TESTIMONIES
Hi folks! Here I have testimonies from metalheads that have come
to know Christ or been ministered to by the ministry God is doing thru Christian Metal. If you have a testimony you
wanna share you can mail it to
johannes@metalforjesus.org
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I allways went to church with my parents but God never took a real part in my life, the gospel never "lived"
in my life.
When I was about 23 years old I started to listen to hardrock music, heavy metal music. The songs worshipped the devil.
I started to buy albums from Guns n' Roses and then harder music such as Slayer. They sung about ...
it's hard for me so repeat those words because I sung them too when I heard the records, I'll write it
anyway because other people should read this too so they know how these words hurt Jesus.
The sungtitle was: the holy cross, symbol of lies. And I was repeating them!!
I didn't know that I was hurting Jesus with those words. In that same period I took also
interest in New Age stuff, you know "spiritual" things and occult things. I was also looking for a Oui Ja bord (to call
spirits) but lucky I couldn't find anyone.
When I look back at that period I was really "mad and crazy", nothing interested me, I stood above everyone. In 1992 my younger brother (he was also a heavy metal fan) saw a movie Jesus of Nazareth and suddenly he saw the scene where Jesus was nailed on the cross. And suddenly I began to cry, really hard!!! Jesus touched his heart and from that moment on my knew that he and me was hurting Jesus for so long. My brother told me about his experience with Jesus and slowly on our lives began to change. When I go to church I felt different, I understood the bible more and more and I felt Jesus in my life. I went to meetings with other christians and I felt really free!!! I never knew that there are christians heavy metal bands until a few days ago. I bought a few albums from Mortification. Realy cool!!! (because I still loved the heavy metal music for its beats) and especially now it's double cool because they worship Jesus in stead of the devil. I am glad that these guys sing in heavy metal bands because in that way they can reach the people who like heavy metal music but stil worship the devil. They "speak" their language. If you only tell the gospel those people won't listen but if you speak in their language, heavy metal music, they will listen and if they accept Jesus in their hearts they will double enjoy the heavy metal music: and the music and the joy having Jesus in their hearts. For all your heavy metal fans out there: Jesus is cool!!! and it's cool to be a christian headbanger!!! Worship Jesus, he died for you on the cross too pay for your sins and he will never let you down. The devil is a liar, he gives you a empty feeling inside and if there a troubles in your life he will let you down but not Jesus : he will stand up for you and will help you!!! So trust in Jesus my brothers. --Ben Schreuder
My name is Jesse, and I am 23 years old. I would just like to share with you all how I became a Christian. When I was about 14 I started to listen to bands such as, Deicide, Cradle Of Filth, Marduk, Blood Thorn 6 Feet Under, Darkthrone, Deicide, Cradle Of Filth, Blood Thorn, Mystic Circle, Slayer and Dying Fetus. My friends introduced me to those bands. I liked this music and I knew that they are hardcore antichristian. I didn't care though. I was very interested in magic, and satanism. I would chill with the metal heads, and the scater punks at school. I really didn't fit in with any other group in school. Even though I had friends who kind of accepted me, I still felt alone. I was serching in the wrong things to fill that big void that God had placed in my heart, and in my life. I also liked the Goth life style and dressing in pure black. Anyway, I know that most goths feel like an outcast of society, and that no one understands what they are going through. (But Christ loves those people, and he knows their pain.) I can relate to them because I am I guess what you could call a Christian goth/metal person. People told me about Christ, but I didn't care. I hated anything that had to do with the bible, church, and God. There was a reason, I wanted to find friends, and the people I knew at the time were Christians. They weren't very nice to me. That is why I was kind of interested in wicca and in satanism. I wanted to feel a part of something. I wanted people to accept me for who I am. I felt like I didn't recieve that from Christians at that time in my life. People told me to change the music I liked when they were trying to witness to me. People told me to listen to Rebbecca Saint James, and DC Talk. They told me in a very stuck up way. I told them why I liked those bands because at that time the music expressed how I felt inside. I liked the dark lyrics the music had. I didn't care about what Christ had done for me on the cross. I was very Antichristian at this stage of my life. I wanted to be accepted by people, but people would reject me because I am blind. When people laughed at me because of this, I felt angry at God. I was born blind by the way. I was angry at God because I couldn't see like other people, and this music expressed my anger towards God. I was very happy that the bands I liked were Antichristian. Besides liking black metal and death metal, I was involved in cutting myself. I has my own reasons to do this at that time so I thought. I would cut myself to get my mind off my problems, and for some strange reason I liked the pain. That was my way of dealing with emotional pain such as losing a best friend, or if I had a fight with a girl I was going out with I would think it was my fault that she didn't care for me like she use to. Those were some examples of why I would cut myself. People would tell me that Jesus loves me and that he cared for me. I didn't care. I hated God because all of these things would happen in life, such as my ex-girlfriend tried to commit suicide, and she has taken lots of pills. She was talking to me on the phone when she was taking those pills. I thought, where are you God, and do something to stop her. I felt that he didn't care about what happened to me or any of the people I was close to at that time of my life. Well one day, I was searching for something to listen to on the radio. I found a christian radio station, and I wanted to change the radio fast. At that time, I left my radio on that station but I never knew why. I heard a song named Blood Sacrifice from a band named Mortification. I liked the style of music that this band played and I understood the message of salvation. The song talks about that Jesus loved me so much that he died on the cross for me. I had heard this message before, but not in this way! I felt happy, and after all of the pain and searching God told me he loves me in a very different way. For you see, God used this music to reach me when no one else could. After I made my decision to follow Jesus I throw away all of my Deicide CD'S and all of my Cradle Of Filth CD'S. Now I am helping other christian metal heads through this music, and also by living out my Christian life daily. Jesus has also set me free from cutting myself, and I no longer do that. All of you who are serching for a reason to live. There is only one answer and that is Jesus Christ. He has a plan for you, and wants to use you in a mighty way. Just recieve him into your heart and make him king and lord of your life. It's as simple as that! As you read this message remember this, Jesus Christ isn't a religion, Jesus Christ is a relationship!
