The most awesome faith-charged songs from the best 80’s/early 90’s Rock/Metal/Sleaze/Goth/Doom/Hair Bands.

These are The Awesome 8!

ASPHALT BALLET -HEAVEN WINDS BLOW

“In the chill of the silence just a church bell ringing in my head”

Indiana Mega Voice, Gary Lee Jeffries fronted Asphalt Ballet for the debut album. The album, that gave Guns N’ Roses a run for their money on radio in 1992.

Not only were they the most added band on radio at the time, Asphalt Ballet is the undefeated 8 time video winner of MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball Wall of Fame with their first single “Soul Survive.” “Heaven Winds Blow” is about coming to terms with one’s final days and a conversation with God.

MCQUEEN STREET -MY RELIGION

“Stomp down, roll your town, break you today. Don’t go knocking our religion just get out of our way”

With faith comes strength and blood. The world we live in. A no nonsense Rock band from Montgomery, AL. McQueen Street hit radio and MTV hard, the album is hard. Two Top 30 hits and #1 in Europe with “My Religion.” But good ol’ Record Label politics and Grunge.

Hey, we had our Reality T.V. And…it was on MTV. We had the Vince Neil/Axl Rose, Axl Rose/Poison, Asphalt Ballet/Riki Rachtman feuds and the Enuff Z’Nuff/Nelson fight. We also had the McQueen Street/Skid Row endless argument that carried into our classes one period to the next.

McQueen Street all the way!

GALACTIC COWBOYS -SPEAK TO ME

“A word of peace my mind is soaring, remember what He said”

Galactic Cowboys, from the land of cowboys and NASA, Houston, TX. A Heavy Metal band that’s well known for the Christian viewpoint. Waving the flag along with the bands candid humor they recorded “Kaptain Krude”, about the Exxon Valdez spill and it was the two anti-abortion/pro-life songs “I’m Not Amused” and the mocking “If I Were A Killer” with it’s opening verse “This is just a hypothetical story of someone, let’s just say it’s me, I’d gain acceptance for my murderous ways by stalking a defenseless prey” that gained momentum for them on MTV.

SAIGON KICK -ONE STEP CLOSER

“Light and heat from my hand…..”

With Guitarist Jason Bieler fronting the band now for their third album. The opening track “One Step Closer“, takes a controversial approach with Christ. His revenge. A band hailed by critics, but Saigon Kick was felt by many as too Metal for Grunge and too Grunge for Metal.

This was the band that finally silenced Extreme in the acoustic ballad craze of the early 90’s with “Love Is On The Way.” Maybe being the Rock band that KISS FM’s Rick Dees blasted is part of the fall of Hard Rock to Grunge. Nevertheless…..Guitar!

TROUBLE -PSALM 9

“The Lord shall endure forever, for He hath prepared His throne for judgment”

Pioneers of the Doom Metal genre and written about as the ‘Chicago Christian Psychedelic Doom Metal band’ Trouble. Metal Blade Records promoted them as ‘White Metal’ with their Christian undertones and in contrast to the rising black metal movement at the time. Taken right from the Bible and Doom On.

THE RAT RACE -IF I WAS GOD (FOR A DAY)

“I’d change the science of all deception it’s true”

Landing twice on this list is McQueen Street Leader Derek Welsh and Bassist Richard Hatcher as The Rat Race. Welsh’s artful outcry of wishing to take the ultimate job, if for just one day…to better this gutter of a world.

TYPE O NEGATIVE -GREEN MAN

“Life is coming to an end so says me, me…”

Originally written as the Celtic Embodiment of Nature. The ‘Green Man‘ was the ancient God of Rebirth and representing the cycle of regrowth in Spring. The Nephilim stature of Type O Negative Frontman/Bassist Peter Steele (RIP) tells a story of struggle of a man through nature to his death welcomed by his ‘Wiccan friend’ for a new beginning.

LOVE/HATE -IF YOU BELIEVE IN MIRACLES

“If you believe in the moon and the tide and every little thing that wants to stay alive”

Self-proclaimed as the world’s ‘Stupidest Band in the World’. It was Love/Hate Bassist Skid that conjured the idea to crucify singer Jizzy Pearl on the the Hollywood Sign. Yes, to gain attention more than true religious statement. Through the drugs, label problems and inner band fights. Love/Hate paints the picture of their life and loss of belief with “If You Believe In Miracles.”

In the mortal words of Rocker Adam Bomb “I, I, I’m gonna Rock ’til I die.”

Man what writing. What lyrics. Those Metal songs of the 80s had much more soul and philosophy in them than any religious book! — vadakkus (@vadakkus) July 16, 2015

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