Gregorian Chants

 You know how they say that music can help us through dark times, bring us so many different emotions and even make us feel like we are traveling to another world.

Now we can get these feelings through all kinds of amazing music, whether it be heavy metal, rock, pop, r'n'b, rap, hip-hop, country, blues, you name it, it does it. But there are also plenty of music out there that not many people mention them. And one of those I really enjoy listening to is called a Gregorian Chant.

Singing has always been apart of church worshiping since the early days of Christianity. What I find beautiful about them are you can sing them with or without music being played.

Just something about Gregorian Chants have always been magical to me. They have always been one of my go to music to listen to when I feel the need to relax and stay calm. Hearing the beauty of the melodies just teleports me to another world. Its like I am in the presence of angels and reminds me that God is always there no matter what happens.

I mainly hear the chants from Roman Catholic churches. But a fun fact about the Gregorian Chants is that they are sung in Latin. I never knew until I learned about them. Which makes sense as I have always wondered what people were saying throughout each chant.

I also love watching monks sing them in their robes while walking around the cathedral. It feels even better when it is completely dark and the only light you see is with the candles.

It just makes everything seem so peaceful. Like nothing bad can ever exist and no harm will come to you. To be honest I think we all can use something like that in our lives.

So if you ever need something to help you relax or just want to feel God's Presence around you, listen to Gregorian Chants. You will not be disappointed.

God Bless and Be Safe Everybody 🙏🙏🙏

Love You All 

The Cranberries

 One of my personal favorite bands to listen to and in my humble opinion, one of the best bands in music history. The Cranberries!

The Cranberries were formed in 1989 under the name of The Cranberry Saw Us but they had a different lead singer before Dolores O'Riordan came on board in 1990. Other members include Mike and Neil Hogan as well as Fergal Lawler.

They were one of the reasons why I truly enjoyed being a 90s kid. They were also a very important influence on my life and for that I am forever grateful.

It is no secret about my battles with mental health and self-harming, but the Cranberries helped me through a lot of those feelings. Even to this very day, when I turn on a song and hear Dolores' voice it makes me feel so safe and that there is beauty even in the more darkest of times.

Just to name a few, some of the hits that the Cranberries created were songs like Dreams, Zombie, Salvation and personally my favorite being Linger which was released back in the early 90s. WOW I feel old lol.

But going back to Dolores, she was such a beautiful soul and her voice and the stories told with the music was truly amazing. There was so much meaningful stuff she was talking about in her lyrics and I didn't realize how much they were helping me get through some tough times until I got older.

Just reading about her story and what she went through in her personal life and continuing to push forward was such an inspiration to me.

With that being said, it stung when I found out that she had passed away. I mean, it really hurt me deep inside. And I still can't believe that it has been a little over six years since the world lost such a beautiful soul. I miss the Cranberries a lot and still wish they were here playing. But pray for Dolores to be at peace and pray for her family and the other members along with many others who's hearts were touched by the Cranberries.

Thank God though we all can just look up the Cranberries and continue to play their amazing music on the internet and I encourage everyone to listen.

RIP Dolores! Love and Miss you and the Cranberries!

God Bless and Be Safe Everybody. 

Jelly Roll

 Recently there has been a new artist that has really caught my eye and his name is Jelly Roll. He is a rapper/country music singer.

To be perfectly honest with all of you, I thought Jelly Roll was a brand new artist, but as I was doing some research for this blog post, I discovered that he has been at it since the early 2000s. As his first mixtape came out all the back in 2003. In fact, his first studio album wasn't until 2011. Talk about keep working at it.

The first time I had ever heard from Jelly Roll was back in 2021 when he came out with the Ballads of The Broken Album. And the song that caught my attention was the song called Dead Man Walking, which is still one of my favorite songs to listen to today.

He has also had a few more songs that I have really enjoyed such as Even Angels Cry, Son of A Sinner, Need A Favor and Save Me.

His music has really spoken to me, it really brought me hope that no matter how dark the world made seem to be, that there is always hope.

