As the Ruin Falls merch

Download issues...

I have been having a lot of trouble with the files in my Mediafire stuff not being available for download, but are still there. In addition, having issues with messed up .rar and .zip. As usual though, feel free to email me or get at me on Facebook (link on the right side of the page) and I'll send you whatever files you're having trouble with. I haven't had much time lately to attend to the blog, or add more stuff, but I will get around to fixing this stuff and sending requested files to people.

Six Feet Deep merch!

I am so extremely jealous of Clint for this.
Thanks for the pictures of the Six Feet Deep and Focal Point merch!

Six Feet Deep

Cleveland

Focal Point merch

Focal Point

There is no excuse after death
for your ignorance during life.

Unashamed shirt

SPIRIT-FILLED HARDCORE

Once again, jealous of you Stephen. Thanks for the picture.

An old Overcome t-shirt

I have been looking for an Overcome shirt for years, but I'm not sure if this is actually it. If I am remembering correctly, the Overcome shirt I have been looking for had OVERCOME in the design on the front, but bigger, and I don't think the back was like the one in picture.

Thanks for the picture Stephen!

Some Strongarm shirts

By the way Stephen, I am super jealous of you for having all of these. I do, however, have the black reunion shirt from Furnace Fest. Thanks for the pictures!

I have no idea why I haven't posted this before

Everyone knows of Tooth & Nail Records' Helpless Amongst Friends compilations that began to be released in 1994. I received an email today from someone requesting some bands that were featured on this compilation and it got me thinking, I haven't even posted that comp on the blog yet. So here it is. Volume 1 at least. I don't, however, have Volume 2. If anyone has that and wouldn't mind sending that my way, I'll get it on the blog as well.

Helpless Amongst Friends, Volume One (1994 - Tooth & Nail Records)
Part One
Part Two



Also, the next several posts will be featuring some old Christian hardcore merchandise. I hope more people respond to this and send me pictures of their merch so it can posted on the blog as well. Why not bask in the glory of this awesome merch that most of us will never have the opportunity to get our hands on? Ugh. I'll post mine as well soon. Thanks!

Old Christian hardcore merch...

If anyone has pictures of legit old Christian hardcore merch, I'm talking about the era that is mostly featured on this blog, email me at joshxNATIONS@gmail.com. I would love to begin posting pictures of lost and forgotten merch of all this great music.

Figure Four & Point of Recognition split!

Figure Four & Point of Recognition Facedown Records Promo CD (2001 - Facedown Records)



(The only artwork we can find for this)

Thanks for the rip Brian!

Focused's "The Wheels of Progress"

The Wheels of Progress (1999 - Facedown Records)



I don't know a lot about this release, mainly because I never could find it until a rip of it was recently sent my way online for the blog. Please comment with information on the record and I'll update the post. Stuff like: the year it was released, dates of the material compiled on the record, etc. Thanks!

Thank you Seth for the rip!

New KILLING YEARS 8-song demo!

Download the new 8 song demo here!



Check it out online at our MySpace and at our Facebook.
5 songs were to be featured originally on a self titled ep, but we have decided to include them with 3 new songs as an new 8 song demo. I will be at local shows in Cincinnati passing them out for free, as well as having them distributed amongst scenes across the country by friends. If you want some mailed to you so you can do the same, email me!

Who plays guitar?

Anyone want to play guitar for Killing Years?

Ugh.

A Review of Jawbone's "As Unmarked Graves" Demo

I was recently contacted by Clint Vaught, the vocalist of up and coming Christian hardcore band from Evansville, IN, Jawbone, about the release of their demo and the possibility of a review. Good dude, good band, and a promising future.

