Ahhhh, yes. The long-disputed issue: is Christian metal Satanic?
Here is my answer.
No. Christian metal is not Satanic. Just because secular metal has a Satanic message to their music, does not mean that Christian metal is Satanic for choosing that style of music. Just like Christian country isn't considered to have lots of substance abuse, or Christian electronic (like Owl City), isn't considered to have lots of sexual content, Christian metal doesn't have lots of Satanic content.
If anything, Christian metal is more Christian than mainstream contemporary Christian bands. Oftentimes, amongst contemporary Christian artists, you will hear lots of praise and worship music - which is great - there is definitely a time and place for worship. Yet contemporary Christian artists (I will call them CCA for short), never seem to address the basics of Christianity (Jesus's birth, death, and resurrection, the fact that he was the son of God and could forgive sins, etc.), or try to reach out to nonbelievers. However, Christian metal definitely does. Off the top of my head, I can name you about 5 Christian metal songs addressing the crucifixion and resurrection, but only about 1 or 2 contemporary Christian songs addressing it.
And to those of you who believe that Christian metal is Satanic, I challenge you to go to YouTube, iTunes, Spotify, SoundCloud, or wherever you listen to music, and listen to one Whitecross song of your choice (and look up the lyrics if necessary). You may not like the type of music, but I can guarantee that there is more key Scripture in one song of Whitecross than in an album of Chris Tomlin.
The blog for Christian metal music lovers
Monday, November 30, 2015
Author's Picks For Best Christian Metal Bands (Updated 12/1/15, 12/12/15)
Hey guys! Well, considering I haven't posted in what seems like forever, I decided I'd give you my picks for the best Christian metal bands - in all genres (even ones I don't particularly prefer). There are some genres I have left out, solely because I do not even know any Christian bands of those genres. If you do, please let me know!
I have scrutinized these for content, message, and musical quality/talent.
Without further ado, here are my picks for the best Christian metal bands:
Alternative metal: Disciple
Content/Message: 8/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 4/5
Death Metal: War of Ages
Content/Message: n/a, due to inability to understand what they are singing.
Musical Quality/Talent: 3/5
Glam/Hair Metal: Stryper (pre-1990)
Content/Message: 10/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 5/5
Heavy Metal: Whitecross
Content/Message: 9/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 4/5
Hard Rock (I included this even though it's not technically metal): Idle Cure
Content/Message: 8/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 2/5
Power Metal: Theocracy
Content/Message: 10/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 5/5
I have scrutinized these for content, message, and musical quality/talent.
Without further ado, here are my picks for the best Christian metal bands:
Alternative metal: Disciple
Content/Message: 8/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 4/5
Death Metal: War of Ages
Content/Message: n/a, due to inability to understand what they are singing.
Musical Quality/Talent: 3/5
Glam/Hair Metal: Stryper (pre-1990)
Content/Message: 10/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 5/5
Heavy Metal: Whitecross
Content/Message: 9/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 4/5
Hard Rock (I included this even though it's not technically metal): Idle Cure
Content/Message: 8/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 2/5
Power Metal: Theocracy
Content/Message: 10/10
Musical Quality/Talent: 5/5
Saturday, November 21, 2015
The Great Debate: STRYPER: Christian or Not?
In the world of Christian metal, there is one large topic that pops up frequently: Stryper, the famed, talented Christian glam metal band from Orange County, California - are they Christian? The answer is complicated.
First, we must look at some of their earlier albums such as In God We Trust, Soldiers Under Command, and the ever-famous To Hell with the Devil. I won't go into whether or not Stryper has talented musicians or not, because the answer is undoubtedly yes, but what about the message they are giving?
In early albums such as these, Stryper definitely is Christian. If not for the fact that one of the albums actually has God's name in the title, they frequently mention God, and their songs correspond with Christian values.
But in 1990, that's when all that changed. Stryper released the album Against the Law, in which they ditched their traditional dead-bumblebee costumes in favor of a more gothic, leathery look. Fans were disappointed not only with the costume change but more so with the message (or rather lack thereof) contained in the new album, which did not mention or even allude to God at all. Their logo, which had previously had the reference to Isaiah 53:5 underneath it, was now simply the band name, without the Scriptural reference. In an interview shortly preluding their new album, Michael Sweet claimed that he "felt that the message was taking away from their music". Obviously, Stryper is talented. People realized that even before they ditched the Gospel. So obviously there was something else at work here... I'm not going to pass judgment on them, without knowing their intentions, but I will say that from an outward perspective, it seemed as if Stryper's Christianity was pretty much gone.
