Well, Christian Metal is Metal made by Christians with a Christian message.
2) What is the difference between Christian Metal and Secular Metal?Christian Metal is just as brutal and heavy as the Secular when it comes to the music. What differs is the lyrics. Instead of having bad, destructive or meaningless lyrics (I'm not saying that alla secular bands have lyrics in this vein but many have) the lyrics in Christian Metal are positive. They are bold but positive. They tell the good news about Jesus Christ and have positive lyrics from a Christian point of view where they try to uplift their fans and bring them closer to Christ. Instead of dragging people down they are showing them that they can find the meaning of life, have a living relationship with God and go to Heaven too, by just believing that Jesus died for them on the Cross in their place. So the music is "the same" but the lyrics are very different.
The lyrics also talk about the hate we Christians have for Satan and all the bad things he does. They also deal with things that are totally wrong in the society. Some lyrics are also about ordinary things that we face every day. But the main focus in the lyrics is about Jesus Christ, why He came, what He did, and what He can do in people's life when they choose to follow Him.
3) Does Christian Metal also contain brutal styles like Thrash, Speed, Death and Black?Yes it does! There are Christian bands in every category of heavy music, even in black metal. When it comes to black metal it is not equal to metal with satanic lyrics anymore (as it was in the beginning with bands like Venom and Bathory) but has nowadays develeoped into a specific music genre in which the bands can spread the message they like to, so there is no conflict with playing black metal for Christ. Music is also like a knife, in itself it's neutral, but depending on the motive behind it, it can be used for good or evil purposes. A doctor can use a knife to save someone's life but the same knife can also be used by a murderer to kill someone. The knife in itself is totally neutral, it's the motive behind that decides if it used for good or evil. It's the same with black metal. Depending on the motive the musicians have, it can be used to glorify good or evil, or to spread whatever message the band wants to spread.
4) Is Christian Metal just as good as the Secular Metal?Yes it surely is! There are lots of good and talented Christian Metal bands and solo - musicians. Some of the Christian bands are even better than the secular bands in the same genre. Then there are also some that isn't so good and talented as well of course, just as it is in Secular Metal. You also have to have in mind that the christian metal scene is much smaller than the regular metal scene since the majority of people aren't Christians, which means that there are fewer bands to choose from in the christian scene.
5) When did this movement start?Christian Hardrock/Metal begun in the late 70s. One of the first bands that entered the stage was Jerusalem But the breakthrough came with Stryper in the middle of the 80s with their hookladen melodic metal. Stryper's video "Honestly" from their third album quickly became the no 1 most requested video on MTV! One of their albums sold gold and another platina and totally they have sold over 5 million copies of their albums! To this day no other Christian Metal band has been as popular as Stryper Christian Metal has also progressed over the years and now have a variety in styles ranging from melodic hardrock and power metal to death and black metal and every style in between. Some of the most popular bands today are Extol, Narnia and Divinefire
6) Why the need of Christian Metal?First of all because many Christians love metal music, and since we are Christians it's only natural to combine it with our faith. Just because you are Christian that doesn't mean that you have to listen to gospel or pop music! God is much bigger than the regular church music. Great music also deserves a great message, so why not combine them and take the best from both worlds.
The reason that we want to spread the message of Jesus is because we care for people and don't want anyone to burn in hell, but instead find a living relationship with God (cause that's what the real Christian life is all about, it's a living relationship with God and not a boring religion!). Christian metal is also needed to encourage and help believers that love metal to grow in faith and come closer to Christ through the lyrics.
7) Where can I get this cool music?Well, try the local cdstore nearby first. If you can't find it there I can highly recommend the following online services...
