These days “Christian hardcore” is pretty much synonymous with little kids from Ohio in skinny jeans jogging in place and making grassy field videos where they do crabcore squats in front of their synth player. Don’t get me wrong, I’m down with Risecore, but if that’s all you know about the current mosh4christ scene, you’re missing out.
I’m talking about the other Christcore scene: the super vocally-Christian, super brutal bands who bring the mosh with uncompromising fury yet get very little press outside the Jesuscore world. I can only assume this is because, unlike Risecore bands, they are actually real Christians who are more concerned with spreading the word than banging underage groupies and being Tumblrfamous.
I’m the furthest thing from a Christian, but I’m a pretty huge fan of this scene. The bands are brutal as fuck, the shows are always super fun, and I definitely respect the fact that they actually practice what they (literally) preach.
With that said, let’s talk about our favorite FACEDOWNCORE bands!
FOR TODAY are basically the template for this entire scene. Original? Fuck no, but they have some of the most ridiculous breakdowns known to man and that’s good enough for me. Also, I randomly ended up hanging out with the singer and his wife for a couple hours, and he is seriously the nicest fucking guy on earth- same vibe I got from Stephen from Anberlin.
I wish xDEATHSTARx got more love. SXE Jesus mosh from the 909?? Oh fuck yes!
IN THE MIDST OF LIONS know what’s up: this song has TWO breakdowns! First is the introductory breakdown at :55 to get you warmed up, then the meta-breakdown at 1:10 tears you a new asshole. DEM PINCH HARMONICS
These guys are more like what it would be like if Bridge 9 had Christ bands than the usual FACEDOWNCORE, but I’m including them here because they still go pretty hard. Also, crucial van mosh at 1:35 in this video!
I have no idea why SEVENTH STAR didn’t get more popular, because I always hear current Jesusmosh bands cite them as an influence. This isn’t one of my favorite songs of theirs, but the video can’t be missed- WIGGERISH ARM MOVEMENTS FOR CHRIST!
Speaking of wiggerish arm movements, SLEEPING GIANT is pretty much the Christian Emmure. In b4 “YOU BETTER PRAY!” on the back of a shirt in Impact font.
Big ups to A PLEA FOR PURGING for having a sense of humor in addition to writing br00tal breakdowns. Skip to 3:15 and imagine you are at a church show and 50 kids in Winds Of Plague mesh shorts are spin kicking the fuck out of each other.
We couldn’t discuss FACEDOWNCORE without mentioning the godfathers of the genre, Riverside’s own IMPENDING DOOM! Especially their old shit, when they just played downtuned breakdowns one after the other instead of trying to write actual songs like they do now.
This TEXAS IN JULY track is a checklist of everything that makes this genre awesome: Super lulzy, self-righteous title (“Hook Line And Sinner”), parking garage mosh, siqq bass drop breakdown at 1:25, and even some wiggerish arm movements!
If every band on earth sounded like this GIDEON song, I’d be pretty OK with that. I love how the song STARTS with the breakdown, then gets fast, so by the time they get to the breakdown announcement at 1:10 you’re ready to fingerpoint and yell LET THIS FIRE BURN, AND NEVER DIE!
Mattie, from for today, needs to bring the dreads back.
That kid was in a pretty sweet local band called Besieged in like ’05-’06.
http://www.myspace.com/video/scotty/besieged-balkanization-lenawee-county-fair-grounds-june-7/12186201
My first hardcore show ever was seeing Point of Recognition play in some super small church in Murrieta when I was 14. Got me hooked on facedowncore for a couple of years.
i’m surprised you didn’t mention the great commission
Possibly the sickest xCHRISTxCOREx breakdown I’ve ever heard (and I was raised on the stuff.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3s84AuDmtMM
DAT BREAKDOWN.
DAT BASS TONE.
FUCK.
Fuck, diggin’ this.
It’s gotta be Texas in July for me. Just saw them about a week ago for a Christmas show that my buds were opening in. Either way it was a fun show and they brought the mosh. Really suprised me cause it’s not my type of music.
Don’t tumblrsluts also love alot of christcore bands?
AW SHIT. Most of the christcore I’ve been exposed to is lulzy Solid State bullshit, so this is much welcome (esp. that Gideon song; hard as fuck!!!)
Seeing TIJ with ABR next month, U JELLY BRAHS?
I’ve been in love with Psalm of the Son by For Today for the past 3 months, been jamming it non-stop, can’t get tired of dat bass drop.
That old Impending Doom shit is the best christcore will ever be IMO.
/thread.