I also find it very interesting how he was able to turn his life around and now uses it to help other people who are out there struggling with anything in life and it is truly amazing what he has done.

Jelly Roll has gotten to perform in some incredible places like the Grand Ole Opry and had won the New Artist of the year award during the 57th Annual Country Music Association Awards.   

I continue to pray for Jelly Roll as he continues his music career and thank him for inspiring me to keep pushing forward and follow my dreams.

I also wish him well in his quest to end the use of fentanyl and other drug problems.

God Bless you Jelly Roll and I really insist on more people checking out his music.

God Bless and Be Safe everybody! 🙏🙏🙏

Godsmack

 It has been a while since I had written about some of my favorite music that I love to listen to and since back in early 2023 it had come to my attention that Godsmack had released their final album called Lighting Up The Sky.

It's crazy to think that one of the bands that was a very part of my life growing up had created their final album. Of course as we all know, nothing lasts forever. Now to be fair, the band did say that they will continue touring long after the fact so that is cool to hear.

It is also crazy to think that Godsmack has been around since the mid 90s. And to see how far they have come is truly amazing.

Their debut album "All Wound Up" came out in 1997. But it was their next album "Godsmack in 1998 really hooked me in. The song that first really got my attention was Voodoo. Not as much the song itself which still is amazing to listen to even to this very day. But the music video for the song, it was so amazing!

Along with Voodoo, I really enjoy listening to songs like Whatever, Keep Away, Awake, Spiral, Vampires, I Stand Alone, Re-Align, Releasing The Demons, 1000HP, Under Your Scars.

But my personal favorite has to be Serenity. You guys have no idea how much I loved this song, every time I play that song it just takes me to another world where nothing can ever harm me, including myself. I would even go on record and say this song is one of the beautifully done songs I have ever heard.

I would also like to say, that Godsmack's unplugged show in the House of Blues was an amazing show that I still listen to today and I would dare go as far and say that it was one of if not the best Unplugged show ever. But that is just my humble opinion.

It is so cool to see these guys continue to produce music and these guys are also a reminder that appreciate this music now because you never know when it will all come to an end.

God Bless you guys! And best of luck in your future. 🙏🙏🙏

ACDC

 You can not go wrong with such a legendary rock and roll band named ACDC and in my humble opinion, they still are just as amazing now as they were back in 1973.

Now that I think about it, I can not believe that this band has been around for 50 years. But then again, ACDC rules! So I guess it shouldn't be so surprising.

As I was researching about ACDC, I discovered that the band was formed back in the land down under in Sydney, Australia. I never knew that which is pretty cool.

I also learned throughout my time reading about the band was that they had not one but two big time singers throughout their run. The first being Bon Scott who tragically passed away back in 1980 (RIP) then later joined by Brian Johnson and have been the frontman ever since.

My first memory of ACDC was probably one of my favorite memories of my childhood. Especially because it was with my father. 

I remember getting ready along with my twin brother Chad to had down to stay over at Nan and Pap's house as my father went to work. He would just pop in the ACDC cassette tape into his truck, that's right I said cassette tape 😂 and we be head banging all the way down to Nan and Pap's house.

With having a 50 year career, it is a pretty safe bet that they had plenty of amazing songs to listen to lol. Such songs like rock and roll ain't noise pollution, dirty deeds, shoot to thrill, you shook me all night long, thunderstruck.

My personal favorite is Back in Black.

Again, being around for 50 years it is truly incredible how much that they had achieved and most of it was before the internet. But now with the internet, millions of people get to listen to the awesomeness that is ACDC.

Keep on rocking ACDC!

Slaine

 One of my favorite rappers or really just artists to listen to is called Slaine. This man has been putting in work since the early 2000s, but it wasn't until I first started listening to a rap group called La Coka Nostra and when I discovered that he as well as many other members had solo records, I immediately jumped on and became a major fan.

What I love about listening to Slaine is just how honest he is about everything that he raps about. I honestly feel like I can relate in some way with what he is saying. His writing is incredible, he is just blunt and straight to the point with how he feels in a lot of ways which I admire.

