This Is the Penalty Box

This is a blog dedicated to reviewing every Tooth & Nail / Solid State Records release in chronological order. I do this to pay respect to a label that has put out some of my all time favorite albums.

[juicefacekillah]

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The brilliant Bon Voyage.

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Wow, blast from the past! This is Jake from The Blamed "21" and Left Out "Pride Kills". I just found your blog and am pretty stoked. Brings me back to really good times.

Oh wow. I'm glad you liked it. I haven't written a review in a while but maybe I'll come back to this.

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Top 10 Underrated Albums on Tooth & Nail Records

This is only an opinion piece, but I strongly feel that every single album on this list has been overlooked by not just fans, but by the label itself. I'm sure this list may change in a few days, or further down the line when I listen to some albums I've never listened to before. That is part of the fun of this blog. No reviews here, just a quick little description.

10.) Soapbox - A Divided Man This Swedish Hardcore/Punk band only released one album on Tooth & Nail, and if I'm not mistaken they were acquired due to a deal with Sally Forth Records. They fit right in with the early Blindside, Refused, and Selfmindead sound.

9.) Outer Circle - Outer Circle Some people may be familiar with this band due to the vocalist being Mark Salomon from Stavesacre and The Crucified. This was a Punk side project that never released another album, which is unfortunate because this album is a ton of fun to listen to. If you are into Crux and Dogwood, it's a must hear.

8.) Eso-Charis - Eso-Charis  What started as a Living Sacrifice side project by Arthur Green and Matthew Putnam became more well known as the band that put Corey Putnam on the map who then later went on to join Norma Jean as vocalist. This is an incredible Botch much like Luti-Kriss and Spitfire at the time.

7.) Officer Negative - The Death Campaign Project When Christian Punk legends Officer Negative decided to change their style, they managed to create one of the best 00's style Metalcore albums every recorded. Fans of As I Lay Dying, Haste the Day, and Destroy the Runner need this album.

6.) Narcissus - Newwave Techno Homicide It's easy to see how this one got overlooked. It's not officially listed as a Tooth & Nail release, but the label reissued it when they acquired Takehold Records roster. It's a shame really because along with Tantrum of the Muse, Narcissus is one of the best bands that T&N let slip through their fingers. Extremely experimental Metal with Hardcore elements that I have a really hard time finding comparisons to.

5.) Few Left Standing - Regeneration of Self Another Takehold Records band that T&N reissued, and it is a shame this band never took off. They played a style of Metalcore that hadn't been done to death by this time. They had a sound that fell somewhere between Zao and Embodyment. Any album that starts with an Evil Dead II quote has to be good right?

4.) Warlord - Rock the Foe Hammer An incredible Noise Rock band that only released one other EP. They deserve extra recognition for featuring Jonathan Ford as drummer at one point in their career.

3.) Bloodshed - Bloodshed True students of Christian Punk won't be surprised by the inclusion of Bloodshed on this list. They were the band that introduced the Christian scene to Emocore. This is an absolutely amazing EP that you HAVE to check out. Members of The O.C. Supertones and Stairwell.

2.) Mike Knott - Strip Cycle You know why this one is here.

1.) Blenderhead - Figureheads on the Forefront of Pop Culture You might questioning why this album is here. Blenderhead were a popular band back in the day, but the main reason why this is here is because it is a masterpiece. To me this is the crown jewel of 90's T&N.

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Hi, I just wanted to second that sentiment. No questions to ask here, just wanted to encourage you to keep up the good work and post whenever you can. This just might be my favourite corner of the internet. -Andy

Again, thank you guys for reading my blog. I'm honestly surprised at the positive feedback. As a treat, I'm going to post a list of the Top 10 Most Underrated Tooth & Nail albums. They won't be reviews because I'll be doing them later down the line, but it's just something for you guys to look at.