Yet has their faith resurfaced? That's where the answer becomes difficult. It seemed as if in the mid-to late 2000s, Stryper started releasing more Christian-sounding albums, like Reborn and Murder by Pride. Yet even if their faith (and the Scriptural reference on their logo) temporarily resurfaced in these songs, while their talent remained on into their later years, sadly, their song-writing skills did not. Songs like 4 Leaf Clover and Murder by Pride graced these later albums, with lyrics, while, catchy, really didn't make much sense. It was like the Christian metal version of "Ooh Eeh Ooh Ahh Ahh Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang".
Sadly, both their song-writing skills and their faith finally bit the dust in the 2010s, when they started releasing albums such as The Covering, Second Coming, and Fallen.
Credit must be given where credit is due, however. Stryper managed to retain their musical talent and abilities on into their 50s, and none of their songs have contained foul language or inappropriate content.
Yet some signs of the end (of Stryper, at least) prevailed even before. Michael Sweet, lead singer and founder of Stryper, split off to do his own thing, much like Jon Bon Jovi and Axl Rose. Like Bon Jovi and Rose, pretty soon, the band faltered.
Unfortunately, they never recovered. Stryper is still touring to this day, barely holding onto their natural talent for music, hoping that that will cover up their now poor songwriting skills and lack of the original faith they once had.
This is not to say that it is somehow ungodly to listen to Stryper. Any of their more recent albums are fine to listen to as guilty pleasure, just like you might listen to "Crazy Frog" or Michael Jackson. Yet they should not be considered the epitome and fount of all Scriptural knowledge and wisdom. Their first few albums are great sources of solid Scripture, and perfectly fine to listen to. Yet it is strongly advised not to listen to any of their albums from the '90s, especially "Against the Law", as it not only did not mention the Bible, but actually contradicted it, and listening to such music can easily stunt your growth in Christ.
Of course, I cannot control what you listen to. You may not even like Stryper in the first place. But this is my answer to the great debate as to whether Stryper is a Christian band. They were, but jumped off the rails, and while attempted to resurface, never quite did.
Does that mean that there aren't ANY modern Christian metal bands? Of course not! One prime example might be the band Theocracy, a very, very talented Christian progressive power metal band started in the mid-2000s.
I hope you keep this in mind as you listen to music throughout the week; to be sure that what you are listening to does not contradict Christianity or Scripture, and that it promotes it as well.
First, we must look at some of their earlier albums such as In God We Trust, Soldiers Under Command, and the ever-famous To Hell with the Devil. I won't go into whether or not Stryper has talented musicians or not, because the answer is undoubtedly yes, but what about the message they are giving?
In early albums such as these, Stryper definitely is Christian. If not for the fact that one of the albums actually has God's name in the title, they frequently mention God, and their songs correspond with Christian values.
But in 1990, that's when all that changed. Stryper released the album Against the Law, in which they ditched their traditional dead-bumblebee costumes in favor of a more gothic, leathery look. Fans were disappointed not only with the costume change but more so with the message (or rather lack thereof) contained in the new album, which did not mention or even allude to God at all. Their logo, which had previously had the reference to Isaiah 53:5 underneath it, was now simply the band name, without the Scriptural reference. In an interview shortly preluding their new album, Michael Sweet claimed that he "felt that the message was taking away from their music". Obviously, Stryper is talented. People realized that even before they ditched the Gospel. So obviously there was something else at work here... I'm not going to pass judgment on them, without knowing their intentions, but I will say that from an outward perspective, it seemed as if Stryper's Christianity was pretty much gone.
Yet has their faith resurfaced? That's where the answer becomes difficult. It seemed as if in the mid-to late 2000s, Stryper started releasing more Christian-sounding albums, like Reborn and Murder by Pride. Yet even if their faith (and the Scriptural reference on their logo) temporarily resurfaced in these songs, while their talent remained on into their later years, sadly, their song-writing skills did not. Songs like 4 Leaf Clover and Murder by Pride graced these later albums, with lyrics, while, catchy, really didn't make much sense. It was like the Christian metal version of "Ooh Eeh Ooh Ahh Ahh Ting Tang Walla Walla Bing Bang".
