Although they never achieved as much notoriety as their Orange County neighbors Stryper, Los Angeles' Barren Cross were among the best-known Christian (or "white") metal bands to emerge in the 1980s. Formed in late 1983 by singer/guitarist Mike Lee, guitarist Ray Parris, bassist Jim LaVerde, and drummer Steve Whitaker, Barren Cross rehearsed... [+] Read More

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Unlike many of their Christian metal colleagues of the '80s (Stryper, Barren Cross, etc.), Louisville, Kentucky's Bride continue to preach their message of faith, uninterrupted by personnel and stylistic about faces, going on two decades now. Originally calling themselves Matrix, brothers Dale (vocals) and Troy Thompson (guitar) began writing... [+] Read More

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Petra is one of the most successful Christian rock bands ever, a veritable institution whose name (taken from the Greek word for "rock") has come to reflect not only their music, but their staying power as well, even in spite of Christian radio's reluctance to program their brand of loud, slick arena-rock. Petra was formed in 1972 by guitarist... [+] Read More

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Gospel singer Steve Green began in the gospel industry during the mid-'70s, singing backup vocals and playing bass with Sandi Patti, White Heart and the Gaither Vocal Band. By the early '80s, he had gained a solo contract with Sparrow Records, and his self-titled debut album appeared in 1984. He averaged more than one album per year during the... [+] Read More

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Heavy metal has been associated with ol' Beelzebub ever since its inception, but there have been a few acts who took the opposite route and put their Christian beliefs in hard rocking songs, such as Stryper. Formed in Orange County CA in 1983, the group was originally known as Roxx Regime, and consisted of singer/guitarist/main songwriter... [+] Read More

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Described by Larry Norman as being "too Christian for the radio, and too radio for the Church," the 77's were formed in Sacramento in the early '80s by Mike Roe (vocals, guitar) Mark Tootle (keyboards, guitar, vocals), Jan Eric Volz (bass, guitar, vocals) and drummer Mark Proctor. Known at first as the Savage Young Scratch Band, the Christian... [+] Read More

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A seminal Christian punk band led by Joe Taylor, Undercover's music has evolved radically since its inception but still delivers a straight-ahead lyrical approach. ~ Thom Granger, All Music Guide

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