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Starflyer 59 - Gold TND#1030 Released: 1995

The legendary Jason Martin returns. This time with an album that actually angered a few fans upon it's release. Silver was a landmark album that introduced the Christian Indie scene to Shoegaze, resulting in some copycat bands like Luxury and Morella's Forest. Fans loved Silver and when SF59 released their follow up EP She's the Queen, many people said that they enjoyed it more than the first album. For some reason this angered Jason. He thought that She's the Queen should not have been viewed as an an album in any way and to not compare it with Silver. When Gold was released, many fans gave it negative reviews saying that it was a step backwards and that many of the songs lacked real direction and just went on for too long. Over time the fan opinion shifted into saying that Gold was one of the best albums SF59 would release.

So what made Gold so different? In my opinion, I see this as Jason Martin being angry at the fans and doing everything he could to steer the band back towards the Silver sound. The lineup this time around consists of Jason on guitar, vocals, and drums while Andrew Larson providing extra bass. "A House Wife Song" kicks things off with some molten guitar feedback which leads into one of the heaviest SF59 songs I've ever heard. "Dual Overhead Cam" follows up with a little more laid back tune, that is until you get towards the second half of the song, and the squealing feedback returns. "When You Feel Miserable" features some soaring guitar leads that don't rely heavily on crazy distortion. I could continue to go down the track listing one by one but to save time, I will say that nearly every song features some unique guitar playing.

The overall feeling you get when listening to this album is bitterness. I'm under the impression that this album was recorded after a breakup and with song titles like "You're Mean", "Messed Up Over You", "When You Feel Miserable", and "When You Feel the Mess" it's pretty hard to think of anything else. Gold is any album by a frustrated musician attempt to release his perfect vision for how the band should sound, and it's worth noting that this is the last time that Martin played every instrument himself and for future releases would again utilize other musicians.

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No questions here. Just a thank you.

You're welcome whoever you are. I'm sorry I haven't been posting as regularly as I would like to. I have half of the next review written and it's a pretty important record.

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Morella's Forest - Super Deluxe TND#1029 Released: 1995

First things first, yes I am fully aware that Hang Out was released before Super Deluxe, but I am putting these posts together based on catalog numbering. I know this isn't the best system to use since they aren't necessarily the most accurate, but they are at least consistent. I've seen multiple release dates from different sources and I know for a fact that the Tooth & Nail website has many dates wrong. Using the catalog method suits my purposes for now.

Now onto the album. One of the biggest trends in the 90's Indie scene at the time time was the Shoe-gaze movement. The impact of bands like My Bloody Valentine, Mazzy Star, and Slowdive there was a sudden interest in creating the fuzziest sounding albums possible. After Starflyer 59 introduced the Christian music scene to this trend, many bands such as Luxury and Morella's Forest began to imitate that sound. Morella's Forest stood out from the pack by featuring the ethereal vocal stylings of Sydney Rentz. Her voice weaves back and forth from a hushed whisper to an outright yelp much like Exene Cervenka.

Before their T&N debut, the Dayton, Ohio band released a demo called Bass and an EP titled Bozur. With the popularity of Starflyer 59, Tooth & Nail were looking for more bands who would help diversify the label from Grunge bands and Hardcore groups. So after releasing the EP Hang Out, a few months later Super Deluxe was released.

The album kicks things off with "Hang Out" which is the same version found on the EP of the same name. It was also the lead single from the album, due mostly to the fact that this is probably one of the most upbeat songs found here. The wall of distorted guitars is punctuated with a few angular notes that jut out like jagged splinters on a freshly cut piece of wood. "Lush of Spring" is the next track and is one of the only other songs that feature heavy distortion, but only really in the intro and chorus. The verses feature twinkly guitars that are used heavily on the rest of the album.

