NEW ALBUMS FOR 2017!!!

JD3 (formerly known as The Jondo Trio) - Scraps From The Borderlands

Apologetix - Zebraic

My Silent Wake - Invitation to Imperfection
Crimson Thorn - Anthology of Brutality
Haven - III
Wicked's End/Saul of Tarsus split
Ultimatum - Puppet of Destruction (vinyl)
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced (vinyl)
Judas Priest - Screaming for Vengeance (vinyl)

Theocracy - As the World Bleeds (red vinyl)
Malachia - Red Sunrise (vinyl)
Justin Johnson - Driving It Down

Quote :

Justin Johnson - Driving It Down

I love his playing when I watch videos.  However, I bought his "Smoke & Mirrors" album and just didn't enjoy it.  It was all instrumental.  I wish he'd at least partner with some singers and do some music with lyrics.

If you like his playing, you should also check out Big Chris & D'Bare Bones Band (shameless plug), Shane Speal, The Swamp Drivers, One Hand Dan, Microwave Dave, and Samantha Fish.  Samantha does play a regular guitar but has been known to bust out a cigar box guitar from time to time with her sultry sounding blues.  The rest of us are CBG artists.  Microwave Dave likes 'em with 6 strings like a standard guitar.  The rest of us are mostly playing 3 or 4 strings.  The Swamp Drivers will bust out a shovel guitar or a rifle guitar.  Their whole band is made of junk.  It's so cool!

Oh, I forgot to mention that Glenn Kaiser's last two albums have been on cigar box guitar as well.

alldatndensum wrote:

Quote :

Justin Johnson - Driving It Down

I love his playing when I watch videos.  However, I bought his "Smoke & Mirrors" album and just didn't enjoy it.  It was all instrumental.  I wish he'd at least partner with some singers and do some music with lyrics.

If you like his playing, you should also check out Big Chris & D'Bare Bones Band (shameless plug), Shane Speal, The Swamp Drivers, One Hand Dan, Microwave Dave, and Samantha Fish.  Samantha does play a regular guitar but has been known to bust out a cigar box guitar from time to time with her sultry sounding blues.  The rest of us are CBG artists.  Microwave Dave likes 'em with 6 strings like a standard guitar.  The rest of us are mostly playing 3 or 4 strings.  The Swamp Drivers will bust out a shovel guitar or a rifle guitar.  Their whole band is made of junk.  It's so cool!

You might like Driving It Down then, as it is not just instrumental, nor is it just him. I'd say about a quarter of the songs have lyrics, while the rest are instrumental. However, the album isn't just him strumming on an old 1930's shovel guitar, but a complete band, so the instrumentals are more like jam sessions. It's all still blues based, but there are definitely some other style there. "Funky Bootz" is definitely funky, sounding like something from Motown, and there's this one with Bootsy Collins guesting as the vocalist:



And I don't care who does this song, it's always good:



I'm just the opposite of you I guess, as I usually prefer the instrumentals. Sometimes I feel like vocalists just screw things up. Some of my favorite metal is "instrumetal", like Vinnie Moore and Joe Satriani. As for Justin, I have Smoke & Mirrors and I love it. He's doing another Kickstarter for a new one that's supposed to have some southwestern flair, and though my last few KS experiences included a couple of shaky ones, I decided to support it.

http://www.justinjohnsonlive.com/drivin-it-down-by-justin-johnson.html

I don't have but one instrumental album anymore and it is a Christmas album.  I never play them.  I just don't feel the same connection to the music as I do a band with a singer and lyrics that I love.  So, if Justin's new one is still 75% instrumental, then I'm gonna pass.

As for supporting his new Kickstarter, I just won't.  I have had a lot of negative experiences with Kickstarter and other drives regarding late release dates, rewards that come late or never, etc.  I am done.

Besides, it is possible to record a great record without having to spend thousands and thousands of dollars.  My latest cost me $500 in mixing and mastering and was all recorded with my own band in a box Korg unit I bought in 2005.  The new one will probably be mixed and mastered here at home as I am finally learning how to make things sound great.

Artists need to find a way to create their art without having to demand that fans pay up front before the art is created.  Besides, crowdfunding only works if you have an established fan base.  For an upstart, it isn't even realistic to be able to do this.  Besides, better known musicians should have been able to put some of their earnings away so that they can do new works.  That's what the rest of us have to do; finance these recordings ourselves

Revival EP

This is the supergroup collaboration of Guardian and Whitecross members.  I hope it is good and even more hope that they do some thing new.

alldatndensum wrote:

Revival EP

This is the supergroup collaboration of Guardian and Whitecross members.  I hope it is good and even more hope that they do some thing new.

Same here, I was pleasantly surprised by this EP.

Sean Michel - Roots Gospel


It's kinda bluesy, kinda folky, kinda rock, kinda R&B.  They put the songs for the Kickstarter backers on Soundcloud and I was able to download them from there.  There is no cover art yet.  Fortunately, I only backed the digital album, so if this is all I get, I will be fine.  I don't care about the digital booklet and can get the cover from the internet when the album really is released.  I am just glad that Sean and Co. finally did something as his website is gone and they had been super quiet on social media.  I had asked twice if this were still happening since it was promised by Dec. 2016.  Even then, I had not received anything from the pledge campaign with updates even though I know that my email address is right in the system.  I have backed other artists and received updates.

The 3 - Gospelbilly
The 3 - Into Light

Crossrock - Come On Baby

I pre-ordered the new Fleshkiller...
http://merchnow.com/catalogs/fleshkiller

...as well as Renascent's latest album on CD (previously only released digitally).
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/renascent-praise-of-the-lord-god-almighty-cd#/

I also bought a new song from Melech (two of the guys from Pantokrator).
https://melechofficial.bandcamp.com/track/liberator
I'm really looking forward to the full-length they're working on.  The three songs they've released on Bandcamp are stellar.

The Crimson Bridge Ministry - Choices

Crossrock - Come On Baby
Deth Enemy - Unmovable

Pastor Brad  - Crush

THIRD DAY - REVIVAL

Wichtburner (EP) Rose
Men, this rocks.

Seventh Day Slumber - Found
Rose - Witchburner

Xalt - Dark War

alldatndensum wrote:

Xalt - Dark War

I need to get that.

Staybrite wrote:

alldatndensum wrote:

Xalt - Dark War

I need to get that.

I already had a decent copy made from an original cassette several years ago.  This way, though, I have an official copy as this is the first time it has ever been released on CD.

That's a very cool CD from Xalt.

D.O.G. - Unleashed