# Christian rock that doesn't suck donkey balls **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2007, 9:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824 "2007-05-12T09:13:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/41 "2007-05-13T15:29:58Z")
They don’t have a record deal yet, but I’ve got to mention SHIM. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/42 "2007-05-13T16:49:25Z")
[QUOTE=Frylock] I figured Christian ideas have just done such a good job ensconsing themselves into many aspects of culture that they can find themselves expressed even in declaredly secular work. [/QUOTE] You might be interested in checking out [Atheists for Jesus](http://www.atheists-for-jesus.com/). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/43 "2007-05-13T20:05:06Z")
It’s been a while since I was a Christian, but the best that I used to listen to regularly were: [ul] [li]Waterdeep/Don Chaffer - Folksy/bluesy/funky jam band. Very talented musicians, great to catch in concert. I think they might have broken up, though. _Sink or Swim_ is probably my favorite studio album from them (_To Chase Away the Birds_ is a close second), and _Live at the New Earth_ is a great live album.[/li] [li]Stavesacre - Started by some members of the near-legendary Christian hardcore band **The Crucified** , the first two Stavesacre albums (especially _Absolutes_ are my favorites, lots of good energy and catchy hooks. Somehow they morphed into an Emo band. I don’t like emo, but maybe they’re still good. I dunno.[/li] [li]Fleming and John - Kind of an acquired taste; very inventive and catchy songs, Fleming’s voice flitters between angelic and banshee-like; when she’s on, she’s amazing, when she’s off she’s like fingernails on a chalkboard. But the times that she’s on are worth it, IMO. _The Way We Are_ is their best, but _Delusions of Grandeur_ is also very good.[/li] [li]Chasing Furies - another band that might have broken up. Nice, atmospheric vocals, decent songwriting. _With Abandon_ is their only album, i think.[/li] [li]Tourniquet - Early on, this was one of the most inventive and technically sound Christian metal bands out there. Drummer/songwriter Ted Kirkpatrick was the main creative genius and the only band member to stay with the band throughout the entire lifespan. _Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance_ is probably their best, with _Psycho Surgery_ a close second. I don’t care as much for their later work, but I’m sure it’s technically good. [/li] [li]Betrayal - Another defunct band, I’m afraid. Christian metal with a bit of a darker feel to it. Their songs are hit and miss, _The Passing_ is just a touch better than _Renaissance by Death_ overall, but individual songs on RBD (_Stroll Through a Wicked Age, Escaping the Altar_) are among their best.[/li] [li]Over the Rhine - Just plain good music here. One of the Christian bands (along with Waterdeep, should they ever reform) that I still would seek out or see live if the chance presented itself. _Good Dog Bad Dog_ is my favorite from them, but I don’t really think they have any bad albums.[/li] Lamb of God - Just kidding. If you’re Christian and you play LOG for your Christian friends they will start forming prayer groups for your soul.[/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/44 "2007-05-13T20:23:47Z")
Try the Velvet Underground’s third album - [Velvet Underground](http://www.amazon.com/Velvet-Underground/dp/B000002G7G/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/103-2948281-5126221?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1179087604&sr=8-2) . I’m not saying that it’s an obviously Christian album (although “Jesus” and “I’m Beginning to see the Light” feature), but there is a spiritual yearning running through the whole thing. The fact that it is one of the best albums ever is a bonus. ---
**Author:** ![lexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/73ab20/32.png) [@lexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/45 "2007-05-13T20:36:53Z")
If you’re interested in metal, there’s a band called Trouble who were most active from 84-95, and are still quite highly regarded among doom metal fans–think Black Sabbath, but Christian (they were often referred to as a “white metal” band, in contrast to the Satanist “black metal” bands). _Psalm 9_ , their first record, is a metal classic. ---
**Author:** ![lexan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/73ab20/32.png) [@lexan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lexan)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/46 "2007-05-13T20:43:43Z")
[QUOTE=lexan] If you’re interested in metal, there’s a band called Trouble who were most active from 84-95, and are still quite highly regarded among doom metal fans–think Black Sabbath, but Christian (they were often referred to as a “white metal” band, in contrast to the Satanist “black metal” bands). _Psalm 9_ , their first record, is a metal classic. [/QUOTE] Whoops, screwed up the link, it’s [Trouble — Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews | AllMusic](http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:gifpxqr5ldde) ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/47 "2007-05-13T22:12:27Z")