With the recent release of their five-song demo titled As Unmarked Graves; they have, in my opinion, set the standard for modern day, true, "spirit-filled hardcore." I am always pretty hesitant on jumping on-board with any Christian hardcore band of today because I have found that with the decline of the traditional Christian hardcore bands of the 90's and even the early 2000's, most of whom are featured on this blog, Christian hardcore bands today just aren't doing something right. It's not that I am some sort of "elitist" when it comes to hardcore, or even music in general, which I have been called; but that Christian hardcore is something that I continue to have a soft-spot for when it is not only
done right, but done for the right reasons. I have never been able to
put my finger on exactly what specific attribute I am thinking of, but it is a trait that when lacking, a Christian hardcore band will not succeed in either the hardcore scene or in spreading the Word. After listening to this demo though, and speaking with Clint; I have discovered that Jawbone, a band hailing from only a few hours away from me, is the exception to this decline.

Now, typically I would have looked at my initial conversation with Clint as just another Christian hardcore band trying to make it big while sticking to their Faith, but I knew there was something different at play here. I wouldn't necessarily consider Jawbone a ministry band like many older Christian hardcore bands claimed to have been, but I would

definitely look at them as a Christian hardcore band that is playing for the right reasons. Their lyrics are very straightforward about with whom their Faith lies in a very blatant fashion, yet I found myself rather overwhelmed with the same feelings I got when I heard old Christian hardcore bands for the first time when I was much younger. Being a Christian who hates the preachy, shove-down-others-throats mentality of the common perception of modern day Christianity just as much as an Atheist or "God-Free" kid would today; I find Jawbone's lyrics on this demo to be more refreshing than the common complaint made against Christian lyrics of being nothing but "preaching to the choir." These lyrics, the attitude, and their expression give me more of a sense of praise and worship rather than preach, preach, preach, but all while (being presented alongside hardcore music) in a "fire-and-brimstone" sort of fashion. Pretty rad actually. Jawbone definitely does not hesitate to present believers and non-believers hardcore music with a message.

Musically, I have found this demo pretty addicting. I will admit that when I first put this into my stereo, I was just breezing through it (sorry Clint!). As I looked again at the artwork for the demo, which I will discuss in a bit, I was reminded of how DIY this is and how legit this band's presentation is in my eyes. Later that day I left town to visit my parents and reminded myself to bring the demo along with me. I meant to give it my undivided attention in the hour-plus car ride out east of the city, but didn't even put it into the CD player. I honestly just have a difficult time giving hardcore bands the time of day anymore. Let's just say that I am glad I did the reverse with this demo.

When I finally arrived at my parents' home where I knew I would be sitting around for awhile, I figured I would go ahead and spend the 10 minutes on the demo and really give it a good listen.

From the start, I knew that whether a Christian band or not, this was a hardcore band that will stand out from all the others. A raw recording, classic hardcore style vocals (a true yell/scream rather than a developed beastly sound); and song structure that sets them apart from any typical hardcore sub-genre with moments of chaos, fast punk beats, tough-guy sounding heavy parts, and even slow, gloomy moments; has made me revisit this five-song demo several times since my first listen.

The first song, and title track of the demo, "As Unmarked Graves, is the best example on the demo of the span of hardcore sub-genres Jawbone tackles with ease. The song starts chaotic, gets fast, gets heavy, and gets you ready for the gloominess of the following track all under two minutes. Impressive.

After many, many listens; I have come to the conclusion that the tracks that appealed to me most and I continue to listen to first each time I listen to the demo, are the second and third songs, titled "Be Not Afraid" and "Benedictus." My reasoning for this is that "Be Not Afraid" presents a message in such a dark fashion and as it shoots into "Be Not Afraid", you're left with just being totally stoked that you have the demo. I love it.

Lastly, the artwork rules. In my eyes, there is nothing better than when hardcore bands releases demos and eps that display the very essence of the DIY ethic. Single fold booklet within the clear plastic sleeve. Black and white, simple artwork covering the front and back while the insides features just text. I still pick up albums like this when I see them in record stores just because I can relate so heavily to what the band is doing. To me, it really sums up the package.

