Finding The Good in Christian Metal
Let's state the obvious here. The very words Christian Metal together just seems blasphemous. Obviously most people don't associate the two together. But any informed metalhead worth their grit knows that there is such a thing. Metal doesn't only appeal to those who of us attracted to the dark, sinister and demented. Why should your religion limit the type of music that just 'feels right' even if its not associated with all things Christian? I run across a handful of metal heads who believe that there are no good Christian metal bands. I usually ask why they believe this and the response is that its lame, its not as good, yadda yadda. My response is simply that they are not looking hard enough.
It's not like Christian metal is an anomaly either.
We can't start this convo without mentioning the first sort of mainstream Christian glam metal band Stryper. (I know, I know, glam metal is still arguably metal but bare with me). Who apparently, in their time, were still considered to be anti-Christianity for their support in metal music. I'm not much a fan of Stryper. (I can jam to "To Hell With The Devil" tho...) Now, around the same time the Australian death metal outfit, Mortification came. This is a band that most metal heads are probably more comfortable/familiar with. Since then, fast forward to the early 2000s when metal core exploded you got Underoath, As I lay Dying and Demon Hunter becoming very mainstream and publicly Christian bands.
Hell there is even Black Christian Metal. No, you did not read that wrong. There is Black Christian Metal. Although I've not encountered any that I really like besides Antestor.
I don't know where it came from but really, what the hell is with this mentality that because a metalhead is religious (I mostly mean in a Christian sense), it somehow nulls their identity as a 'troo' metalhead. Lets be honest folks, I've met some "Satan Worshipping" metal heads that didn't even really know why they were Satanists. I mean, when you ask them the questions that matter they can't come up with a good reason.
I guess the secret to finding good Christian Metal is that you actually have to have an open mind when listening and take it for what it is without automatically ruling it out just because these guys have a hard on for Jesus. Are some lyrics boring and contrived? Sure-but thats in a lot of metal. Are some Christian metal bands lame? Well sure if your listening to shit like P.O.D and The Devil Wears Prada.
Does all of it suck?
No, actually some of it really rips.
My verdict?
You guys know that I love Pagan/Viking/Folk metal and always will but...
Seriously, about a year ago I discovered the AWESOMENESS that is Believer.
Their song->What Is But Cannot Not Be
I even like them better than Holy Blood which is the only Christian Pagan Metal band that I know of.
I think that personally, they are the best Christian metal band. So underrated and very technical. IMO.
And for the record, I DO like War of Ages. There, I said it.
So see? There is good Christian Metal out there, you just gotta believe it.
Or your still not convinced.
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That's really all that needs to be said. Check them out. I would also recommend Lo-Ruhamah, Crimson Moonlight, Extol (at least The Blueprint Dives), and Slechtvalk,
For example, I LOVED Periphery's self titled album that came out last year I think because of the excellent guitar/melodic sections. As someone who is striving to learn guitar better, I appreciate it. The lyrics I could really do away with and I felt sometimes It took away from the music.
(Thus, why I LOVE BELIEVER for how technical it is)
Periphery even released an instrumental version of their album which was much better for me.
However, I understand that in the face of your personal beliefs it because sort of hazy. Like, I don't listen to Graveworm or Burzum for such reasons.
For example, I've read some people who enjoy the music of a band called Arghoslent despite the fact that they blatantly promote racist ideas, claiming that they just try to ignore the lyrics and appreciate the music. I can't go there. I don't mean to equate Christianity with racism; just want to point out there there can be some lyrical content that is so incongruous with your own values that it cannot be ignored.
None of this is to say that I wouldn't listen to an artist because I disagree with some of the viewpoints they put forth, but when the CORE of an artist's lyrical content (Christianity) runs counter to the CORE of my philosophical beliefs (skepticism, secularism, agnosticism, atheism, etc.), I cannot in any real sense consider myself a fan of that artist's music.
That aside, you liked--no, loved the Periphery album? That was the worst album of the whole year. Sadistically awful, because they'd throw some cool stuff in there to try to draw you in, and then torture you with the vocals.
On the other side, it really is a bummer to see how low christianity has got itself to. If you can't win them, join them, I guess. Gimme that old time religion any day, rather than sheep in wolves' clothes.
About the lyrics, I suppose you must be pretty low on self esteem if you can't handle the message of opposing views. I love Johan Sebastian Bach's compositions although they were devoted to some jewish desert demon.
If a band is openly Satanic, or Pagan, or Christian, and they choose dark progressive technical metal, then so?
If you're not a fan, don't listen to those bands, if you are a musician and you're pissed off at the Christian Right for having the audacity to push their message of faith, then don't bitch about it, start writing the sick shit that rips people's faces off!!! Don't just be content to complain, because why??
That's right, while one sits and bitches, THEY are writing music and getting gigs and selling records!
To an extent, you are correct that Christian bands are terrible. I think many of them go into music for a specific reason, either to preach to a specific demographic, or more likely to make the kind of music they like with lyrics that don't offend them. Very few of them go into it to be an original band that just happens to be Christian.
I get the sense that many of the more innovative bands with extreme ideas became innovators first, and then assigned an idea to it to give it a total package of radicalism. Whereas Christian bands often start from ideology and then go to music. Or maybe I'm wrong. History is full of examples of brilliant artists who are not right in the head, so it follows that they would have not-right-in-the-head philosophies.
Historically, Christianity has gone a couple different ways with progressive thought. During the Dark Ages, for instance, it was Christian monks who kept a lot of scientific knowledge alive. But as I've noted in other fora, it's not about Christianity itself, but rather how people use it.
@ Project Ghora: I wish all musicians would focus on writing face-ripping or soul-crushing music, instead of some philosophy.
I'm ofcourse speaking on a general level and don't wholly disagree with the thought of christian band being original and innovative although I disagree with the bands you mentioned. I admit that Trouble is the only one I really have heard more than song or two and I don't really care enough to find out more. Usually "innovative christian metal band" is innovative only in that is a christian metal band.
This generality also applies to my comment about christianity being against progressive thought. Sure, there have been christians who haven't been against progressive thought but then again there have been nazis who didn't hate jews, but claming that nazism isn't anti-semitic or "it's not about nazism itself, but rather how people use it" woudln't go through anywhere.
I suppose my point is, so what even if there had been some christian band who made a good song or even a good album? It's just one retardedly average drop in the ocean of averegeness and medicority and if you really care you should find something better to do. Like examining catholic frescos. There's some dark and heavy stuff there and (almost) 100% christian.
To your second paragraph, your analogy is way off. Nazism is, plain and simple, a heinous philosophy. Fascism was based around a belief that happiness is an illusion, and that the only thing you can do is to get stronger. To that end, they believed war was a good thing, because it honed a nation's strength. I'm oversimplifying, but evil things are core to that philosophy. Christianity, on the other hand, is largely about love for your fellow man. It has to be twisted into something else to become evil.
You definitely should throw the baby out 'cause there still is plenty of greatness to go around and life is too short to be wasted on medicore things.
Isn't it always so easy to claim yourself to be part of the good guys and the others just plain evil? I bet any nazi worth their Totenkopfs could easily argue the opposite, thgough most nazis were christian. The core of the two philophies is the same: burning people who don't fit into your worldview, be it burning in this life or the after-life.
Then again, burning in a lake of fire, that's classic theme for a metal song. So christianity definitely fits into metal, just not the way these christian bands want it to fit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0V4pUlAw84