I woke up in a cold sweat this morning

I realised this morning that it's been days, actual days, since my last blog post. I'm so sorry, I hope you found another day to kill your time - perhaps you refound those pins you used to stick in your eyes?

Maybe later today I'll start a nice little post about ID cards or some other New Labour disarray story, for now I'll copy and paste (I assure you I've not changed any of this) a Facebook message I received yesterday:

"Hi all

Thank you for joining the group 'Chip K Should Host Songs of Praise!', if you haven't checked out the group recently there are now well over 400 members.

This is just a quick update and prayer request - Chip is supportive and having chatted with him, I have now sent and email to Tommy Nagra, the producer of Songs of Praise, to try and get the ball rolling. Please can you pray that the email is well recieved, that the producer finds Jesus and that if its God's will that things will progress to broadcast.

God Bless

Rob Pember
Admin
of 'Chip K Should Host Songs of Praise'"

For the record Chip K is the main man behind thebandwithnoname, a Christian hip hop group who do a lot of schools work.

I completely forgot I'd signed up to this rather daft Facebook group and as such it made me smile.

Fives - The five metal musts

Later on in the series I'll cover punk, hardcore, emo and purely British bands but for now below are five metal outfits that are definitely worth a punt. With all these bands I may suggest only one album but that's purely a starting place, most releases from all five bands are well worth a punt. So in alphabetical order here are five metal musts:

As I Lay Dying
Some may want to argue that the band are more hardcore than metal, as that's clearly where their roots are, but no metal-head will be disappointed by their soaring riffs and their destructive breakdowns. Their pure musicality will impress any serious music fan and even the scene kids who prefer their metalcore a little more emo. Tim Lambesis is one of the greatest lyricists of our generation and more so than almost any other band out there these guys really know how gorge in big, BIG breakdowns.
Where to start: An Ocean Between Us (2007)

Becoming The Archetype
Few bands come close to the technically ability and crushing brutality of Solid State Records most on form current band. A wondrous mix of death growls, progressive experimental riffage and gorgeous synth-laden textures. Their name comes from Genesis 1:26: "God said, 'Let us make man in our image.'" Jesus was the only person to ever be sinless, ergo He was the archetype of humanity. If you wished that Opeth would deck going soft and had deeper lyrics then look no further.
Where to start: Dichotomy (2008)

Demon Hunter
Out of the ashes of technical hardcore band Traning For Utopia came the much more metallic Demon Hunter. Due to their nu metal beginnings and their hidden identities (thankfully they've binned that now) they were touted by some as Christianities answer to Slipknot. In their more straight up metal moments there are clear nods to Machine Head and Living Sacrifice. They're renowned for a large number of guest vocals and more recently have moved away from their nu-metal roots to a more adventurous sound.
Where to start: Summer of Darkness (2004)

Living Sacrifice
Without doubt the most influential Christian metal band of the 90s and still leaving their stamp in 2009 – when their first album in seven years is due. The band started out with a fairly thrashy sound and quickly developed a more complex sound that became almost metalcore by the end of their 15 year life. They took over the mantle that earlier metal pioneers had inspired them to usurp, bands such as Stryper, Believer and Seventh Angel.
The band formed in 1989 and split in 2005, after releasing a greatest hits, but recently reformed to tour and record a new album.
Where to start: In Memoriam (2005)

Virgin Black
An Australian band that combines gothic doom and symphonic metal influences. There are a lot of classical influences too that merge with the grandiose dark gothic drone. They've clearly overtaken the ambitious Saviour Machine and clearly take a huge inspiration from My Dying Bride – who also inspire Rock and Hard Place favourites My Silent Wake. The dark sound and haunting lyrics match their name, which they explain as "the juxtaposition of purity and humanity's darkness". Perhaps the least overtly Christian of the five choices but they're clearly dealing with spiritual matters and the Requiem series speaks for itself.
Where to start: Requiem Trilogy – Mezzo Forte (2007), Fortissimo (2008), Pianissimo (2009)

Previous fives: The five records labels that'll keep your ears happy

This week I have been mainly

This week I was mostly listening to
Celldweller - Soundtrack for the Voices in My Head Vol. 1
Celldweller have a new album out very soon and this is their most recent output, only one track has lyrics (Switchback) but the music is quality. It's the kind of stuff that superhero/action filmmakers have wet dreams over.
Mark Radcliffe and Liza Tarbuck on Radio 2
On lates I always listen to Radcliffe and Maconie on the drive home but as I've been on earlies this week I had the honour of hearing Mark Radcliffe's Mancunian wit alongside the ever bubbly Liza Tarbuck. He was sitting in for Steve Wright, what a blessing!

This week I was mainly watching
The Rise and Fall of Reginal Perrin
I'm actually quite surprised by how much I enjoyed the first episode of the 21st Century remake of the 70s classic. Martin Clunes and the team behind this, I can forgive you for now.
Lady Randy: Churchill's Mother
The wife of Randolph Churchill and the mother of Winston was one dirty selfish mare! A very interesting portrait on a very driven woman who served herself first and her first husband and then her son second, with a burning desire to see them succeed at the highest level of politics.
In the Loop
You can read some of my views on this excellent film in a recent post.

This week I was mainly reading
Mike Rimmer's ever relevant challenge to Christians who want to make good music and get out a contemporary and thought-provoking message at the same time. Christian musicians currently either seem to be talented and playing in the mainstream but as a result losing any lyrical edge they may have previously had or stay within the cotton wool lined Christian circuit and lack the necessary competition to keep them artistically challenged and as a result tend to sound rather bland and average.

Other things of note from this week
I played subbuteo for first time in a month with my newly acquired figures. I'm going to use the excuse of a lack of sleep as to why I lost two matches I could have won. I'm still on an upwards curve ... and I'm still a massive nerd. You'll also notice from yesterday's post that I've spent far too much time thinking about the old Woolworths in Hanley.