Some of the best songs on Super Deluxe are the slower tracks like "Wonder Boy", "Fuzzle Kiss", and the epic six minute track "Oceania". "Superstar" is a more upbeat track that shows how loud Sydney can get, instead of her usual hypnotizing melodies. There are a few tracks that instantly remind you of the more upbeat moments by SF59, like on "Puppy Luv". The last track, "Curl" is also the only other song that starts off with heavy distortion. There is a bizarre vocal effect on Sydney's voice that reminds listeners of some early 90's Goth Rock groups like Medicine.

Super Deluxe is a nice entry into the T&N Records discography, but the band has yet to release their best material. Once the Shoegaze elements begin to die down and Sydney get's more confident in her singing, Morella's Forest put out some pretty great albums.

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Have you reviewed Ninety Pound Wuss' first LP yet?

Not yet. I've still got a few more to go before we get there. Though I can't wait to get to them.

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Helpless Amongst Friends Volume Two TND#1028 Released: 1995

The legendary compilation series is back for it's second volume. The first Helpless Amongst Friends was a pretty important tool for kids looking for new Christian Hardcore bands, and it's safe to say that the second volume is equally as important. Side note, this turned out to be the last Helpless Amongst Friends comp., which was later replaced by the This Is Solid State and Songs From the Penalty Box series.

I love writing these reviews, and it's not just because they are easier, it's just a lot of fun to hear how the bands have changed from their original demos to their first full length, or to see which bands changed their names or who played in what band before making it big in another. Like I do for all comps., I'm going to do a track by track breakdown of each song, possibly giving a little history if the band never released anything else on T&N.

1.) Bloodshed - "Inside" It's pretty fitting that Bloodshed kick things off here for the second volume of this beloved series, especially since they were the first track on the original comp. This time the band is still heavily in their Hardcore phase, but we really start to get a glimpse of the Emocore legends they eventually became.

2.) Overcome - "New Life" Few bands can be mentioned in the same sentence as Strongarm, Focused, and Unashamed. Overcome is one of those bands. This is the Tooth & Nail debut of the Spirit Filled Hardcore legends. Showing a passion and fury we've only begun to see on the label.

3.) Altered Mission - "Sell it Out" I can't really seem to find any information about this band, so I'll just comment on the music. Here we get some 80's influenced Hardcore that seems to draw heavily from the NYHC scene. The vocals are also very reminiscent Ian MacKaye of Minor Threat. A great song, that I would have been very interested to see what else they did, as they never joined the T&N roster.

4.) Centerpoint - "Broken Truth" Or Center Point depending on where you look, make their second appearance on HAF. It still surprises me that they never joined the label, considering it looks like T&N was looking at them pretty hard. This song shows some big time Crucified influences. It's a shame they only released a demo.

5.) Engage - "Seek" Yet another band that I can't seem to find any information on. Engage seem to be a band in the vein of Focused. It's got a nice bass heavy intro, and the vocals go between spoken and shouted. They never signed to T&N either.

6.) Uphold - "Faraway" Uphold never joined the Nail family, and from the looks of the internet, they never released anything other than this song. I'm sure there is a demo out there somewhere. The Focused and Crucified influence is here again.

7.) Mindset - "Remember" Ah, the Strongarm style has finally made it presence known. This song starts things off with some feedback that would be right at home on Atonement. It also features the harsher vocal style much like Unashamed. One of the better tracks here. Another no sign band.

8.) Time & Again - "My Shepard" The second appearance by this band. The sound has evolved a bit since the last time we saw them. Instead of the Minor Threat influence, we see the Strongarm touch again. This song is much better than their track from the first comp.

9.) Impact - "Within" Impact come across as a more metallic type of Hardcore. They were a band who came out of the same scene as Focused and Unashamed. The three of these bands played a lot of shows together, yet Impact were the only ones who didn't get picked up by Tooth & Nail. They did manage to release two different demos before deciding to call it quits. Impact have a sound that is pretty unique. It's pretty sad to see a band this good not go on to bigger things. They very easily could have been just as big as their peers in the Spirit Filled Hardcore scene.