Your Metal brother in Christ
My name is Rebecka Pedersen and I'm a missonary kid, that has growned up in Japan. As you probably know it isn't always the easiest to be a child of missionaries. I lived over 300 km from my mum and dad so we seldom met, and it was a very tough situation. Finally I became bitter on God cause I thought that my parents had chosen God instead of me and then I turned from God and followed Satan instead. At that time I was only 12 years old. I went into the forest and build my own altar and made a blood covenant with the Devil and told him that I was his. People around me noticed the difference in my appearance and I became lonely and outcast, because no one understood my dark mind. Then when I was 15 and was about to start the nine grade my whole family moved back to Sweden again. We tried to do a restart as family and live together again, but since we hadn't done that in such a long time it was very tough with lots of confrontations and hard feelings in the family. Partly because my parent realized that I wasn't following God but had a different master. They didn't fully realized how bad it was though and neither how they should handle it. I had lots of trouble in school, it didn't work out for me so I started at a folkhögskola instead. There I met a girl that was a Christian. I was very much against God, Christians and everything like that, but still she asked if she and some other people could pray for me. "Well, alright then" I said and they prayed for me and it felt better, but I wasn't totally free from the hate inside of me. I still had it inside. Because of the hate I went back to my old ways and followed the Devil again. At this time when I was 16 some friends brought me to to my first Christian Metal concert. The band that played was Borderline, Christian and Simeon Liljegrens old band. The message in the music touched me, they were so serious in some way, not wimpy you know, but it was... so sincere! So I talked with them afterwards. Then I started to go to their concerts and continued to think about their faith. Meanwhile, my life was very up and down, I was very confused and didn't know what I should choose. If I wanted Jesus or if I still wanted to serve the Devil. So I tried to follow both and became totally divided inside. Soon after Borderline called it quits and Christian and Simme started up Modest Attraction with the additional members Micke Nordström and Stefan Mohlin. I continued to stay in touch with them. They helped med a lot and they understood that I was feeling real bad, and was on my way down. I was so confused and and everything was a big mess. Finally they told me that "we can't help you if you don't want to be helped yourself, we can't choose FOR you, you must make a choice yourself". And then I started to realize that it was I who had to make the choice to either serve God or Satan. Nobody else could make that decision for me. I started to understand how serious my situation was, everything I was doing. I understood that I couldn't continue to go from Devil worship to New Age to Christendom to Shamanism and everything else I was doing. And I realized that I neeeded help, in some way. I was so confused and was very down psychically. I searched for help and I got the help I needed, and the situation in my family changed and the relations was healed. But I was so tired of all the spiritual things so I decided to be neutral. No religion at all, no faith. It worked in a year or so, but then it didn't worked at all, cause there was a void in my heart that desperately needed to be filled. Then I started to drink instead. I drinked a whole lot, partyed around, went to a lot of partys and thought I was cool. But as soon as someone asked how I was feeling I became very troubled. But at the same time I had a longing in my heart. I listened a lot to a tune with Modest, think it was called Time. The lyrics talks about that Jesus is our "captain", that he handles the boat and is with us until the end of time. I was very touched by the tune, but all the time I thought that I wasn't worthy Jesus. So I continued to live my life without Him. Around that time a friend of mine called me and invited me to celebrate midsummer at his house. That was the Summer 96 and I was 20 years old. I knewed that he and his friends were all Christians, so I said that I couldn't afford to come. I was scared to be confronted with them if they got to know how I lived. But they didn't gave up but continued to invite me and said that one of their friends was going to drive by and could pick me up on the way. So I couldn't escape. I was pretty blown up when I came there and checked if they were going to be chocked when I said that I was partying but they didn't react at all. Then I became unsure. In the evening we were four people that started to talk about God and Jesus and such. Then I couldn't take it anymore so I told them the truth and said how bad I was feeling. We all prayed, it was a calm and peaceful time of prayer, we had the Last Supper and suddenly I started to feel how the love of God started to rain over me. All my hate just melted away and we all prayed happily and intensively. It was like being totally released and free! The tears were falling from my eyes. It's hard to describe... it was so wonderful! We prayed until the dawn, then we went up on a little hill and saw the sunrise. And I thought that this was the first day of my new life with Jesus! It was so wonderful, we were all so happy so we just jumped down in the wet morninggrass! It was so wonderful that Jesus finally had succeeded to break down the walls inside of me! Sure, life still goes up and down, but now I have Jesus to hold on to in all circumstances and He will never let me down! He is real and not an illusion!! Now I want to reach out to others in my situation like Devil worshippers, spiritists etc and tell them about Jesus, who is the only way out. No matter your situation He can help you, just call on His name and turn to Him. --Rebecka Pedersen
Hello! I recently gave my life to Christ, and I wanted to share my story with you all. I want to share because you are part of why I am now a Christian! I used to listen to a lot of death metal bands. I used to go to their concerts, and do a lot of things that hurt my life and hurt other people. Drugs seemed "cool" when I listened to Pantera and The Dead Youth. But slowly I started listening to even more satanic music. Some of them weren't really worshipping satan, but I thought they were. It seemed cool to dress in black and cause trouble at school. But I realized that I was hurting inside, and that I wasn't finding what I was looking for in all the drugs, drinking, and sex.
