Top 10 Best Christian Death Metal Bands
Christian death metal is a subgenre of heavy metal that combines elements of black metal and death metal with Christian lyrics.
It has become increasingly popular in recent years, and there are now many Christian death metal bands. Here is a list of some of the most popular ones.
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Mortification
Mortification is an Australian Christian extreme metal band that was formed in 1987 as the heavy metal group Lightforce. The band was founded by Steve Rowe, who serves as its bassist and vocalist. Mortification gained international attention in the early 1990s and is known as one of the first openly... read more
Best Christian death metal band ever! The first three albums are amazing, and so is some of their later stuff, though it's more thrash.
Mortification's first three albums are the best Christian death metal albums of all time.
This band is the pioneer of the Christian death metal genre... and the most successful too.
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Impending Doom
Impending Doom is a Christian deathcore band from Riverside, California. The group has released five full-length studio albums and currently performs as a five-member ensemble. Vocalist Brook Reeves is one of the two original members still with the band.... read more
Very powerful and progressive sound with deep messages that stay true to the Word, yet allow the band to speak from their personal convictions. Baptized in Filth is my favorite album. While I love every song on it, and it's hard to pick a favorite, I would choose My Light Unseen or Death. Ascension. Resurrection.
You guys are one of my absolute favorites! No. 2 on my list behind For Today. I love how you glorify God through your brutal music! Keep it up! Keep worshiping Him with your lives!
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As They Sleep
As They Sleep is an amazing band! The vocalist, Aaron, does both high screams and low gutturals that sound brutal. The music itself is very fast, heavy, and hard-hitting. If you want a band that is super awesome yet also has meaningful lyrics, listen to these guys.
As They Sleep has amazed me since the first time I listened to them. If you are looking for a good death metal band, check out As They Sleep. I personally like the song A Thousand Deaths. Look it up if you have never heard of it.
It's a shame this band is relatively unknown. They are one of the most talented Christian bands out there - almost better than bands like The Black Dahlia Murder.
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Extol
Extol is a progressive extreme Christian metal band from Bekkestua, Norway, that was formed in 1993. The band is recognized for incorporating a range of metal subgenres, including progressive metal, death metal, black metal, and thrash metal. They have earned acclaim for their technical musicianship... read more
Great band that deserves recognition. Love this band. I have one question though, how is Pantokrator not on this list?
Their entire discography is stellar, but Burial and Undeceived are masterpieces.
Top-quality Christian death metal!
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Becoming the Archetype
These guys were awesome up until they put out I Am, which basically features all new members. They used to have killer piano breakdowns. It was melodic metal with feeling - I love that stuff.
Another good band that isn't listed here is Haste the Day. Their early stuff was great, especially Burning Bridges.
While I am a huge fan of Mortification and Extol, they are unfortunately older bands who aren't exactly still playing death metal. Becoming the Archetype is also moving out of the genre, but so far, they have not been topped in technicality, brutality, and melody.
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Crimson Thorn
Best Christian brutal death metal band!
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A Thousand Times Repent
This is the most unknown Christian metal band out there. They have beautiful instrumental sections and also the brutal death metal sound to boot.
Although they haven't brought out many songs, they have written incredible compositions.
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Shadows of Paragon
Absolutely amazing unblack metal. I first heard them in 2009 and have been listening ever since. Beyond the music, the lyrics are very deep. Amazing group!
True European blackened death metal with a message of Christ. Great drummer, great band!
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With Blood Comes Cleansing
Definitely one of the best deathcore bands ever!
One of the best death metal bands I've heard.
Great underrated death metal band!
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Living Sacrifice
Living Sacrifice is an American Christian metal band formed in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1989. Their musical style spans thrash metal, death metal, and metalcore, evolving over the years while maintaining a complex and aggressive sound. They are considered pioneers in the Christian metal genre and are... read more
These guys are absolutely amazing. Arguably the best Christian metal band of all time. Their album Ghost Thief is probably my favorite album ever. Every single song on the album is outstanding and never gets old.
A great band and one of the pioneers of the Christian metal genre! They are still putting out music, and The Hammering Process and The Infinite Order are phenomenal albums!
These guys rock! They should start the list, not end it.
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Separatist
This band is like a mixture of progressive, brutal, and technical death metal! It's so amazing!
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Outrage AD
Outrage AD started in the early '90s, when thrash was crossing over to death metal. They play old-school death metal with a thrashy feel.
