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Christian death metal
Stylistic origins	Christian metal, death metal
Cultural origins	Late-1980s – mid-1990s, Australia, North America, and Norway
Typical instruments	Electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, vocals
Other topics
Unblack metal

Christian death metal consists of death metal music fused with Christian metal; that is, death metal music with Christian lyrical content, or from bands whose members profess Christianity, or both. Sonically, it is identical to death metal, and the lyrics often direct the violent and morbid imagery of the death metal genre towards topics such as demons, sin, self and self-denial, divine judgment, and apocalypse. The thematic material and imagery of Christian death metal often matches or subverts that of secular death metal. Christian death metal is often considered an oxymoron and odd juxtaposition by commentators and has also encountered resistance from some Christians. The genre emerged in the late-1980s through the mid-1990s through the outputs of Mortification, Vomitorial Corpulence, and Paramaecium in Australia, Opprobrium, Living Sacrifice, and Crimson Thorn in the United States, Sympathy in Canada, and the early work of Antestor in Norway. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Norway's Extol, Finland's Immortal Souls and Deuteronomium, Sweden's Pantokrator, and the United States' Embodyment, Feast Eternal, Possession, Aletheian, and Becoming the Archetype further developed the scene.

Background

Death metal

Main article: Death metal

Characteristics

Death metal is an extreme sub-genre of heavy metal music that features fast, distorted, down-tuned, and sometimes palm-muted guitar instrumentation, growled and screamed vocals, and hyper-fast, blast beat drumming. Death metal lyrics typically feature graphic, sometimes pornographic and misogynistic, themes of violence, gore, disease, and death; Satanic, blasphemous, and anti-Christian content; or, to a lesser extent, war, apocalypse, social and philosophical concerns, and esotericism and spiritualism.

History

Death metal emerged as a genre during the mid-1980s, primarily out of thrash metal. In the early- to mid-1980s, the European bands Venom, Bathory, Celtic Frost (and its predecessor Hellhammer), Sodom, Destruction, and Kreator performed a more extreme style of heavy metal music that set sonic and lyrical templates for the thrash, black, and death metal genres. The American band Slayer also influenced what would become death metal, featuring graphic lyrics dealing with death, dismemberment, war, and the horrors of hell. However, the California band Possessed, which formed in 1983, is generally considered to have released first true death metal recording, Seven Churches, in 1985. Contemporary with Possessed, the band Death was formed in 1983 in Florida by Chuck Schuldiner, Kam Lee, and Rick Rozz. Inspired by the fellow Floridian act Nasty Savage, they took the sound of Nasty Savage and deepened it. It was called "the first true death metal record" by the San Francisco Chronicle. Schuldiner has been credited by AllMusic's Eduardo Rivadavia for being widely recognized as the "Father of Death Metal". Along with Possessed and Death, other pioneers of death metal include Obituary, Malevolent Creation, Monstrosity, Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, and Post Mortem.

Christian metal

Main article: Christian metal

Characteristics

Christian metal is not a solitary style of music but rather an ideological umbrella term that comprises every subgenre of heavy metal music, from hard rock to black metal. What sets the style apart is that Christian metal bands typically base their lyrics on Judeo-Christian traditions. AllMusic writes that Christian metal is "gospel music's hard rock" - while not as hard as most heavy metal, "it still has many of its trademarks, particularly loud guitars, bombastic riffs, long solos, and pseudo-operatic vocals." According to the website, most bands fall somewhere between arena rock and pop metal, although occasionally there are bands that are heavier. Author Michael Heatley notes, however, that Christian metal exists within most of the musical subgenres of metal, and Jussi Lahtonen of the Finnish punk and metal zine Sue similarly writes how Christian metal encompasses every metal subgenre.

The lyrics can be either explicitly Christian theological topics or else approaching other social or cultural issues from a Christian perspective. Some emphasize the positive aspects of faith matters while others iterate the teachings of Christ. Some bands keep their message hidden in metaphors. A minority take an aggressive attitude towards those who speak against Christianity, preaching "fire and brimstone" and "Old Testament Wrath of God" back at extreme Satanists. References to eschatology and apocalyptic themes, particularly the ongoing spiritual warfare between good and evil as well as the Last Judgment and fall from grace are typical. For many Christian metal artist, evangelism and missionizing is a major goal alongside creating a space for alternative expression of the Christian faith.

History

Christian metal has its origins in the late 1960s and early 1970s in the Jesus movement, a hippie movement with Christian ideology consisting of hippies that converted to Christianity. The Christian hippies within this movement, known as "Jesus People", developed a musical movement called Jesus music, which primarily began in southern California when hippie street musicians converted to Christianity. These musicians continued playing the same styles of music they had played before converting, among them heavy metal music, though they infused their lyrics with a Christian message. The first Christian hard rock group was possibly the California-based band Agape, formed in the late 1960s. Known for their psychedelic rock and blues influences, the band released an album titled Gospel Hard Rock in 1971, followed by Victims of Tradition in 1972. In the 1970s, Resurrection Band and Barnabas, from the United States, Daniel Band, from Canada, and the Swedish group Jerusalem emerged as Christian metal hard rock groups. Kris Klingensmith of Barnabas explained that "Since Christian musicians have always copied the trends and styles initiated by their secular counterparts, 'Christian metal' was unavoidable. If you want to know what Christian music will be doing tomorrow, all you need to do is see what the secular guys are doing today."

In the 1980s, Christian metal bands closely followed the trends of mainstream heavy metal bands. The American band Stryper, formed in 1983, was the first band to identify as Christian metal and gained attention for throwing Bibles to the audience at their concerts. In the beginning, mostly Christians went to Stryper's concerts but soon they broke out into a mainstream, non-Christian audience. Their third studio album, To Hell with the Devil, was a landmark of the mainstream glam metal movement. It reached No. 32 on the Billboard 200, was certified Platinum by the RIAA for reaching 1 million copies, and eventually broke the 2 million mark. The band's music videos were on regular rotation on MTV throughout the decade and Stryper was popular on tour, reaching millions of fans in the secular market. By 1987, there were more than a hundred Christian metal bands, and their records were sold at both Christian bookstores and non-Christian retails. The period of the late 1980s and early 1990s was when Christian metal reached its peak in popularity.

In the early 1990s, the rising musical styles, especially grunge, began to take their places as the dominant styles in the mainstream, which resulted in heavy metal music losing popularity and going underground for a decade. Many Christian metal musicians began to play extreme metal, and soon death metal replaced thrash metal in popularity. Audiences in many underground metal scenes began favoring more extreme sounds and disparaging the popular styles. As with other glam metal acts of the time, Stryper lost popularity and split up in 1993.

Thematic features of Christian death metal

The peculiarity of Christian death metal

Given the typical subject matter and musical style of death metal, Christian death metal has been considered an incongruous combination, being variously labeled a "bizarre beast", an oxymoron, "a contradiction in terms", and the least likely musical development at the close of the 20th century. Author Larry Eskridge remarked on the emergence of a Christian metal subculture that there even is "a Christian version of so-called death metal". Alexander Kiryushkin of Ultimate Guitar similarly stated regarding the goregrind act Vomitorial Corpulence: "Christian. Gore-grind. It is not supposed to go together and yet it does." Sabatino DiBernardo writes that when "Christian death metal" became just another subgenre of metal, two seemingly contrary spheres ironically co-mingle: a previously "demonic" noise becomes "transubstantiated miraculously into salvific Christian music." In the early 1990s as Mortification were releasing death metal albums, some Christians felt that death metal was not appropriate for Christians. In response, some fans of the scene started calling the music "life metal." Crimson Thorn also disliked being labeled death metal or grindcore, preferring instead the label of "gruntcore."

Conversely, the bands themselves and their fans do not see any contradiction between the chaotic subject matter and Christianity. As online fan expressed, "there are a lot of dark elements in the Bible, and in the world." Seth Metoyer, the owner of the independent record label Broken Curfew Records, a film composer, and member of the bands Mangled Carpenter, Pulpit Vomit, and Brain Matter, argues that brutal death metal music and the accompanying violent or gory imagery can evangelistically reach people who would never enter a church. He contends that this is part of the "becoming all things to all people" described in 1 Corinthians 9:22 and that, per Romans 14:3, Christians should not be passing judgement on each other. Some Christian metalheads even use the humorous term "Gorship" – coined by the band Impending Doom – to refer to the melding of death metal and grindcore with Christian lyrics. Scholar Tom Cardwell notes that heavy metal imagery, even when antagonistic to Christianity, draws heavily from Christian imagery and iconography.

The Christian metal musician Pekka stated that "in my opinion you cannot just splash the kinds of 'Jesus loves you, period' style of thing to death metal... ...One is allowed to do that but it is sort of to break with the style a bit." Conversely, Christian rock apologist Eric Sellin argues that "The fact that the lyrics are to the casual or first time listener rather indecipherable, that's just the nature of the scene. No one would say that a hymn that's in Latin is wrong because they don't speak the language. The shouting of thrash vocals, and death vocals, the growling is inherent in the metal scene." Kristiaan Hasselhuhn of the Swedish secular death metal band Inverted stated in a 1993 interview that "I don’t like those Christian death metal bands singing about God and that you shall devote your life to him. They are not in the scene for the music" but that "there are Christian death metal bands that are quite okay as long as they’re not telling you what to do."

