Sell Out Records - A Music Review Blog

P.O.D's Bold Leap to Mainstream In the arena of heavy music, the leap from niche corners to the glaring spotlight of mainstream success is a path fraught with challenges. Yet, P.O.D (Payable on Death) navigates this journey with unparalleled audacity and energy in their major label debut, "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown." This record is more than a mere collection of tracks; it's a profound statement marking a deft crossover from the band's Christian artistry roots to a broader mainstream rock audience. The Genre-Defying Sound of Southtown "The Fundamental Elements of Southtown" is a testament to P.O.D's mastery in blending diverse genres. The album is a rich tapestry woven with threads of nu-metal, reggae, and hip-hop. It opens with "Hollywood," a track that sets the tone for an album that oscillates between raw energy and deep introspection. Songs like "Southtown" and the anthemic "Rock the Party (Off the Hoo...

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This has moved to jdune.com

This has moved to jdune.com

This has moved to jdune.com

Lemmy of Motorhead fame died yesterday. He was 70 years old. Rest In Peace. Perhaps we will see you one day. Rock of Ages, show mercy! Haven't listened to Motorhead lately? Pick up some records, support the band.

The year is ending, and that means that we once again will unlock the vault and pick out 10 of the best records of 2015. A ton of music was released this year, and a lot of it I covered, and a lot of it I didn’t. There was so much that you may find yourself wondering what was the best. Then again, you may not even know that I exist, and that’s fine too. Whatever the case is, here are the top 10 records in no particular order of 2015. These are chosen by popularity, frequency of play, and my criteria of randomness. Murs “Have a Nice Life” The first major record I recommend as the best, is none other than this one from Murs. Murs signed to Strange Music and dropped what very well may be the best hip hop record that Murs has put out in a long time. Every track on this one is a banger, and the music videos are absolutely grand. If you have yet to listen, go for it, it’s an incredible record with a lot of attention to lyricism, unique beats, and high quality production. Order it her...

Beauty To Ashes "Reproduce The Common Practice"  In 2002, I was delighted to see that one of the best bands in Southern California had finally inked a deal to release their first record. Of course, the band had done a few things on the independent tip, but they finally put out a full length and I was excited to see them grow. The band was Beauty To Ashes. The record was titled “Reproduce The Common Practice” and it blew the doors down on the hardcore scene, for about a few weeks. What happened to the band? Well, like a lot of other hardcore bands, money, family, and reality hit them hard. Not only that, this record is only 21 minutes long, which means that the band didn’t exactly put on the best showing. The songs on “Reproduce The Common Practice” are a far cry from the initial EP that they put out. However, they were able to harness some of their best studio work and create a good overall sound. “Bystandards of a Lifestyle Obsession” for instance, is a definitive sh...

Few Left Standing "Regeneration of Self" I’m not sure what it was about the late 1990s that made so many Christian youth pull together some of the most incredible music. There hasn’t been a time before or since that I’ve followed music as a whole and had so many amazing records hit my desk and speakers. One of the many records that I remember being floored by was Few Left Standing’s 1999 release on Takehold Records. It is called “Regeneration of Self” and it is by far one of the most complete metal core records that can be labeled Christian and still be very much heavy. Yes, there are other bands that put out great records, but nothing really coalesced with the spiritual side as much as it did with the heavy sound of Few Left Standing. The flow of this record and the all-out onslaught of progression through heavy gut wrenching speech is second to none. Chris Stafford goes to nail down some of the most outright religious lyrics, while maintaining a signature sound ...

This blog is all about music discovery. It's updated not so daily with elements from all over the web. Mostly music that I like. Nothing really too difficult. I'm just trying to figure out how to navigate all of this.

In June 1996 the band Stavesacre released an album that would become one of the most eclectic , strong, and impressive records of all time. I’m not alone in saying this. The Los Angeles Times would write of the band summing up the one line that I tell a lot of people about, “The Best Band No One’s Ever Heard Of”. It’s so true, and the guys in Stavesacre know this all too well. For all the work and incredible elements that they pushed through in their careers, they never got the mainstream success that they should’ve received. In fact, it was on “Friction” that comparisons to Tool started, and you know what? Tool should’ve had these guys open up for them, as they would have been huge! “Friction” starts powerfully with the track “Threshold”. This guitar and bass heavy track is precisely the same style that Tool and other prog-metal bands were putting out in the mid and late 1990s. From the opening track, you are taken on a progressive metal and hard rock ride that you cannot mirror a...

