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How Christian Metal Represents Society 




Christian metal is a very uncommon genre of music. In my opinion, it is my favorite music genre. Christian metal represents our society as people who follows their dreams no matter any stereotypes to inspire others. Much of metal music is looked upon as satanic, dark, evil, and grim. Though, Christian metal seems to take that evil stereotype and turn it into a form of worship and expression of history and personal issues. Many common secular metal bands include Slipknot, Cannable Corpse, and Lorna Shores. Though, Christian artists represent and inspire listeners to be imaginative and to not let any common stereotype hold you from pursuing your dreams. 


Cerimonial Sacred - I hate satan - YouTube
Ceremonial Sacred is a Christian black metal band originating from Brazil in 1998. This band goes beyond common Christian metal by using white and black face paint. Ceremonial Sacred reminds me of how the band Slipknot uses masks but Ceremonial Sacred are Christian. They push the limits of creativity to provide Christian metal with even a deeper and intense feeling. They also represent society that Christians can create shock metal that worships God and can relate to other secular shock metal. Overall Ceremonial Sacred shows that anyone can do anything despite any stereotypes.  

Lyrics

The song 'I hate satan' by Ceremonial Sacred was released March 7th, 2023. This song was created to portray the despise the band feels towards the Biblical character satan. This works exists to solidify the idea that satan is evil and encourages people to turn from sin. The lyrics express the vocalist's hatred towards satan when he says, "Satan, I hate you!" The song's lyrics fit perfectly with the high sound range of tremolo picking and heavy percussion. The lyrics combined with the instruments provide a deep yet intense feeling to where you can feel the emotion of the singer. The lyrics are uncommon which is why I love it. 

Percussion

The percussion is a double kick drum. The fast bpm and constant double kick create a dark tone that is intensified by random intervals. Around 1 minute and 30 seconds into the song the tremolo picking, and fast pedal create a perfect tone to reach a climatical high pitch in the sound. This is followed from a scream by the singer leading into interval without double kick. This combination truly emphasizes the lyrics and guitar. Overall, the percussion timing of the song truly open it to sound unique and interesting. I personally love the perfectly timed intervals in the song. 

Vocal Range

One of my favorite parts of this song is the switch in vocal rang and tone. All throughout the vocalists switches his singing style from a high-pitched squeal to a clean and low chanting voice. The switch around 1 minute and 30 seconds in the song from a scream to a clean vocal truly surprised me and sounded amazing. The vocal range matches with the instruments which results in a perfectly rhymed song. I personally love the vocal switch because it gives the listener a taste of both types of metal singing that helps create the song to be more enjoyable for a wider range of fans. 




Mortification is a Christian metal band originating from Australia in 1987. Mortification pushes the common Christian metal by not only providing brutal album covers but being one of the beginning Christian metal bands. Much of secular metal uses graphic imagery as a way to portray fear and Mortification seems to use that imagery as a way to praise God. This band not only shows why we shouldn't judge something by looks but also represents society in a way that Christians or anyone can also be involved in metal and other music. 

Lyrics

'Scroll of the Megilloth' by Mortification was released in 1992. The song uses Biblical lessons to relate to people. The song exists to show the relevancy of the Bible towards humankind. The lyrics "Direction from the book of life" in the beginning of the song attempt to show listeners that the Bible can guide them through anything. The theological lyrics and constant repeat of "Scrolls of the Megilloth" truly set this song apart from others. The lyrics are meant to praise God with a mix of different instruments playing. I love the interesting lyrics that truly encourage listeners to think for themselves on what they believe in. 

Instruments 

The instruments used present the uniqueness of the song. The beginning of the song introduces an eerie sound of what seems to be church bells then to transition into a pipe organ piano. Just the beginning of the song sounds heavy and mysterious. Abruptly the song cuts to heavy guitar riffs and a double kick drum. The instruments used in the song create it to be heavy and also different than many other metal songs. I love the beginning of the song and the pipe organ piano because it hints at the heavy change of instrument coming up. 

Pitch

The pitch of the song from vocals to guitar is deep, dark, and low. The pitch provides a grim tone like many secular metals bands use. The song remains at a steady pitch with intervals of only tremolo picking. 'Scrolls of the Megilloth' is a perfect song for any listener who is upset or angry because of the heaviness of sound. The pitch used gives an intense feel to the overall song that sounds perfectly tuned between all the instruments and vocals. I love the dark tone because many Christians songs are lighthearted, but this song still conveys a good message but with a dark sound. 


In conclusion, both bands help portray society as people who ignore common stereotypes and even the most unlikely can enjoy any genre of music. In my opinion, I love both bands and think they truly help create the Christian metal scene to be more approachable to secular listeners due to the relatability. Christian metal is a great example of breaking stereotypes and following your dreams. Both these bands attempt to tell society that God loves them. 


Extra Credit

This class has expanded my knowledge on the elements of music. I learned so much on how to recognize certain sounds or aspects of songs. It was also very exciting to learn about music of different cultures. My favorite was writing about the impact music has on people. I enjoyed learning how to write my own blog and am excited to use the skills I learned in this class in my future. 




Sources: 
Cerimonial Sacred - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (metal-archives.com) 'Ceremonial Sacred' - Miro Alhonniemi March 11th, 2023
Mortification, "Scrolls of the Megilloth" Review (jesusfreakhideout.com) 'Scrolls of the Megilloth' - Joel Zaloum May 13th, 2020 
Is Christian heavy metal ok? | ChristianToday Australia 'Is Christian Heavy Metal Ok?' - Jackson Reid unknown date 




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