What’s in a name? For a band starting out, choosing the right name is crucial to the band’s identity and often reflects what genre they belong to. Names can also tell a story about the band. Christian bands sometimes use their names to identify their faith. But not every name is as obvious as Disciple. Here are the meanings behind 10 Christian rock and metal bands’ names.
Thousand Foot Krutch
TFK logo from Pin on WO Music (pinterest.com)
TFK just came back from a hiatus with a reignited version of their album The End is Where We Begin. Lead vocalist Trevor McNevan came up with the band’s name, saying it symbolizes “the point in our lives that we realize we can't make it on our own strength.”
2. Wolves At The Gate
WATG logo from Wolves At The Gate
In an interview, clean vocalist and guitarist Steve Cobucci explained the band’s name by saying, “It comes from a passage in Scripture (Acts 20:24-32) where the Apostle Paul is addressing the church in Ephesus explaining to them his mission, the dangers that might come to them, and encouragement to persist in their relationship with God. In this passage the apostle Paul is warning the church in Ephesus of those who seek to distort the truth of the Gospel. And in essence, the name of our band is not who we are but what we seek to combat. The wolves at the gate are the things in this world that steer us away from the truth, steer us into sin and away from God.”
3. Skillet
Skillet's debut album cover. Retrieved from Skillet - Skillet Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius
Skillet’s culinary-related name stems from when the band first came about in the 90’s. Lead vocalist John Cooper explained that the name actually started as a joke: "My pastor at the time said you should start a band with these other members of different bands, it'd be like throwing everything into a skillet, all these different ingredients. Then somebody said you should call it Skillet, that would be funny, and we were like, OK."
4. Phinehas
Phinehas logo retrieved from PHINEHAS | The Fire Itself Official (phinehasband.com)
One of the more well-known Christian metal bands, Phinehas’s name comes from the Bible. In the Bible, Phinehas was a priest commended for his zeal for stopping the Israelites from engaging in idolatry and sexual practices with the Midianites. By choosing this name, Phinehas expresses their passion and zeal for God.
5. Red
Red logo retrieved from Christian band logo by RED. | Christian rock bands, Band logos, Rock poster art (pinterest.com)
Looking up the name of this Christian rock band can be frustrating since the results are dominated by colors and a Taylor Swift album. Yet, Red had a specific reason behind choosing their name. As stated by bass player Randy Armstrong, “’Red’ symbolizes the blood of Christ. We wanted a name that was short, meaningful and easy to remember. We had to make sure we could use the name ‘Red,’ so we searched for two and a half years before we got the trademark for our band name. Many people have used the name ‘Red’ in their music, or in the name of a band like the ‘Red Hot Chili Peppers,’ or ‘Simply Red,’ but nobody has ever used just ‘Red’ as a band name. I thought that was amazing!”
6. Becoming the Archetype
Becoming the Archetype logo retrieved from Becoming the Archetype - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives (metal-archives.com)
Christian metal band Becoming the Archetype actually used to be called the Remnant. It wasn’t until after they recorded a self-released album that they changed their name. As said in AllMusic, Becoming the Archetype is “a name that references Jesus Christ as the only man who lived without sin, standing as the ideal model for mankind.”
7. Flyleaf
Flyleaf logo retrieved from Flyleaf Discography | Discogs
Although Flyleaf disbanded in 2012, the meaning of their name is too interesting not to share. As described by lead vocalist Lacey Sturm in an earlier interview: “A flyleaf is the blank page at the front of a book. It’s the dedication page, the place you write a message to someone you’re giving a book to. And, that’s kind of what our songs are — personal messages that provide a few moments of clarity before the story begins.”
8. Demon Hunter
Demon Hunter debut album cover retrieved from Album - Self-Titled — Demon Hunter
Not to be confused the anime Demon Slayer, Christian metal band Demon Hunter’s name comes from, well, the idea of hunting demons. This is why the band’s symbol, depicted in various designs on all their album covers, is a demon skull with a bullet hole in it.
9. Nine Lashes
Nine Lashes debut album cover retrieved from Nine Lashes - Escape Lyrics and Tracklist | Genius
It’s been a while since Nine Lashes released new music. Back in a 2014 interview, vocalist Jeremy Dunn explained the meaning behind the band’s name: “The name is actually a reference to the cat of nine tails, the name of the whip they used to beat Jesus with. It serves as a reminder that the punishment we deserved was taken by him. He took it for us. It’s a good conversation starter, too.”
10. P.O.D.
P.O.D. logo retrieved from Jesusfreakhideout.com Music News, December 2011: P.O.D. Invite Fans To Design New Band Logo
Although not as popular as they used to be, one of the more successful bands of the genre, P.O.D.’s name stands for Payable on Death. Payable on Death came from a banking term that the band chose because it represents Jesus paying humanity’s debt of sin with His death on the cross.
Sources
TFK: Wikipedia contributors. (2023b, November 11). Thousand foot krutch. Wikipedia. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_Foot_Krutch
WATG: JoshIVM. (2011, February 10). Wolves At The Gate. Indie Vision Music. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://www.indievisionmusic.com/interviews/wolves-at-the-gate-2/#:~:text=And%20in%20essence%2C%20the%20name%20of%20our%20band,steer%20us%20into%20sin%20and%20away%20from%20God.
Skillet: Parke, C. (2019, July 26). Christian rock band “Skillet” explains how it got its name. Fox News. https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/skillet-christian-rock-music-summer-concert
Phinehas: Klein, C. (2023, March 28). Is Phinehas a Christian Band? Unveiling the Truth Behind Their Music. Christian Educators Academy. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://christianeducatorsacademy.com/is-phinehas-a-christian-band-unveiling-the-truth-behind-their-music/#:~:text=Phinehas%E2%80%99%20name%20comes%20from%20the%20Bible%2C%20and%20their,respected%20bands%20in%20the%20Christian%20metal%20scene%20today.
Red: NewRelease Today. (2006). A Red State Of Mind. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://www.newreleasetoday.com/article.php?article_id=22
Becoming the Archetype: Deming, M. (n.d.). Becoming the archetype songs, albums, reviews, bio & more. AllMusic. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://www.allmusic.com/artist/becoming-the-archetype-mn0000394456#biography
Flyleaf: The Vogue. (n.d.). Flyleaf. Retrieved November 15, 2023, from https://thevogue.com/artists/flyleaf/#bio
Demon Hunter: Metalis, L. (2022, July 31). Is Demon Hunter a Christian band? : A final answer (or not) [Online forum post]. thecmr.forumotion.com. https://thecmr.forumotion.com/t13346-is-demon-hunter-a-christian-band-a-final-answer-or-not
Nine Lashes: Eaves, C. (2014, January). Nine Lashes rocks radio. HM; HM Magazine. Retrieved November 13, 2023, from https://hmmagazine.com/feature/nine-lashes/#:~:text=Nine%20Lashes%20is%20a%20pretty%20interesting%20band%20name.,the%20punishment%20we%20deserved%20was%20taken%20by%20him.
POD: Wikipedia contributors. (2023c, November 13). P.O.D. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.O.D.