Would you recommend it to a fellow believer? (Music)

[Rawshik]

We already have 1 too many Jacobs. Get out.

 

[jakobvfelden]

Funny how when I was born, Jacob wasn't a common name at the time. It's definitely the other way around these days.

 

[Aletheus]

Welcome aboard!

 

[jakobvfelden]

Thanks!

 

[Edguy Allan Poe]

Any thoughts on Helloween? I've listened to Keeper of the Seven Keys Part 1 and 2 and they sound appropriate. But what about their later work?

 

[Aletheus]

Alright, I haven't had much sleep and I've got a presentation to finish, so I'm just gonna throw this out there with the possibility of maybe enriching it with more information later on (no promises):
I read somewhere in an interview with some Helloween members that the Keeper saga is just an allegory of spreading the idea of Christianity without being too blatant about it.

I know some members of Helloween lead Christian lives, and some do the opposite, but the rest is up to google for now.

 

[Parched Earth]

Helloween is largely okay, in my opinion. There are a couple songs on their most recent album that gave me pause, but I only glanced through the lyrics so far. I think they are a band that does not take themselves too seriously, and the whole pumpkin thing is a major gimic. As I heard someone say once, in their early years they were HELL-oween, and now it is more like HELLO-ween.

"Better Than Raw" (my personal favorite of theirs) has the track Laudate Dominum. If you find the translation for the Latin lyrics, they are pretty blatantly Christian. This would be their only song with such lyrics. Andi Deris (current singer) also writes some somewhat Christian lyrics in the song Why off of "Master of the Rings" ("You're the only light forever lasting, Tell me Father, Why").

 

[Aletheus]

Aight, I'm back:

http://web.archive.org/web/20080117061552/http://www.geocities.com/chaoticcrit/helloween.html
Weikath: Well most of the guys in the band are Christian, apart from Uli who cannot say that he has decided to accept the existence of a God. Our lyrics tend to have a spiritual feeling, as Uli doesn't mind that kind of lyrics because they express no bad or wrong thinking.

http://www.radiometal.com/en/article/andi-deris-helloween-a-realistic-optimist,91124
Deris: [context] I believe in God.

This one's about "Keeper":
http://www.metalcovenant.com/pages/interviews/interview_helloween2.htm
Weikath: Well, we are white, and we play metal, but we are not activists, so we thought we could bring the message across in a more subtle fashion. This is where the Keys concept originated. The mystique is still the message of Christ.

In this interview Michael Weikath goes as far as confirming that they are in fact a Christian band:
http://www.truemetal.org/metalcrusade/interviews/helloween.htm
Interviewer: So do you really consider yourself a Christian band?
Weikath: Sure...only Uli can not say he believes in God.

Note: pay attention to the years of these interviews, because both the opinion and the phrasing of it can change in 20-30 years.

 

[BigGuy48220]

I can recommend 2 online Christian Stations that are Metal and Hard Rock.

Dead To Self Radio used to be called The Refinery Rock Radio before 2011.

www.deadtoselfradio.com
(Old School Metal and Newer: Theocracy, Stryper, Bloodgood, Sacred Warrior, Hero(Sweden), WiszdomStone)

www.fuelradio.fm
(Newer Metal Bands: Love and Death (Brian "Head" Welch, Demon Hunter, As I Lay Dying, Pillar...)

I have been an avid listener for years with dead to self radio and amazed with the music that they play you never hear on radio. Also, you can request songs on both station as a member that play within minutes.

-Big

 

[Hikin Mike]

I can recommend 2 online Christian Stations that are Metal and Hard Rock.

Dead To Self Radio used to be called The Refinery Rock Radio before 2011.

www.deadtoselfradio.com
(Old School Metal and Newer: Theocracy, Stryper, Bloodgood, Sacred Warrior, Hero(Sweden), WiszdomStone)

www.fuelradio.fm
(Newer Metal Bands: Love and Death (Brian "Head" Welch, Demon Hunter, As I Lay Dying, Pillar...)

I have been an avid listener for years with dead to self radio and amazed with the music that they play you never hear on radio. Also, you can request songs on both station as a member that play within minutes.

-Big

Thanks for the link!