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Deuteronomium
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Underoath
Underoath is an American rock band from Tampa, Florida. It was founded by Dallas Taylor and Luke Morton on November 30, 1997, in Ocala, Florida. The band later added members from the Tampa area and became known for its mix of post-hardcore and metalcore styles, with successful albums like They're Only... read more
Based on their first two albums.
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For Today
For Today was an American Christian metalcore band from Sioux City, Iowa, formed in 2005. The band was originally signed to Facedown Records and later to Razor & Tie. They announced their disbandment in 2016 after a farewell tour.
They have deep, clear lyrics with the awesome metal sound that we all love. Every song is filled with meaningful lyrics that everyone should enjoy!
Great band, especially their new album Crown of Thorns. I love their rich and powerful lyrics about the one true God.
Awesome band, great sound, great lyrics. They're constantly improving their sound to be more complex and powerful.
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Sacrificium
So much awesomeness! This band can really play death metal!
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Crimson Moonlight
All I can say is this band is not for those with sensitive ears. This Swedish band is dripping in blackness. Christian philosophy has never sounded so brutal. My personal favorite is Painful Mind Contradiction from the album Veil of Remembrance.
A black/death metal band with a really brutal sound. Though they are more on the black metal side, their album Veil of Remembrance does have death metal influences and sounds really awesome!
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Betraying the Martyrs
One of the best live bands ever. They always put on a good show, have amazing vocals (both clean and screaming), and are instrumentally very talented. Betraying the Martyrs is one of the best bands of this generation without a doubt!
Just because they cuss in their songs doesn't mean they're not a Christian band. BTM is the best Christian band alive!
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Hilastherion
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Antidemon
In my opinion, Antidemon is the closest Christian alternative you'll get to the secular death metal band Deicide. So if you're a fan of Deicide but looking for a Christian alternative, definitely check out Antidemon!
The artwork looks very Satanic, but if you look closely, the demon is always being tortured, and the pentagram has a cross over it.
Pure Christian, pure death metal. That's what this list is about, right?
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7 Horns 7 Eyes
My favorite death metal band, including both Christian and secular. They're so talented, I can't believe they're not higher!
Amazing atmosphere, crushing riffs, and great meaning. Check out Monotheist too - it's the vocalist's other band.
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Miseration
A very brutal band. Great guitars, great vocals - a solid all-around band.
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Broken Flesh
I am absolutely in love with this band. They absolutely crush! The closest thing I can compare them to is Crimson Thorn meets Cannibal Corpse and Disgorge, with a bit of their own style mixed in. They are unabashedly pro-Jesus Christ in their lyrics and imagery! I place them right up there with Impending Doom and Crimson Thorn.
Broken Flesh is more brutal than Living Sacrifice, Mortification, Abated Mass of Flesh, and any other Christian death metal band. They're more brutal than Cannibal Corpse too!
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Abated Mass of Flesh
Awesome Christian death metal band. They're sadly underrated given just how great they are. In my mind, they're the best Christian death metal band ever.
Undoubtedly one of the best Christian death metal bands ever. I don't know why they aren't number one. I think their best song is Violence.
This band is one of the most brutal and guttural Christian death metal bands I've ever heard!
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In the Midst of Lions
I am appalled that this band is so low on the list, especially considering that a lot of the bands ranked higher are neither Christian nor death metal. In The Midst Of Lions has brutal breakdowns with highly technical lead guitar, and they incorporate a lot of sweep picking in their music.
Holy cow, I can't say enough good stuff about this band. Their sound is great. Their message is great. I feel like I'm fighting Satan and getting closer to God when I listen to these guys.
They only released three albums, but all of them are powerful, well-written, and brutally heavy. Many of the bands on this list would struggle to compare in heaviness.
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Opprobrium
Formerly known as Incubus, Opprobrium is death/thrash, which is very nice for the ears - great riffs and great vocals.
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Sympathy
Dharok is a genius. He knows how to combine raw and brutal rhythms with fantastic guitar work. This is augmented by his deep and inspiring lyrics that are delivered with versatile vocals. The rhythms sound as if you're standing in a factory with pounding and raging machines blowing out your ears, while guitars wail above these waves of sound. It is so beautifully balanced. I never imagined that I would call any mayhem beautiful, but Sympathy taught me how.
Sympathy made me understand how metal can bring praise to God, spread His Word to the world, make people think about their actions, and explain the spiritual realm to Christians who have little grasp of that.