As with most years I rather feel my representation of faith-inspired music from the European mainland is rather lacking. Please recommend to me a few albums/bands that have stepped up to the plate in the last year or so. You can recommend non-Christian stuff but I'm looking for new music for my show (The Rock and Hard Place, Cross Rhythms) especially.

What should I be looking out for later this year too?

If by hard music you include matured theme oriented black metal with an industrial tinge.. click on my signature.. Opus Majestic is all about adding some life to a dead genre and scene.

But I don't know if by hard music you just mean hardcore/nu metal type stuff?

I mean anything harder than your standard mainstream rock, so yes black metal and industrial easily fit within that remit. I'll check it out!

Also, If I can plug my projects some more=

If you like Industrial, keep an eye out for Maschinengott.. In about two months probably we'll have some musik up. It is a collaboration between my band, Opus Majestic and the German electronic band Konzil. I can say .. from what we have so far.. it's gonna be like nothing anyone's done yet.. either in the secular or Christian scenes.

http://www.myspace.com/maschinengott

Here is some European Hard Music.

The Spirit That Guides Us (The Netherlands)
http://www.myspace.com/thespiritthatguidesus

Burial Earth (Netherlands)
http://www.myspace.com/burialearthofficial

Benea Reach (Norway)
http://www.myspace.com/Beneareach

Mantric (With 3 former Extol members) (Norway)
http://www.myspace.com/mantric

Intohimo (Sweden)
http://www.myspace.com/intohimo

Illuminandi (Poland)
http://www.myspace.com/illuminandi

Sacrificium (Germany)
http://www.myspace.com/sacrificiummetal