I have been having this debate with myself for years. Is this band Christian or not? If not are they at least safe to listen to?
For some bands it is (or was, for bands that no longer exist) more than obvious, like Petra, Rez, Kutless, Stryper, Bloodgood, Whitecross, Rob Rock, etc., and that speaks volumes. Like the dude in the video a few posts up said, if you spend all day with me and you don't know I'm a Christian, then I have failed miserably. If I listen to a band's entire CD and I cannot tell they are Christian, then as far as I am concerned they are not. I'm not saying they aren't Christians, I am saying they aren't a Christian band. As Christians we are to "let [our] light so shine before men that they might see [our] good works and glorify [our] Father which is in Heaven." (Matt. 5:16) And as Christians our very purpose, the very reason we breathe, is to glorify and praise God: "Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made." (Isaiah 43:7), "Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD." (Psalm 150:6) If a band openly claims to be Christian, then I expect to hear them praising and glorifying God or, in the case of bands that put forth their music as a mission for the unsaved rather than a ministry for the saved, singing songs that share the hope we have in Jesus, even if it is subtle (as that might be necessary to "befriend" unsaved listeners rather than turn them off). However, if a band makes no claim to be Christian, then I don't expect them to be, even if their members are Christians (i.e., Nikko McBrain, Herbie Langhans, "Fieldy" of Korn, etc.)
As for "is this band Christian-friendly?" and "are they safe to listen to? That, my friends, is between you and God. If you are listening to a band and you don't hear the Holy Spirit saying "Dude" ... yes, He calls me Dude.
... "Dude, you really shouldn't be listening to this," then either it is safe to listen to or you are not in tune with the Spirit. I suggest you make sure it's not the latter.
As for myself, I still have a lot of secular music, as in not Christian, but by no means anti-Christian, that I like to listen to. I have been a Journey fan my whole life. (oops, did I just let my non-metal side show?
), and I love the Scorpions, Iron Maiden, Symphony X, Blind Guardian, Metallica, Megadeth, AC/DC... the list goes on. But I have found that as I grow in my relationship with the Lord I find myself drawn more and more to the the "definitely Christian" artists. Just today I was blaring praise songs in my truck (uh-oh, I think I just got myself banned!
I can't say I've heard the Spirit say "Dude, you gotta get rid of those others," but it could also be that He's saying it and I'm choosing to be deaf. Dunno!
So, in a nutshell ... if you have to ask if a band is Christian then they probably aren't, and if you are asking if a band is safe to listen to you are asking the wrong one ... you should be asking The One.