Best Christian metal/hard rock song of each year (1971-2023)

Please add your own lists; I'm trying to get a community opinion on this

1971: Black Sabbath - After Forever
1972: ???
1973: ???
1974: ???
1975: ???
1976: ???
1977: ???
1978: ???
1979: ???
1980: ???
1981: ???
1982: Petra - Judas' Kiss
1983: Petra - Blinded Eyes
1984: Stryper - You Know What To Do
1985: Stryper - Soldiers Under Command
1986: Stryper - More Than A Man
1987: Deliverance - Awake
1988: Stryper - Lonely
1989: Deliverance - The Call
1990: Deliverance - Weapons of our Warfare
1991: Tourniquet - Broken Chromosomes
1992: Deliverance - From Once Was
1993: Deliverance - Time
1994: Deliverance - River Disturbance
1995: Deliverance - Somber Theme (Where Are You)
1996: Tourniquet - Perfect Night for a Hanging
1997: Tourniquet - White Knucklin' the Rosary
1998: Mortification - At War with War
1999: Disciple - 1, 2, Conductor
2000: Tourniquet - The Tomb of Gilgamesh
2001: Deliverance - The Learned Man
2002: Mortification - Web Of Fire
2003: Skillet - Fingernails
2004: Mortification - I'm Not Your Commodity
2005: Disciple - Things Left Unsaid
2006: Skillet - Comatose
2007: Deliverance - My Love
2008: Theocracy - Mirror of Souls
2009: Skillet - Awake and Alive
2010: Disciple - Eternity
2011: Red - Lie To Me (Denial)
2012: Thousand Foot Krutch - War of Change
2013: Skillet - What I Believe
2014: Red - Run and Escape
2015: Red - Shadow and Soul
2016: Skillet - I Want to Live
2017: Red - A.I.
2018: Ecthirion - Chariots of Elysium
2019: Skillet - Reach
2020: Red - The Evening Hate
2021: ???
2022: Skillet - Beyond Incredible
2023: Red - Minus It All

Too lazy to do every year, so I’ll go by decade:
80’s: Barren Cross - Living Dead
90’s: Tourniquet - Broken Chromosomes
00’s: Theocracy - Mirror of Souls
10’s: Theocracy - As the World Bleeds
20’s: Adorned Graves - Valley of Achor

1972: Larry Norman - Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music
1974: Petra - Wake Up
1976: Gentle Faith - Livin In the Sonshine
1977: Petra - Come and Join Us
1978: Resurrection Band - Awaiting Your Reply
1979: DeGarmo & Key - Livin On the Edge of Dyin
1980: Darrell Mansfield - Heaven Southwestern
1981: Larry Norman - Watch What You're Doing

eatbugs wrote:1972: Larry Norman - Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music
1974: Petra - Wake Up
1976: Gentle Faith - Livin In the Sonshine
1977: Petra - Come and Join Us
1978: Resurrection Band - Awaiting Your Reply
1979: DeGarmo & Key - Livin On the Edge of Dyin
1980: Darrell Mansfield - Heaven Southwestern
1981: Larry Norman - Watch What You're Doing

I had kind of considered the Petra stuff, but didn't include it because they weren't hard rock yet... but I guess since the band I got there eventually it's the closest thing for 1974/7 lol

2011: Theocracy, “The Gift of Music.” Obviously.

StevenCressler wrote:

eatbugs wrote:1972: Larry Norman - Why Should the Devil Have All the Good Music
1974: Petra - Wake Up
1976: Gentle Faith - Livin In the Sonshine
1977: Petra - Come and Join Us
1978: Resurrection Band - Awaiting Your Reply
1979: DeGarmo & Key - Livin On the Edge of Dyin
1980: Darrell Mansfield - Heaven Southwestern
1981: Larry Norman - Watch What You're Doing

I had kind of considered the Petra stuff, but didn't include it because they weren't hard rock yet... but I guess since the band I got there eventually it's the closest thing for 1974/7 lol

Yeah, that gray area of classic rock vs. hard rock applies to most of my additions.  All of them fall into the "closest thing" category though.

StevenCressler wrote:1987: Deliverance - Awake

Heh?  This isn't on California Metal.

Maybe Glass Harp could fill out some of the 70's years.  I'm not a fan, so maybe someone else could help out.

1974: Petra - Wake Up
1976: Phil Keaggy - Time
1977: Petra - God Gave Rock 'n' roll to You
1978: Phil Keaggy - Agora (The Marketplace)
1979: Petra - Morning Star
1980: Jerusalem - Gethsemane
1981: Petra - Praise Ye the Lord
1982: Daniel Band - Never Again
1983: Leviticus - I Shall Conquer
1984: Stryper - C'mon Rock
1985: Leviticus - Deborah and Barak
1986: Saint - Phantom of the Galaxy/Steel Killer
1987: Barren Cross - Living Dead
1988: Sacred Warrior - Black Metal
1989: Believer - Shadow of Death
1990: Recon - Dreams

Superjuice wrote:

StevenCressler wrote:1987: Deliverance - Awake

Heh?  This isn't on California Metal.

Maybe Glass Harp could fill out some of the 70's years.  I'm not a fan, so maybe someone else could help out.

No it was on Greetings of Death, their demo tape.

Superjuice wrote:1974: Petra - Wake Up
1976: Phil Keaggy - Time
1977: Petra - God Gave Rock 'n' roll to You
1978: Phil Keaggy - Agora (The Marketplace)
1979: Petra - Morning Star
1980: Jerusalem - Gethsemane
1981: Petra - Praise Ye the Lord
1982: Daniel Band - Never Again
1983: Leviticus - I Shall Conquer
1984: Stryper - C'mon Rock
1985: Leviticus - Deborah and Barak
1986: Saint - Phantom of the Galaxy/Steel Killer
1987: Barren Cross - Living Dead
1988: Sacred Warrior - Black Metal
1989: Believer - Shadow of Death
1990: Recon - Dreams

Superjuice, you rock…Great list!

Ammocas wrote:

Superjuice wrote:1974: Petra - Wake Up

Superjuice, you rock…Great list!

Thanks so much.  This actually took hours to compile as I had to go back through Keaggy and Petra's catalog.  I'm glad my work was recognized.  (I never even listened to Petra's first album!)  It's awesome southern rock that rivals Thin Lizzy in dual leads - I was soooo impressed.  Levitus' album The Strongest Power is a total scorcher - a complete onslaught of metal.  I had no idea! And the cover is brilliantly woeful (which is why I probably avoided it). 

91'-23 will be easier I hope.

Petra’s debut isn’t really my style, but Bob and Greg’s guitar work is top notch.

Pethead wrote:Petra’s debut isn’t really my style, but Bob and Greg’s guitar work is top notch.

And the lyrics are good.

His lyrics improved with each album and was in peak form starting around Never Say Die through Beyond Belief.