I’m fond of Switchfoot, although their music is outrageously repetitive. Also, I have some affection for the **Newsboys** , though I don’t think they’re very well-loved on the music scene and it’s certainly true that they need more bass. The thing, Christian bands often avoid being called Christian at all, and indeed go to great lengths to be mainstream. For example, I don’t actually know that **Borne** ([their wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borne_%28band%29)) is Christian, but I do know that their international iTunes Single of the Week, “The Guide”, makes absolutely no sense as anything other than a praise song, and the language they use on MySpace is exactly what a very, very Christian person would use when trying to avoid being explicitly Christian (if than makes any sense 🆒 ) To be fair, the song is in some senses a standard love song, which brings me to my personal rant: _why do the lyrics in current Christian music suck so bad?_ Basically there are converted love songs and songs about how life sucks, and not a whole ton else. Lyrics are generally strings of clichés tossed together in a cheap attempt at stream-of-consciousness. Ick. I would pay just about anything for good lyrics – and it would be completely awesome if some group decided to start using actual scripture again (with editing for musicality, of course. I don’t have the skill to create such a song myself, unfortunately.) One last note: props to [Riley Armstrong](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riley_Armstrong_%28album%29) , a fun and quirky alternative Christian musician from Vancouver (I think – I actually heard him live back in the States.) Only about half his songs are about Christian themes, and they’re fairly quirky. The others are about completely random topics (like sleep deprivation and having a famous girlfriend, which he doesn’t.) He’s extremely entertaining. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/48 "2007-05-13T22:32:28Z")
[QUOTE=straight man] which brings me to my personal rant: _why do the lyrics in current Christian music suck so bad?_ Basically there are converted love songs and songs about how life sucks, and not a whole ton else. [/QUOTE] Heh. And then there are (in the words of Christian rock legend [Camarillo Eddy](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camarillo_Eddy)) “those shmaltzy feel-good pieces of crap that we all know even God hates.” I don’t know if it’s a matter of Christian record labels that discourage creativity or straying from the formula, or whether it’s because there are so many artists in the biz for reasons other than that they have something artistically to say, or because so much Christian rock is made by and for youngsters with underdeveloped musical/lyrical tastes and little life experience, or what. But maybe this belongs in a different thread: Christian rock that **does** suck donkey balls. ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2007, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/49 "2007-05-13T23:35:08Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] But maybe this belongs in a different thread: Christian rock that **does** suck donkey balls. [/QUOTE] Actually, I don’t think it’s a matter of sucking so much as _repeating over and over and over_. Though I strongly believe that, upon entrance to Heaven, all musicians who do covers of group praise songs will be forced to rip out their vocal chords and throw them straight to Hell. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/50 "2007-05-14T00:24:16Z")
[QUOTE=straight man] Actually, I don’t think it’s a matter of sucking so much as _repeating over and over and over_. Though I strongly believe that, upon entrance to Heaven, all musicians who do covers of group praise songs will be forced to rip out their vocal chords and throw them straight to Hell. [/QUOTE] [probably the most offtopic post I’ve ever made except in MPSIM flirt threads]That reminds me of an experience listening to the aforementioned **Juliana Theory** (which didn’t really seem like x-tian, but the post did say they became more alternamainstream.) The song went: > [@](#): > > It’s just repeating over and over > It’s just repeating over and over > It’s just re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re-re… I thought “cool! They are making the music pretend to skip to emphasize that everything’s repeating over and over!” Then after about a minute I realized the CD _was_ skipping. (Same thing happened to me listening to a _Mr Bungle_ CD, at a moment when it wasn’t really apropos of anything, unlike the above example. But I still listened to it for a minute since that’s the sort of thing they’d do :smack: ) ---
