This hard-working metal band from Oregon should have been one of the pioneers of Christian metal in the early ’80s along with Saint, Bride, Leviticus and Messiah Prophet. Instead, the band sputtered and stalled after singer Tony Saiz and guitarist Shaun Tramel were tragically killed in a motorcycle accident in November 1984. Without releasing any official albums, the band’s name (pronounced ex-sinner) was nearly forgotten. This 2008 release compiles most of XINR’s songs. Production is still rough, but the record does show us a traditional metal band in the vein of Paul Di’Anno-era Iron Maiden that would have been head and shoulders above the competition in 1984, and is still quite fresh and exciting today. Very rare, but a must-have if you like late ’70s or early ’80s metal.
Features
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...a kind word goes a long way. "When it comes to writing and music, these are the gifts God has given me and that’s what I want to use to further the Kingdom and return those things back to God."
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The world came to a halt in 2020, but London-based Drones trudged on, giving a voice to the hurt that circulates with (or without) a pandemic: "You shouldn’t underestimate the power of writing things down or literally speaking them out loud, which I’m learning. I’m glad I made these songs, no matter how personal they are."
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On Age of the Abstract's new EP, 'Rebirth,' the duo explores what a new sound looks like apart from the day-job in Canidria. Here, contributing writer Andrew Voigt talks with Julio Arias about influence, vision, and how writing in the wake of his father's death propelled the band forward.
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The Top 25 Albums of 2020
When the going gets tough, artists create art. Despite a world reckoning outside our quarantined doors, musicians relentlessly created new music giving birth to genre-defining releases and, despite a year spent indoors, a marked 2020 full of passion and fervor. Here are our Top 25 albums of 2020.
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