Common topical themes

As with Christian metal more generally, Christian death metal often invokes violent imagery against Satan, demons, and sin, or otherwise emphasizes violence, death, and gore. Author Christopher Partridge holds that because the agenda is set by the music, not theology, it is difficult for Christian extreme musicians to move far beyond topics of violence, death, and apocalypse. These themes of death, chaos, and doom are also reflected in the choices of band names, such as Corpse, Mortification, Crimson Thorn, and Impending Doom. Much of this violence and gore is drawn from the Bible. For instance, the band name "Vomitorial Corpulence" refers to Revelation 3:15–16. Steve Rowe on Mortification's self-titled album delivered fire and brimstone sermons railing against sin "like a feverish Old Testament prophet" on songs like "The Destroyer Beholds" and "Satan's Doom". The latter song, a reference to Genesis 3:15, exclaims that Satan's "head will be crushed and vile gore spurt.” "J.G.S.H." from Blood World likewise repeats the line "Jesus grinds Satan's head". Similarly, "Hammering Satan's Head", by Vomitorial Corpulence from Karrionic Hacktitian, details the gory violence that Jesus Christ will inflict on Satan. Opprobrium on "The Battle of Armageddon" from Serpent Temptation (1988) create a story regarding Armageddon in the Bible. Crimson Thorn on "Comatose" imply that those without Christ are not truly alive (per 1 John 5:12), and on "Unearthed" (the title track to the 1994 album) refer to Christians being dead to self and alive in Christ. The judgement of sin and sinners also is a topic of Christian death metal. Crimson Thorn on "Imminent Wrath" describe the divine wrath awaiting those who reject or ignore Christ, Mortification on "Eternal Lamentation" sonically portrays the ungodly screaming in pain in Hell, and "Before He Spits Back" by Tortured Conscience warns that "“You can only spit in God’s face for so long. Before He spits back."

Again like Christian metal more broadly, Christian death metal lyrics also sometimes convey the Christian belief that believers are at spiritual war against, and must actively resist, Satan and demons, the world system, and their own human nature, as exemplified in songs such Vengeance Rising’s "Warfare", Mortification’s "New Beginnings", "Blood Sacrifice", and "Brutal Warfare", and Crimson Thorn's "Your Carcass". However, violence against fellow humans is not deemed acceptable or advocated for in any way. Indeed, "Seen it All" by Mortification condemns the violence of the world. Some bands, such as Tortured Conscience, Sordid Death, Crimson Thorn, Grim, and Lament, will lyrically engage in a form of self-flagellation. The Christian metal website The Whipping Post exemplifies this type of self-flagellation with its motto "Brutal whipping for our sin...brutal music for our savior." Similarly, the name of the deathcore band Voluntary Mortification refers to self-denial and willful embrace of suffering and humility. Social topics are sometimes touched on by Christian death metal artists; for instance, the Mortification song "Toxic Shock" decries drug abuse and "Grind Planetarium" mocks a rock star's desire to be worshipped, and Tortured Conscience's "Moloch Reborn" rejects abortion. Lyrics sometimes are turned toward perceived political and religious opponents, as in the case of "Malignant Masters" by Crimson Thorn that excoriates liberal academics, "An Open Letter" by Tortured Conscience that rebuts Jehovah's Witnesses, and Opprobrium's excoriation of corrupt political and religious leaders on "Blaspheming Prophets".

Common imagery

Christian death metal sometimes inverts or subverts the Satanic or anti-Christian thematic imagery of death metal. For example, Mortification's song "Necromanicide" transforms a Satanic ritual into a warning against the profane: "Communication with the dead / Contact with those in the grave ... This foul practice must be stopped / Before your cadaver starts to rot / Fall prostrate before the cross / Bathe in the blood of the sacrifice". Voluntary Mortification uses the Cross of Saint Peter in their logo, a subversion of the common metal trope of inverted crosses used for shock value. Similarly, the band reappropriated the disparaging term "death cult" in reference to Christianity for a tour tagline of "we are the death cult". Some bands in response to use of the pentagram secular and Satanic metal bands have created their own alternative imagery, such as Mortification's use of the Star of David on Hammer of God, Deborah's use of the heptagram on Soteria, or Impending Doom's "repentagram" (an originally composed, nine-pointed symbol). Cosmo Lee from Stylus Magazine noted once seeing a t-shirt rendering the Megadeth logo as "Megalife". Christian extreme metal bands also frequently use the established extreme metal convention of band name logos rendered in elaborate, nearly indecipherable type, for example, in the logos of Old Man Frost, Crimson Moonlight, Pantokrator, Living Sacrifice, Detritus, and Crimson Thorn.

History

Early antecedents (late 1980s)

Christian death metal band to develop in the late-1980s. As the secular hardcore punk scene became heavier, faster, and more aggressive, and fused with heavy metal to create genres such as speed metal and thrash metal, the Christian metal scene likewise grew heavier, aggressive, and extreme. In 1987, the American band Vengeance (later known as Vengeance Rising) was formed as a Christian alternative to the death metal scene. Their 1988 debut, Human Sacrifice, features a heavy thrash metal very close to, and at times veering into, death metal. The record opened the way for the proliferation of Christian extreme metal, and, according to HM, the impact of it and the 1990 follow-up, Once Dead, on Christian extreme metal "cannot be overstated". According to Doug Van Pelt of HM, "Nothing has really come out before or since this album hit the scene", and the songs "White Throne" and "Human Sacrifice", are high water marks of Christian metal. The Pennsylvania band Sacrament also featured a very heavy thrash sound that comes close to that of death metal. Eddie Lloyd of Indie Vision Music writes that they were either the first Christian death metal band or that genre's heaviest thrash metal band. Their 1989 debut, Testimonies of the Apocalypse, featured a sound similar to the "old school" death metal of Death, Obituary, and early Entombed. The progressive thrash metal band Believer, founded in 1986, also mixed death metal along with symphonic metal into sound for its three releases in 1989, 1990, and 1993.

Emergence of Christian death metal (early through mid-1990s)

Incubus (later known as Opprobrium), formed in 1986 in Louisiana, United States by two brothers recently immigrated from Brazil, was Christian and in the late 1980s experimented with a death metal sound. They released their debut album, The Serpent Temptation, in 1988.

Australia

Subsequent the work of Opprobrium, the Melbourne, Australia groups Mortification and Vomitorial Corpulence, both from Melbourne, Australia, were the main progenitors of the Christian death metal. Mortification, was formed in 1990 out of Steve Rowe's previous band Lightforce, after Rowe decided to move in a heavier direction influenced by Morbid Angel and Napalm Death. Initially, the band's sound was thrash and early death metal. Under the name Lightforce, it had recorded a demo, Break the Curse. The band then changed its name, released the demo in 1990, then debuted with a self-titled album in 1991. The self-titled debut sonically featured a grindcore sound. By 1992, Mortification had moved to a deathgrind sound for that years' release, Scrolls of the Megilloth. This release proved particularly influential in the development of Christian death metal. Kirk Dombek of AllMusic considers the vocals on that recording the "most frightening" ever recorded, and notes that the band is considered by many to be the most extreme Christian band in existence. Barry Alfonso in The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music describes the recording as plunging the listener into a "nightmarish landscape of tortured humanity". The band began to then shift from grindcore toward power metal for their fourth album, Post Momentary Affliction. With that album and the live video album Live Planetarium, both released in 1993, Mortification became not only the most successful and popular Christian death metal group but achieved success in the general market, becoming one of the best-selling heavy metal bands from Australia. Following the 1993 releases, the band again sonically evolved, incorporating groove metal, thrash, power metal, grindcore, and punk into their death metal sound.

The goregrind band Vomitorial Corpulence formed in 1992. The band debuted in 1995 with their album Karrionic Hacktitian released via the compilation album The Extreme Truth through Steve Rowe's Rowe Productions label. Skin Stripper, a 27-song collection of grindcore similar to early period Carcass, was released in 1999. Paul Green, the founder of the band, then moved to the United States in 2001 and reformed the band. Skin Stripper was re-released through Morbid Records and Vomitorial Corpulence began recording new material. However, Green relocating once again to Australia effectively ended the band's tenure.

In 1991, also in Melbourne, the death-doom band Paramaecium was founded. Its demo, Silent Carnage, was in a death metal style. In 1993, Jayson Sherlock left Mortification to join the band, which released its debut, Exhumed of the Earth, in 1993. Jonathan Swank of HM called the release "the most powerful and moving death/doom recording in the history of Christian metal."

North America

Roughly contemporary with Mortification and Vomitorial Corpulence, the bands Living Sacrifice and Crimson Thorn, from the United States, and Sympathy, from Canada emerged. Living Sacrifice formed in 1989 in Little Rock, Arkansas and was noted for its death metal sound and evangelical Christian lyrics. Heavily influenced by the Florida death metal scene, the band released three recordings in this vein — Living Sacrifice (1991), Nonexistent (1992), and Inhabit (1994). The debut release featured more of a thrash sound whereas the latter two were more death metal. The band then evolved to a different, more punk influenced, style in the late 1990s. As Living Sacrifice shifted direction in its musical style, two of the members, Lance Garvin and Rocky Gray, formed Soul Embraced in 1997 as a side-project to continue making death metal music. Crimson Thorn, formed in Minneapolis, is described by Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic as "surely one of the world's most extreme-sounding Christian metal bands." The band's second release, Dissection, released in 1997, was described by Rad Rockers as "the supreme perfection of Christian death metal." Sympathy began as a five-piece ensemble in 1991 but by 1995 was reduced to a solo project for the recording and release of Age of Darkness. It reformed with an expanded line-up in 2000.