Kind of hit or miss here. On one hand, Venia, Sleeping Giant, Seventh Star, and Impending Doom bring some fucking mosh, but some of the bands really sucked, In The Midst Of Lions is so goddamn boring, aside from that semi cool pinch harmonic breakdown, and A Plea For Purging are the ultimate example of trying to hard to be funny. The rest was just meh, not good and not bad.
Seventh star beatdown in “the seventh star” so fucking heavy
There is a band from asutralia called CREATIONS, they’re basically the Christian version of ENDWORLD, no lie.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K2HUPy87OnE
xGOD HAVE MERCY ON YOUR SOULx
dundun duna duna dun
i have such mixed feelings about this, on one hand the tunes are just nasty brutal, and at some of the lines are awesome, but i can’t get into the short spoken word parts and the preachiness is off the charts in this
Also, i feel like i really wanna bro down with the dudes from Venia, that whole video was like an advertisement for their local chapter of the ANTI-no fun club.
in the midst of lions effing kill it live, so they’re the second best….. first is obviously CREED
Lololololol
THIS
A++
Mortification was doing the christian death/thrash 15-20 years ago…
thats why no one gives a fuck
and they suck…. and have nothing to do with this post
Agree on all of the above. They are awful!
Haha. Years ago when my brother caught wind that I was into Deicide he got me a couple Mortification cds to try to convert me or some shit. Not that Deicide’s much better.
Once Upon The Cross is amazing though. Probably only because when I was a kid it made me feel closer to Satan.
Frank’s Enemy, Crimson Thorn and Living Sacrifice (2nd and 3rd albums, of course) were all pretty good Christian death metal. There was also Lament, from Mexico, who I saw at Cornerstone ten years ago. Only heard one album of theirs, which was okay, but live, they ripped my face clean off…
FACEDOWN FEST @ SHOWCASE IN CORONA. WHERE THE FUCK IS SINAI BEACH/FIGURE FOUR ALL THE FACEDOWN PREACHY PREACHY BANDS ETC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
True Sinai beach killed
They go hard until yer boi starts singing. I can’t help but laugh.
Mychildren Mybride! Their album Unbreakable is so gooooodddd. On Wings of Integrity. That is all.
i would have included them, because i love that song, but their retarded label disables embedding on the video :/
LRN2MARKETING
Seen For today once.the singer spent like 3-4 minutes between songs telling us about how cool God is, did not mind at all though, cuz they did bring the mosh hard as fuck.
NO WAR OF AGES??? You cant have a post on christcore without War Of Ages!?!?!?
I think the point was to point out lesser known Christian bands. Otherwise you always end up talking about Norma Jean, August Burns Red, and TDWP and the conversation never goes anywhere.
also, i think For Today, Gideon, etc sound totally different than Norma Jean and TDWP (srs). i personally prefer the “breakdowns 4 christ” style to the norma jean/noisecore thing and wanted to draw some attention to that.
lol you can hack it by
1) copying the embed code of another embeddable video
2) copy the video code at the end of the non-embeddable video url e.g DlGZ43bA7mg and paste it into the embed code between “/embed/” and “?feature”
3) paste that embed code shit onto your blog
Bob’s your uncle.
xDISCIPLEx A.D.
Fuck yeah.
There goes my productivity for the next hour or so…have slept on 70% of these bands.
I’ll never forgive For Today for getting me pulled over by the cops tho.
Fucking bass drops+integra=ticket lololol
+1,000,000 lololol
Only Texas In July for me. Really don’t like most of cristcore bands.
I was actually gonna post about xDeathstarx on that Sleeping Giant thread the other day. Those dudes are the epitome of awesome.
1. ChristXcore? Check.
2. Brutal as shit? Check.
3. Three vocalists that don’t play instruments? Check.
4. Lulzy video of them doing a concert on Monster Garage with midgets moshing? Check.
from the 909? Check! #teamredlands
Forgot to list that one. SoCal knows how to mosh!
I knew APFP back before they got signed and were constantly on the road (in b4 cool story bro), and they are genuinely cool as fuck dudes. They tour relentlessly now, and they deserve whatever fortune brings their way.
Texas in July wear tough as shit rip-proof jeanssssss
yo, I run HXCChristian.com and am a long time follower of SYWH. Thanks or covering this. We mainly try to focus on REAL hardcore, punk, ska and Oi!. True that there are a lot of crappy metalcore bands out there, I know a lot of the bands that you mentioned above and while I support their message, I have a hard time enjoying their music (especially being 36 and being raised in the hardcore scene in the Northeast) . If you want to check out some real hardcore and/or punk bands that are Christian then check out my buds in Debtor, Venia, Strengthen What Remains, Jawbone, Those Who Fear, Beacons, Carrying The Fire, for some punk, check out Unshackled, Absolved, FBS (Fight Before Surrender), and just for giggles Grave Robber! Have a great day, big ups on the new site design!
http://www.stuffyouwillhate.com/2011/12/lets-talk-about-real-music/
The end of that For Today video with all the stage dives was filmed at the all ages, no booze venue in my hometown.