But one day while I was looking around on the Internet for new bands, I came across this site. I didn't know what it was at first, I just listened to some of the songs. I liked them a lot, and so I borrowed a CD from a kid I knew in my class that listened to them. I used to make fun of him, so he was very surprised when I asked to borrow the CD! But I thank Jesus that he did, because those words started to change my life! The CD was Stryper's "Can't Stop The Rock". At first I didn't know what to think, but the more I listened to the lyrics, and really thought about what they were saying, the more I started to open up to the Word of God. I think these lyrics really talk about your site, and what you're trying to do through the Internet: I've only invited Jesus to be my Lord and Savior recently, and I've been reading through the Bible every night. It's been hard for me to stay away from all my old habits and the drugs, so I ask that you pray for me, that God will give me strength to overcome them! Also, could you point out some scripture I could read to help me? Thank you all, God bless you and your work on this site! It's shown me the love of God!
Your Sister in Christ,
I am a professed metalhead. I love the energy and the frenzy of it. I was never a worshiper of the evil one and have always hated him. I had however, lost my way. So many Christians do! I always liked bands like Megadeth, Metallica, and the other big heavies in metal and thrash. I had begun to listen to Mercyful Fate, Danzig, and Rob Zombie. More importantly, I had stopped praying and listening to God. Believe me, you might as well be worshiping the evil one. I never took it seriously, they were only into singing about the devil for money, right? This evil music eats away at your soul. I have a friend at work who had transferred from out of state. He is the son of a preacher and had played in a local Christian band. He heard who I was listening to and asked why I wanted to cloud my mind with that trash. I praise God for bringing this one man to me. He turned me on to bands like Deliverance, Bloodgood and others like that. God opened my eyes to these bands and my heart. I found this site by accident, but it wasn't an accident. Ask your saved and unsaved friends to try Christian Metal. Be that man or woman God sends to help them. Faith and repentance will follow, Jesus promises it. I can only hope to be that man who lifts people out of the oppression of evil by telling them about Christian Heavy Metal. We have to start somewhere. Our mission as Disciples of Christ is to tell EVERYONE the good news of Jesus. Praise To Our Heavenly Father. Sean Mcpherson
I went to your site www.metalforjesus.org and I was looking at it and I accepted Christ in my life. I thank Him very much for you and I pray He uses you and your site mightly. Can you send me a Bible and Christianity information?
Thanks a lot
Christian Metal my road to Jesus. I was 18 years old, I had met Jesus for perhaps a half year ago. But still I just listened to my very ungodly music and didn't care a lot about Jesus or the christian life in general, because I was so hooked on the music that I continuely listened to. But one day it all changed. Noise Records had asked me to find Stratovarius reviews in Swedish, so I was searching for a site when I, by unknown reasons, find a site which claim to be a "Christian Metal site". I was very confused, I had never heard of that before. So I mailed the guy and asked him about it: How can you be christian and listen to metal, I asked him. Of course I can, he answered, I know many guys that do so. And then he gave me an email adress that was to a christian metal mailing list called Whitemetal. And after that it didn't take a long time before I bought my first christian metal CD, Immortal Souls/Mordecai. And after that I could leave my old metal-style and I really learned to know Jesus a Much better then. Now I will begin to work as an youth evangelist, but I believe it hadn't been possible without the christian metal!! Thank you Lord for Christian Metal!!! /Anders, holder of the christian metal-zine, Victory. www.geocities.com/finnmetal
Hello all head-bangers! Here is my testimony. I was raised up in a christian family. I loved to listen to bands like Kiss, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister or other secular heavy bands. Even though after I became a christian, I continued to lisen to secular heavy bands, because I didn't knew that the was any christian heavy bands. I had heard some old Jerusalem songs, but the music wasn't hard enough for me at that time. I had a friend, who was a christian and he loved to listen to christian heavy music. So one day I visited him, and he played a cd with Deliverance. While I was listing to the music, I felt that God told me through the music, that He loved me and that He accepted my music taste. So after that day, I started to listen to christian heavy music. This happened in 1992, I was 15 years old that time. So to all the head-bangers out there: Keep the faith! Mosh it up, Baby! Rune B. Lian from Norway
Hi there, Greetings from Australia, 11 years ago i was in spiritual bondage. I was raised in a new age home adopting it's beliefs and practices. When I was 20 I got bored with new age flakiness and pursued the beliefs of my musical heroes, eg Slayer, Bathory, Mortal Sin etc. Using new age practices like channeling, tarot, automatic writting etc i added satanic elements. What happened was total caos, unstoppable nightmares, financial disaster, relationship problems, alcohol enslavement etc. In all I lost my girl, lost my friends and lost my mind. 2-3 years into this a christian friend gave me a tape of a band called Whitecross. At that time I had no concepts of christian things other than my view that church is for dorks. But God was powerful none the less.I soon realised that when i played the Whitecross tape the channeling etc would not work and when i had a nightmare (which was allmost every night) I quoted Whitecross lyrics which gave me peace so i could sleep. God soon showed me that I was going to hell. My friend that gave me the tape led me to the kingdom and I gave my life to Christ PRAISE GOD i was saved. That day was june 15 1992. Jesus brought christian metal across my path,eg deliverance vengeance rising and Australias very own MORTIFICATION which in those days were named Lightforce. God used christian metal to bring me to himself, I'm eternally grateful. Jesus has the name above all names that has to be obeyed on earth and in the spiritual realm. I'm glad to be a believer and eternally thankful to Jesus and encourage all believers to walk in the victory of His name! Dave
