No need for an intro, I’ve kept ya’ll waiting long enough.

1. the85bears w/ Alex Exile – Belly Down opens the mixtape with a great tune to dance to. thepaintedman would like to take (at least a little) credit for this awesome collaboration, as a TPM RemixThis! contest brought these forces together. The entire album, featuring more collabs with Alex Exile, a few new tracks, and a sweet remix from RemixThis! can be downloaded for FREE. And it’s currently #2 on noisetrade, so I suspect you’ll like it!

2. Enlou – Amphibian is a track from the Lujo Records act’s new EP. They’ll be hitting the road this Fall, so keep your eyes peeled.

3. Milk Plus – Digging Out proves that Nerdcore is alive and kicking in the UK. Check out this killer track.

4. Bodies in the Lake – Ohh… I’m Sorry for the Confusion will rock your face off… quite literally. It will actually hurt. But it will hurt so good… and once you are done hurting, you can listen to a bonus second track by BITL entitled “Visions of Chaos“. Both of these track were record at Atrium Audio in Lancaster by Carson Slovak, great production if I do say so myself.

5. The Fuck Kills – Radio Unts Tiss is a track by Shael Riley and Diotrans. It’s an entry into a cool songwriting contest, where it seemed to fare pretty well. Check it out and see what two talented musicos can do when working together.

6. Little Lords – Make Your Name Known Through Us is yet another Signorelli project. Dude doesn’t stop cranking out tunes. This particular one is of the face melting persuasion.

7. The Glass Gentlemen – Love Story is a crappy cover of a crappy song. The Brads need to stop listening to bad pop! Seriously, though, it’s a fun an enjoyable cover of a song that all of us pretend to hate but secretly dig. Raise your hand if you have a Taylor Swift crush.

8. Jeremy Ritch and the Cowards – Crystal Beth is a track by that dude who wrote some reviews for TPM and pastors an indie church in Harrisburg, PA. Yeah! THAT dude. Did I ever mention to you that this guy is relatively obsessed with old country and is totally in love with Johnny Cash? Guess I did now.

9. Quantum Foundry – Why Do I Make Hip Hop is hip hop. And… you don’t stop… or something. These indie rappers are thoroughly enjoyable. Check them out!

10. Strong Waves Kill Weak Swimmers – Nothing To Write Home About is the closing track of this mix. And it’s incorrectly name, but it’s a pretty damn good track. But, beware they use foul words on this track. If you dig them, check out their website because they give away alot of great free music.

Use this coupon code and buy Jeremy Ritch’s book My Beautiful Mess. Stay tuned to TPM for a review and a chance to win an autographed copy.

Another day, another Jeremy Ritch review of a kickass Blood & Ink band.

Revelation Through Tribulation by Thin Ice – Blood & Ink Records

This six song debut from San Antonio’s Thin Ice is a in your face assault of Spirit-Filled Hardcore. Like my previous review of fellow Blood & Ink band Dependency I feel this band is going back in time to recapture the roots of the SFHC movement. As a member of the hardcore scene for over 20 years and a witness to the original spirit filled movement I am very picky about who I endorse. These guys are showing me something, though only a six song release, I feel they have huge potential. This EP has elements that remind me of Figure Four, Buried Alive, and Hatebreed. Though a short listen. it gives you an idea of how heavy this band is and a better idea of what they stand for. There must also be a theme with bands putting ambient instrumental tracks smack in the middle of records. There is one here as well as on the Dependency record I reviewed. The weird thing is they are both Blood & Ink releases? Conspiracy theory? Perhaps!

