Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967. The band has sold 25 million records worldwide, including 7 million in the United States. The band's fusion of hard rock with psychedelia, and penchant for occult, fantastical and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, had a major influence on heavy metal music. They developed a cult following and, while achieving mainstream hits like "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (1976) and "Burnin' for You" (1981), their commercial success was limited. Both songs, and others such as "Godzilla" (1977), remain classic rock radio staples. The band were early adopters of the music video format, and their videos received heavy rotation on MTV in its early period.
To Hell with the Devil is the third studio album by the Christian metal band Stryper, released in 1986. It was the first Christian metal album to achieve platinum status, selling over one million copies. It remained the best-selling Christian metal album until P.O.D.'s Satellite in 2001.
Servant was a Christian rock group that grew out of the counter-culture Jesus Movement of the sixties and seventies. The band was founded in Victoria, British Columbia in 1976 by Jim Palosaari and performed to audiences throughout North America, Europe and Australia for over 12 years. Originally named "Higher Ground", the group later changed their name to Servant. The lyrics of their songs were known for challenging the Christian Church to turn back to social justice and caring for the poor.
Guardian is an American Christian hard rock and metal band. The band has released seven studio albums, three additional albums in Spanish, and toured extensively worldwide. There are also numerous compilations, independent releases, live records and bootlegs available.
"Saturday Night Special" is a song by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It is the opening track on their album Nuthin' Fancy. The song addresses fatal tragedies involving guns.
Scaterd Few was a Christian punk band originating from Burbank, California. CCM magazine described their music as "pure punk for dread people," stating that it was a cross between Janes Addiction and Charlie Mingus.
Tura Satana was an American rock band formed by rapper and singer Tairrie B after she departed from her contract with the rap label Ruthless Records. Initially formed as a rap rock band under the name Manhole, the band changed their name due to a conflict with a Texas band of the same name, and shifted to a nu metal sound.
One Bad Pig is a Christian punk and metal crossover band from Austin, Texas, which formed in 1985. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music describes them as "quite possibly the most popular hard-punk act ever to arise within the Christian music scene." They were known for their mischief and irreverence on stage, as reflected even in their reunion at Cornerstone in 2000.
Vengeance Rising was an American Christian thrash metal band from Los Angeles, California. Fronted by vocalist Roger Martinez, they originally formed as Vengeance in 1987, but changed their name in 1989 to avoid conflict with another band from the Netherlands. Band members Larry Farkas, Doug Thieme, Roger Dale Martin, and Glen Mancaruso left following Once Dead and formed the band Die Happy. Roger Martinez stayed on to record two more studio albums, but aside from him, Vengeance Rising's lineup changed for each subsequent album. While the group was a ground breaking Christian metal band, today Vengeance Rising is known for vocalist Martinez's turning from Christianity to Satanism to atheism. AllMusic describes Vengeance Rising's history as "one of the most entertaining and bizarre stories in the realm of heavy metal."
Holy Soldier was a Christian glam metal band from Los Angeles formed in 1985.
Bloodgood was an American Christian metal band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1983. By 1988, Bloodgood represented one of the four largest Christian metal bands alongside Barren Cross, Leviticus, and Whitecross.
Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way similar to the predecessor genres post-rock and post-hardcore, post-metal offsets the darkness and intensity of extreme metal with an emphasis on atmosphere, emotion, and even "revelation", developing an expansive but introspective sound variously imbued with elements of ambient, noise, psychedelic, progressive, and classical music, and often shoegaze and art rock. Songs are typically long, with loose and layered structures that discard the verse–chorus form in favor of crescendos and repeating themes. The sound centres on guitars and drums, while any vocals are usually screamed or growled and resemble an additional instrument.
Shout was an American rock band formed in 1987 by Ken Tamplin. Musically, the band was similar to Journey and Styx, with the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music describing them as "more competent than Stryper". Cornerstone magazine wrote that Shout was more straightforward than other Christian metal bands such as Bloodgood. The band garnered a Dove Award after their breakup in 1989.
Idle Cure was an arena rock band from Long Beach, California. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music calls their sound "the best example of cloning a sound for Christian markets", likening it to that of Def Leppard's Pyromania. They targeted a youthful audience, distinguished by overtly evangelical religious lyrics.
Show No Mercy is the debut album by the American heavy metal band Bride. It was the band's debut on the Pure Metal Records label. Less commercial than Bride's later works, the album, which was somewhat more extreme and darker than many contemporary Christian releases, received a mixed reception and did not sell particularly well.
Stryper is an American Christian metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet, Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson, and Robert Sweet (drums).
Philadelphia was a Christian metal band from Shreveport, Louisiana. The Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music describes them as having been unjustly condemned by "the slings and arrows of fundamentalist bigotry" for their musical style and lyrics. Their name is a reference to the church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3 verses 7-10.
Between Thieves was a Christian musical group that formed in Keller, Texas in 1990. Their name represents the location of Jesus Christ at his death; "And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left." They formed under the name Judah, and during both periods they were comparable to the Newsboys.
Puya is a Puerto Rican progressive metal band. Formed in 1991, the band rose to prominence with their fusion of jazz, salsa and heavy metal.
Scarecrow is the third studio album by Christian rock band Decyfer Down, which it was released on August 27, 2013, by Fair Trade Services record label, and it was produced by Paul Ebersold with Seth Mosley. The album has achieved positive critical attention, and has seen chart successes.
