This is a list of Christian rock and metal artists, including artists that played Christian metal at some point in their careers.
Christian metal, which is also known as white metal or heavenly metal, [2] is heavy metal music with a Christian message. Christian metal is regarded more of a concept rather than a genre since it has no specific musical characteristics. [3] It emerged in the late 1970s as a means of evangelization to the wider heavy metal music scene and was pioneered by American bands Resurrection Band, Saint, and Barnabas, Swedish bands Jerusalem, and Canadian band Daniel Band. [4] Los Angeles' Stryper achieved wide success in the 1980s. In the mid to late 1980s, extreme metal genres were popularized by bands such as Vengeance Rising, Deliverance, Believer and Tourniquet. [5] In the early 1990, the Australian death metal band Mortification rose to prominence within its country's underground metal scene. [6] [7] At the turn of the 21st century, P.O.D., with two platinum-selling albums, achieved a mainstream commercial success rivaling that of Stryper. [8] The metalcore groups Underoath, Demon Hunter, As I Lay Dying and Norma Jean (dubbed by the magazine Revolver as "The Holy Alliance") also brought some mainstream attention to the movement in the first decade of the 2000s, achieving ranks in the Billboard 200. [9]
Project 86 is an American rock band from Orange County, California, formed in 1996. The band has released twelve albums, which have collectively sold nearly 500,000 units worldwide, two EPs, two DVDs, and one live album.
Embodyment was a Christian rock band from Arlington, Texas. The group formed in 1992 and were first known by the name Supplication where they originally played death metal, later turning to deathcore with the release of their debut album Embrace the Eternal, which in turn is credited as one of the earliest deathcore releases of all time. Following their debut full-length the band would completely abandon all their extreme metal elements thereafter, pursuing instead an alternative rock/nu metal style with their album The Narrow Scope of Things and subsequently became lighter with each proceeding album.
The Ascendicate, originally known as The 7 Method is a Christian metal band from High Point, North Carolina. The band formed in 1999, but went on hiatus in 2012. The band put out tracks of one of their albums, which fell into the hands of Jimmy Ryan (Haste the Day, Trenches) and Ryan Clark (Demon Hunter, Training for Utopia), and the band signed to Solid State Records. They have shared stages with Staple, Extol, Alien Ant Farm, Disciple, Project 86, and Pillar. Guitarist Ryan Helm joined Demon Hunter, and then formed Damien Deadson.
Extol is the fifth full-length studio album by the Norwegian Christian progressive death metal band Extol, released in 2013. It was described by music critics as a mixture of death and progressive metal, with some melodic elements. Reviews of the album were very positive, and the album managed to chart on the Billboard Top Christian Albums chart.
Those Who Fear, also known as TWF, was an American Christian metal band hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, who were established in 2005. The groups' current label imprint is Facedown Records. In 2013, the band came out with a studio album called Unholy Anger. Their second studio album was issued in 2014, titled Death Sentence. Their third and Final album, State of Mind, was released in 2016.
Sleeping Giant was an American Christian metal band from Redlands, California and Salt Lake City, Utah. All the members of the band, minus drummer Matt Weir, played in the band xDEATHSTARx.
Trenches was an American metal band formed by Haste the Day vocalist Jimmy Ryan. They released two studio albums, The Tide Will Swallow Us Whole in 2008 and Reckoner in 2022.
The Absolute is the first studio album from Ace Augustine. Strike First Records released the album on January 18, 2011. Ace Augustine worked with Alex Koppenheffer, in the production of this album.
I Am Alpha and Omega is an American Christian hardcore punk band from Flemington, New Jersey. The band started making music in 2007. Their membership is Donny Hardy, Peach Hardy, Ilya Fish, Scott Soffer, and Dillon Thornberry. The band released an independently made extended play, Georgia May, in 2008. They signed to Come&Live! Records, where they released, The War I Wage, an extended play, in 2009. Their first studio album, The Roar and the Whisper, was released by Come&Live! Records, in 2010.