I will say I like this record straight through. Each song is heavy, including the instrumental “Sackcloth and Ashes”, and it flows very well. The production is stellar for what is describe as a “glorified demo” by this Texas outfit. The band doesn’t even have a complete line up yet but still puts forth a quality record many seasoned bands would be envious of. The final song entitled “The Ghost” breaks a bit from a straight hardcore onslaught to a more melodic Comeback-ish track. It fits however and is a perfect end to the record. Overall, I would say this is a solid debut for a band that seems to still be getting their sound nailed down. It is a fine representation of what Texas has to offer and hopefully we will be hearing more from these guys soon. If you like hardcore and specifically Christian hardcore I would recommend these guys and start checking Blood & Ink often as they seem to have gotten the message about a need for good SFHC bands. Also for true hardcore fans check out their cover of “Reflections” by Trial on their MySpace page. It sold me on these guys and that ain’t easy.

The following review is the first of several guest reviews. It happens to be written by Jeremy Ritch; pastor of Hold Fast Ministries, country singer/songwriter extraordinaire, videographer, hardcore aficionado, and all around good guy.

If nothing else, what you need to know is that Jeremy knows hardcore, especially Spirit-Filled Hardcore.

Hope you dig it, because there’s a second dose of Jeremy tomorrow! For now, enjoy Jeremy’s review of Blood & Ink artists Dependency (and, check out other reviews of Blood & Ink Records, too).

Convicted by Dependency, Blood & Ink Records

I am a skeptic when it comes to Christian Hardcore as I have seen it rise and fall over the years. There was a time when you could find a bunch of solid bands on Christian labels then it was mostly a bunch of rip offs or just bad music. Blood & Ink has gotten things right a few times by putting out solid Hardcore from bands like Philadelphia’s Debtor and their best two bands ever Ten 33 and xLooking Forwardx. This brings me to Dependency from Nashville, TN and their debut EP Convicted.

The EP begins with a furious melodic hardcore track “Goliath” which sets the pace for what this record and band are going to sound like. As a product of 90’s hardcore I appreciate their style and sound. They are very reminiscent of Strongarm and that Florida sound of their era. They also seem to recapture the fire that drove the early spirit-filled bands and do so with quality writing. If you close your eyes you can imagine baggy pants and over sized t-shirts. I also caught a few songs that in a weird way reminded my of Ninety Pound Wuss at times. The sound quality on the record is great and produced enough but not too much. It was co-produced by Joe Musten of Advent, which could also be why this EP is so spot on. Advent is probably the best Spirit-Filled Hardcore band out there right now. Having someone like him onboard no doubt helped the musical but also the spiritual direction of this project.

Each of the 7 songs on Convicted are powerful and hit you pretty hard. The blend of melodic hardcore riffs, gang vocals and frontman Kyle Fesmire’s vocals make for a legit debut from a relatively unknown band. There is one song entitled “Forgiven” which is an ambient instrumental track and it is my only criticism of the record. It is not that I don’t like the song it is the placement on the recording. It comes third and seems like a good end track or outro. That is my one bad thing to say about an otherwise solid release from Blood & Ink who in my humble opinion are overtaking Facedown as the premier Hardcore label in the Christian market. If you are fans of melodic 90’s hardcore you will probably like these guys.

Thanks for the answers I got last week. This week’s question come sup because I have been reading all the 10,000 lists about best albums of the decade, some top 10, some top 20, some top 50, some even more. Only one has truly impressed me with a variety of music that I truly enjoy on it: Jeremy Ritch’s Top 50 Albums of the Decade (Jeremy is pictured to the right, I wish my pastor’s taste in music had been this cool).

I am currently prepping my list, but am as of yet undecided on a few of my top slots. At the moment, the leader candidate for the #1 spot is At the Drive In’s Relationship of Command. I doubt it gets supplanted, but the other top slots are very fluid at this point.

This week’s question is mostly to help me make my decisions, so admittedly it’s selfish… but hey, it is MY website right? So, without further hoopla, here goes: With this decade coming to a close, what are YOUR top 5 albums that were released in the years 2000 through 2009?

Best answers win free music, in fact, there is a promise of prizes to at least 3 of this week’s comments… so comment away.

For my readers and friends in Eastern/Central PA, this is an event worth checking out if you have the time.