hey there people
well, I'm new to the forum, but I'm not a new christian, and I was looking for a place to discuss this exact subject with other people because I'm in doubt about it
I will not say that metal is wrong, much less satanic. I'm not dumb, I've listened and I know christian metal bands. I myself am a musician, although not a metal one.
What I want to discuss is the edification that can be achieved by listening to metal music.
As most musicians, I'm very sensitive to the feelings that every kind of music wants to put out there; the message, if you will.
What has been brought to my attention is that the purpose (and the musicians say this) of metal music is achieving brutality. They want an aggressive and brutal sound when composing it.
Now let's think for a second: is brutality really something you want to have as a christian?
This is the Merriam-Webster definition of brutal:
Definition of BRUTAL
1
archaic : typical of beasts : animal
2
: befitting a brute: as
a : grossly ruthless or unfeeling <a brutal slander>
b : cruel, cold-blooded <a brutal attack>
c : harsh, severe <brutal weather>
d : unpleasantly accurate and incisive <the brutal truth>
e : very bad or unpleasant <a brutal mistake>
Do any of these adjectives sound like anything a christian might want to have as a description of themselves?
Now, I didn't just go as far as asking metal musicians about what the purpose and message of metal is. I started asking every christian I know. I got all sorts of answers, such as "it's definitely wrong" and "I think it's acceptable and worship is up to every person" (with which I agree, but don't forget that 'we have the right to do everything, but not everything is beneficial... not everything is constructive"
One of the answers I got really impacted me, because it was exactly what I was feeling, only put in words. My father's aunt said "(hardcore metal) sounds like the sound that demon-possessed people make". I believe her, 'cause she knows about that. She's been on the field of evangelization for over 30 years. That's what I had felt when I listened to a hardcore metal song, with the all that screamo and screeches and grunts. Of course, it wasn't a christian one, but I've heard similar ones been called christian.
Another thing that was brought to my attention by someone I asked is the outfit of metal musicians and most of their followers (or the average metal follower). They will usually wear dark colored t-shirts with bizarre designs, which are usually of other metal bands. I won't say that wearing dark clothes is wrong and I will definitely not say that what you wear is who you are, but how come those are so easily related to the metal culture? And to the goth and other dark cultures?
How come the sole names of these bands are usually something with a more aggressive edge? Again, this does not apply to every metal band. Although "Austrian Death Machine" as a title for a christian band doesn't seem fitting, to me.
I don't think it's a coincidence. People look for that kind of music because it feeds their need of the feeling of brutal sound. What does brutal and aggressive music deliver, speaking of feelings/emotions? That same thing exactly.
I read a phrase on another post with this subject that gave me a really good impression of what the answer might be. It said "God doesn't want you to do things and THINK you are glorifying him...he wants you TO glorify him...so ask him to show you."
I know what some of you might be thinking. "This guy takes everything too seriously, they're just names, it's just music, it's not like it's wrong".
As a musician, and appealing to every other musician that reads this, I will say to my defense that music has a huge power. So much that some have called it "the language of God". You know what I mean. Music can switch your mood in an instant. It can put things in your mind. It can change your attitude towards certain things.
THAT is why I want people to think twice before dismissing this like "well I can worship however I want and if I like a brutal and aggressive sound and God doesn't restrain me from doing so, then it can't be wrong." Remember that free will is a gift that only humans have, and if God allows it, He also will allow it's consequences in most occasions.
Do you really think that God would want you to have those aggressive feelings? A God who is Love Himself?
Choose wisely and consult with the ultimate counselor. The answer really is out there, and what I say is not absolute and I might even be completely wrong, but NO ONE can deny that it's best to run this through God as many times as needed to reach a conclusion.