I seriously found this entire post heart warming.
Still waiting for SYWH’s “WillMosh4Christ” shirt…
Haha, that is actually THANOZ REIGNZ in the Sleeping Giant video. I was like, “Wait a minute… dat flat-brimmed Decepticons hat… dat throat tat… dose arm movements…” and had to Google it and sure enough…
I still like to fantasize about the possibility that the mosh4christ scene isn’t so much a scene as it is a parallel universe where a Christian version of every moshcore band exists.
oh shit, how did i not catch that?? my apologies THANOZ did not mean to disrespect u!!!
I see someone beat me to it. Not sure who to feel sorry for the most in this situation. It is nice to know that Frankie is thinking about Jesus when he gets his dick sucked by a dude.
I’ve seen 6 of these bands live, some of them multiple times. All great shows and all the bands are filled with super cool guys, esp Tommy Green from Sleeping Giant he lives in SLC now and goes to most of the shows super cool guy plus I saw him spin kick the fuck out of someone at the Terror show + 15 scene points :)
Anybody here ever listen to The Gun Show? Still not sure how I feel about them. The music is pretty heavy but they have these mid-song srscore parts where the singer starts shouting earnestly while not much else is going on. No lie, it kind of ruins the mosh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMcAOLEQxY8
No Saving Grace??? They ser sick as fuk! Also the gun show, and sovereign strength (they’re braking up though)
http://youtu.be/wYwm4k6FRGY
with blood comes cleansing. i used to be in a christian metalcore band back in 2001-2002 and we played a few shows with the singer’s old metal band. one of the most sincere/nicest dudes i’ve ever met.
seriously, although i’m not a christian anymore, the scene is filled with a lot of awesome people that aren’t all “preachy” like a lot of people want to think.
was going to mention this band, they were so tight. that intro+Hematidrosis = one the nastiest jams to ever grace my ears. also, they rep dat peach state.
Saw For Today live not too long ago and they brought the mosh incredibly hard. There were a bunch of older hardcore dudes in the pit, too. They get labeled as metalcore but they’re really just a bunch of hardcore raised moshcore guys.
As siqq as some of these jams are, they still suffer from being associated w’ something as gay as Christianity. A Plea for Purging had a couple other lullllzy videos though: http://youtu.be/lT2TnwpsMa8
I get a kick out of watching the fat guy run, it tickles the same part of my brain as French Bulldogs or Mini-Gundam.
Plea is fucking awesome, and even though the first Impending Doom album is my favorite, each one appeals to a different mood and it’s all solid at the very least. Their new one is gonna put There Will Be Violence to shame though. I heard some unmastered tracks and it sounds like a mix of Plea’s super heavy Meshuggahmosh grooves with badass Polish death metal like Vader and Hate. Get PIPED MUFUKKAZ
Influenced by VADER?!?? ARE YOU FOR REAL????
This can only mean good things.
Man, I have so many memories, CD’s, zines, and garbage from this scene from like 96-02… it was fun and the people were nice, but the only band from then I still listen to is Redeem (from NJ). They were like Zao on Where Blood and Fire Bring Rest, but without all the time changes and technical crap. Their (only, as far as I know) album, A Diadem of Beauty, came out on SOFA Records (RIP) and is looooooooong out of print, but you can find it for download on blogs and even listen to it on Spotify.
Btw I’m really surprised to see no talk of Shockwave in the comments. I mean, they were overrated of course, but people go NUTS over them…
There was a band called Through it All a few years ago…. one of the best I’ve heard, they really had the songs – and nothing metal or thuggish. John Lockjaw from Pitboss was in the band, not the singer though
The fucking sweep picking in For Today is so annoying.
Video blog bro is showing some sweet midriff in the Seventh Star video.
I can’t believe sleeping giant is not Emmure
I can’t believe Emmure is not Acacia Strain is not Slipknot.
My first ever real moshcore show was Winds of Plague/Stick To Your Guns/Sleeping Giant/Oceano, so I’ll always be fond of SG. Didnt know anything about Sleeping Giant, but their live set was bonkers. Their recordings are kind of boring, but if you get a chance to see them live, take it.
Also, I’m not entirely sure, but I heard that all the members of xDeathstarx are in Sleeping Giant
xDeathstarx = Straight Edge Sleeping Giant :P
Played Scream the Prayer one year, a lot of these bands were there and it was awesome. For Today wouldn’t shut up, and Sleeping Giant told one long sad fucking story, then brought the mosh hard. Shit was crazy, plus the Chariot and Gwen Stacy.