10.) Maintain - "Disturbance" The beginning of this song has that 90's wah/clean style intro that so many bands used, but hasn't stood the test of time. The verses here are pretty ferocious. The vocalist seems like he would have been pretty intense live. There are some cool Strongarm moments here, but I could see how they would have been passed over as a copy of a well known band.

11.) Resolve - "Ease My Struggle" I don't know how accurate this is, but according to one site I've read, Resolve seem to be a superband of some sorts. Tim Mann of Focused on vocals, Jeff Laquay of Overcome on guitar, Ryan McNally from Center Point on guitar, Adam Valles from Center Point on drums, and Jim Rupe from Mindset on bass. I really wish this band would have done more than one song, but I imagine it was just something fun they did for the comp.

12.) Three Thirteen - "Breaking Point" Here is a strange track. The beginning starts with some guitar feedback, and some piano that sounds like it's playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" with someone calling out the notes for each key. Then it follows with some sort of sound clip from an instructional record. This track is Hardcore at it's roots, but there even seem to be a little nu-metal thrown in here. I can't really say that it's a good song, but it does show a little variation for the album.

13.) No Innocent Victim - "Strength" I'm sure very few of you need to be introduced to No Innocent Victim. NIV were one of the first Christian Hardcore bands that managed to crossover to some level of mainstream success. Of course I'll talk more about the band once I get to their one and only T&N release. As for now, I'll say that this is the best track on the album. Though if you are a fan of the group, you'll probably recognize this song as the last track off of the album fittingly called Strength.

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Rob Walker - Strobe TND#1027 Released: 1996

I just can't seem to get away from Grunge. After the last Sometime Sunday album, I was really hoping that I would be done with this extremely dated genre for a while. Little did I know that the next album was going to be just as bad. Some of you may remember my review of the band Wish For Eden. Their album, Pet the Fish, was the first album ever released by Tooth & Nail. You may remember how much I disliked that particular album. Well I can gladly say that I dislike this album even more. You may wonder how those two albums are connected. Rob Walker is the first (and only) "solo" album by the former Wish For Eden frontman. I put the word "solo" in quotes because while all the songs were written by Rob Walker, the album is performed by a full band. In one of the weirder lineup choices on Tooth & Nail, the backing band was made up of the Christian Pop Punk group Side Walk Slam. Though instead of an album full of upbeat skate Punk, we get a slow and boring album of Grunge tunes.

Strobe is an atrocious album that tried copy what was going on in the mainstream music scene three years earlier. Rob Walker's album is full of songs that sound like a combination of Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, and Nirvana. "Scared Little Man" has an undistorted guitar riff that sounds a little too much like "Rape Me" off of In Utero. Of course "Rape Me" didn't feature a horrendous wah guitar solo. The intro to "Grow" could be an alternate take of "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden.

So besides pillaging a huge chunk of riffs from more well known bands, Rob's vocals even come across sounding a bit like Kurt Cobain crossed with Layne Staley. "I Stand Alone" (not the Godsmack song), is the closest Strobe gets to sounding like Wish For Eden, with it's Helmet style intro. Also, the chorus is a nasally mess without a good melody.

Strobe might be the worst album I've had the displeasure of reviewing so far on This Is the Penalty Box. It's very fitting that history tends to forget some of these albums. For Pet the Fish and Silver, there is a Stone and Strobe that gets left out of the history books. If you were a fan of Rob Walker back in the 90's, it's probably best that you do not revisit this album. Some albums are better as memories and bringing them back out will cast negative feelings on something you may have fond associations with.

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Sometime Sunday - Drain TND#1026 Released: 1995

Sometime Sunday are back again with their sophomore release. Instantly upon your first listen to Drain you'll notice how much better the album sounds compared to Stone. Of course, don't take that to mean that I actually like this album. I grew up listening to the alternative rock radio stations when I was a kid. I've been listening to some of the biggest names in Grunge  since the mid-90's. Nirvana, Alice In Chains, and Pearl Jam were played daily, so much to the point that I actually began to hate listening to the radio. There are only so many times in your life that you want to hear the song "Jeremy" or "Spoonman". So when I listen to Drain, it instantly takes me back to a time where I couldn't stand listening to this type of music.