Norway

Lars Stokstad of Antestor, performing at Elements of Rock, 2011, in Switzerland. In the early 1990s, the band, under the name Crush Evil, earned notoriety as a Christian death and black metal band amidst antagonistic Norwegian black metal scene.

In Norway, amidst the early Norwegian black metal scene, the band Antestor formed in 1990, under name Crush Evil. In the first half of the 1990s, the band, which changed its name to Antestor in 1991, performed a mix of doom, death, black, and thrash metal, which they dubbed "sorrow metal". The presence of the band in a violently anti-Christian scene attracted negative attention. The black metal musician Faust, of the band Emperor, in an early 1990s interview with Euronymous, of the band Mayhem, asked if the existence of Crush Evil as a Christian death metal band was a sign of things going "too far" and asked Euronymous, "any advice on how we should kill them?" As their career progressed, Antestor gradually transitioned from death-doom to a more black metal doom sound. In an HM review of the album Martyrium (recorded in 1994 but not released until 2000), Jamie Lee Rake asked "might Antestor have been a band of believers who were actually (sit down for this one) innovating in their scene?" The band is credited as the main act which birthed Northern Europe's Christian extreme metal scene.

Late 1990s developments

In the late 1990s, additional bands became an influence on the scene: Extol (founded in 1993 in Norway), the Finnish melodic death metal bands Immortal Souls (founded in 1991) and Deuteronomium (founded in 1993), Pantokrator (founded in Sweden in 1996), the United States bands Possession (founded in 1991), Feast Eternal (1992), and Aletheian (1997), and Sacrificium (founded in Germany in 1993).

Northern Europe

Deuteronomium live at Immortal Metal Fest, Kupittaan Palloiluhalli, Turku, Finland, in 2009.

The earliest Finnish Christian metal group was the extreme metal band Destroyer of Black metal, formed in 1990. The group released a few demos, including Death of a Soul, and then disbanded. Aki Särkioja from the group then went on to found Immortal Souls, and Manu Lehtinen from the band founded Deuteronomium. The latter became a forerunner of Christian metal in Finland, and is considered the first "big name", and likely the most celebrated band, in that scene. It released the EP Tribal Eagle in 1997 to great success in the emerging Finnish Christian metal scene. In 1998, Manu Lehtinen and Miika Partala from the band founded Little Rose Productions, a combined Christian metal record label and music importer and exporter – the first of its kind in Finland. Deuteronomium released their studio debut, Street Corner Queen, in 1998, through the label. The band achieved popularity beyond Finland, touring in Norway, the Netherlands, and Mexico, and selling out most of their 1990s releases. Deuteronomium then went through several hiatuses and line-up changes, but they and Immortal Souls outlasted their peers in the Finnish scene. The short-lived band Tinnitus, from Jakobstad, in the late 1990s became an outlet for Christian teenagers from conservative free churches which were antagonistic to heavy metal.

Ole Børud, a member of Extol and the co-founder of Schaliach and Fleshkiller.

Schaliach, from Norway, was founded in 1995 and fused melodic death metal with doom metal, goth metal, black metal, and classical influences. Jillian Drachman for Metal Injection writes that "By finding their own sound, Schaliach was able to reconcile form and content to an extent that remains admirable though still imperfect." The angel statue depicted on the band's only studio album, Sonrise (1996), is, according to Drachman, a metaphor for how the band carved "a tribute to the divine" out of mostly hard and heavy music. Ole Børud, half of the duo that comprised Schaliach, then went to join Extol in time for that band's 1998 debut studio album, Burial. That album, according to Lloyd Harp of HM, "may have single-handedly been responsible for the revival of Christ-centered extreme metal." AllMusic's Mike DaRonco considered the release "a breath of fresh air among a genre that relies on satanic gimmicks." According to Jesus Freak Hideout's Timothy Estabrooks, the band's 2000 release Undeceived was the "high water mark" of Christian death metal, "practically defining" the genre just as Mortification had years earlier. Per Estabrooks, Extol is – arguably, with respect to Mortification – the greatest Christian death metal act of all time.

Germany's Sacrificium was founded in 1993 as a thrash metal band named Corpus Christi. By the time of their first demo in 1994, the band had changed to a death metal sound, and following the release of the demo changed its name to Sacrificium. The band went through continual line-up changes, releasing a second demo in 1996 and a third, Mortal Fear, in 1998. This third release attracted media attention and received positive reviews. Still going through line-up changes, in 2000 the band continued to play live and supported acts such as Extol and My Darkest Hate.

North America

The band Possession formed in Kansas City in 1991 and promulgated a style that mixed thrash metal with death metal, black metal, and traditional and speed metal. Despite being very underground and putting out only a minimal amount of music which remains largely unknown, the band was critically acclaimed and proved influential in Christian extreme metal and members went on to join the bands Frost Like Ashes, Elgibbor, and Unblack Metal Fist. Feast Eternal, formed 1992 in the United States, debuted in 1999 with Prisons of Flesh, which, despite being an underground release, sold well both in the United States and internationally in Europe and South America. Embodyment, formed in 1992 in the United States, started as a death metal band and then became a pioneer of the deathcore genre with their 1998 debut, Embrace the Eternal. The release is considered possibly the earliest example of deathcore. Lament was founded in Mexico in 1993 under the name Beheaded. Debuting in 1997 with Tear of the Leper, the band became Mexico's premier underground death metal group. In the mid-1990s, Harry Rocco, the founding member of the secular death metal band Decayed Existence, converted to Christianity and the band released two Christian death metal albums, In Due Time in 1997 and Violent by Design in 1998, before disbanding.

Subsequent developments (early 2000s-present)

Sacrificium live at Elements of Rock, Uster, Switzerland, in 2007.

The scene has so proliferated in Scandinavia that Christian death metal festivals have appeared. Apart from the abundance of festivals in North America, the scholar Matthew Peter Unger in 2016 found that very little scholarship exists of the contemporary Christian extreme metal scenes in the United States and Canada. He attributes this to the underground nature of these scenes, which rely on the Internet and broad international and secular coverage.

Europe

After the first breakup of Deuteronomium, the record store portion of Little Rose Productions was sold to Lasse Niskala and Päivi Niemii, who then Maanalainen Levykauppa/The Underground Recordstore. This became one the largest Christian music retail outlets in Finland. In the Finnish Christian death metal scene, Meggidon and Hilastherion emerged alongside the older Immortal Souls and Deuteronomium. In 2014, Pantokrator released Incarnate, which HM's Collin Simula considered a rare example of Christian death metal that does not sound sub-par or forced. In Ukraine, the band Holy Blood formed in 1999, initially as a hardcore and deathgrind band, then transitioning to a melodic death metal style before settling on a folk metal sound in 2002 that blends black and death metal. Most Ukrainian extreme metal bands which now exist are either influenced by or had members play in Holy Blood.

Impending Doom at the Dugout, Miami, Florida, United States, on June 22, 2009.

North America

In 1999, Becoming the Archetype formed in the United States and became a leader in the Christian death metal scene. In 2002, the American grindcore band Tortured Conscience was included on the Arachnid Terror Sampler compilation and contributed a rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy" on the metal-style Christmas compilation A Brutal Christmas: The Season in Chaos. The latter contribution was considered by Kerrang! Radio to be "easily the standout track" from the compilation. Tortured conscience then released Every Knee Shall Bow, a "grindcore masterpiece", in 2006, before breaking up. Over a decade later, in 2023, the reformed band released One Law One King. Impending Doom formed in 2005 and has since become one of the more recognizable Christian death metal bands. Performing death metal and grindcore blended into a form of brutal death metal, the band after its 2007 debut was considered by Cosmo Lee of Stylus Magazine to perhaps be the most extreme in its scene. In the mid 2000s, Decayed Existence reformed and then released Eulogy in 2018 and the EP The Beginning of Sorrows in 2024.

Australia

In 2010, Jayson Sherlock and Sheldon D'Costa, after the demise of their previous band, inExordium, formed the technical brutal death metal band Revulsed. The 2015 debut, Infernal Atrocity, made end-of-the-year lists of No Clean Singing and Metal Injection for the best metal albums of 2015.

South Asia

Blood Covenant, from Chennai, formed in 2004 and is one of the pioneers of the extreme metal scene in South India. The founder, Eddie Prithviraj, had previously founded the extreme metal band Bone Saw in the early 1990s, and formed Blood Covenant four years after that band broke up. Since the 1990s and the founding of Bone Saw, Prithviraj has worked heavily as a promoter of and event manager for the heavy metal music scene in South India, which saw an explosion of popularity in the 2000s.

References

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• Wiederhorn, Jon (June 18, 2019). "Florida Death Metal's Gory Rise, Groundbreaking Reign: Definitive Oral History". Revolver. Retrieved October 11, 2019.

