Finally some Christian metal I really like

One thing that has made me really happy these days is that I finally really like some Christian metal! It took me a while to weed through all that metalcore/screamo junk mostly coming from the US and I had to listen to some albums over again for them to grow on me.
But the ultimate best band that I love now is Antestor. They are unblack/white metal and they kick the asses (musically-speaking) of other popular black metal groups like Dimmu Borgir who I thought were the best of the genre before. They've got the ear-splitting combo of fast riffs, growling and blast beats that I love and they've also got beautiful, lamenting keyboard and acoustic guitar parts with the occasional female soprano voice which makes the whole musical package awesome. The lyrics are unusual for Christian bands generally in that they deal with very dark, depressing subject matter but they maintain a Christian perspective through it all.
Plus, they make me laugh with their over-the-top visual theatrics (they're as bad/funny as their secular counterparts) which is an entertaining bonus.


I guess they're pretending to be ancient priests??
Haha I just realized the one on the left looks just like a traditional Korean ghost!


This is how they look at every concert they play. I wish I could see them live!



I just really like this picture

The next Christian metal band I like is Becoming the Archetype. At first I wasn't sure about them because their sound has a tinge of metalcore occasionally but overall, they are definitely death metal which I like. The singer sounds like the guy from lamb of god which is good (and bad since this made me think at first that they were an inferior copycat version) and the guitar parts are simple, yet creative, catchy and heavy. They also have small parts that are slower and acoustic which is a nice brief break from the usual constant sonic barrage.

I've also given Extol a second chance. At first I thought they were an inferior version of Opeth but that's not quite true after listening to Undeceived a few more times. They've got a good heaviness going with progressive beats but I just got thrown off a bit by the occasional violin they had playing in some songs. I think generally orchestras or whole sections of orchestral instruments are better than individual ones for metal (unless it's folk metal).