Christian Metal is a particularly controversial offshoot of Christian Rock which began in the late 1970s and early 1980s, and has gradually gained popularity since. Basically, any Heavy Metal band with Christian-based lyrics or Christian members can be categorized as this. American bands such as Resurrection Band and Petra are usually credited with pioneering the genre, while Stryper were arguably the first Christian Metal band to garner mainstream attention. Other bands, such as Tourniquet and Australia's Mortification, incorporated a heavier style and have become staples in the underground Metal scene. At the Turn of the Millennium, Rap Metal band P.O.D. achieved ranks in the Billboard 200 and frequently appeared on MTV alongside their secular peers. Since P.O.D.'s success, Christian bands such as Underoath, Norma Jean and The Devil Wears Prada have gained enormous popularity in the burgeoning Metalcore scene.
Christian Metal has received criticism from both Christian and secular audiences, being perceived as an oxymoron due to traditional Metal's anti-establishment, anti-religious and hedonistic sentiments. However, this has not prevented the genre from enjoying varying degrees of underground and mainstream success since its formation in the late 1970s.
Several Metal bands such as Attack Attack!, Avenged Sevenfold, He Is Legend, Killswitch Engage, Pentagram, Trouble, Candlemass and even Black Sabbath have included Biblical themes in their lyrics, but are generally not considered Christian bands. Likewise, a few bands such as Savatage and Helloween have openly Christian bandmembers and have written several Christian-themed songs but are generally not considered Christian bands.
Christian Metal bands include:
- 38th Parallel (Nu Metal)
- Antestor (Unblack Metal)
- As I Lay Dying (Metalcore and Thrash Metal)
- August Burns Red (Metalcore and Progressive Metal)
- Barren Cross (Traditional Heavy Metal)
- Believer (Technical Thrash Metal)
- blessthefall (Metalcore and Post-Hardcore)
- Bloodgood (Traditional Heavy Metal and Hard Rock)
- Bride (Traditional Heavy Metal and Hard Rock)
- The Chariot (Mathcore)
- Crimson Moonlight
- Crimson Thorn
- Demon Hunter (Metalcore, Groove Metal, and Alternative Metal)
- The Devil Wears Prada (Metalcore)
- Deliverance
- Detritus
- Disciple (Originally Groove Metal; later transitioned to Nu Metal)
- Eterna
- Eternal Decision
- Extol (Technical Death Metal)
- Fit For A King (Metalcore)
- Frost Like Ashes (Black Metal, with Death Metal elements)
- Golden Resurrection (Speed metal and power metal)
- Guardian
- Haste The Day (Metalcore)
- Holy Soldier
- Horde (The Ur-Example and Trope Maker for Unblack Metal)
- Impellitteri
- Impending Doom (Ur-Example for Christian Deathcore)
- Lament (Melodic Death Metal)
- Leviticus
- LivingSacrifice (Thrash Metal, Death Metal, Metalcore, Groove Metal)
- Love and Death (Nu Metal)
- Maxwell Kozen (Death Metal, Black Metal, Metal Core)
- Messiah Prophet
- Mortal
- Mortification (Death Metal and Thrash Metal; also briefly experimented with elements of Power Metal, Groove Metal, Hardcore Punk, and Traditional Heavy Metal in the mid-90s through early 2000s)
- Narnia (Power Metal)
- Norma Jean (Metalcore, Mathcore, Sludge Metal)
- Oh, Sleeper (Technical Metalcore)
- Paramaecium (Death/Doom)
- Petra, from around 1987 to 1991 (Hair Metal, mostly)
- Phinehas (Metalcore)
- P.O.D. (Nu Metal, Rap Metal, and Alternative Metal)
- RedBand (Alternative Metal, Symphonic Metal, and occasionally Nu Metal)
- Rob Rock
- Resurrection Band (Arguably the Ur-Example, although they were primarily Hard Rock)
- Sacred Warrior
- Saint
- Saviour Machine
- Seventh Angel
- Seventh Avenue
- The Showdown (Melodic Death Metal, Death Metal, and Metalcore for their early material and Groove Metal, Thrash Metal, and Southern Metal for their later material)
- Skillet
- Soul Embraced (Death Metal and Alternative Metal)
- Still Remains
- Stryper (Traditional Heavy Metal and Hair Metal)
- Theocracy
- Thousand Foot Krutch (Nu Metal, Hard Rock, and Alternative Metal)
- Tourniquet (Thrash Metal and Progressive Metal)
- Ultimatum
- Underoathnote (Metalcore and Post-Hardcore; Early material was a mix of Death Metal, Black Metal, and Metalcore)
- Vaakevandring
- Veni Domine
- Vengeance Rising (Reformed as Once Dead after former lead singer Roger Martinez denounced his faith)
- Virgin Black (One of the more controversial Christian Metal bands due to the dark lyrical content of their songs)
- War Of Ages (Metalcore)
- Whitecross (Traditional Heavy Metal)
- Wolves At The Gate (Metalcore and Post-Hardcore)
- Wytch Hazel (Traditional Heavy Metal and Hard Rock)
- X-Sinner
- Zao (Metalcore)
