Did you watch the CW this fall? Or have you seen NBC’s football commercials? Perhaps you listen to 103.9 or went to X-Fest this year? If so, chances are you have been exposed to Christian rock.
Christian rock bands have been around for decades. In the past, bands like Petra were popular mainly in small Christian circles while bands like P.O.D. enjoyed mainstream success. Today, bands like Anberlin, Skillet, Flyleaf and Red are subtly infiltrating the mainstream music scene with a vengeance. My guess is the mainstream doesn’t even know it yet.
Radio stations are beginning to notice some of the high-powered anthems in the Christian rock world. Flyleaf and Red are frequently played on 103.9 the X, and both bands have played at X-Fest. All four bands have been featured in the rock station’s Rage in the Cage. This past November, Skillet’s “Monster” battled established rock bands like Papa Roach, Mudvayne, Puddle of Mud and Green Day for a full two weeks and won every battle.
TV networks are beginning to notice, too. Anberlin’s “Haight Street” intro was recently used in commercials promoting the CW network, and their song “Enjoy the Silence” was featured on episode six of “The Vampire Diaries.” Skillet’s “Hero” was used by NBC to promote Sunday Night Football in the fall.
The notoriety doesn’t stop there. Skillet’s album “Awake” debuted at number two on the SoundScan/Billboard 200 in September 2009. Flyleaf’s debut album spent 133 weeks on the Billboard 200, and it was in the top five of the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart. Red was nominated for a Grammy award for their album “Innocence and Instinct,” their second career nomination. Anberlin has toured the world and has played concerts with bands like Paramore, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, My Chemical Romance and more.
So the next time you’re singing “Again” at the top of your lungs or playing air guitar to “Feel Good Drag,” remember you’re taking part in a musical revolution of rocking proportions. Christian music isn’t what it used to be.