Resources

• Connor, Mike (September 1–8, 2004). "To Hell With the Devil: Can't figure out how Christian black metal could possibly exist? Read this fast, because FaithFest SC is here". Metro Santa Cruz. Retrieved October 29, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)

Ancient Winter
Studio album by Leah
Released	November 15, 2019 (2019-11-15)
Genre	Celtic, Christmas music, folk, world music, medieval music
Length	34:59
Language	English, Latin, French
Label	Ex Cathedra Records
Producer	Oliver Philipps
Leah chronology
The Quest (2018) Ancient Winter (2019) The Glory & the Fallen (2024)
Singles from Ancient Winter
"Redemption" Released: July 15, 2019

Ancient Winter is the fourth studio album by Canadian musician Leah, released on November 15, 2019 on her label Ex Cathedra Records. The recording is a Christmas album, with five original songs and three renditions of medieval Christmas carols. Leah on previous releases blended symphonic metal with Celtic, folk, and world music, but on this release eschewed metal music entirely. In addition to Leah herself, the musicians on the album are Shir-Ran Yinon (of Eluveitie, New Model Army, and Cellar Darling) on fiddle, violin, and viola, Anna Murphy (of Eluveitie and Cellar Darling) on hurdy-gurdy, Troy Donockley (of Nightwish, Iona, and The Bad Shepherds) on Uilleann pipes and whistles, and Rupert Gillett on cello and salaw. The album was produced by Oliver Phillipps.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Leah McHenry, except as noted

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"The Whole World Summons"			4:56
2.	"Light of the World"			4:20
3.	"Upon Your Destiny"			6:03
4.	"Redemption"			5:21
5.	"The Messenger"			2:11
6.	"Gaudete"	Traditional	Traditional; arranged by McHenry	3:29
7.	"Puer Natus"	Traditional	Traditional; arranged by McHenry	3:21
8.	"Noel Nouvelet"	Traditional	Traditional; arranged by McHenry	5:15
Total length:				34:59

The Quest
Studio album by Leah
Released	October 5, 2018 (2018-10-05)
Genre	Celtic metal, gothic metal, symphonic metal
Length	52:16
Label	Inner Wound Recordings • Ex Cathedra Records
Producer	Oliver Phillips
Leah chronology
Kings & Queens (2015) The Quest (2018) Ancient Winter (2019)
Singles from The Quest
"Edge of Your Sword" Released: September 14, 2018 "Lion Arises" Released: September 28, 2018

The Quest is the third studio album by Canadian Celtic symphonic metal musician Leah, released on October 5, 2018, through Inner Wound Recordings and her own label, Ex Cathedra Records. Supporting Leah on the recording as a backing band are Timo Somers of Delain and Vengeance on guitar, Barend Courbois of Vengeance and Blind Guardian on bass, Sander Zoer of Delain, Troy Donockley of Nightwish and Iona on pipes and flute, and Chen Balbus on saz and oud. The album was produced by Oliver Phillips and mastered and mixed by Jacob Hansen. Prior to the album's release, Leah released two singles: "Edge of Your Sword" on September 14, 2018, and "Lion Arises" on September 28, 2018.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Leah McHenry except track 10

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Quest"		10:19
2.	"Edge of Your Sword"		5:02
3.	"Lion Arises"		4:41
4.	"Heir"		4:08
5.	"Ruins of Illusion"		4:19
6.	"Labyrinth"		5:16
7.	"Abyss"		5:33
8.	"Oblivion (Between Two Worlds)"		5:05
9.	"Ghost Upon a Throne"		4:30
10.	"The Water is Wide"	Unknown; traditional	3:19
Total length:			52:16

Personnel

Primary artist

• Leah - Songwriting, vocals, piano, keys, arrangement, and orchestration

Supporting personnel

• Troy Donockley - Pipes, flutes

• Barend Courbois - Bass
• Timo Somers - Guitars
• Sander Zoer - Drums, percussion
• Chen Balbus - Saz, oud

Technical personnel

• Oliver Philipps - Production, arrangement, and orchestration
• Jacob Hansen - Mixing and mastering
• Jan Yrlund - Graphic art and album design
• Sarah Sovereign - Photography
• Kristen Estes - Additional graphic and video design

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
Worldwide	October 3, 2018	Ex Cathedra Records	Digital download and streaming with bonus instrumental tracks (Bandcamp exclusive)
Worldwide	October 5, 2018	Ex Cathedra Records	Digital download and streaming
Sweden	October 5, 2018	Inner Wound Recordings	CD digipak	IW83081
Sweden	October 5, 2018	Inner Wound Recordings	CD limited edition digipack	IW83081
Europe	October 5, 2018	Inner Wound Recordings	CD	IW83081
Sweden	October 5, 2018	Inner Wound Recordings	Double LP limited edition (transparent packaging)	IW83082
Sweden	October 5, 2018	Inner Wound Recordings	Double LP limited edition (black packaging)	IW83082
Worldwide	June 7, 2019	Ex Cathedra Records	Instrumental version; digital download and streaming

References

"Winter Sun"
Single by Leah and Eric Peterson
Released	December 15, 2015
Studio	Ex Cathedra Records, Vancouver, British Columbia • Trident Studios, Pacheco, California • Spacelab Studios, Kempen, North Rhine-Westphalia • Eroc's Mastering Ranch, Breckerfeld, North Rhine-Westphalia
Genre	Symphonic metal
Length	5:27
Label	Ex Cathedra Records
Composer(s)	Leah McHenry • Eric Peterson
Lyricist(s)	McHenry
Leah singles chronology
"This Present Darkness" (2015) "Winter Sun" (2015) "The Dragonborn Comes (Skyrim Theme Song)" (2017)
Eric Peterson singles chronology
"Winter Sun" (2015)

"Winter Sun" is a symphonic metal single by the Canadian singer Leah and the American guitarist Eric Peterson, released on December 15, 2015 and premiered on December 23, 2015. Peterson, of the bands Testament and Dragonlord, had previously collaborated with Leah on the 2013 single "Dreamland" from her 2013 EP Otherworld, after which Leah joined Dragonlord. In addition to Leah and Peterson, other members of Dragonlord rounded out the recording.

Background

Leah McHenry, from Vancouver, British Columbia, began recording and performing under the mononym Leah in 2011. Known as the "metal version" of Enya or Loreena McKennitt, she combines world music influences, especially Celtic and folk music, with heavy metal. In 2013, she released the EP Otherworld, which featured the single "Dreamland" on which her friend Eric Peterson provided guest vocals. Peterson, from Berkeley, California, co-founded the thrash metal band Testament in 1983, of which he is still the sole constant member. In 2001, he formed the symphonic black metal band Dragonlord as a side-project. Peterson stated that he has known Leah since 2001 and worked with her around 2005 or 2008, and so when Leah contacted him and asked him to sing on the recording, he took her up on the offer. Peterson then invited Leah to join Dragonlord for the recording of Dominion, which was released in 2018.

Recording

The recordings for "Winter Sun" were composed long distance in at least three countries – Canada, Germany, and Slovenia – in as many days. Peterson and Leah used WhatsApp to transmit voice recordings as they orchestrated the vocals, drums, bass, and guitar. Leah wrote the lyrics and performed vocals, synth, and harp; Peterson performed the guitar parts along with percussion. Other members of Dragonlord and Testament provided the rest of the instrumentation: Tilen Hudrap played bass, Alex Bent played drums, and Lyle Livingston added additional keyboard. Juan Urteaga recorded drums at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California. Christian Moos mixed the song at Spacelab Studios and Eroc mastered it at Eroc's Mastering Ranch. Following the recording of "Winter Sun", Leah and Peterson planned to create a project, My Immortal Beloved, with similar songs, but Peterson prioritized Dragonlord instead.

Style

The symphonic metal song blends the melodic side of Peterson's thrash metal background and Leah's Celtic metal fusion. Peterson's guitar and Leah's vocals trade melodies in duet. The song begins delicately and gradually increases in intensity: Leah's vocals build into a haunting operatic choir and Peterson's guitar work becomes full heavy metal, his playing concluding the song.

Formats and track listing

• "Winter Sun" - Digital MP3 file, 320 kbps

Personnel

Primary artists

• Leah McHenry - vocals, synths, harp, lyrics

• Eric Peterson - guitars, percussion

Supporting musicians

• Alex Bent - drums
• Tilen Hudrap - bass
• Lyle Livingston - additional keys

Technical credits

• Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios - drum recording

• Christian Moos of Spacelab Studios - mixing
• Eroc of Eroc's Mastering Ranch - mastering
• Jan Yrlund - artwork & video

Adapted from official credits

Release history

The single was initially released on Bandcamp on December 15, 2015. The single was then premiered on Loudwire on December 23, 2015, with a lyric video hosted on YouTube. "Winter Sun" was made available on Apple Music and Spotify on November 13, 2017.

