Guest post/mixtape by Roy Culver. (He was A&R at Solidstate/Tooth & Nail Records during their big boom in popularity in the early 2000s. Make sure you also check out his previous post that cherry-picks the best of Solidstate’s catalog here.)
Religion and metal music have always been a controversial combination. Fans of both tend to be an opinionated bunch that often masquerade their perspectives in absolute terms. Both have their own rituals, language and sacred texts that are challenging to deviate from and remain part of the congregation.
The notable Christian bands of today, whether they know it or not, owe a great deal to some of the bands and the labels that released the following records. Labels like REX and Intense might be unfamiliar to younger fans of the subgenre today but without them, Tooth and Nail & Facedown would have likely never existed.
Some of these artists are as odd as any of their “secular” counterparts. Some just released great music but, because of the stigma associated with their assumed ideology, they never broke out in a bigger way. What follows are some of my favorites:
Vengeance Rising – White Throne
Of all the bands mentioned in this piece of writing, Vengeance Rising truly has one of the strangest legacies. Never one for subtlety, front man and pastor Roger Martinez, a man we’d later learn was as insane and passionate about doing blow as he was preaching the gospel, would often directly quote specific passages of scripture in the band’s lyrics.
Released in 1988 and then rereleased on a variety of labels over the years (Intense, Medusa, Restless), the band’s debut, Human Sacrifice, the album “White Throne” can be found on, was one of the first of its kind in Christian circles. Despite possessing a production quality that could only graciously be described as “rough”, the album often crossed the vague genre lines of thrash, death, grind and hardcore punk.
(The Vengeance Rising drinking game! Take a shot every time Roger drops a band name or says the word “shreds” or “jams”. Guaranteed to get you shit faced!)
After the release of Once Dead, the band’s second record, everyone left Vengeance Rising except Martinez who would go on to release a record called Released Upon the Earth. It was shortly after the release of this album that Roger began speaking out against Christianity, the church, his former band-mates, his record label and calling himself a Satanist and/or an atheist (they were one and the same in the circles he used to run in) depending on which interview you read. Sometimes he was lucid but more often than not he sounded insane as he made threats to hurt if not outright kill the people he formerly played music or worked in ministry with.
Today the former members of Vengeance Rising perform occasionally as Once Dead (see what they did there?) and play the old Vengeance Rising songs only now with a beefy, mustachioed vocalist who looks like he could be in Manowar or a 70’s era gay porn. For the last 15 or so years Martinez has promised/threatened to release a new Vengeance Rising record only this time the subject matter of the songs will be against his former Christian beliefs. Sadly, not a note has been recorded to my knowledge. I suppose there isn’t much time to write when you’ve got hundreds of women flying in from all over the world to blow you.
Roger has also bragged about receiving millions of dollars in funding for a screenplay he was writing called “The Outrageous Conversations of Tunic Boy & Jesus”. Fans of a good train wreck wait with bated breath!
Incubus – A Battle of Armageddon
Not to be confused with the southern CA pop rock band who would go on to sell millions of records in the late 90s and 00s, the Incubus we’re exploring were from Louisiana by way of Brazil. Despite the band’s first album, Serpent Temptation, the same record this song came from, being a muddy mess sonically it was a fine example of late 80s thrash metal. The band’s second record, Beyond the Unknown, was released shortly after on Nuclear Blast.
Despite overtly singing about Jesus and using biblical references in their lyrics, Incubus never really crossed over into Christian circles. More than likely that had to do with the band not beginning in that community. It could have also been because of the liberal use of the word “fuck” and the violent imagery throughout the lyrics. I used to work at a music distribution company that frequently dealt with Christian bookstores. The vanguards to those stores were often 50+-year-old women who’d make decisions about the morality of a band based on pictures on a one sheet. These are the same folks who’d carry a book describing how God killed or demanded his people kill entire nations of people but they wouldn’t carry a record because the guys in the band were wearing baggy pants.
For reals!