I'm the son of a preacher, but it wasn't always like that, and I wasn't always saved. I was born in Bellingham, Washington and at the age of 2 my parents decided to move to a small town in Kentucky called Earlington. It was there where my mom sometimes wrote stories for a newspaper in Madisonville and dad worked as a teacher. There were Sundays when mom would go to church with no more then 10 members. My dad was invited to Walk To Emmeaus conference through a church him and I recently started attending. At this conference, God revealed to dad that he promised God that when he became a man, he would become a minister. After praying about it, my family moved to Houston, Ohio and my dad in Dayton, Ohio started seminary. He had his first church during that period and upon finishing seminary he was called to the town of Emlenton, Pennsylvania. There The Lord gave him 3 churches. One in Emlenton, another in a town called Foxburg, and his other church in St. Petersburg. At that time I was in junior high school and a fellow Methodist pastor's wife asked my mom if I would like to go to church camp. After talking it over with my mom, we compromised, and a friend of mine from across the street, despite having bruised ribs, agreed to go with me. We got there and I've never been to so much church in my life. A service in the morning, noon and night, and we couldn't take our walk-mans with us, unless the music was Christian. The heaviest I'd heard up to that point and time was Petra and I enjoyed them a little bit. My friend and I struggled the first night to get to sleep and we were both miserable. After lunch we both agreed that we wanted to go home and never come back to this church camp. My mom came, and took MY FRIEND home and left me there. She said if I could stick it out and make it through camp, that she'd buy me a large Pizza Hut pizza, all for myself. She and my buddy took off and I was miserable. I so much wanted the week to end. That evening, I met a worship team from Asbury College and got to know Wayne and Vince. I told Wayne that I was having all kinds of trouble about how I'd get some sleep because my friend was back home. Wayne put his arm around and said, "Well, Jesus is your best friend. Talk it over with Him." Well, I did just that. It finally came time to go to sleep, and after we said our prayers and the counselor turned the lights out, it wasn't 2 minutes before I was asleep. I still was miserable though. A couple of days later someone slapped my shoulder from behind after afternoon worship, I wheeled around and it was my friend. The rest of that week was a blast and the final evening, my friend and I accepted Jesus Christ. Mom had gotten me a new Petra cassette, Beyond Belief. I went home reading my Bible, but quickly got out of it, for the music I listened to was not of God. I liked music like Metallica, or anything with dirty words like N.W.A., The Ghetto Boys, Ice Cube, all famous rappers who talked about killing and sex, and I thought it was cool. I asked mom to buy me Ozzy Osbourne's 'Live and Loud' CD because I loved Ozzy's music. Mom refused to buy that for me because she new Ozzy was with Black Sabbath, and they were not for Jesus. In my Senior year in high school, however she decided that this man was going to get a job, after graduation. I was a punk with a big mouth towards my parents and for all I knew, just happened to give his life to Jesus Christ. The first two places mom made me apply to were church camps. Man I didn't wanna work at a camp, A CHURCH CAMP? It wasn't me and I dreaded it. My first interview was for a camp about an hour and a half away and upon first glipmse of it, I mosed my way through the interview and didn't get the job though. But West Minster Highlands Camp in Emlenton was different. It was and still is an outdoors type of camp and I figured if I had to work at a church camp, well, this one'll have to do. A few weeks before graduation I found out that I got a job there as the camp DISHWASHER! And then something happened and I never saw it coming. A friend of one of my best friends was out with a cousin in a doonbuggy. They were in an accident and the one was killed. I was for once worried more than ever about my friend. The other kid suffered a broken nose, so he had him but there was the one who lost his life, and I knew my friend would take it harder than anything he'd ever taken. My mom loaded my stuff up and off to camp we went. I snickered to myself, half expecting to run into nerds, scrawny little suckers with black tape around a pair of weird looking glasses. The first person I met was about my size and I said hello, and proceded to take my stuff into a room. Mom left and I went to go back inside the cabin for the staff and saw something that scared me. A man, with a nosetackle build, probably 315 or more came strolling out. I introduced myself, shook his hand and he said, "I'm Kevin." The next person I met is my best friend to this date. He had long hair, a pair of black sunglasses and a walking sticking and he was big too. He stuck out his hand and said, "My name's Skink." All I could think was, cool man. People were busy helping each other, so I decided to help Skink. We strolled to his car and I saw he had a guitar. While helping him with his stuff, I met a man who was a Sergeant in The Marine Corps, and might I add, he too played guitar. The first week was staff week and we got to know each other. Right away I found out that my kind of music was not really accepted among