Honestly if I was to narrow it down, I think it could quite possibly be unuiquivocally be narrowed down to the band Overcome. They actually taught me a lot about life and theology, and I hadn’t even been a christian for a long time. Add to the fact, they write music that is actually really good. This isn’t sloppy, noisy hardcore for noise sake. These songs have composition and are comrpised in complicated and definitely I think borrows more from metal than hardcore. But the band has the aesethetic and hardcore lifestyle written all over themselves, its perfectly cohesive, and for lack of a better word, it has now become what we know as metalcore.
I often frown on metalcore, because its narrowing itself down into territory that I can only describe as “scene” and “edgy”. A lot of its very gimmicky and it plays itself out in every possible formula it can, to try and do nothing but outdo and out perform others, and it just comes off as sloppy and inauthentic.
Something about Overcome, I always felt and admire is their genuine and unabashed approach not only to harder genre’s of music, but also their love and dedication to Christ. I mean you would think with music like this, it would be an outpouring of hatred for life, maybe self or even neighbor. No, but that is not the case at all here. The lyrics and words all are to do with the book, the one true book the Bible. Life lessons, and instruments of words that create motivation and passion for life and living.
I remember when I when I first got When the Beauty Dies as a kid, and I finally heard it from somebody else who gets it. He sees the sickness of porn, and lascivious lifestyles. The terrible debt that it does to a woman and a man, and well as a whole, the family and union and body.
Not sure why I am writing this, I don’t know, I just see a lot of old faces coming out with new material in the christian metal world. And its making me proud. I am uncertain what Jason Stinson thinks anymore in concerns to this music. I am sure he has torn this yarn out about a million different ways, with all kinds of different people. But him and his music did make one hell of an impact on me, and I am not ashamed to admit it!
And yes, I was more than happy with Indwelling, it was great, beyond great! but sadly, when they were starting pick up mud with their music and ministry. I was starting to enjoy actually playing in the mud, and by mud I mean sin. My life spiraled out most of my 20s and 30s, its really sad to even look at it in retrospect, how much time Ive wasted.
But I cannot focus on the past I need to MOVE forward!
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