So I was surfing on Youtube this morning.....

And on a whim I decided to search Christian Metal,  and I came across a few good bands I had never heard of and wanted to know if anyone was familiar with them and or are fans they are and hoping maybe we can discuss they are...

HB
Golden Resurrection
Ancient Prophecy

Out of all of these I got hooked on HB , i heard like 3 songs and I want more lol.  They are  God Has All The Glory, It is Time, and The Jesus Metal Explosion

Golden Resurrection I got to find 2 songs and Loved them both "Proud to Wear the Holy Cross" and "Identity in Christ"

I'm sure there are threads about HB and GR in here.

I really like HB, they were from Finland.  They ended in 2016 but put out a few albums that contain songs of varying quality.  Actually my favorite song of theirs is a slow song, but I cannot remember the name of it right now.  They were excellent live (you can find some clips on YT) and I thought they did an above-average job of mixing their faith into the music.   I would also recommend a somewhat similar band called Gloriam Dei, also from Finland.  They are still around.

Golden Resurrection - This is another band fronted by Christian Liljegren (Narnia, Audiovision, Divinefire, Flagship, Borderline, Wisdom Call, etc.).   Haven't listened to much of their stuff because I am not too into that style of Euro power metal.  However I have heard the songs you mentioned and both are excellent.  And their musicianship is second to none.

Ancient Prophecy - I am a big fan of this band.  They are German.  I posted a thread about them a few weeks back.  My one regret about them is that very few people seem to know about them (like Angelic Forces from the Netherlands, another unknown, but excellent band) and they are not good with getting their name out there.  Which makes me wonder how long they will last if they can't get adequate support.

I really enjoy how Ancient Prophecy are able to successfully merge Power, Progressive, Death, Gothic, Modern Thrash, and melodic metal into an interesting hybrid which works well with the vocals of Jacqueline Kunz.   They also do a great job of incorporating their faith into their music.  Their 2nd album "Testimony" is heavier and more musically mature than "Pounded," but both are very good and I have listen to "Testimony" a few times this year.

HB is one of my all-time favourite bands. I have all of their albums and had a privilege to see them live maybe 16 times.

Never heard Ancient Prophecy before. First song into Testimony and I’m hooked!

HB - What Constantine said.  Most of their albums have Finnish and English language versions.  One has been released in Finnish only.

Golden Resurrection - My fourth-favorite Christian Liljegren incarnation behind Divinefire, Audiovision, and Narnia.  G.R. is straight power metal.

Ancient Prophecy - What Constantine said.  I haven't heard Testimony and now it looks like I'll have to.

eatbugs wrote:Ancient Prophecy - What Constantine said.  I haven't heard Testimony and now it looks like I'll have to.

I definitely recommend this band.  Their first album has some good stuff too, but overall the 2nd is a stronger, more confident record.

Friday13th wrote:Never heard Ancient Prophecy before. First song into Testimony and I’m hooked!

Dude, that's awesome!    I enjoy this album so much.  

Markus1987
HB is one of my all-time favorite bands. I have all of their albums and had a privilege to see them live maybe 16 times.

Wow, I would have loved to have been able to see them live.  From the clips I've seen, they were really good live.

Wow, this Ancient Prophecy ..... just listened to the first track. Sounds great!

I am really Loving HB I bought two of the songs I heard on Itunes and its all ive been listening to.   Normally I am not a fan of power or symphonic or most metal these days, which  doesnt make sense to me as I love harmonies and melodies and Symphonic Metal has alot of that.

shame they arent together anymore but glad they put out a few albums as I got some checking out to do.  I think of those three bands HB impressed me the most though with GR I did like the guy who sang he had a good sound.

Im beginnning to wonder if i should start checking out more bands from Finland   First I got hooked on Venia who hailed from Finland and now HB. Hmmmm heh

My Awesome Timothy wrote:Wow, this Ancient Prophecy ..... just listened to the first track. Sounds great!

I listened to the album again today while folding laundry.   It's weird how I never get bored of this album, I get bored of most albums fairly quickly.  There's just something about it....it's not like they are monster players and I don't even believe they have reached their full potential yet, but I just really like their sound and style and I guess that is the magic formula for me.