too many Christians. But then again, it was! How? I was introduced to bands like Bride, Whitecross and found that it's cooler then the stuff Ozzy can play. I rededicated my life to Jesus Christ that Summer and almost 8 months after that took a bold step and bought my first Christian metal CD, Whitecross, Unveiled. That wasn't bad. May 5th was my birthday and I'd gotten some cash. I strolled into a Camelot record CD and strolled to the metal section. Looking through the music, I honestly didn't think that a secular store would carry any Christian bands, but I had to find out and then a CD caught my eye. It was Deliverance, Stay of Execution. I happened to be in a shopping mall that just so happened to have a Christian book store. I hid the CD, just in case and ran to the Christian book store and asked if there happened to be a Christian band out called Deliverance. The lady said yes and that Stay of Execution was one of they're CDs. I went back to Camelot Records, found the CD and flew to my car. My car simply had a tape player so I flew home and threw in my new CD. WHAM!!! I loved it and since then I've been in love with Christian Heavy Metal. Tourniquet, Bride, Mortification, Unashamed, Lament.....there's SO much Christian metal out there in the world today, and it sounds better then some sissy Slayer or Cannibal Corpse. You want that Garbage, GO FOR IT, as for me, I love Christian metal and I love Jesus Christ so much for leading me to it, to Christian rap, to Christian alternative. Hey, God works on my mouth still to this day, but that's to be expected. God's gonna work on me everyday, and I praise Him for it. GOD RULZ!!!!! Wolfe Moffat
Hello all , I am Ashish from India I am 28 years old businessman from India. I really believe that GOD ALMIGHTY can really use heavy metal music. I was born in a believer christian family. I attainded all church functions ... I grew up with Boneym , Abba, Jim Reeves, etc. When I was in my teens I started liking metal music, it started from rock and soon I was listning to ac/dc and other bands of the same vein.... I was becoming more rebellious day by day ... Then one day I got a mail from my cousin sister who told me about the back masking and satan worship of these devlish bands... I was real in a fix as i liked rock a lot and was really socked and felt that these bands have let me down.... Then one day I saw a Petra tape in local music store and as it said spritual rock in the music category I was amazed and it caught amy attention as we don't get much christian music here in INDIA ... I heard the first song "He came He saw he conqured" That blew me away, it was awesome and I was instantly in love with the song and lyrics, Then I heard Stryper and that was when I really gave up Black metal and I came into the beautiful light of christian rock.... Songs and lyrics of Stryper have given me strength and peace in worst time of my life... At one time I had nearly commited suicide but lyrics of Stryper and GOD ALMIGHTY worked in my life through them and now I am married and happy by GODS GRACE... THANK YOU JESUS for bands like Petra, Stryper, Whitecross and Messiah Prophet. Ashish
God is awesome!! I started getting into real heavy metal in my first year of High School. Like White Zombie, Marilyn Manson and such. The summer before, I went through this thing. This emptiness. Immediatly I knew it was God wasn't in my life. I didn't know how to get him in me. I started reading my bible more, but I still didn't know how it worked. Then one day I started talking to this kid. He didn't curse, so I asked him why not. AFter a while we started talking about stuff. It then got to music. I got this book by Ron Luce called 56 days ablaze. I got to this chapter saying all secular music was evil. He told me how it wasn't exactly that way, so I listened and I agreed with what he said. He also told me about Christian Metal. At once, I was extatic. He gave me a list of bands, but the store didn't have any of them there. Then through a friend i got a hold of Tourniquet's "Stop the Bleeding". They were the hardest Christian band I had heard so far. I saw the scripture references in the song "Swarming Spirits". I got a great quiet time out of it. After listening to the album non-stop for about a month, I got tired of the Guy's fallceto vocals, and all the effects in the guitars. Now I love those vocals. A while later, when I got internet access I learned that the band went through a lot of cool changes. I got the greatest hits album, and it was the coolest thing. "Hanging" came on and I just started moshing in my room. Then "Broken Chromosomes" was basically the story of my life. "Men fail me but the Son of God saves" was so true(in fact the song just came on right now). No matter what good intentions people have, they are always going to come up short, whether they want to or not. Yet Jesus is always going to come through. I invite you, if you don't know Jesus, recieve Him. He is the best friend you could ever have. Tourniquet's music always lifts me up, and brings me closer to God, they teach me to rely on Him. God Rulz!!! --Nithin Thompson From the Tourniquet Testimonies page. Feel free to visit it at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/1461/testimony.htm |
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I accepted the Lord in 1986. Through many powerful circumstances it became apparent that the Holy Spirit was
calling to me. It was now my turn to take the step of faith and I remember that night as if it were yesterday. I had
the sense that if I didn't reach to Him after all He had done for me, I might never have that chance again. After
kneeling in prayer alone with God, I was never the same again and the people in that Oregon town could tell I had
changed. During Bible college, I took some time away from music. There I began to study the many facets of
serving God. As a follower of Jesus Christ, being a musician is a special responsibility. After much prayer and
council from my elders and brother, i decided to helf reform the group that had brought me to the saving Truth.