References

Kings & Queens
Studio album by Leah
Released	February 3, 2015
Studio	Green Room Studio, Canada • Spacelab Studios, Germany • Eroc's Mastering Ranch, Germany
Genre	Celtic metal, gothic metal, power metal, progressive metal, symphonic metal
Length	73:09
Label	Ex Cathedra Records Inner Wound Recordings
Producer	Timo Somers
Leah chronology
Otherworld (2013) Kings & Queens (2015) The Quest (2018)
Singles from Kings & Queens
"Enter the Highlands" Released: December 11, 2014 "This Present Darkness" Released: January 10, 2015

Kings & Queens is the second studio album by the Canadian Celtic symphonic metal musician Leah, released February 3, 2015, through the Swedish outlet Inner Wound Recordings and Leah's own Ex Cathedra Records. It follows up her 2012 studio debut, Of Earth & Angels. On this release, Leah teamed up with Timo Somers (Delain, Vengeance), Barend Courbois (Vengeance, Blind Guardian), and Sander Zoer (Delain), whom she met during the recording of the Otherworld EP. Two singles were released in advance of the album: "Enter the Highlands", on December 11, 2014, and "This Present Darkness", on January 10, 2015. The album was generally well received by critics, who praised Leah's voice and diversity of influences, as well as the performance by the backing band; but received some criticism for becoming repetitive over the album's fourteen tracks, lacking catchiness, and somewhat burying Leah's voice in the mix in comparison to previous recordings.

Background and recording

Leah McHenry, mononymously known as Leah, is from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She released her debut album, Of Earth & Angels, in 2012, then a Christmas EP, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent, that December. A second EP, Otherworld, was released in 2013. Christian Moos mixed that recording in Germany, and during that process heard from Leah that she was working on a new project and looking for musicians for it. Moos introduced her to Timo Somers, a guitarist for Delain and Vengeance. Somers then in turn sought to help her find a bassist and drummer, and he introduced her to his bandmates Barend Courbois (of Vengeance and Blind Guardian) and Sander Zoer (of Delain), respectively. Oliver Phillips of Everon rounded out her backing band. On previous recordings, Leah, in her opinion, was still trying to find her sound, writing what she liked, exploring how heavy that she wanted to go and assessing public reaction. For the project that became Kings & Queens, she knew that she wanted to in a heavier, metal, and more progressive direction. She states that she also wanted to emphasize different aspects of her voice more on the project. She told Metal Storm that "I've always admired people like Devin Townsend who have many different 'voices' that they use for different effects or dramatics, and I aspire to have that ability as well." Her goal for Kings & Queens was to bring out both her "soft 'Enya'" voice and her "mix" voice – a combination of head and chest voice, "and a little bit of operatic style." She also worked in some soul stylings and "R&B runs".

The songwriting process that Leah followed began the same way it had for previous releases. She wrote the core of the songs, working out the chord progressions, lyrics, and melodies. Then she collaborated with Somers and the songs took on more shape. She would email Somers the demos, and would add sample guitars, bass, and drum lines and then he would email them back to her. The files then would be sent back and forth as each worked on them. Somers produced Courbois' and Zoer's bass and drum parts, respectively, in the studio. Christian Moos mixed the album, and the mastering was provided by Eroc.

Release

In advance of Kings & Queens, Leah released two singles from it, "Enter the Highlands", on December 11, 2014, and "This Present Darkness", on January 10, 2015. The album was released digitally on February 3, 2015, through Leah's own Ex Cathedra Records, and on April 10, 2015, on CD through the Swedish label Inner Wound Recordings. Inner Wound Recordings reissued the album on December 15, 2017, as a 300-copy limited-edition vinyl double album.

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Cross Fire	7/10
Hardrock Haven	9/10
Lords of Metal	78/100
Metal Storm	First reviewer: 8.2/10 Second, third, and fourth reviewers: 8/10 Fifth reviewer: 6/10
Rock Castle Franken	9/10
Sonic Cathedral	8/10
Sputnikmusic	3.5/5
Stormbringer.at	3/5

Kings & Queens was generally well received by music critics. Steve Burdelak of the website Cross Fire rated the album 7 out 10, calling it a solid piece of work but opining that, at fourteen tracks long, the music becomes too repetitive and familiar, even with the "oriental-inspired" song "Alpha et Omega". Joe Mis of Hardrock Haven rated the album 9 out of 10, summarizing that "There is enough variety and diversity to please even the pickiest of listeners, and the sheer breadth of performance talents and songwriting skills set Leah apart from the crowd." They called "Enter the Highlands" the true apex of the album as its technical performances are "near perfection". William Pezy for the online magazine Lords of Metal rated Kings & Queens 78 out of 100, stating that Leah was able to keep their attention through all fourteen songs, and in a crowded genre it stands out as a good album.

Susan of the webzine Metal Storm rated the album 8.2 out of 10. She described it a as a "grand symphonic opus" and praised the diversity of musical stylings on the recording and the "top notch" performances by the backing band. Their one complaint was the mixing, which they felt somewhat buried Leah's voice compared to previous recordings where it was more prominent. Despite this, they considered Kings & Queens a "jewel of an album." Three other staff members from Metal Storm rated the album 8 out of 10 and the editor-in-chief rated it 6/10.

Rainer Kerber of Rock Castle Franken gave the album a 9 out of 10, considering it a fantastically beautiful album with fourteen tracks that will enchant the listener. They felt that when they immersed themselves in the music, various scenes from The Lord of the Rings came to mind. They highlighted the songs "Arcadia", "Enter the Highlands", "Hourglass", "The Crown", and Leah's acoustic rendition of "Siúil a Rúin".

John Thornburgh of Sonic Cathedral said that Leah's new team of musicians delivered and produced an album that was epic, heavy, and beautiful; they rated the album 8 out of 10. They highlighted three songs which demonstrate Somer's guitar skill: "Enter the Highlands", "Save the World", and "Angel Fell". They did feel that these songs lacked the catchiness of songs that they liked on Of Earth & Angels, but they felt that this catchiness reappears later in the album, particularly on "Heart of Poison" and "Hourglass". Thornburgh considered the nearly eight-minute-long "Palace of Dreams" to be the heart of the album, with its strong guitar and piano and lyrical tie-in to the album title. They also considered "This Present Darkness", "Remnant", and "Siúil a Rúin" to be notable tracks. In addition to Kings and Queens not being as catchy as Of Earth & Angels, Thornburgh criticized the former for its excessive length, running nearly twice as long as its predecessor or The Human Contradiction by Delain. Nevertheless, he believed that Kings & Queens "cements Leah’s reputation as the metal Loreena McKennitt (or Enya)".

Sputnikmusic staff writer Trey rated the album 3.5 out of 5, a designation of "great." Lady Cat of the webzine Stormbringer.at rated the album 3.0 out of 5.0, considering the album nicely done, softened, and ironed-smooth, but also repetitive, too long, and lacking variety. Bianca Riessinger of Metal Inside evaluated the album as technically rock-solid, but excessively long and without any catchy tunes that listeners will remember after they have heard them. Edwin Knip of Rockportal.nl wrote that Kings & Queens contains strong lyrics and good music, and that Leah's voice remains beautiful and calm. Though they felt some songs could have used a more aggressive, sharper-edge voice, but the vocal approach taken by Leah provides something different.

Style & lyrics

The musical style of Kings & Queens was described variously as Celtic metal, gothic metal, power metal, progressive metal, and symphonic metal. Lyrically, the album metaphorically explores the topic of freedom verses power:

One theme in particular is the historical and metaphorical grip around our throats we feel from top-down agendas that threaten our freedoms. It seems to be a never-ending game of chess between those who demand power and those who would preserve freedom. It’s the theme of every good fantasy book and film, and the message rings true for even our modern world.

— Leah McHenry, Press release by Leah

Lords of Metal categorized Kings & Queens as gothic metal, and the reviewer William Pezy said that the music is best described as "epic-, bombastic- and power metal" in which Leah's voice explicitly reveals her love of Celtic music. Crossfire's Steve Burdelak considered the album to be power metal with Celtic influences. He found the style to be in the vein of Delain, Amaranthe, Lullacry, Within Temptation, Sirenia and Lunatica. He compared Leah's voice to that of Enya, Amy Lee, and, in moments of pathos, Sharon den Adel. Almost all the songs, according to Burdelak, are of the same character: "Angelic" classical singing, keyboard, "shallow" borrowing from folk music, and phrases of emotional ballads with acoustic instrumentation. "Arcadia" and "Enter the Highlands" are, per Burdelak, more bombastic. Burdelak highlighted the "oriental" inspirations on "Alpha et Omega", and Bianca Riessinger from Metal Inside highlighted the same inspirations on "Save the World". Riessinger also noted the Celtic folk elements on the album and the use of Gregorian chant on "Arcadia" and "There is No Farewell". Susan from Metal Storm summarized the album as grand and symphonic and leaning occasionally into power metal, for example on the song "Into the Highlands". She noted that while Leah is known for Celtic and new age influences, on Kings & Queens she also incorporates Middle Eastern music influences more than ever. Stormbringer.at's Lady Cat also noticed Arabic and Middle Eastern influences on the album in addition to new age. She described the overall sound as a meld of Celtic, symphonic, and progressive metal. Edwin Knip of Rockportaal.nl described Kings & Queens as symphonic metal with Celtic influences. They noted the use of flute and violin and opined that the music ranges from dreamy and slow to exhilarating and aggressive.

