Christian Metal ..... Oxymoron???

[Powermetal Rebel]

Seems there have been a larger number of Christian metal bands showing up in my collection lately. While I have made no consious effort to seek them out, they are finding me (an omen perhaps:zombie. Several of these CDs have come from the End or Sentinel Steel & no mention was made of their religious or spiritual content. Either way - I am indifferent to the message and it does not influence my opinon about the band although it may have swayed my purchase.

Heavy metal has been perceived by many as being evil. Many of it's fans embrace this reputation. I know several people would not intentionally listen to music with religious or spiritual content and consider these bands to be not talented enough to compete in the real market.

Since this forum is full of folks with many different tastes and opinions.......

Do you think religion has a place in heavy metal and would you be less likely to by a CD you were aware of it's religious or spiritual content?

PMR

 

[sixxswine]

If it's good I will buy it. My favorites in Christian metal or rock are Barren Cross and Stryper...

 

[Dee Snarl]

A Christian slant is still a strike against in my book.

Largely because of the way they've taken over the hardcore/metalcore scenes. Enough already.

 

[mdmatt4ever]

If it's good I will buy it. My favorites in Christian metal or rock are Barren Cross and Stryper...

michael sweet of stryper might be the most underrated singer ever.

 

[tsorl]

Let's just say I prefer the Dungeons n' Dragons shit over any kind of preaching, be it Christian, anti-Christian or whatever. Just don't insult my intelligence, write some good tunes and chances are I'll like you.

 

[Wyvern]

One of my best friend is Christian (non-Catholic) and he even played in a rock band here which I was webamaster at a time. The band was really good but again because of prejudice never lift-off properly.

Because of him I listened to many Christian metal bands in the past: Barren Cross, Whitecross, Vengeance Rising, Believer, Tourniquet, Deliverance, Mortification, Bride (they played here and I went at the time) and even Stryper (which both dislike ). For one or another reason none of those bands catched my attention musically.

I do have and enjoy some bands with a clearly "pro-Christian" approach lyrically speaking: Logos, Trouble, Last Chapter.

But like Tsorl I don't like to be preached by anyone so I rather prefer neutral lyrics when it comes to organized religion but I do DESPISE extreme hatred lyrics (nazis, racism, xenophobia, etc.) wherever they come, so with the exception of those my motto is if the music is good who care about the lyrics?

 

[Trans-Siberian Outcast]

I don't pay much attention to lyrics, so the subject matter of the songs has no bearing on whether I like a band or not. I'm in it for the music, not the lyrics. If a christian band can write kick ass songs, I'm on the bandwagon.

 

[zeppelin]

If it's good I will buy it.

Couldn't have said it better.
Is there a place for it in the Metal society? I think so, more so than in the Cristian society anyways. I recon it must be harder for them to make it big though, it doesn't sit right with a lot of people I think.

 

[ElectricWiz]

Let's just say I prefer the Dungeons n' Dragons shit over any kind of preaching, be it Christian, anti-Christian or whatever. Just don't insult my intelligence, write some good tunes and chances are I'll like you.

Haha, this is pretty much how I feel. However, I don't mind the satanic stuff really, since for me it falls in the realm of the mentioned Dungeons and Dragons....in that it is just kind of fantasy-like, eerie thing.....not that the "dogmatic" part of it appeals to me. In any case, I think the vast difference between black metal and Christian metal is that, by and large, the black bands are all just using their subject matter for effect, whereas the Christian bands really do seem to be on a mission. I realize that some of the satanic bands are "serious," but I tend to find those few as silly as the Christians.

This all, of course, opens the much wider sticky wicket of religion, and while I'll not be the one to pop that cork on this thread, I will say that anyone who evangelizes, regardless of dogma, is not someone I warm to easy.

 

[sixxswine]

michael sweet of stryper might be the most underrated singer ever.

If you listen to the early records he's out of this world vocally. He's singing metal. I mean they even got Michael Wagener on board to produce them, he even saw the potential there. Funny thing about Stryper the churched turned against them when they released To Hell With The Devil, was it the cover? Or what? If you read the liners the guys thanked the clurgy including Jim Baker...
They wrote some great songs. I think there were not as consistent writing well rounded albums. I think Soliders Under God's Command was the closest they came to that. To Hell and In God had some great songs on there but there was also a lot of filler. And Against the Law was more L.A. Glam, it wasn't them. However, it did include "Lady," "Two Time Woman," "Rock the Hell out of You," and "Against the Law."

 

[Powermetal Rebel]

Let's just say I prefer the Dungeons n' Dragons shit over any kind of preaching, be it Christian, anti-Christian or whatever. Just don't insult my intelligence, write some good tunes and chances are I'll like you.

I have to agree with you here - I was surprised to find some (what I believe to be) spiritual material (Cryonic Temple, The Storyteller, Thy Majestie, Seventh Seal, Seventh Avenue, Stormwind...etc) mixed in with others I've ordered. A lot of it is really good music but I'll admit it may have not ended up in my collection if the content had been disclosed. Not that I am against the message or the music , but because I prefer not to buy into somebody elses hidden agenda.

This experience will not alter my buying practices but not everybody feels that way - Think there will come a day when "Spritual Content" advisory stickers will be mandatory on the packaging?
hmmmm... wouldn't surprise me.

 

[Powermetal Rebel]

I do have and enjoy some bands with a clearly "pro-Christian" approach lyrically speaking: Logos, Trouble, Last Chapter.

