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Silent Steel
New Member
USA
23 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 02 2005 : 16:15:16
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Things sometimes have a way of changing quickly. Christian media, radio, and retail went into Gospel Music Week 2003 this past April praising Evanescence as the latest example of a "roaring lamb" in the mainstream music industry. Days later, most of the same people were disappointed with the band due some quotes from them in an Entertainment Weekly interview, causing many to pull their product from store shelves and strike their hit single "Bring Me to Life" from their radio playlists.
Being a Christian myself, I've been asked what was my reaction to Fallen. In a word, disappointed. The Arkansas goth-metal band created lots of buzz on the Christian music scene, but after listening to Fallen I had to wonder why. There’s a passing reference to God and Christ, but aside from that the themes are grim. Most of the songs on the CD expresses inner turmoil without offering hope. In “Haunted,” Amy Lee sings about being “hollow inside.” It’s one of many dark, poetic tunes. Wouldn’t artists tight with Jesus want to offer their fans relief from chaos by pointing them to Christ? Instead, Evanescence considers sleep, daydreams and death the best means of escape.
What disappointed me more were the aforementioned comments Ben Moody made to distance his band from the Christian community. He told Rolling Stone, “We’re in no way a ministry band. It just doesn’t have anything to do with our music.” Another interview even found Moody dropping f-bombs. “We’re actually high on the Christian charts, and I’m like, ‘What the **** are we doing there?’” This led Wind-Up records to yank Fallen from Christian bookstores and radio stations. The label announced, “Recent statements by band members have made it abundantly clear that Evanescence is a secular band . . . opposed to promoting or supporting any religious agenda.” There's a difference in not promoting an agenda and completely smashing it, though.
What Moody was trying to accomplish, I belive was to make the band more appealing to a secular crowd. He may very well have accomplished the oposite effect. Many secular groups (and many people I know personally) are offended that the band would assume that all non-Christians are God-hating atheists who would ditch the band solely because of their beliefs. Many Christians feel betrayed because the band completely disowned their Faith, and Lee's and Moody's Entertainment Weekly interviews didn't help the situation.
Don't get me wrong, I love the band and suport their music, but I think they've made a big mistake here, and are too immature to realize it. I would like to think that as the band (now just Amy) matures in Christ (and the music industry) they might return to their Christian roots and begin to right some wrongs within the Christian music community. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
-TJ
big_red_strat@hotmail.com
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-The Fallen will rise- |
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Evanescence: Christian band or is Christ banned?
