So I've been working on this project for a week or so and today i decided i wanted to look further into what these bands actually believe. Click on the band name for lyrics to their songs and discussions on the meanings. Click here to see the compilation song list and listen to the tracks.
UnderOATH - These guys hail from Florida, and they've set the Post Hardcore scene on fire. Very outspoken believers and almost always take a few moments in their live performances to thank God for their blessings.
Chasing Victory - a new band on the scene, Chasing Victory is on a label known to promote Christian bands, and there lyrics appear to be very well written and much more in-depth than they appear (see song Oceans Away).
Comeback Kid - CBK is a hardcore band with a defining positive message. Although not a "Christian Band", CBK has members from Figure Four who is an outspoken christian band. CBK's message is geared more towards unity, and fighting through hardship along with being aware of the battles around us.
Emery - Outspoken Christians in a band that fights the label of Christian Band.
Stretch Arm Strong - These punk rockers from the east coast have put out numerous records on christian label Tooth & Nail. Their songs preach their beliefs in the open and they continue to tour with some of the most proven hardcore bands out there.
Dead Poetic - Another Post-Hardcore band that doesn't hide their beliefs in the lyrics. DP are outspoken believers.
Thrice - Aapparently the lead singer,is a true believer, and he shows it in his lyrics but since the entire band isn't all christian, they refuse to let themselves be labelled a Christian Band.
Destroy the Runner - New metal/hardcore band that is on a label known to promote Christian bands.
Haste the Day - These guys have a unique sound, and are very outspoken about their beliefs in interviews and in concerts.
Means - Great new hardcore band with a blatant message off their debut album. These guys probably have the most powerful sound combined with lyrics that show the love of Christ.
No Innocent Victim -Their band acronym is NIV, and these veterans have been around forever. These guys got popular around the time P.O.D. came out, but their sound was too heavy for the mainstream.
The Showdown - New metal band with a christian twist, give it a shot, its fun.
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3 comments:
I think you're trying to weed out the posers who ride the xian band thing but are really in it for the glam...and there's some legitimacy to that. But I don't think you're on the right track by trying to determine the authenticity of a band's collective xianity by examining their lyrics.
If that were the case then the Pharisees would be some of the most exemplary xians in the gospel.
In reading Christ's sermon on mount, the parable of the good samaritan, zaccheaus, etc, we find that more often xianity is best understood as an action.
I think this whole 'Christian Music' thing started because the bands weren't talented enough to earn legitimate record contracts and so the whole reason they had to emphasize their positive lyrics is because their music was sub-par.
OK so I'm probably being pretty cynical and overgeneralizing, but don't tell me theres not some truth there.
well, here's my list:
mewithoutYou
Yep, that's it, but they rock!!!
oh, these bands weren't chosen for their lyrical content as much as for their sound. The fact that they're christian, or pose as one only comforts me in knowing that i'm not singing along with songs that are super depressing or negative.
The reason the lyrics are linked is for a friend of mine, i can see where one would feel like there's an over-emphasis on the lyrics, but trust me, there's not. it's only a bonus.
half these bands i discovered on Purevolume and started listening because they rocked, and then i did more research about their labels and whatnot and there ya go.
I dont know if you can really make the call about these bands definitively from an outsider's perspective unless they make it clear in like a bad bio who they are and what they stand for. even then, you still have to take them at face value. people get different meanings out of lyrics. i can listen to
"Judas" by "a perfect circle" and be affected in a deep way spiritually, yet they are hardly a christian band. i think by defining bands as either christian or not christian, we may be limiting the scope of their influence based on a label. music that transsends labels, especially in our generation, is what makes it such a powerful medium of expression. personally i am less likely to listen to a band that labels themselves as christian, because of scott's point, their music is generally sub par. there are exceptions, like grits. but its still a fun subject to talk about. i just let the music speak to me though, as emo as that sounds. if i am spiritually affected by it, then so be it.
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