JesusfreakHideout.com: Highlighting 2016 Part One -- Looking Ahead To New Music In The First Half of 2016

For our 10th annual Highlighting feature, we split the year into TWO pieces -- January to June and July to December. Each list contains 10 artists/releases for a total of 20 in total for 2016. So, without further ado, we give you Highlighting First-Half 2016!

1 of 10

#1. House Of Heroes
Colors

Release Date: July 1, 2016

I've been waiting for this little Ohio band to finally hit its stride. Jokes aside, is there really any surprise that Colors is our #1 for this list? It'd be premature to boldly state that any new House of Heroes concept album already has "classic" written all over it, so I won't say that. Yet. Let the gang vocals commence!
- Roger Gelwicks

They left us with the Smoke EP a year and a half ago, and we've been [kinda sorta] patiently waiting for the full-length. The patience is wearing thin, but at least it's something worth waiting for...
- Scott Fryberger

Last year, Paper Route beat out House of Heroes in a close fight for number one in this same feature. Neither released an album in 2015, so here we are again in 2016 with both of them back at the top. With a little more social media activity in the HoH camp (they are mastering the album right now) and a handful of new staff on our end, the vote swung wildly to House of Heroes this time around. And it is well-deserved--the demos for Colors sound amazing and the story is engaging. It's hard to tell this early in its development if it will reach the same level of perfection as their magnum opus (and my personal favorite album of all time) The End Is Not The End, but it just might have the potential.
- Christopher Smith

While they were around years before, The End is Not the End put House of Heroes on the map as a creative force. They went from a band that I liked one or two songs from (mainly "Serial Sleepers") to being one that I look forward to each time they release new music. There are no exceptions this time around. I'm expecting HoH to make a strong case for album of the year.
- Michael Weaver

When we tallied up these scores, number one wasn't even close. Colors has been recorded, mixed, named, and on the verge of being mastered. And we haven't gotten a full-length release from these guys since 2012. We're oh-so-ready for more!
- Mark Rice

Their first indie release since before signing to Gotee Records over a decade ago, it's definitely easy to have high hopes for the next chapter from HoH. And in a musical age where the CCM industry continues to refuse to make room for creativity, it keeps me eagerly awaiting new music from bands like these fine gents.
- John DiBiase

As one who began following House of Heroes since the release of their still superb record, Cold Hard Want, the four years of anticipating and waiting for a new record have been agonizing to say the least. While Suburba remains my favourite Heroes record, I'll be surprised if Colors doesn't at least challenge its title.
- Lucas Munachen

Visit our House Of Heroes page for more information about them...

2016 Countdown: January to June

10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Here are a few other artists that made our staff's individual lists that didn't quite make the top 10... Steven Curtis Chapman, Audrey Assad, The Afters, Nine Lashes, Silent Planet, Phil Wickham, Fit For A King, Norma Jean & more!