Artist: Various Artists
Album: Happy Christmas Volume 5
Release Date: 9/28/10
Label: Tooth & Nail Records

It's that time of year again. You know, that time where the fall comes around and all the Christmas music releases? Well, it's here and we have Happy Christmas Vol. 5 to show for it. Composed of an array of various artists off of the Tooth & Nail Records roster, this sentimental release has something for everyone, from metal to piano driven tunes.

The album starts out with Hawk Nelson's fun pop punk rendition of "The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)," which is yes, from Alvin and the Chipmunks. Following up is a new original from Demon Hunter, entitled "The Wind." The song is very dark and only contains clean vocals from Ryan Clark, but is no doubt a pleasure to listen to from Demon Hunter. Ivoryline's version of the classic "O, Holy Night" is a perfect selection to go with the band's high energy alternative rock.

Thousand Foot Krutch and their side project, FM Static, each throw in a song to the project, choosing "Heat Miser" and "Snow Miser." TFK do a hard rock styled "Heat Miser," actually a bit heavier than I would have expected on a Christmas album, with FM Static doing a much more slowed down version of "Snow Miser," with a nice string section that fits the mood. August Burns Red have their metal instrumental of "O Come O Come Emmanuel" that released last year included as well.

Another on the album comes from a new Emery original , which is the worshipful, acoustic-driven "Jesus Gave Us Christmas." Family Force 5 have an original from their Christmas Pageant album that released last year, titled "It's Christmas Day," much different from anything the band has done on prior albums. Bon Voyage makes an appearance as well, with her quirky version of "The Little Christmas Tree."

Progressive act Sent By Ravens put an nice touch on the album with "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)," that was a surprise to listen to, as it doesn't relate much to the band's sound. Dance rockers Queens Club include a darker, bass-heavy rendition of "You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch," followed by the 80s style rock of Neon Horse, who perform the older song "Zat You Santa Clause."

The album draws to a close with acoustic folk group Surrogate laying down "Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree," followed by the closer, the piano layered "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas," from Copeland. It closes Happy Christmas on a slower note, ending the near perfect Christmas project.

Rating: 9/10 Usually, Christmas albums don't have this much hype on them, but the newest addition to the Happy Christmas series is something to get excited about. A Christmas album with something for everyone included, this is the one Christmas album that you need to pick up.

Tracklisting:

1. The Chipmunk Song (Christmas Don't Be Late)
2. The Wind
3. O, Holy Night
4. Heat Miser
5. O Come O Come Emmanuel
6. Jesus Gave Us Christmas
7. It's Christmas Day
8. The Little Christmas Tree
9. Happy Christmas (War Is Over)
10. You're A Mean One Mr. Grinch
11. Zat You Santa Clause
12. Snow Miser
13. Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree
14. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

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Artist: August Burns Red
Album: Home
Release Date: 9/28/10
Label: Solid State Records

I'm not a big fan of live albums. To me, they aren't usually my thing. Well, I'm always willing to make an exception, which was not a hard choice to make after listening to Home, the new live album from Pennsylvania's own August Burns Red. Having seen their live show before, this album came as a treat to listen to, capturing their technical riffs, breakdowns, expertise double bass from drummer Matt Greiner and Jake Luhrs' heavy growls.

The intro track on Home slowly builds up into fan favorite "Back Burner" that explodes right away. Following up is a nice performance of "White Washed," that surprised me at how good it sounded compared to the studio version. I was a bit skeptical when "Mariana's Trench" arrived, as it is certainly a great track, both the studio version and from my prior experience of seeing ABR play it live this past summer. The slow technical buildup started off well, leading into Jake's brutal vocals. They do sound a bit distorted at first, but slowly got better as the track progressed. After the track ends, Jake expresses that ABR would not be where they are now without the support from the fans, and more importantly, their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

One of my favorite tracks was the mainly instrumental "Meridian," which actually happens to be the first time the band had ever played the song live. Another gem on Home would be "A Shot Below The Belt," which has a good, quality feel to it. I was also rather shocked at how nice "Composure" turned out, which "closes" the album, only to be followed be the band's encore, a performance of "The Seventh Trumpet," that opens with the words, "Do you guys wanna hear another song?" "The Seventh Trumpet" serves it's purpose, to close the live album in a memorable way.

Rating: 8/10 August Burns Red have done it again with Home, a great live album full of fan favorites that will be sure to get you moving. Recorded in the band's hometown of Manheim, PA, Home features songs from each of ABR's three albums, which all fit together nicely. Simply put, August Burns Red fans, welcome home.