Warzawa wrote:Im beginnning to wonder if i should start checking out more bands from Finland   First I got hooked on Venia who hailed from Finland and now HB. Hmmmm heh

Check out Gloriam Dei - they are also from Finland.  I also like Hilastherion, Enshrouding, and Essence of Sorrow and Angel of Sodom (the last two may not consider themselves strictly Christian bands but they are white metal).

I have a playlist on Spotify called Christian Metal & Rock From Finland if you want to link to it.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6s7Um1b8wEDPuEafKiZ2hg

Warzawa wrote:Im beginnning to wonder if i should start checking out more bands from Finland   First I got hooked on Venia who hailed from Finland and now HB. Hmmmm heh

Oh yeah, man. There's a lot of bands for you to checkout, of course depending about the style that you are looking for. You should check Cat O' Nine Tails, which is the current band of HB's bass player Tuomas. Also Oratorio (f.e the album "The Reality of Existence") is worth checking out. And if you want to hear some more Finnish, give Miriam (f.e the album "Karu maa") and VIP (f.e the album "Palaneet sillat") a chance.

Ancient Prophecy's new album sounds amazing but I'd love a physical copy. I checked that out a few weeks ago but hadn't emailed about the cost. Has anyone inquired about physical copies?

Love Golden Resurrection. One Voice For The Kingdom is my favorite along with the debut. I prefer those to Narnia actually (though the new Narnia is outstanding). The instrumental work on One Voice is just amazing!

I enjoy HB, especially Frozen Inside. The translation of their lyrics into English was a bit rough on Jesus Metal Explosion. The flow of the lyrics wasn't there and hurt what was musically a wonderful album. Jesus Metal Explosion was way too cheesy a chorus for me. The original song was about hypocrisy and true love for God and was taken directly from Isaiah 58. So I think the struggle with moving to English presented challenges even in the message. If I could receive more from their Finnish language albums I'd absolutely love to have those instead. I just don't get much from foreign language albums. I still looked forward to them continuing but life and family brought it to an end.

As for Gloriam Dei: They are recording a new album called "Midnight sun".
I like their first album, but can't find a copy to buy.

Snert I wrote:I like their first album, but can't find a copy to buy.

I don't know, but I think it's out of print at the moment. I got the chance to buy it the day it was released.

I got aware of them last year - that was too late

I hope there's a chance for a rerelease when the new album is finished..

Check out Gloriam Dei - they are also from Finland.  I also like Hilastherion, Enshrouding, and Essence of Sorrow and Angel of Sodom (the last two may not consider themselves strictly Christian bands but they are white metal).

I have a playlist on Spotify called Christian Metal & Rock From Finland if you want to link to it.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6s7Um1b8wEDPuEafKiZ2hg

Will definitely check out those bands and the playlist, thanks

Black Rider wrote:I'm sure there are threads about HB and GR in here.

Yeah I did some digging and found a thread but was unable to add to it, but in  reading it Im glad im not the only one who seems to really dig this band.  Funny thing is they are being compared to Nighwish whom I have not had much of interest in, but maybe should revisit.

I didnt know they made a song called It is Time II  my curiosity is peaked thats for sure.

Since nobody else mentioned them, I have to mention Northern Flame. My favourite christian metal band from Finland

Andreas89 wrote:Since nobody else mentioned them, I have to mention Northern Flame. My favourite christian metal band from Finland

They're quite good too!

p.s. if you're looking for Finnish music... there was a thread made a while ago:
https://thecmr.forumotion.com/t8404-new-finnish-music-for-kerrick-and-for-others-too

Ah yes, back then I was in this period that I somehow thought that all Finnish melodic metal was an offshoot of Stratovarius, a band I'm somehow not that fond of. Got cured from that, so thanks for the link

Snert I wrote:As for Gloriam Dei: They are recording a new album called "Midnight sun".
I like their first album, but can't find a copy to buy.

Yes, Amazon has the MP3 version and that is all I could find.   Here is their contact info:  
gloriamdeimetal@gmail.com.
If you write and ask them where/how their CD's are sold, let us know what they say.

Frozen Fire wrote:Ancient Prophecy's new album sounds amazing but I'd love a physical copy. I checked that out a few weeks ago but hadn't emailed about the cost. Has anyone inquired about physical copies?

In addition to CD's, they seem to have some cool t-shirts, caps, and mugs.  
I just sent them an e-mail about their merchandise costs and will report back as soon as I hear from them!