But like Tsorl I don't like to be preached by anyone so I rather prefer neutral lyrics when it comes to organized religion but I do DESPISE extreme hatred lyrics (nazis, racism, xenophobia, etc.) wherever they come, so with the exception of those my motto is if the music is good who care about the lyrics?

Per your recent recommendation, I visited 'Forgotten Tales' My Space site at work yesterday (wouldn't the boss just love to know what I use his high-speed connection for).... from what I've seen and heard, I think they fall into what you refer to as clearly - 'pro Christian' but I will order their CD because I do like the samples. Does it seem hypocritical to you that a pro-Christian band would not openly acknowledge it's objective? Marketing stragedy maybe.

 

[Wyvern]

from what I've seen and heard, I think they fall into what you refer to as clearly - 'pro Christian' but I will order their CD because I do like the samples.

To be frank I had never check out their lyrics

Does it seem hypocritical to you that a pro-Christian band would not openly acknowledge it's objective? Marketing stragedy maybe.

Hmm, with the risk to open a religious debate in here (God forbid those are the worst on metal forums from my experience) I must say that hypocrisy had many levels when it comes to this subject:

1. A band that has a light spiritual message but doesn't confess openly as "christian" (as an example) is alright by me (e.g. Warlord). Chances are they not even christians but deeply spiritual people.
2. A band that has a heavy message (usually Jesus or Christ or God every 2-3 lines of a verse) and doesn't confess openly as christians are highly hyprocrital IMO.
3. A band that has a heavy message (usually Jesus or Christ or God every 2-3 lines of a verse) and confess openly as christians are preaching by means of heavy metal (e.g. Stryper). They are true to themselves and if the music is good I may not care.
4. A band that sings about devil, booze, women, ghosts, etc and confess openly as christian is...Alice Cooper
5. A band like Slayer comes and tell me they are christians and I send them to the funny farm.
6. A band like Deicide comes and tell me they are not Satanic and I send them behind Slayer

In summary if Stryper came and tell me we are not Christians they are hypocrital to the Nth degree, a band like Warlord came and tell me they are not christians is fine in my book. Being positive and spiritual about life is not a monopoly of christianity.

 

[Fangface]

If you listen to the early records he's out of this world vocally. He's singing metal. I mean they even got Michael Wagener on board to produce them, he even saw the potential there. Funny thing about Stryper the churched turned against them when they released To Hell With The Devil, was it the cover? Or what? If you read the liners the guys thanked the clurgy including Jim Baker...
They wrote some great songs. I think there were not as consistent writing well rounded albums. I think Soliders Under God's Command was the closest they came to that. To Hell and In God had some great songs on there but there was also a lot of filler. And Against the Law was more L.A. Glam, it wasn't them. However, it did include "Lady," "Two Time Woman," "Rock the Hell out of You," and "Against the Law."

Right on, Michael Sweet is one of the best singers in (melodic) heavy metal!

I must admit that I like the US Xian Metal scene, especially from the late 80's - early 90's, bands like Tourniquet (the first record is a speed metal CLASSIC!), Barren Cross, Deliverance, Recon (awesome heavy/prog ala Crimson Glory!), Believer, Trouble of course and more.

The message doesn't appeal to me at all and on some occasions annoys me when it gets too preachy (or makes me smile in Stryper's case ). Still, when the music's good what can you do but enjoy it?

 

[Powermetal Rebel]

To be frank I had never check out their lyrics

In summary if Stryper came and tell me we are not Christians they are hypocrital to the Nth degree, a band like Warlord came and tell me they are not christians is fine in my book. Being positive and spiritual about life is not a monopoly of christianity.

Could have been my mind set at the time - a co-worker and I were checking out Seventh Avenue who are noted on Metal-Archives as having religious themes. From there we checked out the F-T samples and from the first song we both got the same impression about them. We could be wrong.

Excellent list & summary (quite entertaining as well ). I agree with what you've said about being spiritual or positive about life not being religious in and of itself. Maybe I am just trying to read too deeply into these bands.
I need a life.
PMR

 

[sixxswine]

Right on, Michael Sweet is one of the best singers in (melodic) heavy metal!

Well, he was at least early on.

 

[Hawk]

Being positive and spiritual about life is not a monopoly of christianity.

Very important statement!

I have always felt that these values should not be monopolized by Christianity. The same with Ethics. As an atheist I still have a definite ethical system to which I subscribe. That gives my very strong values.

 

[Wyvern]

Very important statement!

I have always felt that these values should not be monopolized by Christianity. The same with Ethics. As an atheist I still have a definite ethical system to which I subscribe. That gives my very strong values.

Exactly! And that is what really pisses me off about some "satanic bands" (usually in BM). They try hard as nails to attack Christianity and/or Judeo-Chistrianity as they call it, so they are using those religions as poster childs for all they despised. But I never see them attack Islamism (regardless if they practice what they preach or not) or Buddhism or Hinduism, and those religions have also strong ethics and spiritual beliefs.

 

[Priest of Evil]

Wyvern, I dont generally encourage people to listen to xtian metal but you should check out Saint, you might like em, I know Hawk does - I've seen his reviews

 

[Wyvern]

Wyvern, I dont generally encourage people to listen to xtian metal but you should check out Saint, you might like em, I know Hawk does - I've seen his reviews

Never heard of them. Any site to check their sound? Thanks.