5 Bands Leading the Charge on the Future of Christian Rock [VIDEOS]

Silent Planet

It seems that Christian rock music comes in waves of every 5 to 10 years when a group of bands sweep onto the scene and dominate music. In the late 90s early 2000s it was P.O.D., Project 86, Blindside, and others. The mid 2000s saw Underoath, Haste the Day, As Cities Burn, and a slew of other hardcore bands. The late 2000s and early teens had more alternative groups such as RED, Skillet, and Flyleaf. So who is in the new class that will take Christian rock into the next few years?

Silent Planet

Silent Planet
(Photo : Facebook: Silent Planet)

Metalcore band Silent Planet have been around since 2010, but it is really in the last two years where they have begun to blow up.

In 2014, the band released The Night God Slept, and the record's imagery and strong lyrical content was praised by almost everyone who heard it. What the band manages to do so well is create layers of a story in each of their songs, and make an art form that is both intellectual and a beautiful.

Silent Planet just started a complete North American tour with For Today, Fit For A King, Gideon, and Phinehas.

Check out part one and two of our interview with them now.

Islander

Islander
(Photo : Eric Richter/Victory Records)

Islander is a bit of a throwback to the early 2000s rock sound but have done a great job at updating it for today. They float somewhere between nu metal and post hardcore, offering a unique sound that makes them a little more different than any of their peers.

The band has been around since 2011, but last year they received a major boost with a solid endorsement from P.O.D. frontman Sonny Sandoval, as well as his vocals on "Criminals" from the Violence & Destruction album.

Islander is currently on the Suicide Silence tour with Korn, and have also spent time on the road with heavy weights, Linkin Park, Papa Roach, and Slipknot.

Read our interview with Islander here.

The Ongoing Concept

The Ongoing Concept
(Photo : Facebook: The Ongoing Concept)

It would be easy to label The Ongoing Concept among the hardest workers in rock music as they are so hardcore they make their own instruments!

The group consists of three brothers and one (almost) brother, that play an organized chaos of metal and progressive rock. Their latest release, Handmade, showcases this the best. The band literally handmade the album as they cut down trees and crafted their drums and guitars. However, this was not simply a gimmick; the album has universally blown people away because of their ability to shape intense and passionate tracks.

The Ongoing Concept is currently on tour with Norma Jean for their O ' God the Aftermath 10 year tour.

Read our interview with The Ongoing Concept here and here. Read our review here.

XXI

XXI
(Photo : Facebook: XXI)

This hardcore band was formerly known as A Feast for Kings but after the tragic loss of their singer Eric Gentry, they changed things up in his honor. The name stands for the Roman numerals of 21, the age Gentry died.

Like most of these other bands, they started in 2010, but have really picked up steam this last year. They released their first album as XXI on September 18, calling it, Inside Out.

Right now the band is on the Wolves of War Tour with Burn Halo and Courage My Love.

Kings Kaleidoscope

Kings Kaleidoscope
(Photo : Facebook)

This may be a bit of a stretch for "rock" groups, but with the genre being so opened up, lets add this incredible group to the list. K.K. may constitute as a worship band, but to simply give them that designation is a bit rough considering the amount of geniously orchestrated music the band puts out. it would be easy to think of them as worship progressive rock.

Forming in 2010 as one of Mars Hill Church's bands, they have sought to push the envelope closer to Mars Volta than to Hillsong. The group mostly drops EP's, but last year's Becoming Who We Are proved to big a big splash for them.

The band has 10 members ranging from vocalists, a brass section, percussionists, and the more traditional guitars, bass, and drums. Most importantly, with this influx of musicians and influences, they are leading the growing trend of bringing worship out of the church and experimenting with it to create a new art form.

Read our review of Sin EP here and check out our interview with them here.  

What do you think of our list? Are we missing anyone? Who is your favorite?