Sadly, both their song-writing skills and their faith finally bit the dust in the 2010s, when they started releasing albums such as The Covering, Second Coming, and Fallen.
Credit must be given where credit is due, however. Stryper managed to retain their musical talent and abilities on into their 50s, and none of their songs have contained foul language or inappropriate content.
Yet some signs of the end (of Stryper, at least) prevailed even before. Michael Sweet, lead singer and founder of Stryper, split off to do his own thing, much like Jon Bon Jovi and Axl Rose. Like Bon Jovi and Rose, pretty soon, the band faltered.
Unfortunately, they never recovered. Stryper is still touring to this day, barely holding onto their natural talent for music, hoping that that will cover up their now poor songwriting skills and lack of the original faith they once had.
This is not to say that it is somehow ungodly to listen to Stryper. Any of their more recent albums are fine to listen to as guilty pleasure, just like you might listen to "Crazy Frog" or Michael Jackson. Yet they should not be considered the epitome and fount of all Scriptural knowledge and wisdom. Their first few albums are great sources of solid Scripture, and perfectly fine to listen to. Yet it is strongly advised not to listen to any of their albums from the '90s, especially "Against the Law", as it not only did not mention the Bible, but actually contradicted it, and listening to such music can easily stunt your growth in Christ.
Of course, I cannot control what you listen to. You may not even like Stryper in the first place. But this is my answer to the great debate as to whether Stryper is a Christian band. They were, but jumped off the rails, and while attempted to resurface, never quite did.
Does that mean that there aren't ANY modern Christian metal bands? Of course not! One prime example might be the band Theocracy, a very, very talented Christian progressive power metal band started in the mid-2000s.
I hope you keep this in mind as you listen to music throughout the week; to be sure that what you are listening to does not contradict Christianity or Scripture, and that it promotes it as well.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Introduction (Updated 2x 11/13/15, 12/12/15)
Welcome, everyone, to Christian Metalheads. This is a blog for lovers of Christian metal music, featuring band recommendations, new song releases, the different styles and genres, and much more. I hope you find this blog interesting, and feel free to comment.
To start off, what are some of your favorite christian metal bands? What genre are they?
Here are a list of some of my favorites, and their genres.
Stryper (pre-1990 - after 1990 they "sold out" and went secular) - glam metal.
Musical Talent: 5/5
Message: 10/10
Holy Soldier - glam metal.
Musical Talent: 3/5
Message: 8/10
Bloodgood - Heavy metal.
Musical Talent: 3/5
Message: 7/10
Traxter - Heavy metal.
Musical Talent: 3/5
Message: 5/10
Disciple - Alternative metal.
Musical Talent: 4/5
Message: 8/10
Whitecross - Heavy metal.
Musical Talent: 4/5
Message: 9/10
Theocracy - Progressive power metal.
Musical Talent: 5/5
Message: 10/10
Please note: If this blog receives continual feedback, I will attempt to post twice weekly. However, if this blog does not receive feedback, or does not receive feedback very often, I will only post weekly, if that. I am not forcing anyone to comment, but it does help let me know that you are interested in the topic at hand, which will then spur me on to write more about it.
To start off, what are some of your favorite christian metal bands? What genre are they?
Here are a list of some of my favorites, and their genres.
Stryper (pre-1990 - after 1990 they "sold out" and went secular) - glam metal.
Musical Talent: 5/5
Message: 10/10
Holy Soldier - glam metal.
Musical Talent: 3/5
Message: 8/10
Bloodgood - Heavy metal.
Musical Talent: 3/5
Message: 7/10
Traxter - Heavy metal.
Musical Talent: 3/5
Message: 5/10
Disciple - Alternative metal.
Musical Talent: 4/5
Message: 8/10
Whitecross - Heavy metal.
Musical Talent: 4/5
Message: 9/10
Theocracy - Progressive power metal.
Musical Talent: 5/5
Message: 10/10
Please note: If this blog receives continual feedback, I will attempt to post twice weekly. However, if this blog does not receive feedback, or does not receive feedback very often, I will only post weekly, if that. I am not forcing anyone to comment, but it does help let me know that you are interested in the topic at hand, which will then spur me on to write more about it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)