Thanks to Slaine, I have also gotten to listening to other rappers like Ill Bill along with other underground musicians who to be perfectly honest, need to get more attention in my humble opinion.

Slaine has released five albums throughout his career with the latest being back in 2021 with the Things We Can't Forgive. He has also released a few EPs and Mixtapes as well.

But Slaine isn't just a rapper either, he has done several movies including one called The Town which features actors like Ben Affleck. The movie has been out since 2010.

Most recently, Slaine has used his success to help others when he launched the Charles River Recovery where their mission is to help those who are battling addiction like he did. God Bless you for that bro and best of luck with the program.

Slaine has created a ton of songs that I never grow tired of listening to. Songs like 99 bottles, Still got my gun, Redemption, When the war ends, Everything once and so forth. 

But my personal favorite was the song I ain't done. Holy Crap! This song spoke to me right from the opening lyric and it never let up. I highly recommend you listen to it.

I really enjoy listening to Slaine and I pray nothing but success and happiness in his life. God Bless ya Slaine.

Hope everyone out there enjoyed this blog.

God Bless and Be Safe!

House of Pain

 One of my favorite musical acts of all time and I still listen to this very day is the Irish hip-hop trio known as the House of Pain.

House of Pain consists of lead rapper Everlast, emcee Danny Boy and the amazing DJ Lethal although Lethal was of Latvian descent.

They were one of the best things going in music throughout the 1990s and I enjoyed every single of them. Though I was young during their run, I was introduced to them thanks in large part to being around my big brother Cody and his friends and I have enjoyed House of Pain ever since.

One of best shots out there and it is still being played to this very day is the song Jump Around which was one their debut album House of Pain (Fine Malt Lyrics) back in 1992. I really love this song and it never gets old no matter how many times people play it.

However, what I will say gets old is how people call House of Pain a one hit wonder. In my humble opinion, they have had some many amazing songs that it is criminal that people don't know about them. Heck, their debut album only had some many incredible songs outside of Jump Around. Songs like Shamrocks and Shenanigans, Top of the Morning to Ya, Come and Get some of this, Life goes on, etc.

House of Pain had three albums during their run. And the songs are those albums are amazing too! 

My personal favorite song was On Point (Lethal Remix) although the original version was amazing as well. I also liked the Have Nots song and also the Who's The Man but then again, I enjoyed all of their songs really lol.

They did manage to come together in another awesome rap group called La Coka Nostra for a period and I really enjoyed that as well and introduced me to some awesome talents like Slaine and Ill Bill.

Also, if it wasn't for House of Pain, I wouldn't have found out about other groups like Cypress Hill and even not hip-hop groups like Helmet.

Today all three members are out there doing amazing things and works and I pray for all of them to find continued success.

I also want to thank House of Pain for helping me fall in love with music and writing and creating art and being able to express myself in artistic ways. And proud of my Irish heritage 😁! But more importantly, I would love to see one more House of Pain album drop! One can only hope 🙏🙏🙏

God Bless you House of Pain!

Evans Blue

 One of my favorite rock bands to listen to was a band called Evans Blue. To be honest, I am not really sure how many people even know who these guys are.

The band was based from our neighbors from the north Canada back in 2005. The band got its name "Evans Blue" in reference from the dye of the same name that is injected into the bloodstream to measure blood volume.

The band had produce five albums in their careers and different lineup changes as well. But either way, I enjoyed them all the same.

List of albums:

The Melody and the Energetic Nature of Volume

The Pursuit Begins When This Portrayal of Life Ends

Evans Blue

Graveyard of Empires

Letters From the Dead

What I love the most about this band was the theme of their lyrics. A lot of them deal with pain and loss which I go through a lot of times and these guys helped me through all the tough times and I very grateful for that.

Evans Blue got to perform with such bands like Staind, Alice in Chains, Breaking Benjamin, Flyleaf. It is ashame that these guys haven't created some new music since 2016 because I really love listening to their songs and music.