Overall, the demo is solid. I will listen to this demo over almost any of today's hardcore records, especially Christian hardcore records, any time I am looking for something to jam to. The vocals are a great fit for the musical style with an especially raw sound to them that makes the lyrics sound that much more profound. The guitar work on the recording is raw as well, but tight with the very traditional and heavy style drumming. What I really appreciate about the music and the recording of this demo is the lack of over-production that is heard on a lot of today's hardcore, but at the same time doesn't sound like amateur hour like many bands that do lack over-production. It's perfect, really.

Jawbone, whether they last long or not, will make a major impact on the Christian hardcore scene, if not the entire the hardcore scene, if they keep at it the way they are. Superb hardcore music with a real Christian message is just a hint of what this demo brings to the table. I feel blessed to have been contacted by Clint and look forward to seeing them play in the future and having my band join them on shows. Go see them play the few dates they currently have listed for the month of August. Hit up the band on MySpace and download the demo. If you like what you're hearing, go to a show and buy the demo for only $3. Please comment, I would love to know what everyone thinks!

Come to Cincinnati on Sunday, July 18th!

For those of you who follow the blog, if you were into Shockwave and Disciple, then you're probably into Jesus Wept, the current "Quiggle project." They have been on tour with a couple other modern day Christian hardcore bands, Call to Preserve and Continuance, for awhile now and are going out of their way to come to Cincinnati on Sunday, July 18th. Along with the touring bands will be friends of mine, Dead Icons from Lexington, KY and my band, Killing Years. Drive out here, meet up with me, and hang out. Killing Years hasn't played in a couple months because of our vocalist situation, so we're psyched, even though we are playing with a fill-in guitarist (things never go smoothly with my bands). Let me know if you are coming/need direction on Facebook. Hope to see some of you guys!

Jason Berggren's "10 Things I Hate About Christianity", update on "Sociology of Christian Punk" research, and more.

I have been keeping in touch with Jason Berggren, early vocalist of Florida Christian hardcore band, Strongarm, about getting him involved in the Sociology of Christian Punk research at the University of Bristol. I referred the researcher to Jason and, as I was, he was recently interviewed about the subject of, and many issues including and surrounding, Christian punk/hardcore music/scene.

About a week ago, Jason mailed me a copy of his book, 10 Things I Hate About Christianity: Working Through the Frustrations of Faith. I plan to begin reading through the book very soon and will be posting about the material within its covers, either as I go along or in whole when I am finished.

On a different note, I am really trying to find the time, as well as the motivation in my little free time, to post some more music, some scans of zine articles, updating missing artwork (thanks for the iTunes tip Mike!), rips of some 7"s and LP's recently obtained, and scans of entire album artwork from memorable Christian hardcore records from the 90's and early 2000's. Honestly, the little free time I have has been taken up by EA Sports' FIFA '10. But, bear with me! I have been doing a lot of work gathering some pretty awesome figures in the Christian hardcore scene of the past, some of the present, to participate in the Sociology of Christian Punk research, writing music for Killing Years and getting us back on track with playing shows and recording, and working. Some prominent figures that are confirmed to be interviewed or have already been interviewed for the research are members of great bands such as: Bloodshed, Unashamed, Overcome, Strongarm, and Outcast; as well as the man behind HXCChristian.com. I am still waiting on confirmations from several other members of memorable Christian hardcore bands, such as: Underoath, Stretch Arm Strong, Focused, Zao, Six Feet Deep, Sleeping by the Riverside, and Focal Point; as well as well-known Christian hardcore enthusiast and artist, Dave Quiggle.

There is a lot to look forward to with this research. It will be awhile, but this stuff is going to be published in sociology articles with the University, presented in a dissertation from the researcher, and then hopefully into a book on the entire subject (which will be great!). In other news; I am psyched that Tim from Focused will be sending me a shirt from their reunion, I will finally be getting my hands on a couple rare Christian hardcore 7"s I was offered, and I'm going to get me an Overcome shirt!