What's with all the effin' and jeffin'?

Earlier this week I watched In The Loop with Lisa. Much to both our surprise she really enjoyed it and it goes without saying that I did too. The story was solid and the slightly rejigged and extended cast of The Thick of It were all on top form. But with both the TV series and the film what really brings home the oats are the semi-improvised oneliners. Many of these highlights were provided by the mighty spin doctor supremo Malcolm Tucker, whose gritty wit was strong enough to put down the highest of ministers and the largest of Americans.

Cross Rhythms (for whom I present a show) have a resident film critic and their review was bound to touch on the matter of the colourful language. At the time I did wonder whether I should have been laughing so hard at such coarse language but then my rational has always been about how the other person perceives it. Someone can call me whatever they like and it's unlikely offend me unless there is real venom behind their words but I of course am sensitive to other people's feelings and generally don't tend to swear. So I am fairly comfortable to see someone swear in a fictional backdrop as no-one is genuinely going to be hurt by those words. Also the character of Malcom Tucker (and his fellow Scottish press officer) would be significantly diminished if his blunt language was refined, in other words he wouldn't be Malcolm Tucker.

On another note the almost boundless cynicism that ripples through the film will almost certainly be met with bemusement in Obama-infatuated America. We here in the UK shouldn't encounter any such problems when the extremely realistic truths echo through the picture, watch out for the line about MP expenses (filmed before the Jacqui Smith saga) if you want an example.

Cross Rhythms are always rolling out great articles, here's a couple of recent highlights: Check out Ben Jack's unpacking of the sickening compensation culture that we all too happily seem to be embracing and Mike Rimmer's ever relevant challenge to Christians who want to make good music and get out a contemporary and thought-provoking message at the same time.

If you're easily offended don't go and see In The Loop, if you have a backbone I heartily recommend it. Lisa will testify that you don't need to be a politics/satire nerd to enjoy one of the best British films in recent memory.

Fives - The five records labels that'll keep your ears happy

Fives is a feature I’ve been meaning to start on my show for a while now. It’s basically a way for relative newcomers to the Rock and Hard Place to get properly stuck into their scene. In future weeks I’ll list 5 must metal bands, 5 hardcore bands that truly get you pumped, 5 British acts that really should be bigger, 5 emo outfits that actually bring something new to the table, 5 zines and forums that’ll keep you up to speed etc…

This week it’s five music labels that’ll give you a bountiful supply of great faith-inspired bands:

Tooth and Nail / Solid State Records
Easily the largest label in terms of bands played on my show and in the Christian alternative scene. However they wouldn’t call themselves a Christian label but to a label who "allow artists who are Christians to create their art.” One day I’ll explain the ‘Christian band v Christians in a band’ debate but now’s not the time. They started in 1993 and quickly developed a number of sub-labels as their commercial success grew; the one of most note to me is Solid State as that’s where the heavier bands reside.
Notable Solid State alumni: Becoming the Archetype, Demon Hunter, Living Sacrifice, Norma Jean, Soul Embraced, Trenches, Underoath.
Former notables: Blindside, Extol, Life in Your Way, Figure Four
Notable Tooth and Nail alumni: Children 18:3, The Classic Crime, Emery, Hawk Nelson, MewithoutYou, Project 86, Showbread, Spoken, Thousand Foot Krutch.
Former notables: Anberlin, Beloved, Brave Saint Saturn, Dead Poetic, The Juliana Theory, The O.C. Supertones, P.O.D.

Facedown Records (plus imprint labels Dreamt and Strikefirst)
Possibly my favourite label due to their family feel and their social conscience. Jason Dunn started it out as a hardcore label but it now has a much wider range of bands. Still to this day though (with the exception of Thives and Liars) their best bands would fall into the metal and hardcore categories.
Notable Facedown/Strikefirst/Dreamt alumni:
Hands, Impending Doom, Jesus Wept, No Innocent Victim, Take it Back!, Thieves and Liars, Through Solace.
Former notables: Bloodlined Calligraphy, Comeback Kid, XDEATHSTARX, Immortal Souls, Nodes of Ranvier, Sinai Beach, xDisciplex A.D.

Flicker / Essential Records
Until it was bought by Provident Label Group (one of the big CCM powerhouses) Flicker Records was one of the most exciting independent labels out there. They’d stumbled upon some great fortune by making Pillar one of their first signings. Their commercial success allowed the label to grow to the point that it became an attractive purchase and as a result lost most of it’s alternative credibility. If you want safe but fairly rocking music this is your best bet (you may also wanna try SRE Recordings - home of Disciple, Flyleaf, POD, Skillet etc).
Notable Facedown/Strikefirst/Dreamt alumni: Fireflight, Flatfoot 56, Kids in the Way, Pillar, Red.
Former notables: Mortal Treason, Staple, Subseven.

Metal Blade
If you’re a little more daring and don’t mind bursting your Christian bubble a little you’ll no doubt be aware that there is a whole world of great faith-inspired bands that are signed to mainstream labels. In metal circles there are few labels with the same credibility as Metal Blade. Here’s a list of some of the current and former greats: As I Lay Dying, Aletheian, Austrian Death Machine, Believer, Woe of Tyrants, Winter Solstice.

Ferret
One of the great hardcore labels (a difficult concept as to be truly hardcore how can you be signed to a successful label?) and full of Christian musicians. Currently on their books are: The Devil Wears Prada, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Underneath the Gun and the mighty Zao!

NB: Each label’s notable roster is in alphabetical order rather than in order or preference or notoriety. All bands and labels should be fairly easy to find via myspace or google but feel free to contact me for links or questions.