Christian metal is a form of heavy metal music which, as well as its many subgenres, contains Christian lyrics and themes.
Christian metal came to existence in the late 1970s Jesus movement, and was pioneered by the American Resurrection Band and Swedish Jerusalem. Los Angeles' Stryper brought the genre into media spotlight during the mid 1980s. The term ”Christian metal” itself was born in 1984, around the time when heavy metal music divided into numerous subgenres. At the same time the secular label Metal Blade Records came up with the term "white metal" in contrast to the rising black metal movement to market the doom metal band Trouble, known for its Biblical lyrics. As a result, "white metal" was used interchangeably with "Christian metal" until the early 1990s when the mainstream popularity of the scene ended and the movement went underground. After that, English-speaking countries (North America, Australia, United Kingdom etc.) and Central and Northern European scenes adopted the "Christian metal" term, while "white metal" remained in use in South America and southwestern Europe. California's Tourniquet and Australia's Mortification led the movement in the 1990s. The metalcore groups Underoath, Demon Hunter, As I Lay Dying, and Norma Jean, dubbed by Revolver Magazine as "the holy alliance," pioneered the music's revival in the 2000s, achieving ranks in the Billboard 200.
Although the term ”Christian metal” is used for the musical movement, it has established itself as a cross-genre term. Christian metal bands exist even in the more extreme subgenres, which is contrary to the general belief that Christian metal represents softer styles of heavy metal music. For example, Allmusic defines Christian metal as "between arena rock and pop metal, though there are the occasional bands that are heavier." However, the only common link between most Christian metal bands are the lyrics, and often the Christian themes are melded with the subjects of the genre the band is rooted in, regularly providing a Christian take on the subject matter.
Christian Metal Bands[]
Please keep this list up-to-date by adding any more bands
- Alove For Enemies
- Anam Cara
- Angelica
- Anguish Unsaid
- AP2
- Argyle Park
- As Cities Burn
- As I Lay Dying
- Atonement
- August Burns Red
- Balance of Power
- Beanbag
- Becoming The Archetype
- Beloved
- Blindside
- Blissed
- Bloodgood
- Bloodlined Calligraphy
- Bloody Sunday
- Born Blind
- Bride
- Brutal Fight
- Callisto
- Chasing Victory
- Chatterbox
- Circus Dawn
- Clear Convictions
- Comeback Kid
- Convicted
- CR33
- Crashdog
- Crucifix
- Dead Poetic
- Decision
- Deliverance
- Demon Hunter
- Destroy The Runner
- Die Happy
- Disciple
- Dizmas
- Dodgin' Bullets
- Dogwood
- Dead Poetic
- Decision (Band)
- Deliverance
- Demon Hunter
- Destroy The Runner
- Die Happy
- Disciple
- Dizmas
- Dodgin' Bullets
- Dogwood
- E-SO
- East West
- EDL
- Embodyment
- Emery
- End of Destiny
- Eso-Charis
- Eternal Decision
- Everdown
- Extol
- Falling Away
- Farless
- Few Left Standing
- Figure Four
- Focal Point
- Focused
- Global Warning
- Gryp
- Hammertown
- Hanover Saints
- Haste The Day
- He Is Legend
- Holy
- Ilia
- In Due Time
- Jesus Wept
- Justifide
- Ken Tamplin
- Kiss The Gunner
- Klank
- Kronicles
- Kutless
- Leader Dogs For The Blind
- Lengsel
- Life In Your Way
- Living Sacrifice
- Luti-Kriss
- Magdallan
- Mastedon
- Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
- Mewithoutyou
- Modern Day John
- Morbid Sacrifice
- Mortal Treason
- Mortification
- Mr. Bishops
- Nailed
- Narcissus
- Nema
- Neshamah
- New Breath
- Nodes of Ranvier
- Norma Jean
- Officer Negative
- Oil (Band)
- One Bad Apple
- Opposition Of One
- Outcry
- Overcome (Band)
- Pillar
- POD
- Project 86
- Randy Rose
- Ransom (Band)
- Real
- Selfmindead
- Seven System
- Seventh Seal
- Seventh Star (Band)
- Shockwave (Band)
- Short Notice
- Shout
- Showbread
- Sinai Beach
- Skillet
- Skylines
- Soapbox
- Society's Finest
- Soul Embraced
- Spitfire
- Spoken
- Staple
- Stars Are Falling
- Stavesacre
- Still Breathing
- Still Remains
- Stretch Arm Strong
- Strongarm
- Stryper
- Symphony in Peril
- Synnove
- The 7 Method
- The Awakening
- The Chariot
- The Crucified
- The Showdown
- The Wedding
- These 5 Down
- This Fire's Embrace
- To Laodicea
- Torn
- Tourniquet
- Training For Utopia
- Travail
- Unashamed
- Vengeance
- Vengeance Rising
- War of Ages
- Whitecross
- Wish For Eden
- With A Kiss
- Wyrick
- X-Sinner
- X-Terra
- Xd Out
- xDisciplex AD
- 12 Stones
- 3rd Root
- 7 Method