Sociology of Christian Punk

So, yesterday at 4pm I was interviewed by my new friend, Ibrahim from the University of Bristol in the U.K., about Christian hardcore music. He is currently working on a dissertation on the Sociology of Christian Punk. His research is funded by the University and will lead to a series of articles on the subject matter, as well a book published in the near future on the material he gathers that is already had interest expressed in by a few American publishing houses. I, obviously, was interviewed regarding Christian hardcore, but we also covered the topics of: the hardcore scene in general, the Christian hardcore scene (past and present), Christian hardcore music, hardcore music, straight edge, and even the roles females have played in the hardcore and Christian scenes. It was pretty awesome. I will be reviewing the transcript of the interview within the next couple days. I am currently assisting him in gathering those who I believe have been prominent members of the Christian hardcore scene so that not only will his research be accurate, but a future book on the subject could be as rad as possible. I will keep everyone posted in the future. Meanwhile, there are some things I plan to post on the blog; including some old Tooth & Nail, Facedown, and other labels' compilations; as well as some scans of zines, memorable album artwork, and old live pictures of bands.

Christian hardcore rules.

Selfmindead's 7"

7" (1997 - Soulscape Records)



Thanks Mike for both the Selfmindead 7" and the No Innocent Victim self titled rips.

More NIV!

No Innocent Victim's self titled record from 1998, released on now defunct record label, Tolerance Records.

Self titled - (1998 - Tolerance Records)
Part One
Part Two

What's to come

I apologize for not posting for a couple of weeks. I have been ultra busy trying to get shit together with this whole finding someone new to do vocals for Killing Years thing, working on lyrics and such so we can get Kevin Byers (ex-Morning Again, Waking Kills the Dream) into the studio to do all of the vocal tracks for the new three song demo, working, and starting a company with our bassist Steve. I think I may take a break for a while on posting music, unless I come across something I just absolutely have to get onto the blog. Meanwhile, I plan to post some scans of record/CD artwork/layouts and scans of The Crucial Times zine from the 90s. The Crucial Times was a Christian hardcore zine written by my dude Chris who recently hooked me up with some super rad Christian hardcore vinyls, CDs, and cassettes; as well as tons of issues of The Crucial Times. Check out all the things Chris does on his website. Super creative dude.

So, I guess blogs replaced zines? When I was reading through these issues of the zine and going through these old Christian hardcore vinyls, CDs, and cassettes; it did some things to me.
1. It made me miss zines.
2. It made me miss old hardcore record artwork/layouts.
and
3. It sent me down memory lane the furthest I have ever been.

Here are some key things people in our hardcore scene today can do to really bring back the feeling of true hardcore:
1. Book bands that aren't just huge, mainstream hardcore bands.
2. Throw your shows in basements, rooms in houses, and other makeshift venues. My favorite show I have been to was a 7 Angels 7 Plagues show that was in a living room when I was in high school.
3. Keep pushing the DIY ethic. Make, print, and distribute your band's music yourselves! It is always so much more personable and you get a sense of the heart that band is putting into their music.
4. Book shows with local bands, with the "main act" being just an out of town band, not necessarily a big touring band.
5. Keep pushing paper fliers for shows! I know the internet is the easiest/quickest way to send information (especially hardcore shows), but paper fliers hit those kids that maybe don't follow the main crowd in your local scene. Plus, people like me have collected those fliers forever! We want to keep doing it.
and
6. No more typical band pictures. Nothing better than getting a record and checking out all of the artworks inside and NOT seeing some corny promo picture of the band, or some typical live shot of the band. Zao did this well on some of their stuff. Pretty awesome.

Anyway...soon I'll post some cool scans of stuff.

Again, I appreciate anything people donate to this blog. People that send me links, music, physical records, zines, etc., you are loved!

Anyone have a physical copy of...

Disembodied's Existence in Suicide record?



A little bit in the opposite direction of Christian hardcore, but I can't not help out because Disembodied still reigns heaviest band of all time in my book (I think I can say that continued into Martyr AD as well). My copy is very dear to me haha, but I lack a working CD drive on my computer, so never actually get to rip stuff on my own computer whenever I want. I usually have to go out of my way to rip something on another computer somewhere. Gets very frustrating. I have Disembodied's entire collection on my computer, but a follower of Christian Hardcore Records asked me if I could put the word out that he is looking for a physical copy of this record in particular. If anyone has one they are willing to sell, email me so I can let the dude know. I'm sure this shit will get re-released anyway since Disembodied is playing again. If anything, he can refer to their Psalms of Sheol discography record they released somewhat recently, as it features all five songs from Existence in Suicide.

