Underrated Christian Metal Albums

[MetalPioneer]

Do you ever scratch your head as to why an album is not known by many people, but you think that it is amazing? There may be any number of factors contributing -- the band may be from a different country, their label doesn't promote the material well, the band is just extremely underground, etc. For this thread, you can post albums that you think are underrated and deserve more attention. Please give us the band name, album name, and a link where we can listen to their music (i.e. YouTube, Bandcamp page, etc.). You can also tell us why the album is amazing, if you'd like!

There's no restriction on when the album was released - it could be a new band or it might be from a decade ago!

[MetalPioneer]

I'll go first with one of my favorite black metal albums, Enemy of Satan by the band Demoniciduth (released in 2017). The lyrics of this album are amazing and extremely Christian. In a lot of ways they are similar to Horde, where they have a very anti-Santanic message. Musically, they are also influenced by Horde! Another cool thing about this album is that the production quality is top notch for black metal.

One reason they are not as well known is that their first few albums were extremely underground and difficult to find.

Fans of Horde, Hortor, and Antestor should all find some material to enjoy

[Kerrick]

^I delayed looking into these guys for some time due to the fact that Horde never really did it for me and from their name/artwork/titles I expected just another immature band singing about killing demons and such which I think is quite silly. But I regret that delay because they're actually very good and have great lyrics to boot. (I only have Enemy Of Satan so that's all I can comment on.) I was very impressed with the depth and maturity of their lyrics which makes me enjoy the music all the more. And that artwork is actually pretty dang cool too!

I'll have to take some time to think of some albums I consider to be underrated and will post them later. Great thread!

[MetalPioneer]

^I delayed looking into these guys for some time due to the fact that Horde never really did it for me and from their name/artwork/titles I expected just another immature band singing about killing demons and such which I think is quite silly.  But I regret that delay because they're actually very good and have great lyrics to boot.  (I only have Enemy Of Satan so that's all I can comment on.)  I was very impressed with the depth and maturity of their lyrics which makes me enjoy the music all the more.  And that artwork is actually pretty dang cool too!

I'll have to take some time to think of some albums I consider to be underrated and will post them later.    Great thread!

I'm glad you like the album! That's an interesting take on Horde but I can understand what you mean about the lyrics. I think I remember Jayson Sherlock saying that he did that mostly for the shock factor. If you look at traditional black metal bands like Venom, Mayhem, etc. they all have corny Satanic lyrics and he wanted to go 360 degrees in the opposite direction. So in a way, I kind of look at the lyrics as a form of satire. He wanted to tick off "elite" bm fans who thought the music was only for them and he certainly accomplished that. Looking forward to your selections!

[Kerrick]

Oh yeah, Horde's lyrics were totally fitting given the context. Hellig Usvart is a classic for good reason too; it's just not something I'm generally in the mood for or connect with much musically/lyrically. I actually was referring to Demoniciduth's name and album title(s) though; sorry for the confusion! I wasn't very clear... But with a band name that literally means "killing demons" I expected something far more juvenile than what they are. Their lyrics are actually quite compassionate and Gospel-centric instead of the expected "metal" sounding stuff of spiritual battles, etc. I really appreciate that and wish more bands were that way!

[MetalPioneer]

I'm glad you like them. Eventually Christian bands will run out of demon killing names and then they'll have to be more creative

I can think of:

Antidemon
Demon Hunter
Demoniciduth
Impaled Baphomet
Behead Demons
Demonic Extinction

And I'm sure there are plenty of bands I'm not thinking of at the moment.

[Kerrick]

^Ha, nice!  Yeah I can't think of any others right now either, though I'm sure there are indeed a ton more.

One of the first severely underrated albums that comes to mind is The Autumn League's sole album Concept Of Irony.  I'd categorize their music as melodic death metal though it's got more atmosphere and emotion packed into it than your typical melodeath album IMO.  It's got very good lyrics as well.  I find myself coming back to it again and again, and yet it never feels tired or boring.  You can listen to the whole thing here:
https://theautumnleague.bandcamp.com/

And here's the first song:

[MetalPioneer]

^Ha, nice!  Yeah I can't think of any others right now either, though I'm sure there are indeed a ton more.

