Many people have asked recently why we did not encourage our children to go to Easter Fest. Why, we have been asked? It is not that difficult to figure out why, in the light of these Bible verses and the Easter Fest related links that follow below:
Bible Verses:
(1) Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? … Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing … Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God 2 Cor 6
(2) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind … Rom 12 ?
(3) Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about THESE things. Phil 4
(4) Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9)
(5) Abstain from every form of evil. Thess 5 6.
(6) But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Eph 5.
Easter Fest Links:
(1) Here is the Easter Fest 2010 main page of artists!
http://www.easterfest.com.au/programme/artists/(2) Here is a newspaper article which has some interesting public coments below it!
http://www.thechronicle.com.au/story/2010/03/30/easterfest-sex-violence-christian-movie-rrated/(3) Here is some research my husband did:
ASSOCIATIONS OF EASTERFEST BANDS (Note that small computer speakers will not do justice at all to the impact of the low frequency content. If you computer speakers include small woofer, this will give a better rendition.)
To view, cut and paste these links into your browser. The bands listed below are all being featured this year:
http://www.easterfest.com.au/programme/artists/ (this is the Easterfest page) See ‘Headline’ and ‘Artisits A-Z’ tabs
Hawk Nelson band. The link below mocks the elderly, including sexual flirting by a young lad mockingly directed at an elderly woman, and jibes at their incontinence.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASY3aZ2pn6ASome Easterfest bands claim to be Thrash Metal /Death Metal which is in the category of "doom" music. The bands "Grave Forsaken; Disciple; Prepared like a Bride; As I lay Dying are in this category.
http://www.asilaydying.com/http://www.youtube.com/user/preparedlikeabride#p/a/u/0/4fJ1anzvvsY (Prepared like a bride)
http://www.argo.net.au/vgregory/graveforsaken/home.html (GraveForsaken)
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=33730623 (Disciple)
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=38992807 (Ivoryline)
And the wordless(?) shrieking in this one is no different in form to the demonic shrieking of secular Satanic rock:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbaiyhkiHVI (As I lay Dying)
By the same band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOoTibcd__gHere is a google search on from where these Easterfest bands take their lead:
Video Results: Heavy Metal satanic influences Warning: graphic imagery and some foul language
Click the top result to hear musicians talking about their own music.
Click the second video clip and listen to the music..
There is no difference between this and the Easterfest so-called “Christian” metal bands below. Look for where the latter get their influences ………………
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A.
“Christian” band: Stand or Fall
Stand or Fall
http://www.myspace.com/standorfallspiritfilledAbout STAND OR FALL(NEW SONGS NEW PASSION NEW FERVOUR N)
STAND OR FALL is a spirit filled hardcore punk band from the Sunshine coast. Formed with some of the ex members of NOT OF THIS in late 2006. Committed to the Christian and hardcore ideals of equality and acceptance, Stand or Fall are dedicated to bringing fun and positivity but also conviction and integrity back into hardcore. They achieve this with optimistic and straightforward lyrics based on biblical principles and by mastering the stage with three frontmen.
Drawing influences from bands such as No Innocent Victim (demonic singing style!), The Deal and Madball and H2O, the seven-piece band are unashamed about their beliefs and convictions.
Italics mine.
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B.
Easterfest “Christian” band
As I lay Dying:
http://asilaydying.com/Click on Videos on their website and watch any video to get an idea of what this band does. Note the skull images on the website.
e.g. from their website:
“How can you be a Christian band and go on tour with bands who represent themselves as evil, satan worshipers?
We hope to intelligently represent a faith that has been very misrepresented in the entertainment industry. There isn’t much diversity of thought within metal music and I believe it is important for people to understand opposing views before drawing conclusions. I hope other bands and their fans have an open mind and respect for what we are saying, so it’s fair for them to expect the same from us. If truth is the basis of our belief, then the questions other bands/fans have are an important way to understanding what/why we believe. Most of the bands we tour with would never hear a well represented explanation of Christianity if we just stayed home.
Who are your musical influences?
