Jump in the Fire

 

Lyrics: https://genius.com/Metallica-jump-in-the-fire-lyrics

Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ll1-yV8YSw

Mustaine, Dave, James Hetfield, and Lars Ulrich, “Jump in the Fire,” 4:40, Kill ‘em All, 20 January, 1984, Megaforce, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ll1-yV8YSw

Metallica is probably the most well-known heavy metal band in history.  One of their concerts held in Moscow, Russia was attended by over one million people. Yes, one million. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_W7wqQwa-TU

 

Metallica is sometimes called Satanic due to songs like Jump in the Fire and The God That Failed. The truth is probably that they are agnostic or secular deists; not explicitly anti-Christian or pro-Christian. Their music focuses on dark themes like fear, alienation, despair, drug addiction, death, the end of the world, how unfair life can be, war, continuing the cycle of childhood abuse, personal struggles, corruption, injustice, suicide, disappointment, and anger.

 

James Hetfield, the lead singer, seems to probably be a deistic agnostic. He was raised in a strictly devout Christian Science family. The God That Failed is about the cancer death of Hetrick’s mother, who, as a Christian Scientist, refused all medical treatment. Her faith that proper thinking would correctly align reality around her failed her.

 

The song, Jump in the Fire, is from the band’s first album, Kill ‘Em All (1983). It is told from Satan’s point of view but is not explicitly pro-Satan. It actually aligns with the traditional orthodox view of Satan. He invites the listener to willingly jump into the fire without any hesitation.  

 

The song was written by 16-year-old Dave Mustaine, the original guitarist for the band, and was about sex. After Mustaine was fired by the other members of the band, the song’s lyrics were changed to their current form. Mustaine went on to become the driving force behind the band named Megadeth. He has since become a born-again Christian.

 

Jump in the Fire presents Satan inviting people to jump into the fire. He tells them that they are his prey and that they should “jump by your will or be taken by force. I’ll get you either way.” Like the seductive villain of the Candyman films, he invites people to “Be my victim.” Many people are quite ready to do it.

Several Electric Guitar Renditions of “Amazing Grace”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-r-Vj8zgN8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiEozQ786nY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NXkWZ-qOwg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWGzpBvnG2k

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69RA7vxmIcw
Several listeners insist that this is Jeff Beck rather than Carlos Santana.  The guitar style does seem to be more like Beck than the more Latin inspired Santana.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPtX5gPT5KQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUZ24ZFBiok

Lamb of God

Lamb of God (originally named Burn the Priest) is a Grammy Award-nominated punk/speed metal/heavy metal rock music band from Virginia.  Their lyrics often include biblical references coupled with anti-religious messages and their fan base is called the "Congregation." Other themes include politics, misanthropy, and attacks on hypocrisy.  They do not wish to be thought of as a Satanist band.

On 27 June 2012, Czech police arrested Lamb of God lead singer Randy Blyth for manslaughter.  During a concert he pushed a fan off the stage.  The man hit his head as he fell and later died.  In early August, Blyth was released from prison after making a large bail payment.

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Contrast Lamb of God with the real Lamb of God, Jesus. (John 1:29,36) The sacrificial lamb is the pure, unblemished, innocent sacrifice which takes away sin. (Exodus 12:3-6; Luke 9:31; 1 Corinthians 5:7; Isaiah 53:4-7)  Jesus pulls us towards Him rather than pushing us away.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions.  Readers are encouraged to suggest persons who should be included on this list.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Ozzy Osbourne: (b. 1948, England, aka: John Michael Osbourne; The Prince of Darkness) Heavy metal vocalist and songwriter.  Best known for his song, “Crazy Train.” Anglican.

Dion: (b. 1939, New York, USA, aka: Dion Francis DiMucci) Singer, songwriter best known for his songs “Run Around Sue,” and “The Wanderer.” Evangelical.

Bob Dylan: (b. 1941, Minnesota, USA; aka: Robert Allen Zimmerman) Singer, songwriter, painter, sketcher.  Best known for his songs “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “The Times They Are a-Changin,’” and “Like a Rolling Stone.”  2012 United States Presidential Medal of Freedom winner. He was a convert from Judaism.

Uyaraq: This man was the first Inupiak convert in Alaska (late Nineteenth Century) and spent the last twenty years of his life as an evangelist in Alaska (USA).  He was known to break long-standing social taboos, ridicule the local animist shamans, and hold the Bible up in the air to demonstrate its power.  

Bob Marley: (b. 1945, Jamaica- d. 1981; aka: Robert Nesta Marley)  Singer, songwriter, guitarist. Marley is considered to have been the face of the Reggae music movement.  He was a Rastafarian who, in 1981, was baptized into the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.  His final words were, “Jesus take me.” 

They're Not Happy About it!

On Facebook they are buzzing, Stop Unblack Music !  There are calls for Metalheads to unite and fight to the death.  They feel that their musical form is being hijacked by interlopers: Christians!

Black metal, a form of Death metal, is loud, fast, aggressive, hostile, and anti-religious.  Many of the singers actually growl rather than sing.  The music speeds up, then abruptly slows down, then explodes again.  It is obsessed with violence, death, and evil.

The same musical form is used by Unblack metal bands to present Christian messages.  The music sounds the same, but instead of Satan, murder, gore, and sex, the focus is Jesus.  This is apparently greatly resented by Black metal enthusiasts.  The link below is from metalunderground.com.

http://www.metalunderground.com/news/details.cfm?newsid=64240  This is disturbing stuff.

My take on the issue is that Christians have every right to be in every corner of the world.  Jesus is the Lord of the Universe and we are His Ambassadors.  Though I am not personally a follower of the Unblack musical form, I believe that it is pleasing to God because its intent is to praise Him.

Music is a thing, neutral in and of itself.  Whether or not it is evil or holy depends on the message placed into it.

Another ASL Video, This Time With Extreme Metal

This video is an odd hybrid of American Sign Language for the Deaf and Christian extreme metal music.  The signer is an American, Teresa Baez.  The music is by Mortification , an Australian Christian extreme music band. 

Here is a sample of music by Mortification.  The title is "Blood Sacrifice."

A Christian Death Metal Band

You decide what you think about this one!  Metanoia is an overtly Christian Death Metal band from Australia.  Their music is based entirely on biblical themes.

Death Metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music in which the usual focus is violence, occultism, necrophilia, mutilation, and hatred of religion. The names of several Death Metal bands will give you an idea: Entombed, Pestilence, My Dying Breed, Pig Destroyer, Impaled Nazarene, Napalm Death, Salt the Wound, Sarcofago, Obituary, and Cannibal Corpse.  The music is full of growls, roars, grunts, minor keys, atonality, numerous abrupt tempo changes, and what is called blast beat drumming.  Metanoia takes the musical form and infuses it with intentionally Christian meaning.

Tomorrow's post will be about the biblical word, metanoia.

What They Think of Us: Ronnie James Dio

"Early on, in my life, I decided that religion was stupid.  I didn't believe the things they told me about some guy that was crucified.  What we have are two things: good and evil.  There aren't many people in between and they are such broad subjects to write about.  I hope I'm not one of those people on their deathbed who goes, "God forgive me!"  Ronnie James Dio (Ronald James Padavona, b. 1942, New Hampshire, USA - d. 2010) American heavy metal vocalist, songwriter, producer, and instrumentalist.