Joe Mis of Hardrock Haven described Leah as combining Celtic, world music, and progressive metal influences into "European-style" symphonic metal. Her music, claims Mis, is comparable to Leaves’ Eyes, Lana Lane, and Blackmore’s Night with more of a metal influence. On the album "Celtic melodies and mythology bump into new age concepts and symphonic / progressive metal tones". In Mis's opinion, Kings & Queens is heavier and more metal than previous releases, but still features the diversity of tone and tempo, strong lyrics, and folk stylization that was popular on Leah's previous recordings. "Arcadia" starts off as "brutally heavy" with "massive bass and drums," according to Mis, but then "immediately softens to become a haunting and flowing mid to slow tempo rocker that highlights the diverse tone and atmosphere that characterize the rest of the album." "Save The World" Mis described as "rollicking" folk metal with "lush orchestration and cool vocals". "Angel Fell" is a medieval ballad built on the driving bass and Leah's "ethereal" vocals. Mis described “Enter The Highlands,” as an epic, "tightly performed track with many tempo changes and symphonic elements." He considered the technical performances the song to be "near perfection" and therefore making it the true apex of the recording. Mis also noted the variety of expression on “In the Palm of Your Hands” both in Leah's vocals, which range "from soft and sweet to smokey and sensuous on the slow rocker", and in Somers's guitar work, which on this track he considered to be at its most expressive. Mis described "Alpha et Omega" as progressive and featuring Celtic and Middle Eastern influences. The guitar opening of “Hourglass” paired with soft vocals Mis said brought a number of Blackmore's Night tunes to mind. “Palace of Dreams” "ramps up the energy" and explores the more "mystical side of symphonic metal". “The Crown” is a ballad which builds in intensity as Leah adds more and more sonic layers to the song. The bass and drums on “Remnant” are precise and energetic. “There Is No Farewell”, a folk metal track, combines choral vocals, acoustic instruments, "intriguing" bass work, and a "flowing" rhythm line.

Rockcastle Franken's Rainer Kerber described the album as "Middle-earth meet heavy metal" with epic power metal ballads peppered throughout. In Rainer's opinion, the blend of melodies, Celtic folk elements, and hard guitar riffs creates a unique sound. They highlighted the Gregorian chant on "Arcadia" which is followed by powerful riffing. They compared the opening guitar work on "Hourglass" to Mike Oldfield; the song then develops into a power ballad. "The Crown" begins as an acoustic ballad and then becomes a metal anthem.

John Thornbrough of Sonic Cathedral thought Leah's voice sound very similar to that of Liv Kristine – high, clear, and perfect. He stated that the music, vocals, and lyrics all evoke a feeling of heroic stories and far-off lands. He further noted that the lyrics are subtle and sometimes require careful listening to understand. The single "Into the Highlands", a song about lost civilizations "with implications for our own", begins with aggressive guitar and drums before Leah's "otherworldly" vocals join in, then builds with intense rhythms, a galloping riff, and choral vocals. "Save the World" starts off as folk metal and the develops into an anthem, transitions into a guitar solo from Somers, then finishes with delicate vocals and harp instrumentation. "Angel Fell" also features a solo from Somers. The song begins with harpsichord, starts off quiet and powerful, and ends with a driving finish. Thornbrough viewed "Palace of Dreams" as the real heart of the album and noted that it lyrically ties into the album title. The track is long and cinematic, with strong guitar and piano. Thornbrough also highlighted "This Present Darkness", in which Leah's voice has a deeper sound, and "Remnant", which in the begins in a style very reminiscent of Loreena McKennitt and then builds into heavy guitars.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Leah McHenry except where noted

No.	Title	Lyrics	Music	Length
1.	"Arcadia"			6:27
2.	"Save the World"			5:00
3.	"Angel Fell"			5:37
4.	"Enter the Highlands"			6:29
5.	"In the Palm of Your Hands"			5:04
6.	"Alpha et Omega"			5:31
7.	"Heart of Poison"			5:08
8.	"Hourglass"			4:32
9.	"Palace of Dreams"			7:45
10.	"This Present Darkness"	Leah McHenry and Nicki O'Donovan		6:35
11.	"The Crown"			5:02
12.	"Remnant"			4:45
13.	"There is No Farewell"			5:00
14.	"Siúil a Rúin (Acoustic Version)"	Traditional	Traditional; McHenry	5:09
15.	"Siúil a Rúin (Bonus Rock Version)"	Traditional	Traditional; McHenry	5:05
Total length:				1:23:09

2017 limited edition vinyl pressing

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Arcadia"	6:30
2.	"Save the World"	5:02
3.	"Angel Fell"	5:40
4.	"Enter the Highlands"	6:31

Side B

No.	Title	Length
5.	"In the Palm of Your Hands"	5:06
6.	"Alpha et Omega"	5:33
7.	"Heart of Poison"	5:10
8.	"Hourglass"	4:34

Side C

No.	Title	Length
9.	"Palace Of Dreams"	7:47
10.	"This Present Darkness"	6:37
11.	"The Crown"	5:04

Side D

No.	Title	Length
12.	"Remnant"	4:47
13.	"There is No Farewell"	5:02
14.	"Siúil A Rún (Acoustic Version)"	5:10
15.	"Siúil A Rún (Bonus Rock Version)"	5:02
Total length:		1:23:35

Pressed by MPO

Personnel

Primary artist

• Leah McHenry – Vocals, piano, keyboards, songwriting, arrangements

Supporting personnel

• Timo Somers – Guitar, arrangements, production

• Barend Courbois – Bass
• Sander Zoer – Drums, percussion
• Oliver Philipps – Piano, orchestration
• Brent McHenry – Orchestration
• Martin Acosta – Vocal production
• Christian Moos – Mixing
• Eroc – Mastering
• Jan Örkki Yrlund – Album art
• Ami Beth Photography – Photography
• Jason Brown – Photography

Vocals recorded at Green Room Studio, Canada; drums recorded at Spacelab Studios, Germany.

Personnel credits adapted from album liner notes.

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
	February 3, 2015	Ex Cathedra Records	Digital (FLAC)
Sweden	April 10, 2015	Inner Wound Recordings	CD	IW83044
Sweden	December 15, 2017	Inner Wound Recordings	Vinyl; Limited edition double album; gatefold	IW83074

References

Otherworld
EP by Leah
Released	October 31, 2013
Studio	Ex Cathedra Records, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada • Spacelab Studio, Kempen, Germany • Eroc's Mastering Ranch, Breckerfeld, Germany
Genre	Celtic metal, symphonic metal, gothic metal
Length	27:12
Label	Ex Cathedra Records/independent
Leah chronology
Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (2012) Otherworld (2013) Kings & Queens (2015)
Singles from Otherworld
"Dreamland" Released: October 31, 2013

Otherworld is the second extended play (EP) by the Canadian musician Leah, a Celtic symphonic metal artist, released independently through her label Ex Cathedra Records on October 31, 2013. It followed up a Christmas EP, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, and her debut studio album Of Earth & Angels, both of which were released in 2012. A single from Otherworld, "Dreamland", was released concurrently with the EP, and features guest vocals from Eric Peterson of Testament and Dragonlord.

Background and recording

Leah McHenry, mononymously known as Leah, is a musician from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She released her debut album, Of Earth & Angels, in 2012, then a Christmas EP, Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent, that December. During the recording of Otherworld, Leah reached out to her friend Eric Peterson, a guitarist for Testament, to sing in duet with her on the song "Dreamland". Peterson states that he has known Leah since 2001 and worked with her around 2005 or 2008, but at the time he was too busy to continue collaborating. When Leah contacted him and asked him to sing on the recording, he took her up on the offer. Peterson would collaborate again with Leah for the 2015 single "Winter Sun", and Leah joined his symphonic black metal band Dragonlord for the recording of Dominion (2018). Otherworld was mixed by Christian Moos at Spacelab Studio and mastered by Eroc. Leah states that during the mixing process, she met future frequent collaborators Timo Somers of Delain and Vengeance, Barend Courbois of Vengeance and Blind Guardian, and Sander Zoer of Delain. When Leah told Moos that she was working on another full-length studio project, Moos introduced her to Somers, who then in turn introduced her to his bandmates.

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Sonic Cathedral	8/10
Sputnikmusic	3.0/5

Otherworld was released on December 31, 2013, on Leah's own Ex Cathedra Records. Concurrent with the EP's release, Leah released "Dreamland" as a single. The EP was reissued the following year through Inner Wound Recordings on October 24 in Europe and October 28 in the United States. A limited edition vinyl reissue was then released through Inner Wound on December 15, 2017.

Pacific Prof of Sonic Cathedral rated Otherworld 8 out of 10, and ranked it at No. 6 on their Top 10 list for 2013. They praised Leah's voice as one of the best they had heard in years and highlighted her musical rendition of "Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep" as the best solo track on the recording. They also praised the final track, stating that Leah gives her best in her duet with Eric Peterson. Trey, a staff writer at Sputnikmusic, rated the EP 3.0 out of 5, a designation of "good". Dimitris Kontogeorgakos at Metal Kaoz said that one's opinion of Otherworld would depend on whether they prefer metal without other styles mixed in, they would want to give the recording a pass, whereas if one likes metal mixed with other music genres, they should take a listen. They focused their review on the EP's single, "Dreamland". Kontogeorgakos considered Leah's vocals a perfect fit for the melodies, but they disliked the production and sound of the song, which they considered too "modern", as well as the atmosphere of the opening before Peterson's segment comes in. They concluded that "the nice guitar-fills barely make this track a must-have, so might as well turn the page and move on to the next one."