Drain is an album that completely plays on what was popular in 1993 and 1994, which is not a good thing considering this came out in 1995. By this point the mainstream had moved onto it's second generation of grunge acts that were more focused on melodies than straight up angst. Sometime Sunday churn out 40 minutes worth of music that was already dated on Drain.

"Needle" kicks the album off with some high energy. Unfortunately this is the best song of the bunch. One of the coolest things about this song is that the song ends abruptly in the middle of the chorus, using what sounds like a needle being taken off of a record. "Blind" follows with some riffs that sound directly influenced by Helmet, an influence that does make the band stand a bit apart from most of the Grunge acts of the early 90's. Vocalist Mikee is still doing his best Stone Temple Pilots impersonation that dates the song more than it should. The strongest part of Drain is the guitar work. Guitarist Kevin, who also played in the Christian Punk band Empty Tomb, definitely has some chops. There are a lot of really interesting guitar solo's on the album. "Hold" has an excellent slide guitar action that gives the song a bluesy tone.

The rest of the album just drags along. "Eye" is a slow song that has hints of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden. "Stone" is the longest song here, and it has a few middle eastern style moments. Though why they named a song after their first album, I'm not sure. Another one of the albums strengths comes from the production value. The drums and bass both have a very huge sound, giving the impression of a Jesus Lizard album or something recorded by Steve Albini. The rhythm section is extremely tight as songs like "Fire" and "Water" showcase. It's also worth mentioning that there are two instrumental tracks, "435" and "Ebb".

Overall, Drain is an album made by competent musicians, it just lacks any real originality to make it stand apart from any other 90's Grunge album. This turned out to be Sometime Sunday's last album. Lead singer Mikee went on to form Tragedy Ann, which people may know as the spokesband for the anti-abortion organization Rock for Life. Strangely, Mikee also went onto front a band called Twin Sister. They were a Star Wars tribute band that sang songs based on the characters from the original trilogy.

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Hello new followers

I would like to apologize for the lack of reviews recently, but I've been having a really hard time trying to get myself to review the next album. Monday, I promise I will have a new review posted.

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Mike Knott - Strip Cycle TND#1025 Release Date: 1995

Michael Knott is probably the most prolific artist in the entire Christian music industry. I know that is a pretty big statement to make considering this includes musicians like Jason Martin, Ronnie Martin, Johnathan Ford, Shelby Cinca, Mark Salomon, and David Bazan. But this is nothing compared to the output that Mike Knott has. To date, Mike Knott has appeared on well over 100 albums, while some of these are just guest appearances or production credits, he has managed to release at least 35 of his own albums. If you aren't familiar with Mike Knott, then maybe you've heard of some of the bands he's been in; Lifesavers, L.S. Underground, Aunt Bettys, Cush, Bomb Bay Babies, Strung Gurus, or Struck Last May. He also released two other solo albums under the names Idle Lovell, and Michael Moret.

So why is it someone with such a massive catalog only release one album for Tooth & Nail. I'm not sure exactly. I do know that Mike ran his own label, Blonde Vinyl, for a long time so that makes up for those albums, and the Aunt Bettys were signed to Elektra Records. The rest of his work was released on random independent labels or self released. It very well could be that Mike just never felt the need to release anything on T&N again. Or maybe his one album didn't sell well enough. A third possibility is that Mike Knott is a very controversial person in the Christian market. On the Aunt Bettys debut they re-recorded an older Mike Knott song called "A Rocket & A Bomb" adding in a few expletives to the end of the song. The song "Rock Stars on H" gained some negative attention due to it's lyrical content about heroin. The original Aunt Bettys debut also had a drawing of Jesus as a bartender on the album cover. Mike Knott has been a very open person regarding his personal life, which includes divorce and alcoholism. All of these things are not subjects that the typical Christian audience enjoys to hear about.