Everyone in the band listens to totally different stuff. Anywhere from Disney tunes to brutal grinding metal. I’d say the few bands we all agree on in the classic metal genre. For one, Iron Maiden introduced a unique style of guitar melody. Bands like Living Sacrifice are less “classic” but I can safely say that we’ve all been influenced by their brutally mechanic sense of rhythm.
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C.
http://www.argo.net.au/vgregory/graveforsaken/home.htmlEasterfest “Christian” band: Grave Forsaken
Grave Forsaken
Lead singer:
NAME: Tim Steadman
DOB: 28/07/1979
FAVOURITE BANDS: Mortification, Deliverance, Tourniquet, Living Sacrifice, Extol, Metallica, Nirvana, AC/DC
CHURCH: Newstart Bible Ministries
Guitarist:
NAME: Vaughan Alan Edward Gregory
DOB: 29/7/1978
FAVOURITE BANDS: Mortification, Tourniquet, Vengeance Rising, Deliverance, Stryper, Bride, Saint, Disciple, Paramaecium, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motorhead, black sabbath Megadeth, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Antestor, Immortal Souls, Iced Earth
CHURCH: East Fremantle Baptist Church
NAME: Elias Salmela
DOB: 15/12/1977
FAVOURITE BANDS: Tourniquet, Immortal Souls, Mortification, Paramaecium, Deliverence, Antestor, Megadeth
CHURCH: All Saints Anglican
NAME: Matt Skipworth
DOB: May- best month of the year!
MARITAL STATUS: single...
FAVOURITE BANDS: Mortification, Blind Guardian, Saviour Machine, Deliverance, Dream Theater, Tourniquet, Megadeth, Within Temptation, Nightwish, Killswitch Engage, As I Lay Dying, Coheed and cambria, Foo Fighters, Iron Maiden.
NAME: Dave Kilgallon
DOB: 23-06-1983
CHURCH: Riverview North
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D.
http://www.myspace.com/ivorylineIvoryline
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E.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disciple_%28band%29Disciple
(Metalcore)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metalcore
Video Results
http://video.google.com.au/videosearch?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=LzX&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&channel=s&q=disciple+band&oq=&gs_rfai=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=ZZCfS5imA4LmswP06O3ZCw&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&ct=title&resnum=15&ved=0CEEQqwQwDg#(4) And here are a few quotes I would like to add which are taken from, As I Lay Dying's 'christian' web site. In themselves not too offensive, but with a lack of Christian content one wonders where they truely are at:
"Where/who does your tattoos?
Some of my tattoos are old and you wouldn’t care to know. Now I go to 454 Tattoo in Encinitas, CA (Brad Schneider). Some of my older work that I really like was done at Ace Tattoo in Ocean Beach, CA (Steve Smith)."
"I am trying to form a band but I’m haunted by stage fright. Do you have any advice for me?
Try moving around so much that you’re never still enough to feel stupid."
"Do you play Halo2 on X Box live?
Phil does."
"Why do you wear your shirts inside out?
Sometimes I get free shirts but the logo is really poorly done. I don”t want to waste the whole shirt."
"How can I learn how to scream like Tim? Does Tim use any kind of vocal effects pedal?
Everyone’s voice sounds best when they find the strong point of their range. Most of the guys I respect and look up to sound totally different from me and they are usually much quieter than me when it comes to a recording/live situation. I’m not sure why that is. I’ve learned to use my diaphragm and not lungs to breath, which also helps me make sure I’m not using my throat. As long as you aren’t going to hurt yourself, I would just say go let loose and go all out. I don’t use vocal effects or distortion but on a recording you might need some reverb to give the same feeling a big open venue might naturally have."
And that is more than I can manage comfortably. I feel quite embarrassed for any good guys that might have been at Easter Fest this year. I recon by next year they will have it figured things out and so be free of guilt by assosiation.
I hope you now understand why we did not encourage our children to go to Easter Fest this year with their peers.
Ouma-Grootjies, my beloved Granny in South Africa.
