A Higher Calling For Today

What is the first word that comes to mind when you think about metal music? Is it “screaming”, “yelling”, “moshing”, “Satan”, “death”, or simply, “ouch”? All these things seem to indicate a negative conception of metal in the public today. All of these words in themselves describe the phenomena of metal music in some ways, but not in the ways that most people think. Christian metal artists today have put a great deal of effort into keeping the integrity of the metal genre by incorporating vigorous vocals, dense bass and drum sound, and distorted guitar riffs. The difference is that Christian artists are twisting these words to form a gospel message that is undeniable.  In a 2007 article in the New York Times, John Pareles says, “An arm pumped upward at a heavy metal show with a raised pinky and forefinger was the Devil’s horns, signifying real or mocking Satanism. No more. Some Christians love metal too” (CHRISTIAN METAL: A Different Endgame). For Today is one of those bands that openly admits to loving metal and loving Jesus. They have made a name for themselves by upholding the integrity of the unique genre they find themselves in while integrating their incredible faith and belief in the Lord Jesus Christ and His purpose for this earth.

The two words most associated with metal music are screaming and yelling. For Today provides nothing short of these two words in their music, particularly in their album Portraits. Not only do they have killer guttural vocalists, but they are also mixed in with intense breakdowns and intricate, haunting guitar solos. For Today satisfies every expectation commonly accompanying any metal album, whether the band is Christian or not. The clear difference between this band and others is that their lyrics depict something completely different. In an online review on Indievision, Stephen M., music critic says, “Personally, this is the most lyrically powerful and moving CD. Every song is named according to someone from the Bible or an event from the Bible. The lyrics just make me melt and convict me in a way nothing else can.” (Indievision) This album has the cohesiveness and power to transform people’s thought process and views of religion. The fact that every song is named for a man of God in the Bible shows that For Today planned and discussed every detail of the album down to each song’s title in order to have the greatest impact on the listener and to create an experience that transcends musicality. Not only that, but the lyrics in each of the songs also transcend the traditional thought process of most metal music lyricists.

            Satanism and the devil have been two things that float over metal music. In Iron Maiden’s song “The Number of the Beast” the lyrics begin by saying “Woe to you, oh earth and sea/For the Devil sends the beast with wrath/Because he knows the time is short/Let him who hath understanding/Reckon the number of the beast/For it is a human number/Its number is six hundred and sixty six” (Iron Maiden). The talk of Satan and his wrath on the earth and the demand for respect for the Devil based on the despair he brings is just one example of the kinds of themes secular metal music deals with. Pareles provides an accurate depiction of the contrast between Christian metal and secular metal when he says, “Churning thrash-metal has always had death, sin, devastation and apocalypse on its mind; Christian metal does too, though it envisions a different final outcome” (Pareles). For Today paints a picture of this different outcome by twisting these themes to integrate their faith in a very successful way. They do talk about destruction and judgment coming to the earth, but they talk about it in a very biblical revelation way. Instead of the world ending in destruction, they talk about the hope of God restoring the earth and giving salvation if the people would only believe. They challenge America and individual lives to fall to the knees of Jesus and receive life. They speak of the urgency of their message and how it will change people’s lives and their eternities.

One of the songs that is a particular example of this message is “Joel (The Watchman)” on the For Today’s album Portraits. Portraits is For Today’s second album produced and has quickly become their best selling collection of songs. “Portraits is brutal, honest, full of catchy riffs, compiled with tons of brain-bashing breakdowns, and most importantly it is scriptural.” (M. Stephen) “Joel (The Watchman)” is a perfect example of a scriptural message. The song is about the coming revelation and the end of the earth. The lyrics say that “the almighty approaches” and urges people to “wake up” and “bear the mark of righteousness” (Lines 2, 4, & 8). In the bridge section it talks about America’s coming judgment from God but that if they “fall to their knees” there will be “life at the throne of God” (Lines 13-14). It promises restoration through Jesus. In the second verse section, the lyrics describe the battle of God that will be waged at the end and that on that day they will “know that there is one God and the Lord is his name”(Lines 26-27). These lyrics have powerful meaning in the Christian community. The comment about America’s sin also brings in our nations morality or lack there of, and its fall from God.

            Not only are the lyrics prophesying the coming of the Lord but the musical setting of this song also fits and aids the apocryphal message. Some of the lines in this song are in congruence with the melody but most of them are placed in juxtaposition. The music behind these lyrics is harsh and distorted, implying chaos. Bass, heavy drums, and distorted electric guitars generally characterize metal music and “Joel (The Watchman)” conforms to this. The song is played in the key of drop C. There is almost no melody in the vocals of the piece and it seems to be that there are 2 vocalists. One that does lower growls and a higher more screaming voice. The chords behind the growling are choppy and full of bass drum and the cymbals above it keep a steady beat. In the bridge section, the electric guitar has a haunting melody that goes above the harsh words about America’s judgment suggesting that America’s fate is lingering above them, waiting to pounce.