So on to the album at hand. Strip Cycle is a mostly acoustic album, which is a bit different from the Goth Rock of LSU or the straight forward Rock of the Aunt Bettys. One of the first things about the album you will notice is how strange it sounds. BeforeStrip Cyclewas recorded, Mike Knott discovered one that day that his very young daughter had been playing with his guitar and taken it out of tune. But Mike liked how the guitar sounded and decided to record the entire album with this new "Twisted Toddler Tuning".

So right away, the album starts off with an interesting topic. "Sugar Mama" is a throbbing tune about a friend of his who found a woman who gives him money and lets him do what he wants. The song also features an excellent trumpet solo on the bridge. Up next Mike keeps the controversy going with "Tattoo", a song that actually managed to become a single for the album, even earning a music video. Pretty surprising considering the song is about domestic abuse. "Tattoo" is a very unsettling and certainly the darkest sounding song with it's nerve wracking cello playing and jerky guitar playing. Luckily "Rockstars on H" comes in to lighten the mood. It's a pretty funny song about how these rock stars can't play their instruments anymore. The next song to really grab your attention is "Bad Check", another humorous track about how many different bad checks he's written, including one to the cello player on this particular song. A few more songs down the line, "Am I Winnin' Something" has some of the best lines on the album. "I lost my license last year in Vegas/I haven't been pulled over since then" and "my accountant says if I file for bankruptcy/I won't have to pay back the lost money".

With all these negative song subjects, there is still an attitude of hope all over this album. Album closer "Denial" has the most heartfelt moments, even if it's about an alcoholic denying his problem.

One more drink and heaven could be calling And I won't care if the sky starts falling Cause I feel free with God and a bottle and me

Knott's warts and all approach to songwriting is incredibly refreshing for the Christian scene. While most musicians tend to shy away from such serious topics, Knott runs at them head on, while bringing in a sense of humor that one wouldn't expect in these particular scenarios.

Strip Cycle is an incredible album, and the fact that Mike Knott is not a more famous musician than he is just blows my mind. Truly an underrated talent.

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Focused - The Hope That Lies Within TND#1024 Release Date: 1995

The "originators" of Spirit Filled Hardcore have returned with their follow up album to the game changing Bow. In the time since then, Christian Hardcore has made leaps and bounds thanks to contributions by fellow label mates Strongarm and Unashamed. Compared to the impact those two bands have made, Focused don't seem nearly as dangerous as they once did. Unashamed took the framework ofBow and added an intensity that they saw was lacking. And Strongarm leveled the entire field by crafting more technical and powerful songs. So how doesThe Hope That Lies Within compare to the previous T&N Hardcore albums?

The first thing I notice is the production value. Nothing on this album manages to hit the way that it deserves to. The guitar's do not crunch nearly enough, possibly due to not enough layering. The backing guitars that are found here, sound as if they are turned way down. The bass work is pretty strong, and comes through really well. The vocals are buried just a bit too far into the mix not letting Tim Mann's power through. The drumming is the biggest disappointment so far, being buried so far in the mix they fail to accentuate the guitars in any way. Musically, the album doesn't fare very well againstBow. The songs seem to lack the energy that the band was known for. Most of the songs drag on well past the four minute mark, and in Hardcore this is a big no-no.

The Hope That Lies Withinfeels like a band on their last legs. The band must have agreed because this is the last Focused album to be released. Not to sound like I do not like this album, because that is far from the truth. "My Blood" is my personal favorite Focused song. The Hope That Lies Withintakes a lot of chances that many of their peers were not. Not a single song here fits into the Hardcore "formula". The standard verse/chorus format lines are blurred on nearly every track, possibly lending to why this album sounds so different. "Hurts to Ask" is the shortest and fastest song on the album, it's also at the very end. Almost as if the band realized "Hey, we didn't really right any fast songs" and threw one together.

