A Catholic blogger called Man in the Woods has a post that lists “The 13 Best Theological Band Names”. He opens his post this way: “How is it that many of the following bands on this list – who are anything but religious – seem more Catholic in their imagination than many Christians who likewise select religious band names? To put it another way, why is it that artists who seem least inclined to religion can come up with names that are remarkably theological, while those with far more of a taste for it come up with impotent names like Thousand Foot Krutch or Blessid Union of Souls? It is an interesting question and it demands a response. In part, I think the answer has something to do with the overall genericization of the Christian message, the sacramental gutting, if you will, of the deeply rooted theological language of the historical Faith.”
This blog cites the gentle 1960’s folksinging trio Peter, Paul and Mary as an “honorable mention”; even though those are the actual first names of the bandmembers, these three people are about as prominent as it gets in the New Testament.
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Nirvana – quite simply one of the best rock bands of the past quarter century – is one of the better known in this list of the Best Theological Band Names and the only one that does not have a direct Christian connection. Nirvana is somewhat analogous to Heaven in the Buddhist and Hindu religions, but just barely.
Other bands that Man in the Woods mentions include Faith No More (who had a big MTV hit with “Epic”) and Three Days Grace (I have their 2009 album, Life Starts Now), plus several others that I am not familiar with like Lamb of God, Testament, Our Lady Peace, Avenged Sevenfold, Sepultura, and Mercyful Fate.
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Another band that Man in the Woods brings up is Black Sabbath, whose fans generally use the much less sinister name Sabbath. Their debut album Black Sabbath is a harrowing venture into what he calls “the blues from hell”.
The website beliefnet.com has a Celebrity Faith Database and lists lead singer Ozzy Osbourne as a Christian. I have read other quotes where he rails against Satanism; and truly, you have to listen hard to find anything Satanic in the band’s lyrics – it is mostly the music that is very dark. The quote from beliefnet.com about Osbourne says: “Surprise! Ozzy Osbourne, AKA the Prince of Darkness, is actually a Christian, or in the least deeply connected to the religion. Despite references to Satanism and biting the head off of a bird, Ozzy found himself a member of the Church of England in 1992, saying that he prayed before every performance. He hasn’t spoken publicly about his faith since, but it has continued to be a subtle part of who he is. Ozzy’s marriage to wife Sharon Osbourne has certainly gone the distance; and his once wild, drug fueled lifestyle has tempered into a sober one. Ozzy was seen wearing crosses many times on his successful reality show [The Osbournes], even taking time to kiss the cross every now and then.”
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Judas Priest sounds like another band name with Satanic tinges, but actually, the phrase is sometimes used as a euphemism for the oath “Jesus Christ”. The popular English heavy metal band formed in 1969 and is still going strong. They are generally regarded as being one of the best in the business, with MTV ranking Judas Priest second on their list of “best metal bands”. Wikipedia says of the band: “Their influence, while mainly Rob Halford’s operatic vocal style (widely considered as one of the most unique vocalists in the genre) and the twin guitar sound of K.K. Downing and Glenn Tipton, has been adopted by many bands.”
Rob Halford is the first hard rock musician to come out as a gay man that I can recall, during an interview on MTV News in 1998.
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While few of these bands have anything religious on their albums, one example where that is the case is the English progressive rock band Genesis, who had considered calling themselves Gabriel’s Angels after lead singer Peter Gabriel. The other well known member of the band is Phil Collins.
The band’s debut album in 1969, From Genesis to Revelation – the beginning and ending books in the Bible – has a series of songs that are loosely based on religious themes.
There is also a thrash metal band called Exodus that formed in 1980 which I am not familiar with.
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Ministry is an American industrial metal band that was founded in 1981. I know them best for their pounding “Jesus Built My Hotrod” single that comes from their 1991 album Psalm 69. Butthole Surfers front man Gibby Haynes provides some vocal stylings during their mostly instrumental song.
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The Church is a long-lived Australian alternative rock band that was founded in 1980. The band is known for their psychedelic flourishes and Byrds-style Rickenbacker guitars. Their wonderful fifth album Starfish, which came out in 1988, includes one of my favorite 1980’s songs, “Under the Milky Way”.
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The Jesus and Mary Chain formed in Scotland in 1983 and was a highly influential alternative rock/indie band that, like their major influence the Velvet Underground, suffered from low record sales. According to Wikipedia, their tacky name might have been taken from a similarly tacky offering of a gold-colored religious chain on a breakfast cereal box.
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Dominated by the vocal presence of lead singer Scott Stapp, Creed was a major force in the post-grunge rock world during the 1990’s. Their spiritual lyrics led many to group the band with alternative and heavy metal Christian acts of the period like P.O.D. (which stands for “Payable On Death”), though the band tried to distance themselves from Christian contemporary musicians.
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The Sisters of Mercy (named for a well-known Irish religious order) was one of my favorite bands of the 1980’s alternative rock explosion, particularly their video of “This Corrosion” that I saw numerous times on the late-night MTV alternative rock showcase 120 Minutes. (The extended version of “This Corrosion” on their album Floodland was not nearly so effective). Andrew Eldritch is the only continuous member of the band (along with a drum machine called Doktor Avalanche that really is something special), though the grim visage of Patricia Morrison on the video for “This Corrosion” is at least as memorable as his own.
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The Red Tyger Church is a psychedelic/punk/gospel band that was formed in Sacramento in 2002, which started as a side project by singer/songwriter Mike Diaz. One of their songs, “Angie Vampyre” was included on a Spanish compilation album called We Hate the Underground.
Another band that comes to mind that is not mentioned in the Best Theological Band Names list is the Stiv Bators/Dave Tregunna punk rock band Lords of the New Church; they had first performed together as part of past UARB the Wanderers. The British alternative/dance band Jesus Jones had a 1990 hit called “Right Here, Right Now”.
I have several others in my collection that include the truly strange 700 Club (with the name taken from the long-lived TV religious program 700 Club) and the classically trained musician who calls himself MC 900 Ft. Jesus (named for the vision by Oral Roberts that led to the construction of a controversial hospital tower on the campus of Oral Roberts University).
(October 2014)
