Artists|August 27, 2014 04:23 EDT
5 Christian Bands Every Rap/Rock Fan Should Know – P.O.D., Thousand Foot Krutch, and More (VIDEOS)
Music has always looked to fuse different types of genre together, and Christian music is no different. Rap/rock was huge in the late '90s and early 2000s with bands such as Korn, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and countless others. Leading the Christian music front was a number of bands doing the same.
P.O.D.
P.O.D. (Payable on Death), has represented Jesus since their first album in 1994, Snuff the Punk. The band has unabashedly penned songs for Christ, and have spread their testimony every chance they had. They are one of the more prominent bands in Christian music with hits such as "Alive," "Youth of a Nation," and "Boom." The band has always toed the line between rap, metal, reggae, and punk.
Frontman Sonny, is part of a ministry called the Whosoevers, and spreads the Gospel to youth around the country. The band's newest album Murdered Love represents Christ's sacrifice on the cross and how Jesus came to love, but was murdered for our sins.
In September they will be releasing their first acoustic album which features stripped down versions of some of their hits.
THOUSAND FOOT KRUTCH
TFK is no longer a rap/rock band, but on their first album, Set It Off, they busted onto the scene with ferocious verses and heavy music and choruses in the late '90s and early 2000s. They were the Christian music world's answer to Limp Bizkit, except in the long run they became more creative with their music.
Their debut wound up getting them signed by Tooth & Nail Records, and from there, the band continued to soar with their second release Phenomenon. Their follow-up saw much less of the rap/rock vibe, and floated more in the nu metal territory like many other of the rap/rock acts of the time.
Fast forward to 2014, and TFK just released OXYGEN:INHALE which gave a bit of a throwback to their hip-hop roots with the song "Untraveled Road."
PAX 217
Pax 217 was a band much like P.O.D. except they did not touch on metal or feature screaming. They were a little more hip-hop and reggae oriented, and put out solid hits such as "Prism" and "A.M." in the early 2000s.
Their second album, Engage, banked on even more of the hip-hop elements and looked to propel the band to be the next big thing. Unfortunately that was not the case as they disbanded in the mid-2000s.
In 2013 the band got together for two reunion shows in California. The shows appear to be a one time deal, and no future music appears to be in the works.
38th PARALLEL
Another band from the early 2000s, 38th Parallel was groomed to be the Christian Linkin Park. They featured two vocalists, one who rapped and one who sang. The band spawned two relatively popular songs, "Horizon" and "Turn the Tides."
They only put out an EP, a full length called Turn the Tides, and a demo before disbanding in 2006.
PILLAR
Some people may be wondering why Pillar is on this list, but like TFK, this late '90s forming band started with rap/rock. With their early demos and two early Christian label releases, Above and Fireproof, the band began to take off.
2002's Fireproof was a smash hit, gaining high praise from all over the music industry as they along with P.O.D. monopolized Christian rap/rock. "Fireproof" and "Further From Myself" were the big hits off the album.
Their next album Where Do We Go From Here, was completely devoid of rap as their style completely changed. Pillar has never went back to their rap roots, but continued to churn out successful albums before taking a break. Their last album was in 2009, but they are currently putting the finishing touches on a new release now.
Did we miss anyone with this list? What do you think of our compilation, do you agree?