I personally enjoy Erase My Scars and Cold (But I'm still here), they have really spoken to me.

Hope you guys enjoy listening to Evans Blue! You can find them on youtube and a variety of different music streaming services! I highly recommend you watch them play their unplugged show. It was amazing!

Until next time, God Bless and Be Safe!

Blue Man Group

 One of the most unique groups I remember ever seeing in my life was the performance arts group called the Blue Man Group.

Created back in the late 1980s by the trio of Chris Wink, Matt Goldman and Phil Stanton in New York. They originally wore blue masks before moving onto the face paint. 

After a few years of performing in the streets, the Blue Man Group got to play in the Astor Place Theatre in Manhattan in the early 90s.

The group had their first studio recording in 1999 with Audio which was an instrumental album. 

One of the cool things about the Blue Man Group was the look. The blue face paint, the black clothes. Of course I do admit, I was a little creep out about how they never spoke. But now that I am older, I think its pretty cool 😆.

Another thing I learned about the Blue Man Group was the fact that they usually appeared in groups of three. However they usually employ seven to nine members full-time through different casting calls.

It is crazy to me how the Blue Man Group is still involved within music and just the arts in general. For nearly 40 years now this group has been entertaining people from all over the world and has done work numerous artists throughout their careers.

I really hope these guys will continue their work for many years to come because I believe that art can come in many different forms and it can help inspire others for generations to come.

Blue Man Group Website:

https://www.blueman.com/

God Bless and Be Safe!

Blue (Da Ba Dee)

 Can you believe that it has been 25 years since one of my favorite songs came into existence in the form of Blue (Da Ba Dee) all the back in 1998.

The song was created by the Italian music trio of Jeffrey Jey, Maurizio Lobina and Gabry Ponte. Collectively known as Eiffel 65.

It was originally released in Italy back in 98 before coming to the US in 1999 as the lead single for their debut album Europop.

This song was amazing! I have never heard of a sound like it before, it kind of made me feel like I was in a sci-fi movie. 

To be honest with you guys, I had absolutely no idea what the lyrics are even about when it first came out. I just sing along with the song. But as I did my research and I discovered that the song was about someone who was feeling blue because he got no one to talk to.

But also speaks about random stuff that is also colored blue, like his house, his windows, his car, you get the picture 😆.

The music video was awesome! It was just like a a sci-fi movie. The story was the lead singer Jeffrey Jey was abducted by a group of blue aliens and the other two members of the band chase after them. After freeing their lead singer, they ultimate return to the planet and perform a concert for the blue aliens.

Now many people like to trash the video, but hey, they were on a tight budget. 😁. Watching the documentary about the song on the channel Vice, the group talked about how they were inspired by such things like Star Wars and Blade Runner.

That's right there is a documentary on the how the song came to be and I highly recommend seeing it.

Here is a youtube link to the music video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68ugkg9RePc

Here is the link to the Vice Documentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epnsRRPtoeU

God Bless and Be Safe out there everyone!

Linkin Park

In my humble opinion, one of the most influential bands of not only my generation, but of all time is Linkin Park.

Although they were formed back in 1996 under a different name. Linkin Park did not release an album under their  new name until 2000 with their debut album called  Hybrid Theory, heck it has been over 20 years since its debut.

And to they came out with a bang is putting it mildly. The album was certified gold within weeks of its launch and eventually found its way to 12x Platinum by 2020.

It is no surprise because of all the amazing songs that were on that album. Songs like, One Step Closer, Crawling, In the End, Papercut, just to name a few.

What of the things that I love about Linkin Park was their mixture of rap and rock sound. I grew up listening to rap groups and rock bands so hearing it mixed together was amazing.

Personally though, the lyrics by Chester Bennington had a major impact on my life. Listening to lyrics and hearing the voice of Chester singing still hits my soul even to this very day.

Heck hearing what he went through in his life and seeing him use his gifts as a way to help touch so many people's lives is truly a beautiful sight to be hold.

I really enjoy listening to the song Breaking the Habit, it has always spoken to me and video itself was incredible. Somewhere I Belong was another incredible song that I really enjoyed.

