Christian rock bands: a list of popular representatives of the genre

Christian rock is one of the varieties of rock music, the main distinguishing feature of which is the Christian orientation of the texts. Musically, this genre does not stand out against the background of others: rock, metal, hardcore, metalcore bands. The only difference is that they all sing songs about God, humility, religion and other topics within the framework of Christianity.

History of the genre

Even during the formation of such genres of music as rock'n'roll and rhythm and blues, many clergymen negatively responded both about the music direction in general, and about people who perform this music in particular. Later, rock musicians began to resort to increasingly evocative images, often associating their music with mysticism, occultism and devil worship. Many metalworkers and rockers often behaved scandalously, used drugs and alcohol in excessive quantities, thereby exacerbating the situation and the negative attitude towards rock music.

The situation began to change with the appearance of rock bands and musicians performing so-called Christian rock. Pioneers in the genre were the bands Mind Garage and Petra. Over time, this direction only developed, there was a festival in which only Christian rock bands took part. Such progress in the world of music did not bypass Russia, where new groups began to appear, writing texts related to Christian themes.

Christian rock bands: foreign

The list of groups preaching Christianity in their work is not small and continues to grow every year. Among the popular bands is:

• Skillet, formed in the city of Memphis in the distant 1996. The team for his long career was repeatedly nominated for the Best Rock Gospel Album (Best Christian Rock Album).
• Thousand Foot Krutch is a Canadian music band created in 1997. One of the most successful VIA performing rock music in general and Christian rock in particular. Over the course of history, over 1.5 million copies of their CDs have been sold.
• Red is a relatively young (formed in 2004) American rock band, which has become one of the leading among Christian rock bands. It's interesting that the guys started their career, drinking Christian hymns.
• POD is one of the few bands performing a Christian rap song, giving preference to recitative, mixing it with heavy riffs and blast beats of drums. The team has been nominated for a Grammy award many times. The name of the group comes from the metaphor of Payable on Death, related in their understanding to Jesus, who atoned for the sins of all mankind.

Also in this genre are Starfield, FM Static, Antestor, Pillar, War of Ages and many other less known bands.

Christian post-hardcore

Despite the aggressive sound, punk, hardcore and metalcore also became part of Christian culture. Musicians emphasize not only the themes of Christianity, but also urge to lead a correct way of life, not to abuse alcohol and tobacco, be choosy and moderate in their relationships with people. Among the popular band is:

• As I Lay Dying - one of the most powerful and influential collectives in the genre metalcore, which became a kind of cult in the musical plan. Despite the extremely heavy sounding and the use of techniques such as "growling" and "screaming" in the vocals, the group members often refer to Christian images and religion as a whole in their texts.
• The Devil Wears Prada is a popular post-hardcore band from Ohio. One of the most popular bands in the genre, still collecting crowds of fans. The name of the group is taken from the novel of the same name and metaphorically adapted to their religion and commitment to Christianity.
• Underoath is one of the few bands that managed, despite restrictions in the rotation on the radio, to get the status of gold for one of its albums. The group was formed in 1998 in Florida and immediately attracted attention with its atypical aggressive sound and Christian texts.

Also in this genre are: Soul Embraced, August Burns Red, Norma Jean and other less popular bands.

Christian metal

Often this musical direction is opposed to "black metal" and is called "white metal". Groups performing music in this genre try to inspire and inspire the listening audience and, unlike their colleagues, completely ignore the theme of stiffness and murder. Among the popular representatives is:

• Stryper - an interesting team that performs music in the style of glam metal. The group was formed back in 1983, but survived the disintegration and did not exist between 1993 and 2003. The group members use verses from the book of the prophet Isaiah in decorating their discs.
• Petra - perhaps, the first music collective, officially called his work Christian fate. It is symbolic that the group was formed by students of the Christian Learning Center, right during the training in it. The sound of the band resembles a mixture of country music and hard rock. In 2006 the group disintegrated.

Domestic Christian rock groups: list

Russian collectives, like foreign ones, quickly picked up this practice and started filling their music with religious texts and references. Among the musicians from the domestic scene, there were many deeply religious people who founded whole collectives with a Christian direction. Among the most famous groups are:

• "Alice" - Soviet VIA, which was born in 1983 in the city of Leningrad. One of the most famous and popular bands in the history of Russian rock music. One of the first to start writing texts related to religion. The group exists to this day.
• "Black Coffee" is a Soviet rock project by Dmitry Varshavsky, performing heavy rock and Christian metal with a burdened sound. The collective was formed in 1979 and is still active, performing and recording new songs in Russian and English.

Among the domestic performers of the genre is also worth mentioning such Christian rock bands as "Augustus", "Legion", "The Voice of the Prophet" and "Trumpet Call."