**Author:** ![PlasticCloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bbe5ce/32.png) [@PlasticCloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlasticCloud)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/51 "2007-05-14T01:12:15Z")
[QUOTE=Autolycus] I like rock and I’m Christan, yet I’ve noticed that most Christian rock I’ve heard completely felches goat testicles. Anyone know some good Christian rock that does not fall into this predicament? [/QUOTE] I’ve been wondering what to do for a first post, and thought this might be as good a time as any to register and share some musical knowledge. However, I wasn’t sure if you’d already gotten enough recommendations for the time being… If you feel like you want to explore a slightly (or really, **substantially** ,) different side of Christian rock, there are bands and artists that, in their time, were as heavy as Sabbath, as folky-delicate as Joni Mitchell, or as brimstone-laden as a Jonathan Edwards sermon. These were some seriously _real_ underground bands; more subversive than anything that was on the radio, and dedicated to their music and message, even with basically no hope of making it big. In other words, it was Christian rock that was actually _revolutionary_ (and that definitely didn’t felch goat balls 😛 ). If you’re still interested in hearing new suggestions, I’d be happy to post several, with soundclips when possible… ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/52 "2007-05-14T15:08:18Z")
Admittedly I don’t listen to a lot of Christian rock (what I’ve heard I mostly haven’t liked), but here are two favorites that I didn’t see mentioned above (or managed to miss): **Alice Cooper**. Yeah. Don’t believe it? Listen to _Brutal Planet_, _Dragontown_, and _The Last Temptation_ and tell me they’re not Christian rock. Alice knows how to make music, and it just happens to have a Christian message. That’s my favorite–the stuff that doesn’t hit you over the head with teh J3sus. **Steve Taylor**. His stuff was from the 80s and early 90s so it’s got that style to it, but if you like your Christian rock with a heavy dose of satire, Steve’s your man. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/53 "2007-05-14T15:41:50Z")
**Take Six** has some great _a capella_ Christian albums, some harder-rocking than others. I have a few songs by **Selah** that I like, in particular “You Raise Me Up” and “The Broken Road.” **Josh Turner** is more country, but has some great Christian-themed songs, including “Long Black Train.” ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/54 "2007-05-14T15:53:14Z")
Hard rocking a capella? I don’t believe you. -FrL- ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/55 "2007-05-14T16:02:07Z")
You must have faith. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/56 "2007-05-14T16:28:09Z")
[QUOTE=winterhawk11] **Steve Taylor**. His stuff was from the 80s and early 90s so it’s got that style to it, but if you like your Christian rock with a heavy dose of satire, Steve’s your man. [/QUOTE] Apparently, there are some Steve Taylor tracks available for free download [here](http://www.onfritz.com/TaylorDownloads.html) and [here](http://www.sockheaven.net/). If you like Steve Taylor, he has contributed lyrics and production to at least a couple albums each by the **Newsboys** (pop/rock) and **Guardian** (harder rock). (Steve also produced Sixpence None the Richer’s self-titled album, with its ubiquitous single “Kiss Me,” for what it’s worth, but he didn’t really do much to influence its sound.) ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/57 "2007-05-14T19:27:38Z")
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink] I don’t know if anything good is being released nowadays. If you’re willing to dig around a little, the most brilliant Christian rock band ever is [Daniel Amos](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Amos), although a lot of their stuff is hard to track down nowadays, and they’ve covered so much ground stylistically that listening to one song or one album of theirs is like the proverbial blind man feeling one part of the elephant. [/QUOTE] I’ll second Daniel Amos. They went from being a country and western band (Daniel Amos, Shotgun Angel) to rock and roll (Horrendous Disc) to new wave (Alarma) to God knows what they’re doing now. And I do suspect that that is where the poster here named **Kalhoun** got her name. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/58 "2007-05-14T19:30:21Z")
[QUOTE=PlasticCloud] I’ve been wondering what to do for a first post, and thought this might be as good a time as any to register and share some musical knowledge. However, I wasn’t sure if you’d already gotten enough recommendations for the time being… If you feel like you want to explore a slightly (or really, **substantially** ,) different side of Christian rock, there are bands and artists that, in their time, were as heavy as Sabbath, as folky-delicate as Joni Mitchell, or as brimstone-laden as a Jonathan Edwards sermon. These were some seriously _real_ underground bands; more subversive than anything that was on the radio, and dedicated to their music and message, even with basically no hope of making it big. In other words, it was Christian rock that was actually _revolutionary_ (and that definitely didn’t felch goat balls 😛 ). If you’re still interested in hearing new suggestions, I’d be happy to post several, with soundclips when possible… [/QUOTE] Well now, don’t be shy. Welcome! 🙂 And procede. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/59 "2007-05-14T20:03:02Z")
Antestor. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2007, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824/60 "2007-05-14T22:44:59Z")
Try [Cliff Richard](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Richard) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/christian-rock-that-doesnt-suck-donkey-balls/403824.md?page=4)