            The rhythm in this piece changes. The verses have a fast paced and energetic melody and then in the bridge section of the song, the drop beat leads way into a slower more defined beat. The development of this is interesting. There is no clearly defined structure in the traditional sense. The song is not broken up into verses or choruses and there are few repeated parts. It starts out with a type of pre-verse. Then goes into the fast paced, high-energy verse. As the drop beat comes in, a bridge is introduced which will be repeated later for emphasis.

            The musicality and the lyrics of this song, when analyzed and put together, are a great example of the hope we have, and the gospel of God being placed in a harsh environment but its truth being upheld. This could be representative of the earth. A harsh and distorted place but in the end, God’s truth will be upheld and will transcend like the vocals do above the music. I believe that this is one of the main messages that For Today wants to be received by their listeners. Any person, religious or not can not argue that the world is a sinful place. Not all would use that adjective but there are definitely undeniable aspects of the world that are “messed-up”. For Today is out to prove that God has defeated sin and will give it justice, but will also provide hope and restoration through His son Jesus to this harsh and unforgiving world. Mattie Montgomery, the lead vocalist for the band, describes the band as a response to a call.  “Before we are a band on a mission we can be separated as 5 guys on a mission, and us being a band is just a byproduct of what we have been called to do in the world” (Montgomery). These five guys really believe in what they are doing and how they are presenting the gospel. They believe that they have been called by God to do something they have always loved in order to bring glory to Him. All of the elements of this song, the music specifically, and the message that For Today brings, spark an interest to both the secular and the Christian metal communities. Thus this band becomes marketable on a wide scope, doing something they love, while preaching something they believe is much more important.

One very openly specific way that For Today makes their message clear is also on the album Portraits (2009). After nine killer metal tracks, “Talmidim (The Servants)” is the final statement that For Today leaves with the listener. This song is completely contrast to any other song but especially to “Joel (The Watchman). This song begins with a clean and defined melody by the electric guitar with voices behind it singing “Ah” to support the melody. Then a vocalist comes in and instead of growling or screaming he begins to sing “Lord of Glory make us worthy to possess your name” (Line 1). Then, as the drums and guitar build up, the vocalist sings “give us a new name, call us your people, God” (Lines 3-4) while another voice reads scripture from Ezekiel 36: 26-28 saying,  

"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave to your forefathers; you will be my people and I will be your God." After talking of God’s judgment on the world, For Today goes into more detail about the peace and restoration that we will find at the end. Just as the album is ending, so is the gospel message, leaving us with a call to follow Christ and to do his will with the new life He has given us (Lines 6-11).

The song turns back to a more urgent descant of the first verse melody with harmony voices in the background. As the song flows into the chorus again, a desperate and passionate voice delivers what seems like a gospel sermon. Declaring that there is “nothing, no fear, no insecurity, no doubt, no hesitation that will ever, ever stop” (Lines 12-13) the sons of the living God. The speaker declares the confidence that we have in Christ Jesus and the power we have by speaking His name. He declares himself part of the army of God and as he says this, an army of voices sing behind him “Lord of glory, make us worthy to possess your name”. He declares that as part of the army of God, we have the power of God behind us. “When we speak life, life happens, when we speak healing, healing happens” and, “when we go and take what we have found to a dead world, we’ll see it come to life again”(Lines 18-19, 21-22). This is encouragement to the listener that faith is not stagnant. It’s living and moving and breathing and can provide healing for their lives. He talks about the love of Christ as something that is alive. Anyone who listens to this album all the way through will hear this song and the entire album becomes cohesive. In the midst of all the apocalypse and judgment and restoration, this song and the words it proclaims are the overarching themes of Portraits. The speaker says, “Our God is a God that loves unlike anything anyone has ever felt before” (Line 33). These are the truths of God that this band believes in. They believe themselves to be messengers of God and are taking full responsibility for being His hands and His feet “forever and ever” (Line 36) in a genre of music that does not often seek to save the lost.

Listening to metal music is one thing, but experiencing it in concert is another. The themes and the style of singing are not the only controversial aspects of metal music. The violence at metal concerts has been one of the most pressing issues that plague the genre. “Moshing” is a type of hardcore dancing that involves pushing and jumping and shoving that can lead to fights or people being trampled. Pareles says, “Thrash is functional music, intended to incite the physical catharsis of slam-dancing” (CHRISTIAN METAL: A Different Endgame). Because of the nature of the music, and that catharsis that is provided, For Today can’t get away from this type of concert activity, but, they have made it clear how they view their concerts. Montgomery says, “We won’t even go on to the stage until the God fills us up with Himself, because I think that I can speak for everyone in the band that we won’t have anything to offer any of these kids if not Jesus and so if he doesn’t fill us up with his spirit and send us onto the stage then it would be useless and everything we do would be empty” (Montgomery). In another interview, the drummer David Morrison makes it clear that they view what they do and the concerts they perform at as a form of worship. In their travels, David says that they have seen many forms and styles of praise and this in turn has given him a more pure view of what worship can be (Morrison).

