“Christian Rock", a title often scoffed at by traditional rock artists, enthusiasts & critics alike is gaining popularity and stamping its place as a sort after genre for the young generation of rocking headbanger, mosh-pitting gurus! Didn’t Christian rock die a couple of years ago, you ask? Christian rock music is growing faster than ever before with Daily News of Christian Rock Music, new artists & albums streaming across the Internet and pumping the airways continuously every day. So where did this religious music come from? I mean this is new right?
This type of rock music wasn’t around 20 years ago, was it? Well I didn’t think so until recently, the reality is Christian music or should I say Christian rock music has been around seemingly since the dawn of creation! So why seeing it today all the time? Where were the God Rocker's for so long and what happened to the voice of eternal punishment for those participating in anything other than a church hymn or Sunday school choir? Well the chastity belt of today's Christian rock is alive and well. There are many religious organisations who oppose this form of music, I will talk more about this opposition later.
Most Christians are in favor of this “movement" feeling that Christian rock music is another way to reach people with the importance of the Christian faith. So why the controversy?, what is so different about Non-Christian rock music in comparison to Christian rock? Many have asked this question and instead of quoting Mr. Bob Dylan “the answer is blowing in the wind", I thought I would analyze the facts and see why there is so much “opposition" to the sounds of “thumping grace". After reviewing many rock & heavy metal music bands and performances and then compared them to their Christian counterparts, I did see differences but not many! The stage performance was very similar with the exception of Non-Christian heavy metal revealing more of a dark or satanic side at times in general there was little if any change in production or presentation from Christian rock to secular or Non-Christian music. The only real difference I could find was the lyrical content, with Christian rock music singing words from the Bible and preaching family values.
So why was Christian rock music introverted for so many years, seemingly hiding in the shadows from more upright members of the Christian community? Well apparently they weren’t hiding at all, it’s just that I like many people didn’t even know they were around back then! Old time Christian rock bands like Petra, Stryper, Bloodgood, Whitecross and Tourniquet have been rocking Christians and non Christians alike for generations.
The voice of rock abstinence is still screaming louder than ever in some Christian spheres although seemingly falling on deaf ears of a Christian Rocker community that grows bigger every day. Who opposes this Christian liberation? Who else but other Christians! It seems some segments of who have not advanced to modern day sounds are Bible bashing these Christian rock music head bangers with eternal consequences for their “misguidance". The most extreme example I came across was the seventh day adventist (SDA) church who proclaim that Christian rock music is quote “Devil music". The SDA church preach that all rock music has the “beat of the devil" borrowed from primitive heathen rituals, beating in time with the body’s “natural rhythms". I found it hard to understand that anyone could think this way at first, but indeed it is true and they are very serious about stamping out any and all rock music, or anything for that matter that resembles a drum beat!
Music is the rhythm of life and possesses the power to revive stale heart, mind and soul. Music has that great power of expression of an artist's mind, his zeal, emotions and vivacity. Music can make the blood flow in opposite direction and that is why music plays a vital role in nurturing revolution by providing great motivation. Alternative rock is also that precious stone picked up from the sea of innovation. Alternative rock is essentially an umbrella term for underground music that has emerged in the wake of the punk rock movement since the mid 1980s. Throughout its history, alternative rock has been largely defined by its rejection of the commercialism of mainstream culture. The music now known as alternative rock was known by a variety of terms before "alternative" came into common use. "College rock" was used in the United States to describe this awesome music during the 1980s due to its links to the college radio circuit and the tastes of college students. In the United Kingdom the term "Indie" was preferred; by 1985 the term "Indie" had come to mean a particular genre, or group of subgenres, rather than a simple demarcation of status. As a musical genre, alternative rock consists of various subgenres that have grown from the indie music scene since the 1980s, such as grunge, Britpop, Gothic rock, and Indie pop. These genres are unified by their collective debt to the style and/or ethos of punk, which laid the groundwork for alternative music in the 1970s. Alternative bands in previous times used to play in small clubs, at that time there was no advertising medium so it was advertised through world of mouth as a result alternative rock became popular among youth. Alternative rock does not have any particular musical style but many performers have made up their own style by including distorted guitars. Sounds range from the dirty guitars of grunge and the gloomy sound scales of gothic rock is the specialty of alternative rock. Lyrics in alternative rock songs typically address issues concerned with society such as drugs, depression and environment. Alternative rock has that approach that can awake youth and can make them realize their potential. Alternative rock performers differentiate themselves from their traditional rock predecessors as they want to sing it for a greater diversity and experimentation in music. Alternative rock performers produce catchy as well as motivational music. Though their music--with its emphasis on distorted guitars and ambiguous lyrics doesn't suit to commercialize society. Expressions explained by alternative rock songs are 3-4 minutes long, with catchy riffs and steady beats. Alternative rock aims to reach out to a new generation of youth with high energy, melodic music which spoke to contemporary social issues. Defining music as "alternative" is often difficult because of the application of the word alternative. On one hand alternative describes challenging music that protest commercialization and mainstream values. On the other hand alternative word is used by music industry to mention available options. Whatever the meaning that word carries out, but the fact is that the alternative rock is exactly what present youth need to get motivated.
Both Sam Wilkinson & Tom Janison are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Sam Wilkinson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Keyboard Synthesizer, Advertising Guide. Sam J Wilkinson works as a volunteer webmaster of the Site ColdandUgly.net, which has the latest information about the Christian Rock industry, aswell as. Sam Wilkinson's top article generates over 6600 views. to your Favourites.
Tom Janison has sinced written about articles on various topics from Keyboard Synthesizer, Entertainment Guide and Keyboard Synthesizer. Tom Janison is a music fanatic. He loves downloading music of all his favorite artists. is one of his favorites sites for. Tom Janison's top article generates over 368000 views. to your Favourites.