Tracklisting:

1. Intro
2. Back Burner
3. White Washed
4. Your Little Suburbia Is In Ruins
5. The Eleventh Hour
6. Meddler
7. Truth Of A Liar
8. Mariana's Trench
9. Thirty and Seven
10. Existence
11. Meridian
12. A Shot Below The Belt
13. Up Against The Ropes
14. Composure
15. The Seventh Trumpet

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Artist: Righteous Vendetta
Album: The Dawning
Release Date: 8/17/10
Label: Red Cord Records

Sometimes you hear a new band and are astonished at their maturity and talent level. Righteous Vendetta are one of those bands. Hailing from Cody, Wyoming on Red Cord Records, Righteous Vendetta have brought us their first full-length album entitled The Dawning. How good are they you ask? They are good enough to get myself and a fellow reviewer talking about how good The Dawning is and how we would have never believed it would be this polished.

Righteous Vendetta have a sound that would be best described as melodic metalcore. They meld the screaming vocals and clean singing that is so prevalent in today's scene, but the never approach the whiny sound that so many bands fall into. In fact, Righteous Vendetta have some of the best clean vocals in the scene. They also utilize a lot of shredding guitar riffs, blistering double bass drumming and crushing breakdowns. Righteous Vendetta remind me a lot of what might come out of a jam session with For Today and War of Ages. That alone should tell you all you need to know about Righteous Vendetta's songwriting and performing chops.

Some of the highlights on The Dawning are "Foretold," with its explosive, rapid fire double bass drumming and shredding riffs, the title track with its incredible guitar work and amazing vocal performance. A few others are "Rex Tryon," included with some unique guitar playing and a beautiful piano interlude, and "The New Normal," with incredible guitar work. Although only a few highlights were mentioned, every song is unique and well crafted.

Rating: 8/10 With The Dawning, Righteous Vendetta have crafted an album that shows skill well beyond their years. For Righteous Vendetta, this is only the beginning. It's only a matter of time before they move on to bigger and better things.

Reviewed by Matthew Alexander

Tracklisting:

1. Intro
2. In Tents (Like Camping)
3. Away From The Truth
4. The Dawning
5. Rex Tryon
6. Essence
7. The New Normal
8. Foretold
9. A Breath Beneath
10. Outro

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As Hell Retreats have just announced an extensive fall tour.  They'll be out with Strengthen What Remains for the first half of the dates and then they'll join up with Strike First's Letter to the Exiles and Gideon for the second half.

As Hell Retreats are touring in support of their 2010 debut Revival.

Tour Dates

w/ Strengthen What Remains

Sep 24 - McDonough, GA @ The Armory
Sep 25 - East Ridge, TN @ The Warehouse
Sep 27 - Clarksville, TN @ The Coup
Sep 28 - Evansville, IN @ Resurgence Church
Sep 29 - Shiloh, OH @ Grounds for Chang
Oct 1 - State Line, PA @ Crossroads Church
Oct 4 - Ellicott, MD @ House Show
Oct 5 - Brooklyn, NY @ Party Xpo
Oct 10 - Amityville, NY @ Broadway Bar
Oct 15 - East Ridge, TN @ Livestock Festival
Oct 16 - East Ridge, TN @ Livestock Festival

Novemeber w/ Letters to the Exiles(Strike First) and Gideon

Nov 1 - Marietta, GA @ Swayzes
Nov 2 - Murfreesboro,TN @ The Yeah Venue
Nov 3 - Corbin, KY @ Corbin Tech Center
Nov 5 - Mansfeild, OH @ Grounds for Change
Nov 6 - York, PA @ The Boondocks Club
Nov 9 -Manchester, NH @ Rockos
Nov 10 - Boston, MA @ The Church of Boston (18+)
Nov 11 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Party Xpo
Nov 13 - Crofton, MD @ MACC

Oct 16 - East Ridge, TN @ LIVESTOCK FEST
Oct 17 - Lynchburg, VA @ The Hive
Oct 18 - Fredericksburg, VA @ The Refuge
Oct 19 - Crofton, MD @ Macc
Oct 22 - Lansing, MI @ Mac's Bar
Oct 23 - Toledo, OH @ Frankie's Inner City
Oct 26 - La Crosse, WI @ The Warehouse
Oct 27 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Beat
Oct 28 - Sioux Falls, SD @ Senior Weiner
Oct 29 - Jefferson, SD @ Community Center
Oct 30 - Denver, CO @ Quixotes
Oct 31 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
Nov 2 - Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
Nov 4 - Petaluma, CA @ CW Gallery
Nov 6 - Temecula, CA @ The Vault
Nov 7 - Chino, CA @ The Stronghold
Nov 8 - Yucaipa, CA @ Joshua Springs CC
Nov 12 - El Paso, TX @ Vineyard
Nov 13 - San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Nov 14 - Dallas, TX @ Fat Daddy's
Nov 15 - Joplin, MO @ The Foundry
Nov 16 - Russellville, AR @ Grindhouse Skatepark
Nov 17 - Oxford, MS @ Red House
Nov 20 - Douglasville, GA @ 7 Venue BBQ Fest

