Time Warp!

Traditionally, a new year is a time when people make resolutions and vow to change the way they do things. Often, these resolutions are broken in a matter of weeks, if not, days.  In that spirit, I have decided to open the year by going back in time a little bit.

As I have said in this blog before, there is not a whole lot of new things happening in the Christian Music arena.  There are a lot of things I could say to that, but it will have to wait for another time. However, since I don't want to be too one-sided, let me take this post and devote it to "old skool" Christian Rock/Metal.  When I say "old" I am NOT talking about Audio Adrenaline, or D.C. Talk from back in the 90's, so get it out of your head right now!  What I am talking about is a little older...say from the late 70's early 80's period.

A friend of mine gave me a stack of CDs for Christmas, and I went through them all and chose a few to share with you...my faithful readers.

Spoken Self-Titled

First up is Spoken.  These guys have been around for a while, but have recently decided to make a come back with a secondary self-titled album.  I like what I hear out of these guys with one minor exception.  Their lead singer sounds a lot like the singer from 30 Seconds To Mars.  If you happen to be a fan of 3SM, then you are in luck, and probably want to check these guys out.

Next to the party is Se7enth Seal.  No I didn't miss-spell that...  This band came as a HUGE surprise to me.  I wasn't expecting to hear the onslaught of sound that I heard from a name like that.  These guys are comparable to older Godsmack or Disturbed.  I had the disc in my player for around a week solid.  This one definitely grows on you.

Eternal Decision

Eternal Decision boasts a pre-haircut Metallica type of sound.  If you have ever been a fan of Metallica, and you appreciate extremely biblical lyrics, you should give these guys a listen.  I have copies of their debut album and their third effort, cleverly titled "ED III" (no one said creativity had to extend to album names). The first album almost tries TOO hard to sound like songs from "And Justice For All" or "Ride The Lighting".  Their third effort changed things up a little bit.  For starters, the sound quality was WAY better, and the style took on more of a blend of Metallica and Megadeath.

Not everything I listened too was worthy of compliment though.  In fact, A LOT of what I listened to ended up getting trashed (or worthy of becoming a coaster on my desk).  Groups like Sinbreed and Goliath are prime examples of this.  A great number of groups from this era in Christian Metal, especially Sinbreed, spent WAAAY too much time trying to sound like Judas Priest.  The squealing high vocals with almost incomprehensible lyrics drove me INSANE for the 30 seconds that it lasted in my player.  I just couldn't stand anymore.

Dick Clark - Oompa-Loompa

Speaking of not being able to stand crappy music... Pop Deflator fans, brace yourself.  Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve was anything but.  The musical line-up was absolutely horrid!  The only thing I could justify listening to was One Republic, who I don't even like!  Was the music for 2011 just that bad that EVERYTHING sucked?  I beg to differ!  Foo Fighters were named the best Rock Band of 2011 with the release of "Wasting Light"...so I know that something good came out of last year.

Lady Lightbulb

With all respect to Dick Clark himself, I have to wonder what the TV station was thinking when they broadcast this pile of junk across the airwaves.  Not only was Lady Gaga dressed like a giant lightbulb, but the song she sang (at least in my head) sound almost exactly like Madonna's "Express Yourself" from the early 90's!  Furthermore, I really feel sorry for Dick Clark himself.  I know that his health has been down as of late, but why try to hide that with a metric ton of makeup?  For those readers who have seen the broadcast...you know what I am talking about.  HE LOOKED ORANGE!  They took Dick Clark and made him an Oompa-Loompa!

Hopefully, this year will bring change.  Change in the Christian Music Industry, the "secular" Music Industry, and people's brainwashed heads.  Good music is out there...you just have to know where to look!