A few weeks ago, wandering around the local library's music section, I came across a CD by a band called Disciple. I'd never heard of them, but the cover art was promisingly gothic, so I borrowed it on impulse.



After uploading the album to my iPod (what? I wasn't supposed to do that? I'm *so* sorry, RIAA ...), I listened to it in my car on the way home. I instantly liked the songs. Good solid hard rock, with a firm touch of heavy metal, reminiscent of 80s bands like Metallica and Europe. The lead singer had a great raspy voice, the drums were explosive, the guitar riffs at once memorable. Damn catchy lyrics too. The more I listened to the music over the next weeks, the fonder I grew of it. It was infectious, powerful, danceable (or at least hair-shake-able) to the core. The boys themselves were tattooed and wild-eyed - just like proper rockers.

[Note: You can get a taste of some of their newer songs over on their MySpace page - which in good ole MySpace fashion totally sucks...].

Now, normally, I associate headbanger music more closely with the darker side of things, right down to the good old practice of satanic backmasking, popularized by metal bands like Slayer, AC/DC and Judas Priest.

So although I really enjoyed listening to Disciple, I grew suspicious after a while. Something was off. Take for example the lyrics for the album's opening song The Wait is Over:

I can feel it in the thunder rolling, lightning crashing
It’s our time, the wait is over
Fire’s burning, floods are rising
It’s our time, the wait is over

Sitting in ashes, we’re broken,
with our faces downward,
Like there’s nothing we are looking forward to

We’ve been waiting so long
For this moment all of our lives
Let it pour out

Hm. Fires? Floods? The Wait is Over? For what exactly are they waiting?

A quickie search on Wikipedia then revealed the truth about Disciple: they are a Christian hard rock band.

Oh. Pff. Duh.

Now - y'all know I don't subscribe to the whole Christianity-thing. And it goes against my very grain to evangelize the cause. I knew standing firm on my morals was only a Shift+Delete keystroke away. I stared at iTunes for a while.

Then I realized I wasn't willing to get rid of some really kick-ass ear candy for the sake of keeping my conscience snowy-white. If I didn't play it in public, with other innocent ears to get infiltrated by its message, I would be ok, right? I knew *I* would be able to withstand the subliminal gospel ...

I suppose writing about them here in a way violates that non-evangelizing pact I made with myself. It may prompt you, alert reader, to rush out and acquire some Disciple tunes yourself. And I suppose that's ok - as long as you realize *what* exactly you're listing to. Just don't tell me afterwards I didn't warn you.

Hahaha! You just got owned! God's trying to tell you something ;-)

Seriously, though, I've found browsing myspace MUCH more tollerable after installing the stylish extension along with the MySpace Sanitizer style. Lots of great styles there to make sites less annoying (and doesn't require a lot of greasemonkey hacking).

Do you feel dirty after listening to your Christian rock?

I don't know if that'd be good or bad...