It still it a painful loss when I saw that Chester had killed himself. In fact, I can't believe it has been over five years since we lost both Chester and Chris Cornell (RIP). As someone who deals with mental health, it was heartbreaking to see what happened to them. 

I can not speak on what made them feel this way, but all we can do is pray and support their love ones who are affected by this.

With that being said, to anyone out there who are struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, please seek out help and know that you are not alone and that you are loved and that there are people who are willing to support you in anything you do in life.

I also want to send a prayer to the other members of Linkin Park. I pray nothing but the best for you guys and wish all the luck with whatever you do in your lives.

Thank you so much Linkin Park for helping me and countless others were struggling with their lives. Again I pray for all you guys and for anyone who is struggling with depression and suicidal thought.

There is always hope!

God Bless and Be Safe!

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

 One of my favorite acts of music I truly enjoy listening to are the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The band was formed back in the early 80s but much of their success during the 1990s.

The first time I ever heard of the Red Hot Chili Peppers was when their cover song of Higher Ground was the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Movie back in 1995 and I have been hooked ever since.

One of the things I really enjoyed about the Peppers was their wide varies of different styles in all of their songs and albums. It could go from funk, rock, metal, rap rock. It keeps me grooving in some many ways and I think it is pretty amazing to see any band change up their style but at the same time, never change who they are and I really appreciate that with them.

Their sound in my humble opinion is the ultimate California sound. Which makes sense since their are from Cali 😆. But what I mean by that is every song I have ever listen from them just makes me feel like I am driving in the summer time with the top down and feeling the wind in my face and beautiful sunshine gracing my skin. Just being with people you care about and getting away from the world and just enjoy life.

Lead singer Anthony Kiedis vocals and storytelling really resonates with me as well. Whether he is singing or rapping, you can feel everything that he is saying and it just so real and I am always amazed with how open and honest he is in his lyrics.

I can never get tired of listening to any of their songs, no matter what I am feeling emotionally, I can just play a RHCP song and be sent to another dimension.

They have so many different songs I'm not even sure that I can pick which one could be my favorite. Songs like the Other Side, Snow (Hey Oh), Higher Ground, Give it Away, , Dark Necessities Suck My Kiss, Californication, Dani California, etc. 

However, I will say the one song I will point out is Under the Bridge from the album Blood Sugar Sex Magik all the way back in 1991. What I love about this song was the story about it, now don't get me wrong, the music was amazing, but I really appreciate the lyrics and respect the fact that Kiedis was so honest about his addictions at the time as well as the loneliness that he was feeling. I can always respect anyone who has the courage to be open about how they feel inside and use it to inspire and bring hope to others who are going through something similar. It is pure poetry! 

A lot of respect and love for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and I am so happy to see them going strong and I highly recommend them to anyone who loves music.

For more information, check out their website.

https://redhotchilipeppers.com/

The Power of Music!!!

 In my humble opinion, music is one of the greatest gifts that God has ever given us in our lifetimes and it should always be cherished and appreciated.

Music can help us through some many different emotions and situations during our spiritual journey we all like to call life.

I for one enjoy all different kinds of music, from rock, metal, hip-hop, country, christian music, jazz, opera, blues, etc. There is so much music out there, it just makes me smile.

It is as simple as going from to Slipknot to Alan Jackson, Britney Spears to Slaine, House of Pain, Cypress Hill, Alice n Chains, Ill Bill, Tupac, Ice Cube, Dwight Yoakam, Brooks and Dunn, Prince and so on.

Music can transport us to another world that brings out what we all dreams whether it be adventure, being with ones we love and of course romance 😉.

It can even get us through our darkest moments in our lives like the loss of love ones, depression, be lonely, suicidal thoughts, etc.

There are some days I just want to put on some music, kick back and just get away from the world. Like nothing else exists.

I know there are days I rather be doing that than to face the real world. But I thank God for the fact music helps me face the real world each and everyday. 