Being involved in Tourniquet has caused so many dreams to come true these first years. The testimonies of people who have been touched by God through our songs and ministry is a continuous joy for us. I had no idea going into this that we would be received as well as we have been. To those who would read this and not know for themselves the true joy and satisfaction of really knowing the Lord, please wait not a minute longer to accept him. I never understood before I believed in Him how God can give you such real dreams and the courage to pursue them. The true in you will never completely be made manifest until you come home to the One who put you here. --In Jesus Christ, Gary Lenaire[former guitarist in Tourniquet] From the Tourniquet Testimonies page. Feel free to visit it at http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Club/1461/testimony.htm
This is a way cool web page. I am a devout Christian who wasn't so devout about 6 months ago. I had asked God into my heart years ago yet like many backslid into the lie of the world. When I made the decision to recommit my life to God, I knew that my current selection of Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Black Sabbath etc... had to go. How else was I to keep my faith strong. I needed God and I wanted to thrash. I owe it all to Mortification whose Envision Evangelene album I found in a secular music store. Starting with them and finding so many other true Christian metal bands has helped my walk with the Lord grow stronger everyday. I hope I didn't bore anybody to bad. Just thought I'd share my thoughts. God bless everybody! --Kevin Ivers |
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I'm Julie, 16 years old. For years, I've been into God-bashing music.
You name it, I loved it: Pantera, Slayer, Metallica, Korn, Slipknot, Nine
Inch Nails, Cannibal Corpse, Tool, etc. Even though I've been a Christian
since I was about 11, I could never stand the thought of leaving behind that type
of music. I always managed to convince myself that I could still worship God
and be a Christian without giving up my favorite bands.
However, I soon found it wasn't true. Even so, I continued to deny
it. Bands like the ones I used to listen to tear at your soul and drag you into
depression. With the constant Satan-promoting lyrics, a person's walk with
God can never be what it should be. Still, I didn't want to change.
Then, just this week, I was considering downloading some music because I was bored. Clicking around on the internet, I somehow came across a band called Extol, which was described as a Christian metal band. I thought, "How in the world can there be Christian metal? All of the Christian music I've ever heard, I couldn't stand, because it was all gospel and pop." Curiousity overcame me, and I went to undeceived.net, Extol's official website. I read about them, and thought they sounded pretty cool. I ended up checking out some of their music, and the first song I heard by them was called Undeceived. Immediately, I was addicted to it. It was incredible to me that Christian music could be so heavy. Now, I've heard most of their music, and I am completely hooked on it. Today, my thirst for more Christian metal was growing, so I did an internet search for "christian metal". Metalforjesus.org was one of the first results I got, so I clicked the link. I was amazed by all of the bands listed! I've written many of the names down, and I am definitely planning to buy as many of their CDs as I can find. The change that has occurred in me now is incredible. I no longer have any thirst for my old music. In fact, as of today, all of my old CDs are broken in half. Thank you so much for such a wonderful website. God is definitely working, and I hope He changes many more lives through this website. God bless you all. Julie |
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Clenching the compact disc in my hand, I quickly threw open the front door, raced down the hallway, and ran into my
room. " Thank goodness no one is home," I sighed. Inwardly I knew, that for this disc to work, it most be played LOUDLY; consequently I cherished the absolute volume control I possessed. As I deliberately loaded the CD player, how
could I have prepared for the events to follow. Opening with the powerful track "Victory", the speakers erupted with a wondrous fidelity. The grinding crunch of multilayered guitar chords rhythmically immersed itself in a steady snare beat and scorching vocal intensity. Sure it had been a rough day at work, but who could belittle this? All I heard was musical ecstacy! Envisioning my own swirling pit, I jumped in and began a reckless mosh around the room. All the frustation of spiritual ineffectiveness, selfcondemnation, and utter futility seemed to culminate as I thrashed about. In some twisted sense, there appeared some measure of release. Even so, I heard the bold proclamation: "...having done all to stand in victory from above...for your victory..." "Victory," I mumbled. The overused word seemed to me so alien...so foreign. I longed for the reality...As the steady barrage of snare and double bass drum came to a sudden halt, I sank onto the bed. My motionless was brief, however, as a saturation of excellent "axe-work" filled the air with "No Time". A plodding, methodic crunch of rhythm guitar coupled with the searing harmony of lead guitar for a sound that would grab the attention of even the most aspiring musician. Sitting up, I found my head banging in unison to the chord progression. The lyrical statements which
followed seemed to interrupt my state of utopia.:"...I've been thru the day/ and I don't have the time/ to
speak unto friends/ to speak Lord to You..." "Isn't that my constant cry?" I thought. Somehow the words
pricked my callused heart in spite of my argumentative spirit. "But God come on" I reasoned. "I'm only staying
so busy for You (The irony of my logic now seems comical). I have to take a full-time load at
school, and above all, I have to work full-time so I can eventually go to a Christian college...you know"
The argument reassured my convicted spirit with the deadly poison of piousity, which lurks in the hearts of many
"established" Christians. As I became still, I intently listened as the song continued. The saga depicted an
individual who suddenly finds his earthly existence cut short: |
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"...Perhaps the facts will speak for themselves opposing any disagreements that God can use heavy metal.
Doug Mann of R.E.X. concludes with the following recent report. He shares, "I was talking to Nina, the bass
player for The Lead, the other day and it just blew my mind. This one particular letter just blew us all away.
Nina received this letter from this teenager who was in this hardcore music shop. When he saw The Lead's
'Burn this Record' cassette, he thought it looked cool, so he shoplifted it. Obviously, he wasn't a Christian then.
He stole it with the intention of committing suicide. While he was listening to the tape, just as he was about
to pull the trigger on the gun, the song Suicide Is A Lie came on. The song just made him stop and then
he started reading the lyrics. He then hooked up with a local church and accepted the Lord! When he wrote
them the letter, he was apologizing for shoplifting the tape and also thanked them for what they were doing."