Atonement is the second studio album from Your Memorial. Facedown Records released the album on November 22, 2010. Your Memorial worked with Karl Schubach, in the production of this album.
Redirect is the third and final studio album from Your Memorial. Facedown Records released the album on July 17, 2012. Your Memorial worked with Josh Barber, in the production of this album.
Echo of Love is the first studio album by American Christian music band An Epic No Less. BEC Recordings released the album on August 14, 2012. An Epic No Less worked with Dustin Burnett, in the production of this album.
A Bullet for Pretty Boy was an American metalcore band from Longview, Texas. Formed in 2006, the band independently released the EP Beauty in the Eyes of the Beholder (2008) before signing to Razor & Tie and Artery Recordings, where they released the studio albums Revision:Revise (2010) and Symbiosis (2012). The group went on hiatus in 2015; vocalist Danon Saylor subsequently joined with members of For Today and Silent Planet to form the supergroup Nothing Left.
The Great Commission is an American Christian hardcore band from Riverside, California. The band started making music in 2007. Their original membership included Justin Singh, Angela Razo, D.J. Burr, Derek C, Matt B, & Chris Ryan with members Christian, Nelson, Rodney and Solomon joining in as members left. The band released an independently made extended play, The Great Commission, in 2008. They signed to Strike First Records, where they released, And Every Knee Shall Bow, a studio album, in 2009. Their subsequent studio album, Heavy Worship, was released by Ain't No Grave Records, in 2011. Firework, an extended play, was released by Ain't No Grave Recordings, in 2012 and lastly in 2013, the group self-released their follow up full length Cast The First Stone.
Grave Robber is an American horror punk band from Fort Wayne, Indiana. The band started rehearsing in 2005. In 2006, Grave Robber released a vinyl EP, Love Hurts independently. Their first two studio albums, Be Afraid and Inner Sanctum, were released by Retroactive Records, correspondingly in 2008 and 2009. The subsequent three studio albums, Exhumed, You're All Gonna Die!, and Escaping The Grave were released by Rottweiler Records, correspondingly in 2010, 2011, and 2018. An EP, Straight To Hell was released in 2014. Rottweiler Records has acquired the rights to Be Afraid and Inner Sanctum, with plans to re-release in 2023.
Creations were an Australian Christian hardcore and Christian metal band who primarily played Beatdown Hardcore with Metalcore influences. They come from Sydney, NSW, Australia. The band started making music in 2009. Their first two studio albums, The Gospel and Unworthy/Humility, were released by Mediaskare Records alongside Rite of Passage Music, correspondingly in 2011 and 2013. The band announce they were disbanding in 2016.
Everdown is an American Christian metal band, from Manchester, New Hampshire, United States. The band formed in 1992, but disbanded in 1998. The band reunited in 2009, and released two new songs. The band has consisted of drummer Chris Wible, guitarist Nate Shumaker, vocalist Erik Adams, guitarists John Helmig, Dave Ball, and Rob Wolfe, bassists John Becht, Ryan Leech, Zach Wells, Chris Allain, Bryan Young, and Mark "Rug" Fields.
Dire is an American metalcore band from Quitman, Georgia.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)Popular Christian metalcore group
The other alumnus in Classic Case is Josh Moore, formerly of Beloved, a Christian metalcore band that shared the stage with the likes of Underoath and Norma Jean. Although that's probably enough to make anyone cringe, Classic Case is luckily nowhere near as appalling as either of those bands.
I've never really been a huge fan of the whole Christian metal scene, but I'll give The Color Morale credit for not getting all "preachy."
This nu-metal quartet has little difficulty extracting bone-crunching riffs from the dark underbelly of the soul.
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: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)A Christian doom metal outfit from Australia, Virgin Black's sprawling symphonies are, as expected, hugely depressing and shamelessly tear-jerking,...