Today as I found myself pondering music. Well lets be honest, I always ponder music. Its in me to my very core. The above video was shot by a couple close friends of mine of a band we use to all tour with. I invite you to watch and get to know Sleeping Giant before you hear a song. Sleeping Giant is an amazing example to me of the Lord working in lives when we allow him to. A lot of times we are so quick to dismiss music because of the sound behind it. You say, "There is no way that invites the Spirit!" I say, "I feel the Spirit!" Who then is right? Since becoming a Latter-day Saint I have wondered the following.
Is it possible for Hardcore/Heavy Metal to be centered around our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ?
This evening I was watching some music videos on youtube when I saw a very interesting looking video on the right side of the screen entitled,"Is Christan Heavy Metal Evil?" (Of course this sparked my interest) This was about an 9 minute video by a guy who calls himself jezuzfreek777, and he made some great points. I want to expand on these for a brief moment.
One of his first points is one I've heard many times. Not ALL songs are bad in regards to content. There are some Metallica songs that have a great message. For instance, "Master of Puppets" is not implying that Satan is the master, but is more of an anti-drug themed piece of music. It is the bands cry of warning to not let drugs take control of peoples lives.
The next point has to do with the sound of rock and roll, and how it can be misinterpreted. He plays a simple chord with no amplification or distortion. It does not sound objectionable. It sounds very clean and would be accepted by many to be a great sounding music note. Well, what if you are playing in a live show, and you have a few thousand people, you need amplification so your music can be heard. Also, you use distortion to keep your sound unique. It's the same chord. Heavy metal can be simplified, and it would sound very good to a large demographic. What kind of instrument is being played should not matter. If the point of the music is to glorify God, it is not evil or wrong. (I share this opinion)
This is the same point I've been trying to make for a very long time. If I thought that the sound of the music was offensive or inappropriate, I would NOT listen to it. I understand the argument that "If Jesus were here, he wouldn't like how it sounds." He may not, though I believe he would, because what I hear is the message of his greatness, power, and holiness!
My friends, this is something I have prayed about. I used to listen to a lot of horrible music that had horrible language and false doctrines. I made a conscious effort to purge these from my life, which I feel I have successfully done. It's a great feeling. I am still haunted by the fact that some do not accept my preference in music as anything but evil, satanic, and wrong.
A cover song of the popular Christian hymn "Oh Praise Him" has touched my soul. However, it is in Hardcore form. And, oh my goodness, what a stirring of feelings it has created. I completely understand that some may shy away from the idea of hymns being metal-ized. What "EYE" see (that's a pun) as an artist that really wants it's heavy metal followers to hear the great message that is in this great hymn. I already knew that a friend did not like the song as it is covered by Sleeping giant, but I asked her to explain her feelings so I could post them for you:
Me: "How do you feel about "Oh Praise Him" by Sleeping Giant?"
Her: "I feel it was very disrespectful. It's such a sweet song, and it's about the Savior, so to hear it this way is very....harsh. I don't like it at all."
Obviously this is not for everyone. This cover song spoke to me in a way that literally made me cry, not out of sadness or hurt, but out of love and respect for Jesus Christ and his sacrifice for me. The same feeling one might get from hearing this hymn in church.
I want to post that video of them performing the song to and I hope you will listen.
Let me say this, I AM A HARDCORE KID! Its part of who I am. Just like being a Latter-day Saint is part of who I AM. I hope this post gives you some insight to us. I love you all dearly and look forward to your comments.
Thanks for sharing. I think you are right that good messages are good messages no matter what genre of music they are shared in. Everyone feels the spirit differently. There are certain things that are clearly good for no ones spirits, but others it's up to the individual and how it effects their individual spirit. I think the important thing is that we remain in a place where we are humble and in-tune enough to reflect and measure the sensitivity of our spirit to influences so we can keep our hearts softened to feeling the holy ghost in general. I also liked the comment on the first video about how God doesn't want to just be a concept to us, He wants to be our Father. Cool stuff.
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