Reprinted by permission from HM Magazine. For more info, visit them online at http://www.hmmagazine.com/
I was a Christian at heart lost in Metal, Alcohol & partying. I was 19 & it was 1983. A Christian gave me Rez Colors. It was not Maiden, Motorhead or Venom but it was Hard Rock & it was Christian. The next day I recommitted my life to Christ & started going back to church. Very soon bought my first Bass & started my goal to play Metal for Jesus! I could see the need for Christian Metal to reach Metalheads both Christian & non Christian. One Christian giving me one Christian Metal album changed my life forever. To God's glory the Metal Jesus has given me over the past 16 years has sold 250,000 units not including all the taped copies floating around poorer countries & not so poor countries.
Steve Rowe
PRAISE GOD! You probably won't print this, but oh well. First I want to thank you. You see, a while ago, I used to listen to all kinds of evil, satanic music, like Slayer, Death, Dead Kennedys, etc. But then one day, when I was reading Rip, I noticed an ad about Christian metal, so I sent away for you mag. Then, when I got it, I started reading it, thinking it was going to be slow music. I noticed a Living Sacrifice interview, so I went out and bought their CD. I listened to it and was blown away by its heaviness. The I started buying other Christian music and was influenced. I am now a proud subscriber of Heaven's Metal and a major Christian. I also play the guitar and hope one day I, too, will become a Christian metal singer. --Dave Braun Reprinted by permission from HM Magazine. For more info, visit them online at http://www.hmmagazine.com/
"It was 1988. My mom was watching TBN, and Real Videos came on. I happened to catch a Mylon LeFevre video, and it sparked my interest. Then a Stryper video came on, and I liked it too! "A couple of weeks after that, I met a guy who was into a few Christian bands. We talked about what I had seen on Real Videos, and he told me he had some other bands that were more of the style I listened to: Rez, Steve Taylor, Crucified, etc. That really hooked my interest. I ended up going to church with him and became a Christian. I continued to listen to bands like The Crucified and Vengeance. In fact, through the Scripture references on the Vengeance album, I began to read my Bible." --Johnny Williams Reprinted by permission from HM Magazine. For more info, visit them online at http://www.hmmagazine.com/
I have been honored and blessed to be a servant of Jesus in the band Whitecross . In the last 13 years I have seen hundreds of young people all over the world come to the place of surrender unto Jesus as their Savior and Lord. I only hope for more opportunities as youth pastors invite me to speak to their youth.
Scott Wenzel |
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"In the Summer of 1989, a friend of mine let me borrow a Whitecross tape. A song on the tape really caught my
attention.The chorus went something like, 'My blood has cleansed you, and your sins are remembered no more.
Come on, walk with me.' I found myself listening to the song over and over again. "Later that summer my friend invited me to come to a music festival with her church. I really enjoyed hanging around those people! They reached out to me and invited me to come to church with them. It was later that year that I asked Jesus to forgive me for my sins and come into my life. Christian music still plays a large part in my life. I still see it doing the same in others' lives that it has done in mine!" --Roy Culver Reprinted by permission from HM Magazine. For more info, visit them online at http://www.hmmagazine.com/
"I used to be the heavy metal kid in my school. I did everything--from knowing everything about my favourite bands to dressing like and attempting to live the lifestyle of a 'rockstar'. "It was through my love of music that a friend got me to listen to bands like Barren Cross, Holy Soldier, and King's X. I'd already heard of Stryper and liked their music. But these other bands were being so out-front with their music. It got me to thinking. Even though I'd been raised in the church, it wasn't real to me. Then I saw people who were like me, who really believed and were able to tell me the truth in ways that I could understand. "It's amazing to see how God uses people, places, and little things (like the music we listen to) as tools to draw others to Him." --Sherry Arnold Reprinted by permission from HM Magazine. For more info, visit them online at http://www.hmmagazine.com/
"The influence of Christian metal really accelerated my spiritual growth. I was your average Christian 'pew-warmer'. I didn't even know Christian metal existed -- other than Stryper and Petra -- but I liked heavier stuff. Then I was introduced to Vengeance Rising, Mortification, Deliverance and Living Sacrifice. I started to read the lyrics of my secular music and compared it to the Christian bands. I realized how much my secular music was shaping my mind. I really caught on to Christian metal -- even to the point of having my own Christian metal program on the radio. "My life has really been changed. If I had never found Christian metal, I might have stayed in that complacent rut. It really intensified my walk with Christ." --John Watts God continues to draw people's hearts today. Don't forget about the Christian rock tapes sitting on your stereo. You may have a friend right now who needs to borrow some of them! --Pastor Bob Beeman Reprinted by permission from HM Magazine. For more info, visit them online at http://www.hmmagazine.com/
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"My name is Pastor Joseph F. Amaral, and I am the Senior Pastor of
Sherwood Heights Community Church in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. I am a
strong believer in Christian Metal Ministry. Stryper was the first
Christian band I ever heard. A friend of mine told me about them, then a
few days later I saw their "Soldiers Under Command" video on our local
music station, (Much Music). I was very impressed by the music and I
found the lyrics very interesting. I bought the "Soldiers" album and
when I got to the song, "The Rock That Makes Me Roll", the Holy Spirit
took hold of my heart and the conviction and power of the Spirit was so
heavy on that album that I gave my life to Jesus!!!