But my favorite has to be Recon, this song at 2:45 specifically, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sr0pqb3TJ8o . I assume they were Christian as shit, unsure though.
Recon were christian??? had no idea
They aren’t on wikipedia so I’ll never know for sure, but always got that vibe.
what about that advent dawg? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dX6ayMv69as
I’m going to try and not sound like a stangry butthole here:
I just can’t think of these bands as anything but real life versions Sanctified from the Christian Rock Hard episode of South Park.
Being from the Lancaster, PA area (the scenic vista in the background of the Texas in July video) it has been pretty lulzy to watch kids who wanted August Burns Red to be the priest to their altar boy, become reasonably successful despite being a copy of a band that is already a copy. I chalk it up to the appeal of their Harlem Globetrotter of a drummer. Oh, and that parking garage IS super br00tal.
Also, anybody remember Extol?
Also, Sarge, maybe there is enough low-hanging fruit to do a post about ego boxes?
Just to clarify, are you a christian? Are you saying that the worship is misguided, or that they just suck in general, or both?
Haha ok here’s the long-winded answer. Not Christian. Not anything. Not condescending enough to call myself an athiest, not cowardly and non-committal enough to call myself agnostic. I really don’t care what others want to believe. I’m not self important enough to feel that I have any ground to tell anyone else what they should or shouldn’t do.
That being said, I find the aural aesthetic of the music to be a humorous contrast to the message. Cookie Monster vocals about praising Him are just kind of funny. I guess in my mind all music that could in any way be described as “Christian” should sound like DC Talk or the Newsboys. I’m an equal-opportunity hater though. Black metal dudes thinking they’re super dark and not some chubby guy in juggalo makeup? Lame. Some lead singer going on and on about some political thing in between songs? Lame. Spreading His good news? Lame.
As far as Texas in July goes, they’re very good musicians…but it’s like using a chainsaw to cut through warm butter: it gets the job done but it’s a waste and you end up with a mess. Christian or secular breakdown-centric stuff is kinda well…I’ll try and not get too beardo here and just say it’s not for me. There is a label in Lancaster called CI and lighting struck once with ABR getting big, and they just tried it again with another bunch of metalcore Christian kids and lighting struck again. I guess godcore is Lancaster’s 3rd biggest export behind meth and Amish tears. Also, I’m a sad old man in a violently unpopular local band so I may just be angry about kids being on my lawn.
Curious, what unpopular local band are you in?
“you’re not making Christianity better, you’re just making rock and roll worse!” Hank Hill.
Impending Doom :(
Someone remember who’s was the best late 90′s/early 00′s christian moshcore bands signed on victory and later signed on facedown records…i said the only and the one: NO INNOCENT VICTIM..look at this old song..and tell me you’re not moshing…best breakdown of all history of christian bands:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOyIiFlnadM
Or just look at this song at 2:32..that what a call a old christian fucking good breakdown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4FvDs0jDMQ
Anyway best of today facedowncore bands ….seventh star,Venia and XDeathStarX..the rest suck monkey fat dick
Oh hell yes. I remember my first moshcore show being a Facedowncore band. Im pretty sure it was Falling Cycle. Anyways, I still bump Figure Fours song “When its All Said and Done” on the regular.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYZ-dnumJfU
Sick breakdown at 1:40. The riffs sound almost exactly like Cave In’s “Terminal Deity”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dp0jU8OkE2w
BUT I DONT GIVE A FUCK.
I think Living Sacrifice are excellent. Sadly they seemed to only play churches and now tour with other Christian bands.
Oddly when I listen to the band I want to crack skulls and yell “satan!”, haha. Perhaps not their target audience.
Granted I saw them at some church and started going ape and got a bunch of “Please, be safe”. Man, they have/had potential. Oh well.
Bloodwork
I used to fucking love For Today. Haven’t listened to anything past Ekklesia, but that album ruled. Never Lose Sight of the Goals was a personal favorite.
yeah dude, i can’t stand the other albums. Portraits is straight up boring. Breaker is a step in the right direction, but still doesn’t do it for me…Ekklesia was the epitome of my freshmen year of high school though. I still know all the words lol
Venia = the best band coming out of the Minnesota hardcore scene…you should see the shows when they’re home, it’s crazy nuts and awesome and stuff.
don’t know nuffink about JebusRock, I stay away from godBotherers but Texas in July, i roolly liked the drumming.
I’m from the same Birmingham/Tuscaloosa area as Gideon and all I can say is, fuck anything to do with that band.
Brah! Mortal Treason and Zao…MT brings the mosh.
both bands are cool, but I didn’t include Zao because a) they are oldfag christcore and b) sound nothing like any of these bands
Advent goes hard as fuck
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