Mara'akate and Fable split

Mara'akate & Fable Split 7" (2000 - Happy Couples Never Last Records)



Check out more of Fable.

Thanks Michael for the rip of this vinyl!
- Sidenote: The first track is all four of Mara'akate's tracks and the second track is Fable's one track on the record.

The Through and Through Collection

The Through and Through Collection was put out in 1999 by band member Mullet. I got this copy at Cornerstone from Caleb Olsen/BTH. I am not sure where other copies went, but I do know that they were hand numbered to 100, and this is copy 13. It is a 16 page zine with a cdr inside of it. The cover / back picture is actually 2 pages each. The text is printed on a clear paper on the outside and the pictures are printed on normal pages inside. The cd contains a total of 29 tracks, including some live, unreleased, demo, and previously released songs, and some random things like interviews and chatter. I highly suggest tracks 28 and 29. Page 14 in the zine offers some more insight on where some of the tracks came from. I doubt you might find this zine in a distro or something anywhere, but if you ever find any of the regularly released material, you should totally pick it up. Boot To Head probably still has copies of Joshua Aiken (1 , 2) and Subterfuge split.

- Ryan

Here are the pages from the zine:

















The Through and Through Collection (1999)
Part One
Part Two
Part Three

Thanks for the rip and the scans Ryan!

Laurelei

These guys were from North Carolina. All I know about them, thanks to Ryan, is that the original bassist on Hopesfall's first record, Frailty of Words (1 , 2), played in this band. I also think a dude in this band went on to later do vocals for Hopesfall. All Laurelei has ever released is the 9 songs on this self titled record, but apparently they did record another song that never was released. They played the epitome of early 2000's metalcore, but it isn't all that bad. Check it out below.

Self Titled (2000)

Thanks Ryan for the rip.

Order a free copy of Killing Years' EP online

If you're interested in getting a DIY, pressed by us, copy of our 5 song self titled EP (released this year), let me know or message Killing Years on MySpace and we will send you one after you pay for shipping.



As you guys can probably tell, I've been pretty busy with Killing Years stuff. Getting this EP pressed and dealing with finding someone to do vocals for us now, so I have been slacking a bit on posting music.

Want to do vocals for Killing Years?

My band Killing Years is now in search of a new vocalist. If anyone is interested, email me at joshxNATIONS@gmail.com. Check out the music on the MySpace page. We will most likely have whoever learn the 5 songs from our self released ep (which is online) and when we choose someone; that person will learn the vocals for the 3 songs on our new demo that do not have vocals recorded yet and will make their first appearance with us on the demo. Let me know.

Within

This band is from Texas. The singer, Sean, went on to sing for Embodyment. They weren't around all that long. They had this record, and a song from it on the Blessed Be This Killing comp on Deadself Records. What sticks out the most to me is that the artwork for the album was done by the same guy that did Zao's All Else Failed, Splinter Shards, Blood and Fire, and Further Seems Forever's How To Start A Fire.
- Ryan

Yeah...all of the artwork on all those records is amazing. I have always loved that painted artwork created solely for the artist's record, rather than just pictures of paintings, comics, movies, and all the Bible imagery that bands from that era used to use. Don't get me wrong, I love the DIY look of all that stuff just as much, but this artwork is so great. Same kind of stuff that was done for One King Down's Blood Lust Revenge record, Focal Point's Suffering of the Masses record, and Strongarm's Division, Atonement, and The Advent of a Miracle records.

Out of the Shadows of Desperation (1995 - Red Crown Record Empire)



Maybe my next post will feature all that sort of artwork from that era of hardcore...