I just joined today (obviously). I've been a metal-head since the early 80's. Just today I found "Theocracy". I was listening to 'Fates Warning' and decided to Google 'christian progressive metal bands' on YouTube and found Theocracy. WOW!

 

[ManipulatorGeneral404]

I don't find anything about Ayreon offensive. Mostly sci-fi type concept albums. Arjen Lucassen has worked with an amazing array of musicians over the past 18 years or so that Ayreon has been making albums (as well as his other projects like Star One, Guilt Machine, etc.). My favorites are probably Into The Electric Castle and The Human Equation (which features appearances by James LaBrie, Eric Clayton [Saviour Machine], Mike Baker [Shadow Gallery] among others). I haven't heard The Theory of Everything yet, though. Here is one of my favorites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfYD5urjZGs

I recommend Ayreon from a Christian standpoint, mostly because of the album The Human Equation. For someone so popular, absence of evidence of Arjen's religion is evidence of absence of Arjen's religion, but if there was any evidence to suggest he was, it would be this album. The amount of parallels to Christianity in the overarching themes of the album and some of its characters (see Fear in particular, very diabolical in the truest sense of the word) are shocking. I even wrote to Arjen about them once, but he never wrote back.

Everywhere else, it's mostly sci-fi themes protesting how computer technology is becoming our god, still relatable for and usable by a Christian but just not provocative enough for me to listen to any of.

 

[Lord Mighty Boar]

After reading this topic, I thought it's possible to post questions here about certain bands being christian/acceptable or not. Now lately I've come across the band "Nine Lashes". I was wondering what other might think about this band, 'cause I'm not entirely certain what to think.
PS Apoligies if I make any stupid grammar/vocabulary mistakes, English isn't my first language.

 

[Aletheus]

After reading this topic, I thought it's possible to post questions here about certain bands being christian/acceptable or not. Now lately I've come across the band "Nine Lashes". I was wondering what other might think about this band, 'cause I'm not entirely certain what to think.
PS Apoligies if I make any stupid grammar/vocabulary mistakes, English isn't my first language.

I honestly never heard of the band, but seeing as they're signed with TOOTH & NAIL records, I'd say it's safe to assume they're Christian.

 

[Rawshik]

After reading this topic, I thought it's possible to post questions here about certain bands being christian/acceptable or not. Now lately I've come across the band "Nine Lashes". I was wondering what other might think about this band, 'cause I'm not entirely certain what to think.
PS Apoligies if I make any stupid grammar/vocabulary mistakes, English isn't my first language.

With a name like that, them being labeled as Christian on wiki, and my previous knowledge of said band, I would say they are pretty safe to listen to.

 

[Lord Mighty Boar]

Well, that should be kinda clear then I guess. However, some of the lyrics aren't directly to be recognised christian. I guess I'll have to take a closer look at them.
Well, I can advise this song of them :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJIaob3KjqI

 

[Edguy Allan Poe]

Lately I've listened to a couple songs by symphonic metal band, Therion. Instrumentally, they perform very well and I guess that makes sense, since they are one of the pioneers of symphonic metal. As for the lyrics, this is where I've been really torn and have been watching my steps. While there are some songs here and there that are strictly based on mythologies or are covers of songs by other bands, there are others that reference the occult and biblical prophecy concerning the beast.

Just wondering what others think. You think it'd be fine to pick this band apart for the more appropriate songs, or is it too steeped in wicked things to be worth considering?

 

[CiG]

Click the tab to reveal the links.
I'm not a Christian but I thoroughly enjoy many bands that basically are:

Not necessarily Christian but with some Christian themes:

 

[Edguy Allan Poe]

As for recommendations, there's this one really underrated Brazilian band I came across some time ago on YouTube called Aquaria. They have only two albums so far; Luxaeterna and Shambala. Both are really good works of symphonic power metal. They have a few references to Mother Gaia and other New Age terms, but other than that, they should be appropriate enough for Christians. They should also appeal to people who like Angra, I think. Real shame these albums aren't available for purchase anymore. They could benefit from a digital release.

 

[Aletheus]

I loved both Aquaria records, the lyrics never bothered me. For anyone interested, the successor to Aquaria is NovaLotus.

http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/NovaLotus/3540387510

 

[CiG]

I discovered a few new great Christian metal bands.