"Apostate" Explanation

At some point in the last 20 years or so, Christian metal became kind of cool. Or at least much more popular than it had been prior. I remember being a teenager and going to our local Christian book store and browsing through the metal section trying to discover new bands. My interest had been sufficiently piqued by artists like Demon Hunter, Project 86, and Disciple, and if there was anything else out there with a message of truth that also incorporated that kind of intensity, I wanted to find it.

Years later, I've watched a handful of the bands I discovered either completely renounce their faith in Christ (sometimes even to the point of now actively antagonizing Christianity) or just water down their message to such a degree that you wouldn't be able to say for certain they stood for anything at all.

The last track on our 'Crush the Head' EP is about artists abandoning the faith, particularly a few recent instances of this that I've observed (or am observing).

Even then, you couldn't hide your shame

That look of contempt upon your face

Call it growth, but I say nothing's changed

The serpent sheds its skin, the venom remains

The opening lyrics are inspired by a specific concert I went to about 10 years ago. The headlining band would go on to become one of the biggest and most talked-about bands in the genre. One of the opening bands took a minute before a song to speak to the audience about the Gospel. The headliner was watching the opening act, and I had a pretty clear view of them. They looked embarrassed, almost disgusted. That was really striking to me, because they had previously made their own faith something of a central component of their band's image.

Flash forward to now. They're a very successful metal band and have completely erased even any allusion to faith from their own music.

Was it the expectation?

Was it the praise of a dying world?

Or was it even sincere at the start?

You break my heart There are different things that can eventually drive someone to turn away from faith. "The expectation" refers the scrutiny and criticism that often comes from within the Church itself. "The praise of a dying world" is fame, which is much easier to attain if you don't stand up for something the systems of the world despise. I also ask if their faith was a lie to begin with. Unfortunately, many believers will support anything that purports to be "Christian", which makes the Christian music scene a good springboard to gain a certain amount of instant support. There are certainly individuals willing to leverage this reality for their own gain, even going so far as to feign loyalty to a god they don't even believe in.

Shadow disguises the face

(The truth remains)

Alchemize and erase

(Nothing has changed)

Would you find another way?

(There is no other name)

Shut your eyes and awake?

Apostate The sung portions of this chorus contain a handful of words that have connections with some of the artists that inspired the song. The screamed portions, which are in parentheses here, are actually a reference to a previous DIRE song, with the addition of "Nothing has changed" in the middle.

Brood of vipers, den of thieves

Fanning the flames of unbelief

Faithless, but on your knees

False gods of vanity and greed Even the faithless worship. Removing God from the core of your worldview necessitates that someone or something else be placed at the center. The whole of human existence is an ongoing testament to the miserable inability of things like money, fame, and pleasure to satisfy the soul or provide us with meaning.

To the traitor, the sellout, the liar

Reaching out for the hand just to spit in the face

To the deserter, the Judas, the viper

For every nail you've driven in

I still believe there is grace

This portion of the song was extremely important for me to include. I didn't want this to be a condemnation of the people who've abandoned Christ. I truly believe they can still be reconciled with God through Christ's sacrifice, and I wanted to make sure that was said explicitly in the song. I believe there is no debt so great that it can't be covered by His blood.

Let me rot, let me die, let me fail before my God deny This final line is a prayer that I would never turn my back on my Creator. There is no hope, joy, peace, or life away from Him.