A Steadfast Records compilation

This is an amazing comp! Released in 1997 by Steadfast Records, Matt Traxler compiled lots of unreleased material for this album. Songs from Training For Utopia, Chalice, Innermeans, Through and Through, Subsist , and Sleeping By The Riverside were all unused songs from recording sessions, or songs that would be rewritten for later records. If your a fan of any of those bands, it is exciting to hear songs from them that you had no idea ever existed. The album also has songs from bands that would go on to have much more output in the years to come. Spitifre, Brandtson, Feci Dal Signore, Pensive and xDisciplex submitted songs from demo's and 7"s that were already in press. These songs were at the time a great introduction for someone who had never heard them, and presently they are a reflection of their earlier recorded material after releasing several more, widely heard records. In my opinion, it is extremely rare to find a compilation album of this era and like half the songs or more, and I enjoy that I can hardly skip any of the tracks. It also contains pictures by Myk Porter and a design / layout by Caleb from Boot To Head Records. If you can find this album in a distro somewhere, or online, do not hesitate to add it to your collection!
- Ryan

Radiowaves and Gibberish: Steadfast Records compilation (1997 - Steadfast Records)
Part One
Part Two

more Subsist

This is Subsist's independently released The Rhythm Method record from 2000. Be sure to check out the previous post on Subsist for their Lessons in Brokenness record.

The Rhythm Method (2000)



I apologize for the tiny album artwork.

Some more NIV!

Here is No Innocent Victim's The Crazy Engler Brothers record. This was released on Victory Records in 1999. Thanks Ryan or the rip. Be sure to check out my other posts on No Innocent Victim.

The Crazy Engler Brothers (1999 - Victory Records)

Fable

Thanks to Ryan, I got a rip of Fable's Give Us the Night record. Check out the A Testament to Broken Walls compilation that I posted before in the Compilations section of the blog; Fable has a track on there titled "Hank's Return." This band was from Michigan and was around kind of a while for being so young, but they only put out a handful of songs.

It is fairly widely known that for the most part hardcore is a 'young mans game.' Michigan's Fable proved that axiom to be more true than most realize. Started in 1997, the members were an average age of 15. Some kids think it is kind of embarrassing for their parents to drop them off at a show, but these guys were having their parents drive them to PLAY shows instead. I remember a guy I once knew was booking a show and booked Fable. He saw their small website and knew they were young, but if they wanted to play, he wanted them to. In all honesty he was doing it in the same attitude as letting your little brother do something with you and your friends. The show came, and Fable played, and I will never forget the shamed look he had after realizing that Fable was SO MUCH better than over half the bands he usually books! This was more than common for a band that would record only a handful of songs and then leave everyone wanting more.
In 1998 they recorded their Give Us The Night 7" (1-4) for Takehold Records and a song for the Testament To Broken Walls Compilation that would sit on the shelf for over 3 years. There was also a song taken from the 7", remixed a little and put on the Fools Rush In... Compilation on Takehold Records. The lineup for these songs was: Derek James, David Vandervelde, Andrew Peerbolt and Jonathan Kleyn. With the lineup thinned to a 3 piece, minus Andrew Peerbolt, the remeaing members recorded their last material for a split 7" with Mara'Akate on Happy Couples Never Last Records.
- Ryan

Shit, I was in many hardcore bands throughout my pre-teen/teenage years and definitely remember doing stuff like that.

Give Us the Night (1999 - Takehold Records)



Thanks again Ryan for the rip.

Bloodshed's record released as a limited edition

Thanks to Ryan, we now have a rip of Bloodshed's Soft Spoken Words of Fallbrook vinyl. My best friend Steve (plays bass in Killing Years with me) bought this vinyl when we were like 12 years old, but doesn't have the means of getting a rip of it. This is a big deal to me because we have always loved this record, but I have never had a digital copy of it. Pretty stoked. This record was released in '96 by Tooth & Nail Records as a limited edition vinyl. A great followup to their perfect Self Titled record.

Soft Spoken Words of Fallbrook (1996 - Tooth & Nail Records)