Style and lyrics

The music on Otherworld was described by Dimitris Kontogeorgakos of Metal Kaoz as a combination of folk music and heavy metal. Craig Newman of All Access Magazine wrote that the music could be variously categorized as symphonic metal, Celtic metal, folk metal, gothic metal, and gothic rock. Leah's voice was compared to Enya, Moya Brennan, Loreena McKennitt, Hayley Westerna, Liv Kristine, and Sharon Den Adel. "Shores of Your Lies" begins with ocean and rain sound effects, then Leah sings the opening line, the lyrics of which, Sonic Cathderal's Pacific Prof opined, provide a dark, foreboding beginning to the short production. "The Northern Edge" they described as "slicing guitar, dreamy keyboard soundscapes and thundering drums" against Leah's soprano vocals, with soft guitar work near the end. "Surrounded" opens with keyboard and synth effects. "Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep" is set to keyboards, blowing wind sound effects, and "cinematic" soundscapes, and was described as a sweeping, "Clannad-like" Celtic epic. The melodies on "Dreamland" were described by Dmitris Kontogeorgakos of Metal Kaos as medieval, folk, or Celtic-inspired, contrasted with the "almost symphonic" metal attitude of Peterson's vocals. According to Kontogeorgakos, the song opens slow and mellow, with a dreamy "sweet / fairytale" atmosphere, before Peterson's feature causes the folk side of the song to disappear. Leah herself stated that "my original demo went from having a mellow, Clannad-type feel to now almost dancing on the line of black-metal". Susan, a staff writer for Metal Storm, when interacting with comments on her review for Leah's follow-up studio album, Kings & Queens (2015), said that Kings & Queens continues the style laid down on Otherworld, albeit more textured, intricate, and heavy.

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Leah McHenry except where noted; all music is composed by Leah McHenry

No.	Title	Lyrics	Length
1.	"Shores of Your Lies"		5:30
2.	"The Northern Edge"		5:21
3.	"Surrounded"		5:47
4.	"Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep"		4:37
5.	"Dreamland" (featuring Eric Peterson)	Eric Peterson and Leah McHenry	5:57
Total length:			27:12

2017 limited edition vinyl pressing

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Shores Of Your Lies"	5:32
2.	"The Northern Edge"	5:23
3.	"Surrounded"	5:49

Side B

No.	Title	Length
4.	"Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep"	4:39
5.	"Dreamland" (featuring Eric Peterson)	5:58
Total length:		27:21

Pressed by MPO

Personnel

Primary artist

• Leah McHenry - vocals, synthesizer, piano, songwriting and composition

Supporting personnel

• Eric Peterson – Featured vocals and lyrics on "Dreamland"
• Alexander Giles – Bass
• Sean Lang – Drums, percussion
• Cameron Smith – Guitar
• Dave Hughes – Guitar
• Jeff Caines – Audio engineering
• Eroc – Mastering
• Christian "Moschus" Moos – Mixing at Spacelab Studio
• Ami Beth Photography – Photography
• Jan Yrland – Artwork, layout

Personnel credits adapted from liner notes and AllMusic

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
Canada	October 31, 2013	None	CDr digipak; mini-album	none
	October 31, 2013	Ex Cathedra Records	Digital (FLAC)	none
Sweden	October 24, 2014	Inner Wound Recordings	CD digipak; reissue	IW83038
Sweden	December 15, 2017	Inner Wound Recordings	12" vinyl; limited edition reissue	IW83076

References

Of Earth & Angels
Studio album by Leah
Released	June 12, 2012
Genre	Celtic metal, symphonic metal
Length	49:25
Language	English, Latin
Leah chronology
Of Earth & Angels (2012) Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (2012)

Of Earth & Angels is the debut studio album by the symphonic Celtic metal musician Leah, released independently on June 12, 2012. The album was well received critically, with critics noting both Leah's vocal range and expressiveness as well as her similarity to the Irish singer Enya as well as to the Canadian musician Loreena McKennitt and the bands Delain and Nightwish.

Background and recording

Leah McHenry, professionally known by the mononym Leah, is from the Vancouver area of British Columbia, Canada. She taught herself piano and joined the band Ashur, which toured locally and released an EP. She also taught herself a limited amount of guitar. By the time she began recording for a debut album, she had written over a hundred songs, and uploaded many of them to her Soundcloud and YouTube channels. From what she had written, she spent weeks narrowing down a selection for the album, pre-producing some demos. According to Leah, the tracks "Say Yes" and "Illusion" were written years before Of Earth & Angels was recorded. "Remember" and "Confess My Love", conversely, were written in a very short amount of time. When writing songs, she first did the piano, synth, and vocals lines, and then the pieces were fleshed out as the rest of the instrumentation was added. Because Leah is a studio artist and not touring, she found backing band members that she wanted for her recording; but she stated in 2013 that if she did go on tour, she had a solid line-up.

Release and reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Sonic Cathedral	10/10
Metal Storm	First reviewer: 8/10 Second reviewer: 7/10
Sputnikmusic	3.3/5

Of Earth & Angels was released on June 12, 2012, and Leah performed her first live show in December that year to support her follow-up EP. Lindsay Schoolcraft of Sonic Cathedral gave a highly positive review, rating the album a 10 out of 10, and listed it as No. 1 out of 10 in their list of Best Releases of 2012. T.S. Johnson from Sonic Cathedral listed the album at No. 3 on their Top 10, and Sara Letourneau of the same publication listed it at No. 7. Dave Scott from Rocktopia called the recording "magnificent", and stated that it would be among his top ten albums of 2013, possibly even their top five. Susan from Metal Storm rated the album 8 out of 10, stating that on first listen, they thought it was just good, but upon repeated listens it became one of their favorites for the year. Promonex, another staff member of Metal Storm, rated Of Earth & Angels 7 out of 10. The recording was also voted no. 10 out of 14 in the Symphonic Metal category of Metal Storm's 2012 Best Album of the Year. Trey, a staff writer for Sputnikmusic, rate the album 3.3 out of 5, designating it "great". The album was re-issued on December 15, 2015 through Inner Wound Recordings.

Style and lyrical themes

The genre of Of Earth & Angels was described as symphonic metal and Celtic metal. Rocktopia's Dave Scott wrote that if one wanted a comparison, they would describe the record as "Clannad/Enya meets Delain." Lindsay Schoolcraft, writing for Sonic Cathedral, noted that Leah cites influence from Nightwish, Enya, and Loreena McKennitt, and, according to Schoolcraft, "she blends their aspects well to create her own unique sound". Leah's voice, per Schoolcraft, ranges from ethereal folk to a "belting rock howl". Scott likewise noted Leah's range, as well as her expressiveness, and felt that she is comparable to Sharon den Adel and Elize Ryd. The lyrics of the album were noted for oceanic and sailing themes, which Leah says was unintentional but perhaps influenced by her living near the ocean all her life, plus her interest in the Scottish and Irish history of her family and the imagery that comes with that. Most of lyrics are in English, and "Ex Cathedra" opens with Latin. The title, Of Earth & Angels, refers to the overall content of the songs on the album, which Leah says "is a mix of earthly tales and woes and more inspirational and angelic folklore." Sometimes, according to her, a song might be a specific story, but she prefers to write themes rather than stories as this allows the listener to find a meaning for themselves in the song.

The opening song "Prisoner" was noted for its "bombastic" style, with a "colossal" riff, double-drumming, and numerous arrangements. The keyboard in the chorus was described as having an "Arabic" feel. Scott found the vocals at the opening of "Remember" reminiscent of Enya and noted the blend of guitar and violin. Mid-song, more guitar is brought in and the song becomes a power ballad. "Old World" is a symphonic rock song that consists of a Celtic-infused tune with a chuntering guitar, with fantasy lyrics and an upbeat and folky sound that, according to Schoolcraft, could compete with The Corrs and The Cranberries. "I Fade", the fourth track, was also noted for having a Middle Eastern feel, particularly with the male vocals at the end, as well as implementing sitar and a string quartet. "Ex Cathedra" is an atmospheric gothic rock song with "a thick grinding progression and lots of held vocal notes" and some use of folk harp. Schoolcraft felt that "Ex Cathedra" would fit as part of the soundtrack to The Mists of Avalon. "Ocean" and "A Thousand Years" are ballads, the latter with synth sounds accompanied by piano. "Tragedy & Magic" is driven by acoustic guitar and on this track Leah's voice is folky and earthy. The song then builds to a mid-tempo twist where the guitar comes in explosively. "Confess My Love" features a soulful harp arrangement which flows into the soft verse prior to a guitar riff that then builds to the chorus. "Illusion" has a chiming guitar melody and striking strings which then also are joined by a riff, again building to a chorus.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Leah McHenry