I consider this album a hidden gem of Hardcore. While not being Focused's strongest album, it's still a shining example of how the mid 90's were an exciting times for Hardcore. You saw a lot of bands starting to transition away from the way things had been done for years and really trying to make something new and exciting.

After Focused broke up they released a compilation album called The Wheels of Progresson Facedown Records. Bassist Dirk Lemmenes went on to play bass in the incredible Stavesacre, and guitarist Andrew Reizuch later played in Tredwell and le Shok. In 2000, Focused reformed and recorded a demo, but nothing ever came out of it, and in recent years the band has played a reunion shows. It is possible they will get back together again and play some more, but if they don't, they will still be remembered as one of the most important Christian Hardcore bands ever.

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Plankeye - The Spark TND#1023 Release Date: 3-10-1995

Before listening to this album, I kept hoping that this was going to be a better than Spill. And while it is, it's still not quite what I had in mind. Given the landscape of 1995, this is still a decent album as far as Pop Rock is concerned. A lot of the grunge elements from Spill have been softened by the success of bands like Green Day, but there is still a pretty heavy early 90's feel to the album.

In certain places, Scott Silletta does his best locked jaw Pearl Jam croon, dating the album in a way that is pretty irritating. I do have to applaud the band for trying to utilize some guitar work that doesn't sound exactly like what would have been on the radio at that time. Strangely though, there are a few moments where the guitars sound like Tool, and I can't say that I enjoy those instances.

The album starts out pretty strong with "It's a Perfect Day, Jerome". There are some nice Everclear styled guitar's during the intro, but Scott's vocals bring the album back down again. Second track "Open House" is the best song on the album. Here is where we see the band at their best. This song is a lot of fun, with it's upbeat music and catchy vocals. Pop is the bands strongest talent, and every song after this just falls back into Spill's harder edge. The next four tracks are incredibly forgettable, until you get to "Wings to Fly". With the boom of Ska in 1995, Plankeye attempts to throw in a few reggae flourishes on the verses on this song. Besides that it gets pretty forgettable again.

"Let Me Go" comes afterwards and it lightens the mood again with a faster beat, but doesn't come as close to fun as "Open House". The next two tracks are hard to remember, but the album closes out on a high note. "So Far From Home" is the closest to Pop Punk that The Spark gets, and it's a shame that the songs is buried at the back of the album. This song could have been better used to break up some of the monotony during the slower parts of the album.

As I've reflected on the end of this album, I can say that I did not particularly enjoy The Spark. Many people consider this an important album for the Christian music scene at the time, and while I am not a fan, I can see why. It introduced a lot of Christian listeners to this form of Alternative Rock without managing to come across as a lame attempt at playing a carbon copy of radio rock.

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Strongarm - Atonement TND#1022 Release Date: 1995

Way back in 1991, there was a band called Planet X. In this band there were two kids named Matt and Josh. At that point in Hardcore, most bands only wrote songs using power chords. Matt and Josh thought that it would be cool try and play with a more technical style. Not too overboard, but just enough to distinguish themselves from other Hardcore bands. Over time Planet X broke up, and Matt and Josh went their separate ways. Josh Colbert went on to form a band with Nick Dominguez called Endure. After Endure was over with, Nick and Josh started a new band with Jason Berggren, Chris Carbonell, and Chad Nepture from another local band called Ikthus. This band was called Strongarm. What happened to Matt? Well that kid's last name was Fox, and he joined a little band called Shai Hulud.

So what was the point of that roundabout origin story? Really just to show the roots of two amazing Hardcore bands that helped revolutionize the scene, because two kids were tired of playing power chords. Both bands had a sound very similar to each other, but to no one else at that time.

