister, which I never heard of, but I checked them out online and they were the real deal. They had the whole 80's getup going in their pictures, and if you had that, you were serious. You can also hear the 80's solo thing in Benny Bodine's (guitarist) playing. He rips through some flying guitar solos on their debut album called Knights Of The Revival. Knights Of The Revival is one of the better albums I have heard all year in 2014. As a Christian, I seriously recommend getting their album if you're looking for solid Hard Rock and Metal. 

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Loud Bird - New Album "Live Quietly"

Jared Shotwell, the man behind Loud Bird, has just released a new record called Live Quietly. To be honest, I rarely look forward to an artist's new release much more than his material. Why? It's different. It doesn't lend the same predictability that I hear too often lately. This album in particular draws the listener in to a very contemplative state of mind, which is good if you would like to ponder your life or just chill out. 

Listen to the Album

Cory Enderby - Oh Lord

My son Colson does music video production, is available for hire and if you need his services, contact me at christianartistreview@gmail.com. Here is an example of a music video that he did for me. This is not my original song. It was written by Jeremiah Foley.

Urgent Prayer Need

I got this email from Christian Surfers the other day.

It is with tears in my eyes that I type this email.  I received word this morning from missionary friends that ISIS has moved into new towns.  They are going house to house and asking the children to denounce Christ - not a single child has, as of yet.  They are then killing the children in front of their parents and leaving the parents alive. My heart breaks but remains filled with hope in Christ.  As I "pray for those that persecute you" I am reminded that we are each engaged in this battle.  It is not a battle for land but souls. Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood..."  ISIS and the people doing these horrendous acts are not the enemy.  They are blinded by Satan.  We need to pray for their freedom in Christ.  But, we also need to pray for our brothers and sisters that are standing in the strength of our LORD.  We must remember that though the battle is far more subtle here at home, it is the same battle - there, the weapon is fear and persecution.  Here the weapon is the lullaby.  We must awaken that we are here to make disciple-makers by proclaiming the only Good News for this world - JESUS! Please pray and forward this to others to pray.  Below I've attached actual email communications that came in this morning. A Text Message from today: "We lost the city of Queragosh (Qaraqosh). It fell to ISIS and they are beheading children systematically. This is the city we have been smuggling food to. ISIS has pushed back Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) and is within 10 minutes of where our CRI team is working. Thousands more fled into the city of Erbil last night. The UN evacuated its staff in Erbil. Our team is unmoved and will stay. Prayer cover needed!" Please pray sincerely for the deliverance of the people of Northern Iraq from the terrible advancement of ISIS and its extreme Islamic goals for mass conversion or death for Christians across this region. May I plead with you not to ignore this email. Do not forward it before you have prayed through it. Then send it to as many people as possible. Send it to friends and Christians you may know. Send it to your prayer group. Send it to your pastor and phone him/her to pray on Sunday during the service - making a special time of prayer for this. We need to stand in the gap for our fellow Christians. Thank you for all your prayers !!!!" An email from the field Missionaries who are in the areas that are being attacked by ISIS are asking to be showered in prayer. ISIS has taken over the town they are in today. He said ISIS is systematically going house to house to all the Christians and asking the children to denounce Jesus. He said so far not one child has. And so far all have consequently been killed. But not the parents. The UN has withdrawn and the missionaries are on their own. They are determined to stick it out for the sake of the families - even if it means their own deaths. They are very afraid, have no idea how to even begin ministering to these families who have had seen their children martyred. Yet he says he knows God has called them for some reason to be His voice and hands at this place at this time. Even so, they are begging for prayers for courage to live out their vocation in such dire circumstances. And like the children, accept martyrdom if they are called to do so. These brave parents instilled such a fervent faith in their children that they chose martyrdom. Please surround them in their loss with your prayers for hope and perseverance.

Satan, Father of Isis

This morning as I was reading through the new Voice of the Martyrs magazine, I noticed this story. Really impacted me as to how truly evil these people are. I can see satan's fingerprints written all over it. What I am seeing here would go nicely with a Slayer soundtrack. Truly, these thoughts and actions are coming from their real father, Satan.

Revelation - This is written to the church.

If you name the name of Christ, then pay attention to these words. These verses let you peek in and see the mind and heart of God with regard to his church and holiness. 

Revelation 3
3And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. 2 Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die:  for I have not found thy works perfect before God. 3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. 4 Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white:  for they are worthy. 5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my father, and before his angels. 6 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Quiet Waters - Comfort

Ok, so I have already written about this album and artist, but I wanted to call more attention to this side project, by former Separatist member Sam Dishington, called Quiet Waters. The EP is titled Comfort and if you donate, the proceeds go directly to the A21 Campaign.

What makes this project really intriguing is that Sam is a big-time metal guy and this is a straight up Alternative Rock album. So you have some serious skill behind the album. It's like toned down energy that's explosive. I will admit... When I first heard the album, I thought it was ok, but the more I have played it, the more I realize how refreshing it is, in a scene that is too predictable.

One of my favorite decades in music is the 90's, and the sound he has captured on this one, incorporates a lot of those elements. But beyond the sound, it is total one on one worship to Almighty God. I read somewhere that Sam said that he got sort of complacent singing other peoples worship music. He wanted to do something on a personal level between him and God. And let me tell you, it is powerful. Sometimes, I get seriously taken aback by the raw emotion on this record.

I just had to share it again....

Promise Land - Harmony In Ruins

I came across this album by Promise Land a while back and finally just got around to listening to it. It's really decent if you're into Theocracy-type bands. The genre is basically symphonic metal that reminds me of a movie score at times. My favorite song on it is The Piper Illusion. Check em out.

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Hello Industry - Matter

Where have I been? I had no idea that Hello Industry had released another album. If you're not familiar with them, definitely check them out.  I sort of think of them as a classy, intellectual band with a vibrantly, melancholy vibe. This might be the best band you've never heard of and their albums just keep getting better and better. Wow, I can't believe I just stumbled on this tonight. This record is great!

War Of Ages - Chaos Theory

Wow, Facedown just left a monster at my doorstep. War Of Ages' Chaos Theory is a super gnarly new track that will leave you feeling very satisfied. Watching these guys evolve over the years and explode into this sound is nice. They have literally gotten so much better at writing, exploring new avenues in music and at their instruments. Really digging this.

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Homeless man - David Allen Welsh plays piano like nobody's business

This brother taught me something today.