In the late 90s Incubus re-recorded Serpent Temptation with a different vocalist but by then the southern CA band owned the rights to the name and they were forced to change it. Surely feeling burned by having their name snatched out from under them the band must have thought long and hard about another band name that no one else had or would ever want to take. Opprobrium was born! In 2000 Nuclear Blast released the band’s debut, Discerning Forces, and describes it like this on their website: “the originality factor isn’t terribly high here.” Ouch. Needless to say, the band hasn’t done another record for Nuclear Blast.
Tourniquet – A Dog’s Breakfast
Tourniquet’s debut record, Stop the Bleeding, was getting press in vegetarian and animal rights magazines in the early 90s due to the song “Ark of Suffering” which questioned the ethic of viewing animals from just a utilitarian perspective. “Stop the Bleeding” was a decent record but the vocalist was often a challenge to endure due in no small part to him so often sounding like King Diamond huffing helium.
(What is up with that guy in fingerless lace gloves stroking that crow?)
It wasn’t until the band’s second record, Psycho Surgery, was released and Tourniquet ditched the falsetto vocals that I became a fan of the band. One of the most memorable songs from the sophomore record was “A Dog’s Breakfast”. Musically the song is sharp and fast while the lyrics confronted some of the more wealthy preachers and world religions of its time. It was an interesting song on a lot of fronts.
Tourniquet is still around today although with only one original member, the drummer Ted Kirkpatrick. The band’s original guitarist, Gary Lenaire, is now an atheist and has written a book about his transformation called “An Infidel Manifesto: Why Sincere Believers Lose Faith”. Tourniquet’s first two records, Stop the Bleeding and Psycho Surgery, were recently released on vinyl.
Living Sacrifice – Anorexia Spiritual
Of all the band’s listed here, Living Sacrifice has the most consistent output and catalog. I think I first heard of the band while reading the Metal Maniacs demo reviews in ’90 or ’91. Their self-titled debut album was released shortly after and, while the entire record didn’t win me over, songs like “Violence” and the album closer, “Anorexia Spiritual”, stuck with me.
Living Sacrifice’s first three records, the previously mentioned self-titled album, Nonexistent and Inhabit, which all look to be out of print now I am sad to say, dabbled in both thrash and death metal. The band’s subsequent output, the influential and acclaimed Reborn, often got characterized as hardcore though I suspect that had more to with the band’s short hair and wallet chains than the style of the music itself. In spite of the occasional line-up change, if you listen to all 7 of the band’s records, you’ll find a thread that links the progression over the last 20 years together.
An unusual aspect of Living Sacrifice’s story is that, despite being a full time touring band for several years and sharing the stage with a diverse array of heavy bands, they have never really quite broken out of the Christian ghetto. They’ve remained the band that fans of extreme metal have heard of but not picked up that many records by. Without a doubt, Living Sacrifice is responsible for influencing most if not all of the Christian hardcore and metal bands of the last decade.
Mortification – Terminate Damnation
Let me be the first to admit that this band’s catalog is overwhelmingly spotty. With 14 studio albums, four live albums and three (!!!) best-of compilation records, Mortification has played just about every subgenre of heavy music. Their lack of focus and originality might lead one to understandably write the band off. I wouldn’t have listed them here if it weren’t for one record in their catalog, Scrolls of the Megilloth. Like many of the records listed here this record suffers with poor sound but for the style of fuzz toned death metal of the time, this album is pretty decent. Both Nuclear Blast and Metal Blade released records by the band at one time or another and the band still puts out records and plays shows so what do I know?
(Did anyone else have a seizure watching the first 30 seconds of this video? )
Believer – Wisdom’s Call
Probably one of the more respectable bands from this community of artists during that time was Believer. Despite being from Pennsylvania, the band had more in common sound wise with German bands like Kreator and Destruction than the big 4 thrash bands in America.
The band’s first record, Extraction from Mortality, was a promising introduction but it wasn’t until their sophomore record, the 1990 album Sanity Obscure, that Believer really came into their own. Tracks like “Dies Irae (Day of Wrath)” featured an orchestra as well as an opera singer. I had the good fortune of the seeing the band perform during that time.
