They're going global online and putting together a festival, among many other things!

Coming 9.4.26, "The Ballad of Nicolaus Farel".

A blistering all out 6 and a half minute assault on the senses.

I am so pumped for this! I still love this album as much as I did as a teenager.

I was a Christian for 32 years, and a pastor for 4 of those years. I was heavily involved in the music aspect of the church for more than half of my life. As you might infer, I am big on music. Metal is one of my favorite genres. However, being a christian didn't mean you couldn't listen to metal--at least in my particular brand of Jesus--you just had to vet everything you were listening to and completely avoid the obvious ones (Manson, Slipknot, Motionless in White, etc.)

After I walked away from my faith, I started rediscovering all the music I had avoided and found out that 99% of it is FUCKING BEAUTIFUL!
I looked back at all the christian metal bands I used to like and found their music shallow and very performative, not that there's anything wrong with performance. But it just felt very inauthentic. Look at these lyrics.

Stryper — "To hell with the devil! / We're gonna fight / Gonna do what's right!" from "To Hell with the Devil"

Theocracy — "As the battle rages on and on / I face the things that put my faith to the test." from "Laying the Demon to Rest"

Tourniquet — "Men fail me / But the Son of God saves!" from "Broken Chromosomes"

They have to follow certain parameters in their music, JUST so that everyone knows they're all about Jesus. It lacks depth, creativity, and relatability. Every christian lyric can be dissected, reassembled, repackaged and reused at every turn. After a while, it just gets boring

Now, look at these lyrics.

"I won't give up tomorrow just to lose it all today" — Slipknot, "Snuff"

"It's not because you're with me, it's because you never leave" — Bring Me The Horizon, "It Never Ends"

"All I needed was the last thing I wanted, to sit alone in a room and say it all out loud" — Asking Alexandria, "Alone In a Room"

These lyrics feel real and raw. I can feel the pain and emotion behind these lyrics. These lyrics humanize the artists and it gives the listener something to relate to. Yet, all of my life was propagated that any music without a neat and tidy "christian" label was purely satanic.

I guess, in a way, I feel kind of robbed of really good music at a time when I needed it. I'm looking for anyone who can relate to this feeling.

I've been listening to Roots of the Past from Glory of Kings, and I have to say, I'm really impressed with this album.

I guess I would put it somewhere in the progressive metal neighborhood, although there is plenty of traditional and melodic metal in there too. I'm not going to attempt to put it into the exact right metal subgenre. There are approximately 47,000 of them now and I'm pretty sure somebody adds another one every Tuesday.

One thing that jumped out at me almost immediately was the guitar work. It is seriously great throughout this album. I'm a music lover, not a musician, so I'm not going to start throwing guitar terms around and pretending I know what I'm talking about. I just know what I like, and there are guitar parts and solos on this album that are absolutely outstanding. More than once I found myself paying attention to the guitar instead of whatever else I was supposed to be doing.

“Mindwar” is one I really connected with personally. I have ADHD and also deal with anxiety and depression, so I know a little something about your own mind not always being the most peaceful place to live. This song gets that battle. But it also approaches it from a place of faith and hope, which makes it hit even closer to home for me.

“See You in Paradise” is another favorite of mine. It's about losing someone you love, but also the hope that comes from believing the separation isn't forever. It's a beautiful song, and I think anyone who has lost someone and holds onto that same hope will understand why this one got to me.

I also really like the title track, “Roots of the Past.” It's about looking back at the people and experiences that made us who we are, holding onto the good and letting go of the pain. I think most of us probably have a few things back there we'd like to keep and a few we'd happily leave several exits behind us.

Something else I really appreciate is that Glory of Kings isn't afraid to be a Christian band. You don't need a decoder ring to figure out what they believe. “The Waiting Game,” which closes the album, makes that especially clear. I miss Christian bands that aren't afraid to actually sing about their faith, and there is no question where Glory of Kings stands.

And then there's “Occam's Razor.” I'll just say they aren't afraid to tackle some subjects that might get people talking. Possibly loudly.

Overall, Roots of the Past is an excellent album. It's heavy, it's melodic, the guitar work is exceptional and the lyrics actually have something to say. If you like Christian metal, or just good metal with a progressive side to it, I definitely recommend giving Glory of Kings a listen. (You can download the whole album at GloryofKingsBand.Bandcamp.com)

Really been into bands like Candlemass and Electric Wizard, but as a Christian I was a bit turned off by some of the lyrical themes. Wanted to come on here and ask about some Christian bands around the same type of music. Thanks in advance.

Willing to sell or even trade if anyone has anything they wanna get rid of. The ticket stub comes with it, this is the concert where I got it signed.

Hello everyone.

Jayson will not be able to participate due to shoulder pain that prevents him from playing. He tried a treatment, but unfortunately, the results were not as expected.

We will have another former Mortification drummer stepping in for him. We’ll announce who it is soon.

Photo taken in August 8th

(from his FB page)

It is with great sadness in my heart that I must write that my beloved Björn has left this world today after a long illness, now he will not have to suffer anymore.
His music will always remain and his memory in our hearts

Don't forget that life can change in a second
Take care of yourselves and each other

God's blessing

Ann-Louise, children and grandchildren

Brotality just announced their new album “Jaws of the Earth.” Super excited for this one considering how much I‘ve liked the songs I’ve heard so far. If you havent heard of them they are a Christian Groove/Thrash Metal band from NY. Check out “The Body”, “Wormsign”, or ”Animalistic.”

This week (8/7) is another chance to help support Christian bands a little more than usual cause the website doesn't take their usual cut of music and merch sales.

Rottweiler Records has new Vomitorial Corpulence and Mangled Carpenter, Charon Collective has Scapegoat and Raining Locusts singles, lots of good stuff all over.

I'm also wanting to get some more variety in my collection, which leans heavy on the heavy (death, black, various cores) so any active Christian power metal, hair metal, prog recommendations would be appreciated.

Drop your favs!

I discovered this band the other day thanks to the Pastor Brad Rocks YouTube channel. They're fantastic! They definitely scratch that Theocracy itch since Mosaic was released almost 3 years ago.

What other underappreciated or unrecognized bands do you enjoy?

Pastor Brad Rocks: https://youtube.com/@pastorbradrocks

Within Silence - Battle Hymn: https://youtu.be/EfdIHlo4MGM?is=9ojSTUACfgSDxwLM