Demon Hunter: Songs of Death and Resurrection

 After a long wait for it, I finally got to get my hands on the latest Demon Hunter Album called Songs of Death and Resurrection.

It is the band's eleventh studio album released by Solid State Records on March 5th 2021. Most of the songs that are featured in this album are acoustic versions of previous songs that the band had recorded but also added a brand new song called Praise the Void.

Although I really enjoy hearing the sounds of heavy metal, I do love listening to acoustic versions of songs. It's a nice change of pace, going from mosh pit to just sitting down and relaxing. It almost feels as though I'm sitting by the camp fire with some friends and just singing some tunes. Also brings me back to when I was younger and watching the famous Unplugged show.

One of the things I loved about the Songs of Death and Resurrection album was the cover. On the cover was an Angel playing on a demon's skull like a cello showcasing the band's strong faith. 

This album has a collection of 12 songs on it. My personal favorites on the album were Dead Flowers along with The Heart of a Graveyard.

Lead singer Ryan Clark had amazing vocals with each song and Patrick, Yogi, Jeremiah and Jon created some beautiful music to go along with it continuing to show the band's fantastic chemistry.

Though I must admit, I was a little disappointed as a few songs I wish could have been on the album but sadly did not. A couple songs in particular like When the Devil Comes and Peace from the Peace album, Jesus Wept, The Soldier's Song.

But not the less, I really did enjoy this album. I really do hope that these guys will bring us another acoustic album in the near future. After I done listening to this album, I already am excited for more Demon Hunter. So I wish for all you guys and gals to go check out Demon Hunter's Songs of Death and Resurrection in stores now.

Demon Hunter: The Triptych

 One of the most popular and well-known albums that the Christian Metal band Demon Hunter had ever released came in the form of their third full-length album called The Triptych. Released back in October 2005.

When released, The Triptych received generally positive reviews reaching the Top Ten in the Christian Album charts and number one in the Top Heatseekers chart in 2006.

The Triptych featured 12 tracks on it include singles such as Undying and Not I and I enjoyed every second of this album.

Right from the opening song which was an instrumental song called The Flame that Guides us Home which was a beautiful and melodic then led right into the song Not I that was more loud and aggressive. Certainly getting the blood flowing and the album does not slow down the rest of the way.

One of my personal favorite songs on the album was Undying. What I loved about the song was that it made me feel like they were saying no matter the hardship that they face as a band as well as in their personal lives, that their faith remains Undying which I can relate to and admire. The music was pretty awesome too. It shows several people heading into a church along with some of the band members themselves are among the people inside while lead singer Ryan Clark is riding in a car that is heading toward the church. As the video progresses, Clark arrives at the church but when he enters the church a supernatural event begins to occur inside where several people start running away leaving only the band inside the church proving of their Undying faith.

Another song I enjoyed was A Thousand Apologies. What I loved about this is we all have things we feel sorry about and that we can be forgiven for. We as humans can all relate to that because we are all flawed and that it feels like all we ever do is screw up and all we ever wanted was to just be loved. At least that is how this song makes me feel inside.

Last but certainly not least, I really enjoyed listening to The Soldier's Song. I have nothing but love and respect to our military and to hear that song as a tribute to them really makes me happy. I honestly wish there was more I can do to show my appreciation to all the men and women who serve and risk their lives so we can live ours.

According to the band's website, they received lots of love and support from many members of the military thanking them for the song which I thought was awesome.

The album is called The Triptych from the band Demon Hunter. If you like metal music, christian music or both I highly recommend this album. You will not be disappointed. 

Demon Hunter War and Peace

 Since we are getting o so closer to the new Demon Hunter album here in the year 2021, I thought it be awesome to go back in time and look at the latest albums that Demon Hunter had released back in 2019 in War and Peace.

Now one of the first things I enjoyed about both albums was simply just the contrast in styles between the two. The War album is more of a heavy metalcore sound while the Peace album is shifted towards a more melodic sound to it.

Lets start with the War album shall we. There are 10 songs on the album with an 11th song that was added to the deluxe edition in Gunfight.