Not long after the release of Sanity Obscure, Believer signed to Roadrunner Records. In 1993 the band released their 3rd full-length record Dimensions which would be their last record for some time. The band finally returned in 2009 to release Gabriel and Transhuman in 2011. With each release Believer was becoming more technical and experimental in their recordings as well as the subject matter. The band’s early records dealt with more specific Christian themes where the later records have shied away from those.
The Crucified – Mindbender
The Crucified started out as a punk hardcore band, think Gorilla Biscuits or in that ballpark, in the mid-80s before crossing over to more of a thrash band by the end of the decade. But it wasn’t until 1991 when they would release The Pillars of Humanity, an album that is so critically underrated it is hard to describe. From start to finish this record is dark, tension filled and in some ways completely different from the subgenre it came from. While making appeals to their religious faith, the lyrics and music captured the tooth and claw life of the inner city. I’m not sure we’ve heard a record like it in heavy music since.
It wasn’t long after the release of The Pillars of Humanity that band turmoil ended The Crucified. After the band ended, previous members started or took part in other projects (Chatterbox, The Blamed, etc.) but none that became as popular as Stavesacre, featuring vocalist Mark Salomon and bassist Jeff Bellew.
Over the last few years the band’s entire catalog was rereleased as a box set and the vinyl for The Pillars of Humanity finally saw the light of day in late ’11.
Sacrament – Destructive Heresies
Released in 1992, Sacrament’s second record, Haunts of Violence, was one of my favorite records that year. The production was sharp and the songs were fast but with enough changes in tempo and structure to keep it interesting and from not becoming tedious. The vocalist spit mouthfuls of rapid-fire lyrics about young earth creationism and the dangers of evolutionary and Darwinian theory. The CD booklet contained not only the lyrics but also explanations for the ideas behind the lyrics and reading suggestions. It was a time when the genre’s earnestness wasn’t in short supply.
One of the great things about the internet, and there are many, is that you can stalk just about anyone from the comfort of your living room. I tried really hard to find out what the guys in Sacrament are doing now but, with the exception of a band a couple of the guys were in a few years back (update the email on your website Fountain of Tears!), I got nothing. Even the internet glory hole known as Facebook couldn’t deliver. Where are you, Sacrament, and what are you doing?
Cryogenic Husk #55 – Faster For The Master
1) Vengeance Throne – White Throne 2) Incubus – The Battle Of Armageddon 3) Tourniquet – A Dog’s Breakfast 4) Living Sacrifice – Anorexia Spiritual 5) Mortification – Terminate Damnation 6) Believer – Wisdom’s Call 7) Crucified – Mindbender 8) Sacrament – Destructive Heresies
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I grabbed like 8 of your mixes.
Great site.
Subscribed to the feed.
Thanks!
Love this post. You are spot on about these bands. I was also into Deliverance. I am intrigued about the Tourniquet vinyl releases. I am going to have to look them up. Psycho Surgery is an amazing album.
Good post! I must commend you for your choice of Sacrament, though I slightly prefer “Souls In Torment” to “Destructive Heresies”. Still, I’m in the minority in that I think “Haunts of Violence” is far superior to its predecessor “Testimony of Apocalypse” with its Slayer plagiarism sound. I think HoV took them in a far more unique and interesting direction. Good call on Believer as well, though I dig the riff in “Stop the Madness” more :)
I would say you’re being a tad too harsh on Mortification, if only because of the admittedly spotty discography, though some of that can be blamed on Steve’s battle with Leukemia. However, I’d say the first 5 or 6 Morty albums are all prime cuts, and then after that it tends to become a little hit and miss. I think one of the cool things about Morty is that they never truly repeated themselves over the years, even if sometimes their experiments fell flat. When they abandoned death metal, lots of folks wrote them off, but I think the 2 thrash albums they put out after “Post Momentary Affliction” (my fav Morty disc) are actually pretty good quality.
@secretsouth – the Tourniquet vinyl reissues are BOSS! I own both of the early numbered copies, and they rule. You might still be able to get in on the early pressing via Vinyl Remains (the label they’re released on). They both sound fantastic (cut from the 2001 remasters) and the packaging is pretty good quality, despite a couple minor typos on the inserts. That Crucified vinyl is also super awesome, definitely worth owning!
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