Artist: John Reuben
Album: Zappin
Release Date: 9/14/10
Label: Gotee Records

I'd have to say that most of the time, greatest hits albums can come off a bit unnecessary, but Zappin from John Reuben has pulled it off rather nicely. An 18 track collection of songs spanning Reuben's ten year career thus far, this album chronicles his musical journey well, from his early days as a fresh face in Christian hip-hop, to his more experimental, alternative sound that he currently resides in, that still does contain some rhythmic beats thrown in here and there.

Some of the opening tracks, such as "Him Her He She" and "Do Not" are from Reuben's debut album, Are We There Yet?, and have more of a fun hip-hop flavor, which is considerably different from his more recent works on Sex, Drugs and Self-Control which released not even a year ago. There are also a few tracks from that album on Zappin as well, being three of the album's singles, "No Be Nah," "Town Folk" and "Jamboree." These three tracks are a good representation of what to expect from John Reuben and his current sound.

Another three interesting tracks would be "Nuisance," "Life Is Short" and "Out of Control." The first track of those, "Nuisance," may be John Reuben's biggest song to date, containing an alternative sound and guest vocals from Matthew Thiessen of Relient K. "Life Is Short" adds vocals from tobyMac, whose influence on the song certainly shows. One of my favorites from John Reuben is also included, with "Out of Control." Tim Skipper of House of Heroes takes a turn on vocals for the song's chorus, adding an eerie depth.

Not forgotten are tracks like "Hindsight" that has a message that really makes you think. The banjo-laden, witty "Make Money Money" is filled with an interesting beat as well. To top off Zappin, the packaging also allows you to download all ten of John Reuben's music videos from over the years as well.

Rating: 7/10 If you're new to John Reuben, this greatest hits album Zappin would be a good introduction to his music. A very well chosen selection of songs spanning Reuben's career is a good way to define this album.

Tracklisting:

1. Him Her He She
2. Do Not
3. Doin'
4. Make Money Money
5. Nuisance (ft. Matthew Thiessen of Relient K)
6. Move
7. No Be Nah
8. Gather In
9. Hindsight
10. All I Have
11. Word Of Mouth
12. Town Folk
13. Divine Inspiration
14. Life Is Short (ft. tobyMac)
15. Out of Control (ft. Tim Skipper of House of Heroes)
16. Jamboree
17. Thank You
18. Good Evening

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Artist: With Life In Mind
Album: Grievances
Release Date: 9/14/10
Label: CI Records

Lately, the state of Pennsylvania has been bringing up some of the biggest bands in the metal scene, consisting of War of Ages, August Burns Red and Texas In July, to name a few. Well, you can now welcome With Life In Mind to that list, one of the best up and coming bands to the scene. Their heavy debut Grievances serves as a solid start to their career, full of superb double bass drumming and heavy breakdowns that certainly attack your ears. Drawing comparisons to August Burns Red, I'm sure that many fans of metalcore will find something to like about With Life In Mind.

Grievances starts right off with the short title track, that serves as more of an intro, building up into "King Of Frauds," which is full of adrenaline pumping riffs to get you off your feet. "The Struggle Of Men" explodes immediately after it's predecessor, which has one of the best vocal performances heard throughout the album, including a breakdown proclaiming "We are the weak, we are the slaves to freedom!" The title of the song sums up the albums theme as well, which talks of the struggles of a man searching for a bigger purpose in life.

In the midst of the heaviness brought with Grievances comes a minute long instrumental named "One Day It Will All Make Sense" that has a near ambient feel to it. A few gang vocals are found on the album, but only in very small quantities, such as on the closer "Our Endless Existence" that wraps up the album.

However, Grievances is not without some flaws, one being the production. For the most part, it has a heavy and solid sense to it, but at other times, some of the production effects lost me at times. One other thing that I noticed is that some of the tracks seemed to flow together a bit to much, but in all, they don't take away from the solid debut from With Life In Mind.

Rating: 7/10 With Life In Mind have started it off right, with the solid debut of Grievances. Fans of August Burns Red will be happy with this quality metalcore album, that is however not without a few flaws. Look for big things from With Life In Mind to come.