No.	Title	Lyrics	Length
1.	"Prisoner"		5:07
2.	"Remember"		4:16
3.	"Old World"		4:02
4.	"I Fade"	Leah McHenry and Jay Martens	3:46
5.	"Ex Cathedra"		4:29
6.	"Ocean"		3:30
7.	"A Thousand Years"		2:57
8.	"Tragedy & Magic"		3:10
9.	"Mainland"		5:01
10.	"Say Yes"		4:14
11.	"Confess My Love"		4:42
12.	"Illusion"		4:11
Total length:			49:25

2017 limited edition vinyl pressing

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Prisoner"	5:05
2.	"Remember"	4:14
3.	"Old World"	4:00
4.	"I Fade"	3:44
5.	"Ex Cathedra"	4:27
6.	"Ocean"	3:29

Side B

No.	Title	Length
7.	"A Thousand Years"	2:54
8.	"Tragedy & Magic"	3:10
9.	"Mainland"	4:58
10.	"Say Yes"	4:12
11.	"Confess My Love"	4:40
12.	"Illusion"	4:12
Total length:		49:05

Pressed by MPO

Personnel

Primary artist

• Leah McHenry – vocals, piano, synths, songwriting, liner notes

Supporting personnel

• David Hughes – Lead and rhythm guitar, sounds
• Briton Liakakos – Bass
• Sean Lang – Drums, percussion
• Martin Acosta – Acoustic guitar, vocals, production engineer
• Jay Martens – Executive producer, creative consultant, lyrics to "I Fade", vocals on "Mainland"
• Delwyn Brooks – Mixing engineer
• Greg Reely – Mastering
• Brent Nelson – Album cover
• Dan Tiffany – Logo
• Ami Beth Photography – Photography
• Jan Yrlund – Layout for 2015 release on Inner Wound Recordings

Personnel credits adapted from liner notes and AllMusic

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format	Catalog
Canada	June 12, 2012	None	CD	none; IPJ23006
Canada	June 12, 2012	None	CD (cardboard sleeve)	none
Canada	June 12, 2012	None	Digital (FLAC)	none
	June 12, 2012	None	CDr; promo	none
Sweden	2015	Inner Wound Recordings	CD; reissue	IW83048
Sweden	2017	Inner Wound Recordings	Vinyl; limited edition	IW83075
	2022	Inner Wound Recordings / Ex Cathedra Records	CD; autographed limited edition
	2022	Inner Wound Recordings / Ex Cathedra Records	Digital (MP3)

Other Sivion stuff

• Sources: Sivion bio 1, Cross Rhythms review, Cross Rhythms blurb, Cross Rhythms blurb, Rapzilla, Rapzilla, RapReviews, RapReviews podcast, RapReviews interview, RapReviews mention, AllHipHop interview, interview
• Sivion's group Phat Kats: Wade-o Radio, BandCamp

Scribbling Idiots

Webpage, JFH data, HHDB entry, JFH review, Wade-O mention, Rapzilla (song link, JustMe and Cas Metah review, another review, and yet another review review), interview, CCM Magazine feature, Jam the Hype song link, Cross Rhythms articles (review, , news, news), Cas Metah website, Radio U mention, brief concert mention, RapReviews review, Tollbooth article (review), review, Sphere of Hip Hop retrospective of albums, another song, member, song, HM Magazine ([1], [2])

JustMe

https://holyhiphopdatabase.com/album.php?id=600, https://www.sphereofhiphop.com/2014/10/interview-justme-scribbling-idiots/, http://www.syntaxrecords.com/podcast/episode-12-justme-of-scribbling-idiots-dirt-of-shadow-of-the-locust/, https://blog.chron.com/jesusmusik/2010/11/scribbling-idiot-justme-pushes-the-envelope-with-tragedy-dope/, http://www.casmetah.com/blog/scribbling-idiots-move-out-prod-theory-hazit/, https://7thboro.com/scribbling-idiots-ft-freddie-bruno-justme-muzeone-jurny-big-griffin-pass-it-neosonic-remix/, http://529atlanta.com/calendar/5728/, https://deadendhiphop.com/scribbling-idiots-good-morning-mourning/, https://amenworldwide.com/music/208, https://jamthehype.com/scribbling-idiots-move-produced-theory-hazit/, https://www.definitionradio.com/Artists/Artist/6ad35692c0764f5cadd5c04a5e9b9b8b, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/justme-mn0002020943/credits, https://www.wuky.org/post/local-music-monday-justin-long-aka-justme#stream/0, https://www.aceweekly.com/event/gigs-a-tribe-called-lex-als-bar/, https://www.facebook.com/TribeCalledLex/, JustMe review, JustMe bio, https://www.sphereofhiphop.com/2011/08/justme-portrait-of-the-rapper-as-a-real-person-interview/, https://www.hhhdb.com/index.php?id=596, https://killacasmetah.bandcamp.com/track/longevity-ft-ruffian-justme, https://music.apple.com/us/artist/justme/78960106, https://web.archive.org/web/20101226215044/http://www.dasouth.com/interviews/4610-scribbling-idiot-justme-pushes-boundaries-with-qtragedy-a-dopeq

Solseekers

http://www.syntaxrecords.com/artist/solseekers/, https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/artists/Solseekers.asp, https://hhhdb.com/artist.php?id=418, https://music.apple.com/us/artist/solseekers/62378472, https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2003_04_halfway.html

Sev Statik sources

• Sources: Rapzilla ( [3]), Cross Rhythms ([4]), RapReviews ([5])

Falling Tsar

https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Sev_Statik_JustMe_Wonder_Brown_Theory_Hazit/Falling_Tsar/29551/, http://www.platform8470.com/interviews/interview.php?intid=154, http://www.tollbooth.org/2007/reviews/tsar.html, https://www.discogs.com/Falling-Tsar-Falling-Tsar/release/6334686, https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Sev_Statik_JustMe_Wonder_Brown_Theory_Hazit/Falling_Tsar/29551/, https://illect.bandcamp.com/album/falling-tsar, https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/FallingTsar.asp, https://www.hhhdb.com/index.php?id=1043

Sinderblock

[6], https://jamthehype.com/sev-statik-say-peace/, https://rapzilla.com/2012-03-sev-statik-qsay-peaceq/, https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/SinderblockEP.asp, https://www.sphereofhiphop.com/2012/04/sev-statik-vinylcologist-sinderblock-ep-album-review/, https://www.blogtalkradio.com/nylibertyradio/2012/04/04/sev-statik-of-goldtooth-interview, Indie Vision Music blurb

Sophy

https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080746/http://www.rapreviews.com/news/View.php?ArticleID=19067, https://rapzilla.com/2013-03-sev-statik-sophy/, https://web.archive.org/web/20131101154409/https://www.indievisionmusic.com/2013/03/24/sev-statik-new-ep-free-download/, https://www.sphereofhiphop.com/2013/03/sev-statik-sophy-ep-album-download/, https://holyculture.net/free-sev-statik-take-it-light/, https://sevstatik.bandcamp.com/album/sophy-ep, https://www.thecomeupshow.com/2013/03/20/mixtape-sev-statik-sophy/, https://www.thecomeupshow.com/2013/05/12/video-sev-statik-ft-animal-cracker-i-believe-dir-lightsource-media/, https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/cdreviews/SophyEP.asp,

Ill Harmonics albums

Sources: NRT review, Exclaim!, Cross Rhythms ( [7], [8], [9], [10]), cMusicWeb, Rap Reviews, Christianity Today (review), CCM Magazine.

Soldiers for Christ

• Sources: Breathecast, Relevant, SPIN, Rapzilla, Crosswalk, [11], [12], [13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23], [24], [25], [26], [27], [28], [29], [30], [31], [32], [33]

P.I.D.

• Sources: SPIN (same as S.F.C above), LA Times, Frontline bio 1, Frontline bio 2, NewH2O, Philly (deals mainly with other artists), Cross Rhythms on name change, Cross Rhythms blurb, Cross Rhythms review, Cross Rhythms review, Cross Rhythms review

Future Shock

Interview, interview, review, feature, repost from Myspace, review,‎ https://music.apple.com/us/artist/future-shock/62377617, https://rapzilla.com/2015-01-illect-recordings-signs-new-artist-sojourn/, https://rapzilla.com/2007-05-ends-of-the-earth-vol1/, https://rapzilla.com/2008-06-thebreax-two-miles-an-hour/, https://rapzilla.com/2008-06-thebreax-releases-new-music-video-qtwo-miles-an-hourq/, https://rapzilla.com/2010-01-onemind-magazine-a-dasouthcom-founder-richard-qsaveq-douglas-dies-at-age-36/, http://www.syntaxrecords.com/artist/future-shock/, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/future-shock-mn0000244581, https://tidal.com/browse/artist/3651897, https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/JustMe_The_HipHop_Scene_Delivers_One_Mans_Trash_From_A_Scribbling_Idiot/27127/p1/, https://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/products/Future_Shock/The_Art_Of_Xenos_Entertaining_Aliens/6084/, https://rapzilla.com/2015-10-top-20-christian-rappers/3/, https://rapzilla.com/2016-09-throwback-thursday-future-shock-phenomenon/, http://www.cmusicweb.com/hiphop/soupthechemist/eargasmicarrangements.shtml, https://jamthehype.com/sojourn-signs-illect-recordings-label/, https://www.hhhdb.com/index.php?id=90, https://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/artists/FutureShock.asp, https://urbanfaith.com/project/30yearsofhiphop/.