Metal Reviews

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This is great stuff, thanks for the review!

Glad you like it, they really are criminally underrated.

Check out Maylene & The Sons Of Disaster for more Christian Southern Rockcore.

This post makes me not want to check this out now. And kinda makes me think of the Showdown which I really don't want to hear again.

It's quite good.

Not sure that is a fair comparison, Maylene is certainly far more southern rock influenced than He Is Legend. Also He Is Legend is not a Christian band, at least not judging by their lyrics. There are some similarities in the song structures and vocal work, but not to a great extent.

What does it matter if they're christian or not? I always see people use it in a genre description for a fair few bands, but I've yet to realise how it impacts the sound of the band.

When people use "Christian" in the genre label, I almost always take it as a negative. Now don't get me wrong, there are fantastic Christian bands out there, but a lot of the time, there's just... like... some kind of quality where you know that it's Christian music, almost like the music is castrated or something, like they're being held back.

Maybe due to the fact that the primary purpose or drive of the music is to be a vehicle for the religious message rather than actually making good music?

I'm not saying there aren't good Christian bands out there (I listen to all 3 of them!), but I usually tend to agree with you guys that many times they just aren't as concerned with quality music as much as their message.

I think them being too focused on the message might be a part of it, but it strikes me odd how there'll almost never be a Christian band as intense as Converge or Strapping Young Lad or something.

I think that bands who identify themselves as Christian (as opposed to a band whose individual members might be Christian, but not with any necessarily Christian themes) tend to hold themselves back and purposefully inhibit their music, not necessarily because they're more focused on the message, but maybe because the message they intend to convey has browbeaten them or made them more meek in a way, so that their music won't be as authentic or as uninhibited as any other band whose message or belief system (or lack thereof) allows them to explore more territory without having those Christian themes hanging over their heads all the time. I dunno, it'd be a really cool thing to try and figure out.

The Chariot and Norma Jean (especially early albums).

That's why I said "almost."

The vast majority of Christian bands won't ever be that intense.

imo religious faith can inspire extremely powerful music; it's not well suited to being angry like Converge/Strapping Young Lad are because it's more a feeling of grandiosity or awe. I don't think Fridge's complaint against it really works because if they're using the music as a vehicle for a religious message, then making crappy music would be a disservice to God.

This He is Legend band sounds kinda neat. Reminds me of Queens of the Stone Age (I think, it's been ages).

It's a question of compositional attitude. A band whose members are Christian and just want to make good music will make good music, and might even be inspired by their beliefs, I don't know. But a band whose members want to promote their beliefs have other priorities than just making music.

I'd imagine they don't see promoting their beliefs and making music as two separate things.

But your product will still be influenced by your priorities.

But would their priorities be that different from any other band's? They want people to hear their music, like any other band.

But they also want people to hear their message.