Authenticity, Genre, and Religious Deconstruction: Why a Popular Metal Band is Not Christian Anymore

The concept of “authenticity” is central to an analysis of music with regard to the integrity of the music as an expression of art and in Christian music, especially, there is a second dimension added with regard to art as a vehicle for the expression of one’s faith. One significant factor in Christian artists’ authentic expression of faith is genre. Genre shapes the ways one narrates authenticity in music, including Christian music, through its histories, values, and communities. Alternative music genres such as punk, hardcore, and metal, for example, place a high value on authenticity in its music, perhaps greater than production or marketability, and in turn have existed in the margins of music outside of mainstream genres. Therefore, in this paper, I will argue that because alternative music genres are at the margins of music, they shape this narration to open the possibility for Christian artists, in particular, to experience histories, values, and communities other than conservative evangelicalism and one notable example of this is Underoath.

Despite being a metal band, for roughly a decade Underoath was one of the most popular Christian bands not just in alternative music but in all of music. In 2018, after nearly 20 years of identifying as a Christian band, Underoath, no longer accepted the “Christian” label. In fact, some of the members of the band no longer personally identify as Christian. Underoath is perhaps the most notable example of musicians once heralded as “Christian” who have either left conservative evangelicalism or Christianity altogether. Conversely, Michael Tait, the current lead vocalist for one of the most popular contemporary Christian pop bands, Newsboys, was one of several evangelical leaders who prayed over President Donald Trump in Miami, Florida at the “Evangelicals for Trump” rally in early 2020. Tait is one of many Christian musicians in specifically worship and pop genres who have sided with right-wing leaders and politics over the past decade, including John Cooper, Sean Feucht, and others.

Therefore, despite both Underoath and Michael Tait being lauded in the Christian music industry, both artists have had significantly different trajectories in their personal faith journeys due to their narration of authenticity in their respective genres of metal and pop and each genre’s respective place in music. While some research has been done about the phenomenon of Christian musicians leaving conservative evangelicalism, little has paid attention to why the genres themselves may be a significant factor. Because metal music, in general, places a greater value on authenticity in its music than Christian pop music and it exists at the margins outside of mainstream music, Underoath was opened to the possibility of being a part of history, values, and communities that would likely would have not been possible in contrast to Christian artists in a mainstream genre, like Newsboys. Underoath’s leaving of conservative evangelicalism was largely due to their narration of authenticity in their genre at the margins of music and they are one of countless examples in alternative Christian music worthy of further study.