P.O.D. has been going strong for a long time. I remember hanging out with Sonny and the boys way back when they were playing shows up and down the West Coast with Dogwood. That’s a long time ago, and since then, the guys have been packing away some of the most powerful songs. This time around they have gone full tilt with a concept album called “The Awakening”. It’s equal parts metal, rap, hardcore, and reggae. The band has really fused together some of their best elements, and has really ramped up the production this time around. The band is absolutely at their most melodic, and urgent with this one. If you are a fan of the Deftones recent pushes, you’ll absolutely love this record, because it very much feels like a brother of Deftones and Incubus right now. From the start of the record, you are going to get hit with a reggae and hard rock blend. “Am I Awake” is a beautiful concept, with a mix of media sounds and the powerful elements that have made P.O.D. so poignant in the past...

I’m slow to the grind sometimes. There are moments in my life in which I don’t want to write any longer. Then inspiration strikes and I jump at the chance to speak up. Music is that way for me, there are so many tracks, so many albums that I love, and while I listen to a LOT of music, I tend to forget to review it all. That’s what happened with the latest from Fit For A King. They released “Slave To Nothing” in 2014 , and I haven’t reviewed it for this site yet. So here is my take on this incredible mix of hardcore, metal, and melody. From the beginning of the album, you are messed with. The band doesn’t hit you with the chugging riffs and hardcore elements that made some of their previous songs so heavy. Instead, they pull you throw an emotional connection not too unlike the openings that made Poison The Well industry darlings long ago. “Kill The Pain” does just that, it brings you into the mix of soft, heavy, and break downs that make the genre of heavy music so eclectic. If you’...

P.O.D. sat down with Rapzilla to discuss Christian music, art and their faith. It's an interesting video that shines light on what I've said about artists for a long time. It's nice to see them come out and talk about this openly again. Even though there are some pundits that want to knock them down a peg.

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As a music fan, I’ve heard a lot of guitar players in my day. I’ve seen a lot too, and every time I hear about another guitar player and their release, I roll my eyes. That wasn’t the case when I first heard about Xander Demos. I was completely blown away with the progressive sound and style of the guitar work and overall attention to the most finite of details on the latest release “Guitarcadia”. This is a heavy metal shredders dream, and it flies in the face of most guitar players today, as this is the type of stuff that should be played on rock radio. No offense to the reggae fans (which I am a fan of), but there’s no reason rock radio should be playing 3 or 4 reggae songs an hour when this is getting ignored. Xander Demos charges through every kind of guitar sound from melodic to extreme picking to just insane pieces of metal glory on “Guitarcadia” and it’s a blueprint for what you can do on electric guitar. Lead, rhythm, and other is all represented in some heavy shredding and...

It’s the return of pure rock music. Lately I’ve been hearing so many good bands coming out and after hearing Zero Verdict’s latest release “Clarity”, I’m 100% positive that they are poised to make it big. From the opening lines of their record, they bring high quality guitar driven rock music that will take you back to the rock and roll era. It’s as powerful as anything coming out Seattle from the 1990s, and it’s as powerful as the heavy metal guitar work that came through the 1980s, with incredible vocals that float through the driving guitars, and killer bass with other instrumentation throughout. This is the ultimate rock and roll package, without sticking to just one genre. On “Clarity”, the band opens up with “The Perfect White Lie” and I was blown away by the production, and overall style. It’s well crafted, and powerful, giving the listener something from all genres, including an awesome solo to finish things off and sing along choruses that will definitely stun you. Even th...

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Vileborn is an independent hard rock act that caught my attention recently. Their latest release “Vileated EP” is a complex mix of several genres, but in the end, it’s heavy. It moves fast through 4 songs, and pushes the boundaries of metal, rock, and even a little punk for the mix. There’s a lot to enjoy here, even in just 4 songs, as each one stands out as an anthem that will definitely find a home with many hard music fans. From the introduction of “Plague the Day” to the heavy handed “Terminal”, you get a lot to balance out. “Pick Your Poison” and “Bastard” close the EP out and you get a fully scale rock approach, but not without some incredible metallic crunch. The guitar work on the record is good, and the drums definitely find a home with the singing and screaming really well done as well. This is a band that has a bright future, especially if they continue to work within the balancing act of metal and hard rock, leaving nothing behind. Vileborn really comes through on thi...

There’s a ton of bands and artists trying to get back that 1980s glam metal sound, and most of them are awful. But as the old adage goes, cream rises to the top and this time around, Vitne comes charging ahead with one of the coolest records to come out in a while. This is not a glam rock record, it’s an artistic representation of the 1980s metal frenzy with an updated sound and exquisite guitar work that is definitely going to raise a lot of eyebrows. Vitne’s latest release “Neon” is one of the coolest rock records to come out and it’s bound to get more attention, if people just wake up. At first glance, you’ll think that this is a revival act, but by the time you get past “Destroyer” the lead track, you are going to get pummeled with a rock sound that is all new. It’s not rehashed, it’s not a cover act, it’s 100% metal infused rock and roll, the likes that you would find from acts like Motley Crue, Van Halen, and even early Guns N Roses. No pretense here, just a lot of rock music, ...