I have had the privelage of seeing Stryper twice, once in Buffalo and once in Toronto. The shows were absolutely incredible, not only did Stryper rock, but the presence of God was so sweet and so evident. I am personally grateful to the Lord for the dedicated ministry of Stryper. I know that I am not the only one whose life was changed as a result of their faithfulness to Christ. I have nothing but good things to say about them. I wish them God's richest blessing on them and their families. As a result of their ministry, I am now a minister leading others to Christ." --Pastor Joseph Amaral
Several things happened right on the heels of one another, like subsequent shots from a gun, and that was what led to my salvation. First I moved to a new town. It's never fun being the new kid in school, and that experience was no different for me. Second, I had been rather disenchanted with the radio songs for a while-- I mean they played some good songs, but usually the same junk over and over again. When I happened upon "Foolin" by Def Leppard one day, it blew my mind. I was hooked. This was *REAL* music, played by people who felt the same pain as I did. Life sure wasn't a popsong to me. I heard "Honestly" by Stryper on the radio one day and I liked it immediately. But I had no money, and so I was talking to this guy in my Biology class, and he came over after school and made me a copy of the tape. God provided me signs of what was to come: great music, and a great friend (that guy is still one of my friends today). At first I couldn't get into the lyrics. I was thinking, "This dudes *can't* be Christians. They're not saying "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus all the time. I mean Christians can't play guitar soloes!" It didn't make much sense, my thinking, but I had never been exposed to the marriage of heavy music and holy lyrics. Through the witness of my friend, and all the great music (and great lyrics, as they made a home in my heart), I was won over to Christ. I saw real love in action and I felt the lacking in my life, so when Jesus called for me, I ran to Him. ---Mike
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I will forever hold Stryper as one of my all time favorite bands. I sure
hope they get back together. Anyway, I wanted to say that at the time I
became aware of Stryper I was going through my teen years. As most
people will agree with as being one of the most confusing times in a
person's life. I grew up in a christian family and to this day I still
have a strong faith in what I believe in. However, during my teens I
will admit to "backsliding" a little. That's when I heard Stryper. They
helped to keep me on the straight and narrow. It appealed to me that you
can be a christian and still rock. As far as the part about some people
thinking that it is wrong, well I just got one comment about that. If
people are being drawn to Christ and are wanting to learn more, whether
it be going to church or simply reading a bible----WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES
IT MAKE WERE IT CAME FROM as long as people are wanting to learn more.
God works in mysterious ways and I believe that God uses whatever means
is necessary to show to his children that he is in their lives and ready
to accept them when they call upon him.
--Todd Morgan
Well my testimony is a little different. I was raised in a christian home but I got away from the Lord. I feel it was christian metal that brought me back. I was saved when I was 7 but I didn't know anything about living the life or things like that. I thought that once I was saved then I could just rest and relax. Well the devil got me and for about 5 years I backslid. I never got into drugs or alcohol because of my background but i got into secular metal like Metallica, Korn and White Zombie and my mouth was worse than a sailor! Well High School came and in 10th grade i became good friends with a christian guy named Tommy Hinton. Well it wasn't til the beginning of 11th grade that I actually began to feel the impact of God in my life. Realize that since I was about 8 I had been listening to Petra and Whitecross then in about 6th grade i graduated into Mortification and Deliverance and have gotten into more and more christian metal. Well the lyrics then didn't mean anything until I felt God calling me back to Him and then everything changed. I got rid of all my secular albums (I now no longer listen to ANY secular music whatsoever) and have expanded my christian metal collection. Christian music has become a big part of my life and I believe it now helps me in my daily walk and to helps me to witness. I'm now a totally on fire for God metalhead that would love to see the world changed! Praise God!!!! --Mark James
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My life is different because of Christ Jesus. One of the best ways I have encountered Jesus is through the music of Tourniquet. Their lyrics are from the Bible, so that makes them useful for teaching me, rebuking me, correcting me, and training me in righteousness. An example of teaching lyrics can come from Somnambulism. "Blessed is the man who dwells in the unapproachable light, it will open a window that empties the darkness of your soul. If we walk in the light as He is in the light He will purify us." This teaches me that I must do as God wants to walk in his light and be purified of my sins. A rebuking lyric comes out of Exoskeletons. "Look around and I will show you now a world that needs a way out. Look around and then look at yourself because you can help them out." This rebukes me because this world needs a way out called Jesus Christ and I can help them out in presenting Jesus to them, which I don't always get done.
Correction can be found in Pecking Order. "Who made you the judge of me, Turn away and just let me be. The notion that we're better than them the ultimate dilusional gem. ... Look to Him and you will see the only judge for you and me." This corrects me from thinking sometimes that I am better than anyone else. In God's view we are all sinners, none worse than the other. How quickly I can forget this sometimes. The righteousness training comes through out their lyrics, but Vanishing Lessons provides a good example. "Things we acquire mean fuel for the fire, The feeling is gone then our soul we will pawn. Dollars for happiness, that's what the world tells us, Pour all yourself into the pursuit of wealth." With the get get get attitude how can we even hope to live righteous lives? Stop and look at everything around you. Think of the outside of the building you're in. The earth and everything on it will be burned up at the end. None of it will help in the eternal picture. I have met Ted, Aaron, Luke, Gary, Victor, and Erik. The guys are all just like us. They hold jobs and live lives in pretty much the same way we do. They are no better or worse people than we are. --Robert Adams or Bob
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