Although I enjoyed the entire album, I must confess that there are three songs that stand out to me in this album. They are On my side, Grey Matter and The Negative.

What I loved about On my side is simple, it makes me feel closer to God. Having faith through the Lord no amount of evil could bring harm to you. It reminded me of a verse from the Bible. As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil, for I know he is with me. This song brings me hope.

Next in line is the song Grey Matter. To me, it is a pretty straight forward song, the world is a lot more black and white than people are willing to admit. Understandably, no one is perfect, no matter how hard we all try, we fail. But lets be honest with ourselves, there is always a right way of doing things and a wrong way of doing things.

The final song that i really got to enjoy was The Negative. In my humble opinion, this song reflects how society is nowadays. I mean it seems that everyone just wants to focus on the negative of things. No pun intended. People rather be hateful to one another instead of loving each other. I truly do believe that God wants us to come together.

Which brings me to one of my favorite songs from the Peace album called Peace. Listening to how Ryan sings this song really moved me. Just hearing him say I pray for peace makes me feel like crying cause I really don’t want to see anybody go through anything terrible.

Forgive me, I’m really not trying to be depressing but I really do hope and pray for all of you guys for we are God’s children. God bless all of you.

Back to the music, I also loved listening to Fear is not my guide. Pretty much for the same reason as On my side. I will fail, I am a sinner, but I am not afraid. For it is the love of Christ that guides me.

Another good one is More than bones. It’s a very uplifting song to me because it made me feel that there was more to me than I could possibly imagine and I thank God for that.

But I must say my absolute favorite song from the Peace album is When the devil comes. It felt like a cry for help to God when the devil is around as if you were getting ready for a showdown with satan himself. I also loved the old west kinda sound to it mixed in with a little bit of heavy metal. Truly amazing!

Well there you have it guys and gals! Demon Hunter’s War and Peace albums are incredible and again I can not wait till their next album.

Which album was your favorite between the two? What are your favorite songs from both albums?

Check it out my friends! You will not be disappointed.

Skillet Victorious

 I just enjoyed the latest album from the Christian metal Skillet called Victorious. It was their tenth album which was released in the summer of 2019.

What I like about the album was that it played with every emotion in me. From the first song to the last, it had me going as I was driving my way to work.

A fun fact, the first song on the album Legendary is the current theme song for the WWE’s flagship show Monday Night Raw.

John Cooper’s vocals on every song was incredible. I felt like I was on a spiritual journey and that each song was like a chapter in a book.

The song that was the namesake of the album Victorious, was a very beautiful song. I also really enjoyed listening to the song Terrify the Dark. It made me feel empowered and that no matter what obstacles I face, I can get through it.

Another song I really loved listening to was Save Me. I could totally relate to it because of my constant battle with depression and anxiety. To be honest, it kinda brings a tear to my eyes because I often find myself always questioning myself about pretty much everything. 

I highly recommend this album to anyone and I hope and pray that this album will bring you happiness like it did me.

ZAO All Else Failed

 I always enjoy trying to discover new bands to listen to,  but I really enjoy going back in time and listen to some of the classic albums that I never got to listen to back in the day. So I decided to go back and listen to the debut album for the band called ZAO entitled All Else Failed.

I was only five years old when this album first came out originally. Of course they made a rerecording of this album later on in 2003 but I’d prefer to listen to it as it originally was recorded. The ironic part is no one from this album is playing in the band anymore.

But nonetheless this album is amazing with ten songs on the record. Vocalist Shawn Jonas really hit the nail on the coffin with his vocals. You definitely can feel a strong connection to the message that Shawn was singing about.

Being a believer myself, I really felt like I could relate to his words. You can definitely tell he meant every word of what the message was and that was trying to connect with God. During each song Shawn would preach to God and to be honest I could feel a strong presence with God in this album. It made me feel that I wasn’t alone and that there was something comforting watching over me and I thank Shawn and ZAO for that.

I really enjoyed songs like Growing in Grace which featured Myk Porter, Endure, In loving Kindness. But honestly I really just enjoyed this entire album and recommend it to anyone who enjoys hardcore music.