One of the first severely underrated albums that comes to mind is The Autumn League's sole album Concept Of Irony.  I'd categorize their music as melodic death metal though it's got more atmosphere and emotion packed into it than your typical melodeath album IMO.  It's got very good lyrics as well.  I find myself coming back to it again and again, and yet it never feels tired or boring.  You can listen to the whole thing here:
https://theautumnleague.bandcamp.com/

And here's the first song:

Sounds pretty good! I hear some Insomnium influence!

[MetalPioneer]

My next offering is the album The Amen from the Finnish band Deuteronomium (2013). Don't let the band's name steer you away (yes, it's kind of cheesy). They have a long history and have changed styles since the band formed in the early 90s. Personally, I'm not a fan as much of their older material. However, I really like their last few albums. "The Amen" is melodic death metal but you can also hear some elements of thrash and prog as well. The band also has a "groove" style on some tracks that I enjoy.

Fans of Hilastherion, Malchus, Lamentations, and MDM in general will probably enjoy this.

[Mikey]

I really love this album by Awake The Suffering. I wish they would make another album, it's probably one of my favourite christian death metal albums

[MetalPioneer]

I really love this album by Awake The Suffering. I wish they would make another album, it's probably one of my favourite christian death metal albums

This sounds awesome! I don't think I've heard of this band before. The album is on Spotify so I'm going to give it a listen.

[MetalPioneer]

My next entry is thrash metal band Overlord's album Temple of Blood. The band is underrated partly because their first two albums saw very low supply and the mixing was pretty rough in terms of balance. The vocals were way too low in the mix. However, both issues were solved with 2019's reissues and remastering of the album. I recently picked up a copy of the reissued Temple of Blood album and didn't have to spend an arm and a leg!

This album shreds. I can honestly say that it is better than most songs that Metallica has released in recent years. Imagine if every song was as on fire as Spit Out the Bone. Fans of Deliverance's Weapons of Our Warfare will really enjoy this one. The other thing that I really like about Overlord is that they know how to create unique melodies and riffs. A lot of thrash metal bands seem to just copy and paste the same riffs over and over again, or think that only shredding is the way to go. Temple of Blood does both, with fast songs and slower songs with melodic riffs that are memorable. These musicians are really talented!

The band is also working on new material. Hopefully, a new album will come out this year! That's pretty exciting.

Now, it's difficult to find songs on YouTube from the remastered version, and several of my favorite songs (Anthem to the Unseen, Black Day of Execution) aren't on there. But here's one so that you can get an idea if you haven't heard them before (this is a good example of one of their faster songs).

[MetalPioneer]

Back with another underrated album! Fearscape is an Australian band that mixes thrash metal with elements of prog, black, and doom. It's a bit unclear if the band is still around, and they appear to be on indefinite hiatus since they haven't released any new music since 2009. I chose their album Scent of Divine Blood for my next entry.

Scent of Divine Blood is hard to categorize. I guess it's something like progressive blackened thrash metal. But the songs on the album also create a tremendous atmosphere. The haunting black metal shrieks on the album are just amazing. There are also 3 songs over 8 minutes, and I'm a sucker for long, progressive songs if they are crafted well. This band deserves a lot more attention than they've gotten, but listen and judge for yourself.

[Mikey]

Back with another underrated album! Fearscape is an Australian band that mixes thrash metal with elements of prog, black, and doom. It's a bit unclear if the band is still around, and they appear to be on indefinite hiatus since they haven't released any new music since 2009. I chose their album Scent of Divine Blood for my next entry.

Scent of Divine Blood is hard to categorize. I guess it's something like progressive blackened thrash metal. But the songs on the album also create a tremendous atmosphere. The haunting black metal shrieks on the album are just amazing. There are also 3 songs over 8 minutes, and I'm a sucker for long, progressive songs if they are crafted well. This band deserves a lot more attention than they've gotten, but listen and judge for yourself.

Yeah that album is awesome, wish they could make another like this I really love thrashy/progressive black metal

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