In 1993, while Strongarm were still in their infancy, they recorded two demos. One was untitled and only had three songs on it. The other was called These Times That Try Men's Souls. It was recorded in a local studio using a four-track recorder, and ended up sounding pretty good. During the recording of this Demo, Strongarm received a phone call from Tooth & Nail Records expressing interest in the band. Soon after the band had their song "Count the Cost" featured on the first Helpless Amongst Friends.

Here is where Atonement comes in. While Focused were the first Spirit Filled Hardcore band, Strongarm came in and changed the landscape. Atonement is a monster of an album. It is an urgent album that demands your attention from the first notes. Almost as if to say, "Hey, Christian Hardcore is cool but we can do it better." Jason Berggren delivers his lines like a man on fire, physically and spiritually. The guitars on this album do their fair share of crunching, but there is a technical side that makes these songs standout. The bass playing on this album is just fantastic. Chad Neptune does more than play root chords or the equivalent of the rhythm guitar, instead he comes up with his own patterns. Just listen to the intro to "Stand Together", the entire melody comes from Chad's playing. On the other end of the rhythm section, Chris Carbonell just brutalizes his drum kit. There is something constantly being hit here. Most Hardcore drummers tend to favor the bass drums and snares, but Chris uses a lot of toms giving the songs a punchier sound.

Atonement is closer to Silence than it is to Bow, but it's still a beast in it's own right. Strongarm were a band that influenced nearly every Spirit Filled Hardcore band to come after them. But the best is yet to come.

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Don't Know - Coodli P. Ramaswami Memorial Cheesecake EP TND#1021 Release Date: 6-7-1995

I'll be honest. I have no idea what this album is supposed to be. All the information about this band that I have is from a Myspace fan created page, so forgive me if I get any facts wrong.

Don't Know formed in the early 90's and managed to garner some notoriety by being on a compilation for Fearless Donkey Records. Eventually they released an album called Chili With Beans on Morphine Records. The most interesting thing about this band isn't the music or what labels they were part of. Instead it's who was in Don't Know. Dan Henry, Paul Henry, Matt Johnson, and Ed Carrigan. That's right, this band is made up of members of Blenderhead. The funny thing is, most people thought this was a Blenderhead side project, but Don't Know was around first. Paul, Matt, and Ed met up with Bill Power and Eben Haase to start Blenderhead, and once their first album came out, the guys must have convinced Tooth & Nail to release a new Don't Know album.

It must have taken a lot of work, because I find it pretty hard to belive that Brandon Ebel listened to this album and thought it was something he HAD to release. This is a strange sounding album. A bizarre combination of Jazz, Funk, and Punk Rock swirls together to form a sound much like the legendary Mr. Bungle and Primus.

Coodli P. Ramaswami Cheesecake Memorial is a nine-song EP about cops and doughnuts, taco bell, cheez-wiz, coke-a-cola, and kung fu. I don't know what else I can say about this album other than, it is that I can't stand it. First, I'm not a fan of this style of music. I don't particularly like Primus and I definitely do not like Mr. Bungle. The entire album sounds like it is trying to be weird for the sake of being weird. Second, these songs just sound bad. I dont' have a problem with silly songs about taco bell, but it's how these songs are constructed. There is not a single hook for me to enjoy.

I will say something positive, these guys really know how to play their instruments. It takes a tremendous amount of skill to play funk bass and jazz drums, and Paul and Matt are an incredible rhythm section. But I've know Matt Johnson is a great drummer from his work in Roadside Monument, and Paul's bass playing was always great in Blenderhead. Don't Know just feels like showing off. Ed's guitar has a terrible tone here, and he doesn't really play anything interesting. The music may have been a little more noticeable if Dan Henry would have had a more unique voice like Les Claypool or Mike Patton. At times he sounds like a lower voiced Jello Biafra, but completely lacking the power.

I hate to talk bad about them, but this album is just awful. Though, if you are a fan of Primus or Mr. Bungle, this might be the kind of band for you. Just don't expect anything groundbreaking or even all that original.