Tracklisting:

1. Grievances
2. King Of Frauds
3. The Collapse Of Men
4. Anxiety Ridden
5. Surroundings
6. One Day It Will All Make Sense
7. The Human Condition
8. Plagued
9. Silenced
10. Self-Righteous
11. Our Endless Existence

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Artist: The Ember Days
Album: Finger Painting EP
Release Date: 8/31/10
Label: Come&Live!

I'll lay it out on the table right now, worship music is the biggest hit or miss genre with me. Despite always full of praise to God, there are just some bands that lack in creativity and some that just do it in a very accessible way that is very enjoyable to anyone. The Ember Days are a hit. The presence of God that fills the five tracks on their newest EP, Finger Painting, will no doubt make you want to uplift your praise to Jesus Christ on the spot. This five track effort is filled with three instrumentals and two tracks with vocals, provided by Janell Belcher, adding the the beautiful ambient atmosphere, that is perfect for a worship setting.

Setting the atmospheric sense right off is "Hope," the first of the instrumentals. The ambient feel provided captures you from the simple strumming of a guitar to the pounding, triumphant drums that go on through the song. "It Is Well" has a softer feel to it, with Janell's soaring vocals resonating to the sounds of an orchestrated section and an acoustic guitar. The last two instrumentals follow, "Rest" and "Finger Painting." The latter clocks at, yes, nearly 11 minutes long but has the surprising ability to take hold of the listener and not let go, with a nice drum buildup that binds the song together. The closer, "Simple Song," starts off slow and piano driven, but breaks into a chorus of guitars and choir that proclaims "Hallelujah, we praise You" to close out Finger Painting on a high note.

Rating: 8/10 Out of New Zealand come one of the best bands in the worship circuit today, The Ember Days. The atmospheric, ambient songs contained on Finger Painting provide an intimate feeling of worship and praising Jesus Christ. This is no doubt some of the best worship music this year has had to offer.

Tracklisting:

1. Hope
2. It Is Well
3. Rest
4. Finger Painting
5. Simple Song

(Download Here)

Strike First Records has signed Texas based hardcore band Messengers.  Check out the title track from their upcoming EP Anthems here:  http://tiny.cc/m6l5o

In the Midst of Lions have just released a video for "The Machine," a song from their recent Facedown release The Heart of Man.  You can watch it now on Facedown's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/facedownrecords

Artist: Anberlin
Album: Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place
Release Date: 9/7/10
Label: Universal Republic

It's been two years since Anberlin signed to Universal Republic and right after, released their album New Surrender. Many fans were let down, especially since the band's critically acclaimed album Cities had released only a year earlier. While, look no further, Anberlin are back and have something to prove with their fifth studio effort, Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place. Perhaps a natural progression, Anberlin have certainly matured and polished up their sound since New Surrender, with a more accessible album that is sure to please both new fans and old ones alike. Dark Is The Way... has a very diverse sound, no two songs sounding alike. Something else that is noticeable is that Stephen Christian's vocals are one of the main focuses of the songs, the instrumentation set for flowing to his vocals, rather than the other way around.

Right off the bat, Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place starts with "We Owe This To Ourselves," a dark rocker that is no doubt Anberlin. Next comes the album's first single, "Impossible," which has a catchy alt-pop texture to it. The pulsating "Closer" is sure to be a fan favorite, where the ballad "You Belong Here" continues the smooth flow that lyrically focuses on a relationship.

"Pray Tell" is musically and lyrically one of the best tracks found on the album. It has a very diverse stomp-clap percussion section and admittedly talks of not keeping anything from God. Another dark alt-rock song focused on betrayal comes with "To The Wolves," with the verse "Who needs enemies when we've got friends like you." The acoustic "Down" has a mellow sound to it and is in the vein of "The Unwinding Cable Car." The album closer "Depraved" has a bit of a depressed feeling throughout, but builds up into an epic ending, the perfect way to end an album.

Rating: 9/10 Anberlin are back with some of their best work to date, contained on Dark Is The Way, Light Is A Place. It's no surprise that this album will work its way into many album of the year lists, certainly deserving that spot. Any fans that were lost on New Surrender, welcome back.

Tracklisting:

1. We Owe This To Ourselves
2. Impossible
3. Take Me (As You Found Me)
4. Closer
5. You Belong Here
6. Pray Tell
7. Art Of War
8. To The Wolves
9. Down
10. Depraved

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We are excited to bring you a stream of a new song titled "Lifting Me Up" from Lakes, who just released their new album, titled The Agreement. The album is available now on iTunes and Amazon, and you can buy a physical copy of the CD on Lakes' site.

 Lakes - Lifting Me Up by Christian Rock Rocks

My Epic will be teaming up with To Speak of Wolves for a Southeast tour that kicks off this Friday.  Tour dates are below.  My Epic are touring in support of their newest and most highly praised album Yet.