Roy Goudy played fantastically on guitars while Mic Cox was solid on bass and Jesse Smith was just incredible on drums.

I really think you guys will get a kick out of this album. It is called All Else Failed from the band ZAO. Check it out and enjoy!  

The Lesser Lights of Heaven

 Recently I got to enjoy a music documentary about a metalcore band called Zao. The documentary is called The Lesser Lights of Heaven. It was originally released in 2005 and it was about the history of the band up to that point of the band’s career.

According to the band, the original lead singer Eric Reeder was given credit for naming the band. For those who don’t know what Zao means, it is Greek for “alive” or “to have life”.

The band’s mission was to create a Christ centered hardcore mainly to help with people who they believed were forced away by organized churches. Which sadly, I can relate to having dealt with it myself.

Though I will say I haven’t really dealt with a lot of the judgemental attitude now that I’m older compared to my younger days. But at the same time I still feel that there are a lot of these so called “Christians” who try to tell us that a lot of this music is evil and will lead us down a dark path despite some of these bands talking about how God has helped them as well as the lyrics to each of their respective songs.

One of the other things that I wish people in general would understand is that being a believer in the metal, hardcore, rock scene can be tough because it’s bad enough that people think we are doing something evil when we are not. But non-believers think we’re trying to force our beliefs down people’s throats when in reality we just want to listen to some amazing music.

Now, on the flip side to all that, I do get annoyed by people who do try to force things down other people’s throats because I do not believe that Jesus would be doing that. I am a firm believer that Jesus was a teaching and we must learn, love and understand one another in order to move forward.

In the documentary, current lead singer Dan Weyandt really hit one home for me emotionally when he talked about how he wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for having God in his life. I can totally relate to that. 

There have been plenty of times where I thought my life was over and that there was no hope for me and I must admit I still struggle with that at times. But nonetheless I have been able to survive all those terrible thoughts through God. I know I can not take credit for it because there have been times where I felt some kind presence surrounding me and a way of comforting and protecting me.

I also love how Dan would make every single one of his songs have a heartfelt message to them and he did not sugarcoat anything and was not afraid to talk about issues that a lot of Christians are afraid to talk about. Which in my humble opinion is a constant mistake by some churches that sadly push people away from God.

Though I understand at this point in their careers in 2021 that Zao does not consider themselves a Christian band. I really do enjoy their music and I pray that they continue to push forward and wish them nothing but the best for them.

If you are a major fan of metal or hardcore, this documentary is for you. It is called Zao, The Lesser Lights of Heaven. This documentary is all over Youtube. Check it out. And if you want to check out anything Zao check their site down below.

http://www.zaoonline.net/

Stryper Even The Devil Believes

 One of my favorite albums to come out of 2020 comes in the form of Even the Devil Believes from the Christian hard rock band Stryper.

Now, Stryper has been around since long before my time in the 80s. But I must say, I totally can see why they have been so popular.

One of the first things that stood out to me was the album cover. The photo of the Devil falling before God showcasing how having faith in God can help you against anything that the Devil may throw at you is truly inspirational and positive.

Speaking of a positive message, one of my favorite songs on the album is Make Love Great Again. This song was amazing, from the music, Michael Sweet’s vocals and of course the message.

To me it is a message that society needs right now. With so much hate in the world especially from our mainstream media. It amazes me that so many people in this world rather spread hate over love. In my humble opinion God wants us to love and understand one another with the key word in that sentence is and. We need to love and understand each other because that is how we can become stronger as a community.

Another great song I enjoyed was the Middle Finger Messiah. I enjoyed this song simply because it makes me feel like I'm telling Satan where to stick it and that he has no power over me. For I walk through the shadow of the death, I fear no evil for he is beside me.

I really loved this album and highly recommend it for everyone to listen to. It shows me that Stryper maybe from the 80s, but shows no signs of slowing down.

The album is called Even the Devil Believes. Check it out and more importantly, be safe and God Bless.