Christian Heavy Metal?

I'm writing this as one who used to front a heavy metal band before salvation, played in church, and who now plays original christian rock music.

The real barometer is, "Does it magnify your flesh?" or "Does it magnify God?"

If you want to reflect Christ in your music, then you need to reflect him in your presentation. The Character of Christ. Screaming like Sepultura, Mastadon, Testament, etc is confusion. If, at first listen, you cannot understand the lyrics, it is confusion. If the music is too dissonant without enough resolution, or simply thrashes on like a drone.. you get into repetition, and invite an almost chant-like mindset that can open the spirit up to the demonic a la Maryln Manson's Beautiful People.

The main thing is that with most harder rock, Christ is not glorified.. the musicians are.... but that is not limited to genre.
If you have ever watched Michael English sing on TBN, that is probably one of the best examples of self-glorification in music.
The bible teaches us that no flesh should glory in the sight of God. Music and worship were the office of Lucifer before it was given to the church. Music has a way of bringing the inner psyche of a person to a place where it can be easily manipulated. Even our churches abuse this principle when they contrive services toward a specific end like an alter call or tithes and offerings.

But, if the aim of the music is to express the angst of the human condition in song or lyric, then the music itself as reflecting that problem should also direct the listener to the solution through resolution both musically and lyrically.

Leaving one at the end of a song with the same feeling of angst, anger, rebellion, as when it began only fuels that mindset and helps lock the person into that disposition. There are two types of christian music in my mind. The first brings people to the cross and the second maintains them there. If we are bringing more secular reconciliation music to the unsaved, then the message of salvation should be present. Our goal should be to craft music that addresses where a person is at and then through that music help them progress to a place where they are at least one step closer to the cross and reconciliation.

Music as ministry and music as entertainment are two different animals.

I play ministry music, and I play secular music that is family friendly that entertains but still contains threads of the human condition and a pointer to the cross or to get someone to deal with a tough issue like loss, woundedness, etc...

We are supposed to put off anger, malice, hate, as works of the flesh...
Jesus didn't express hatred even toward the devil. And the Angels did not bring railing accusation against him.

Are we entitled as children of God to walk in anger, rebellion, malice... EVEN if against sin? No.

We are to follow peace with all men. Blessed are the peacemakers...

Does the music help someone acheive peace? Or does it only discuss the problem and emotion without a true solution?