            Just because a band has drop beats and double bass does not mean that is going to be successful in the heavy metal genre. Just because a band has incredible lyrics that speak the truth of God does not mean that it will be successful in the Christian community. When attempting to put the two together, success becomes even more difficult. There is a discourse between these two genres that has people fighting over its effectiveness.  The 1984 Christian metal band Stryper knows a lot about fighting this discourse. In a 1990 article in Christianity Today, J. Long describes the band’s tug-of-war between the Christian community and the secular radio and TV stations. In an attempt to reach a larger audience, the band cut out overtly Christian messages in their songs opting for a more subtle approach with indirect references to Christian ideas and moral statements. This was not taken well by Christian distributors, who concluded that they would no longer be selling Stryper’s albums because their overt message was gone. It seems that this band could not win though. Continuing to proclaim openly the name of Jesus meant being shut down by secular music stations and MTV. In the mind of the band, being unavailable to the secular public defeated their purpose, and eventually this discord and fight between the two genres caused the band to fizzle out in the metal community (Long).

            Is it possible to bridge the gap between these two disjointed genres? As I’ve pointed out, I believe that For Today has done this successfully, but there are other Christian bands that are succeeding in the metal community as well.  Underoath and The Devil Wears Prada are two bands that I have experienced in concert that have taken on Stryper’s mission of softening their lyrics to meet the secular audience and have been very successful in both communities. Their music is universal but their message as a band is clear. Christian writers are having an impact on the secular metal community as well.  In Jim Bessman’s article “Bridging Christian Music, Heavy Metal”, he discusses a Christian singer/songwriter Bob Halligan Jr., and his experience writing for the secular heavy metal group Judas Priest. Halligan, along with many others, characterize the “heavy metal ethos” (Paragraph 5) as demons death and destruction. When asked to write for this band he said, “That's not part of my life, so I wrote a song from God's perspective, saying to the listener, 'You can try to twist away from me, but you're stuck with me.' And Rob and anyone else who sings it can have their own interpretation” (Paragraph 5).  As he got into writing the piece he further explains his motives by saying, “any song can be construed as a transaction between any two or more entities: mother and daughter, husband and wife, father and son, God and created being. They're written to be inclusive and inviting for both the most devout and the most atheistic”(Bessman). Bob Halligan Jr. was successful in writing a hit single for Judas Priest’s album, therefore getting his message to the masses through an unlikely medium. I believe this proves that Christian metal goes beyond those like For Today who are openly declaring Jesus as king. Bands like For Today are needed in the metal genre, but we also see the value of writers and musicians that are on a mission to proclaim their message with a bit more subtlety.

For Today and many other Christian metal artists view what they do as a call from God to bring people to God by another medium. When interviewed, in response to a question about role models for youth today, Montgomery says, “You know love, money and social status and comfort and whatever you’re looking for its completely useless, but if we are talking about role models or people influencing our kids I definitely thing that the people who are seeking Jesus are the people that need to be holding the influence in the society.” (Montgomery) This man has a great point. Their style of reaching people is different than most, but they have the message of Jesus behind them and are living lives as testaments to His greatness, making them ideal role models in this day and age.

The questions and arguments surrounding metal music remind me of the conflict that has been in the Christian church for years about hymnal worship versus contemporary worship. The way I see it, these two genres or styles are worship are both ways that people give praise to God and therefore, one is not right and the other wrong. Christian metal-core music is no different. I believe fully that it is and can be a form of worship to God for the things He has done and the things He is going to do and For Today is a great example of this. This band is making a difference in its genre in a way that is extremely powerful and ground breaking. It has taken the successes and failures of other Christian metal artists and found a way to make what they do work in the large scale of things. If this continues and other bands follow suit, maybe one day there will be an alternative church that adopts this style of worship and integrates thrash metal into their services?

Works Cited

Bessman, Jim. "Bridging Christian Music, Heavy Metal." Billboard 113.10 (2001): 51. Academic Search Premier. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.

For Today. “Joel (The Watchman).” Portraits. Facedown Records, 2009. Compact disk.

For Today. “Talmidim (The Servants).” Portraits. Facedown Records, 2009. Compact disk.

Iron Maiden, “The Number of the Beast.” The Number of the Beast. Sanctuary/Metal-Is Records, 1982. Compact disk.

Long, J. "Stryper Too Heavy For Christian Distributor." Christianity Today 34.13 (1990): 49. Academic Search Premier. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

Montgomery, Mattie. Interview. Interview by April Savoie. Rockstarweekly.com. Rockstar Weekly. Web. 14 Feb 2012.

Morrison, David, “For Today Interview.” Hmmagazine.com. The Hard Music Magazine. Web.  25 Feb. 2012.

M, Stephen. “For Today-Portraits”. Rev. of Portraits by For Today. Indievisionmusic.com. Indie Vision Music. Web. 25 Feb. 2012.

Pareles, John. “MUSIC REVIEW; Christian Metal: A Different Endgame.” Nytimes.com. New York Times, 14 Nov. 2007. Web. 14 Feb. 2012.