America houses some of the best rock bands in the world and Beartooth is one of such. Beartooth, an American rock band, also known as ex-noise, was established in 2012 in Ohio, Columbia.
Beartooth currently has 4 award-winning studio albums, 3 EPs, and over 20 singles and was a winner at the just concluded UK’s 2022 Heavy Music Awards, an award category that recognizes metal and hard rock music genres.
The release of “Disgusting” in 2014, the first studio album by Beartooth sparked a lot of reactions from fans, on if the band is religious or Christian because of the spiritual or somewhat religious themes embedded in some songs in the album. This article will explore different factors like song lyrics and comments from the band and its members that will undoubtedly clear the questions on the religious status of this band.
A little about Beartooth Band
Beartooth is a metalcore/post-hardcore band established by Caleb Shomo in Columbus, Ohio. The band came into existence in 2012 and in 2013, they were signed by Red Bull Label and have remained so to date. Their music genre has been classified as hardcore punk, metalcore, hard rock, or melodic hardcore because of their unique music style which is characterized by fast-paced songs, raging or yelling tones, aggressiveness during song delivery, hard-edged melodies, and loud instrumentation.
The band is made up of Caleb Shomo, the lead vocalist and guitarist, bassist Oshie Bichar, lead guitarist Zach Huston, rhythm guitarist Will Deely and Connor Denis the drummer. Beartooth was named after ” Bear tooth court”, the abode of Nick Reed, former member, and bassist of the band.
Beartooth since its inception has released four studio albums, “Disgusting” in 2014, Aggressive in 2016, Disease in 2018, and Below in 2021. They also have 3 extended plays(EPs) and over 20 singles, making them one of the most popular music bands in the American entertainment industry.
According to Caleb Shomo, Beartooth was initially established as “a mere distraction”, because, at that time, the founder(Shomo) was still a member of another group “Attack Attack”. His departure from Attack Attack was the driving factor that led to the growth and development of the “Beartooth” of today.
Beartooth has garnered millions of fans worldwide with its thought-provoking, enthralling, and mind-captivating musical lyrics that leave fans empathetic and thrilled. The band has won numerous awards and most recently emerged as the best international artist in the just concluded Heavy music awards, 2022. The band also won the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award in 2016 as the best breakthrough band and the Loudwire music awards (2017) as the breakthrough band of the year amongst other nominations.
Is Beartooth a Religious Band?: Some Religious Stances, Backgrounds, and Comments
Before concluding if Beartooth is a Christian band, it is important to consider the religious background of its members and some views and comments that question the religious status of this band.
Beartooth has constantly reminded fans that it is not a “Christian band” during question and answer sessions on its official Reddit account. However, some of its members are Christians.
The founder Caleb Shomo is a Christian from a devoted Christian home, Shomo confirmed that he was very active in church at a younger age, however, there have been recent controversies about his faith because of the salient lyrics in some of his songs that criticize religion.
In an interview with Panthernow in 2014, Taylor Lumley, a guitarist in the Beartooth band revealed that he was a Christian but at age 17, the issue of religion became a subject of concern to him. “I don’t agree with organized religion and I don’t think that people that believe in their religion can believe in anything else except if they have looked at it from an objective perspective. Questioning your faith is an integral part of growing up as a person” he said.
In a 2021 publication by Danni Leivers of the Hammer Group, Caleb Shomo reiterated that Beartooth is not a Christian band though the intent was to make the band a religious band since most members are Christians that did not work out. In his words ” the band identified as a Christian metal band, it was cool at a point but it did not last. It was a cool thing to do at that time because bands like Underoath and Devil wears Prada were big Christian bands and since some of us were Christians, I suggested we make ours a Christian band too to be in this scene”.
Members of the Beartooth band hold diverse views about religion. While some have not openly discussed their religious affiliations, others have. However, from reviews, some elements of religion have been noticed in the lyrics of some songs by Beartooth band and we’ll be reviewing them in the next paragraph to see and understand the context in which these elements were used.
An Analysis of the Lyrics and Themes from some Popular Beartooth Songs
Some of the major themes embedded in Beartooth’s songs include depression, frustrations, self-recovery, and emotions. Other themes present in their songs include; passion, aggression, self-consciousness, fear, hostility, anxiety, anger, and provocation.
For instance in the lyrics from the song “I have a problem”, Beartooth expresses some form of emotions, frustrations, self-consciousness, and religious affiliations in these lyrics:
“God, I wanna call you my father
I’m sick of drinking my life away, I can’t remember anything
This isn’t fun anymore, my body’s glued to the floor, when did my king start living inside a glass bottle”
In the song “seek and disgusting” Beartooth acknowledges God as a supreme being and the giver and taker of life in these lyrics:
“God I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready to die, God, I’m too much of a coward to give you my life…..but if you want me, I’m gonna stay here and fight til you say son, your heart is mine”.
In “Go be the voice”, Beartooth added some elements of religion and spirituality in the lyrics: “Go be the voice of God, go live the life putting death to shame”
In a nutshell, songs by Beartooth are not centered on religion though some elements of religion can be noticed. They have covered a myriad of life issues that different categories of listeners can relate to. Their songs are a mix of emotions, rage, passion, self-love, and recovery that can help listeners take their minds off certain issues bothering them.
What makes a Song “Christian”?
What makes a song Christian is simply the lyrics. Christian songs are an expression of the faith of Christians in God, his son, and the holy spirit. There is no general definition for “Christian song” but there are certain elements that can help you identify one when you hear it.
Any song that references the holy trinity(God the Father, Song, Holy Spirit), biblical messages and characters, and religious themes can be tagged a Christian song, however, this depends on the context in which it is mentioned. Christian songs can come in different styles some of which include; praise and worship, pop, blues, rap, metal, hip-hop, and lots more.
Is Beartooth a Christian Band?
After looking at what makes a Christian song and the views of the members of Beartooth, there is no gain in saying Beartooth is a Christian band. Although some elements of Christianity are mentioned in their songs, like the numerous mentions of “God”, this does not make the song “Christian” when judging from the context these words have been used.
Some members of the band have publicly asserted that the band is not a Christian band despite their Christian roots. The founder himself, Caleb Shomo, shared this view and even complex views about his current religious status.
Their songs do not have a religious or “Christian” tone but are songs that rather address issues like depression, anxiety, anger, and rage. Beartooth is a unique band that gives listeners something to anticipate with every new release. Their songs are vast and have covered even political and societal issues.
Is Beartooth a Satanic Band?
It will be quite unfair to hold this view of the Beartooth band. Their song lyrics do not laud Satanism, the church of satan, or any form of satanic affiliation. Even though some of their music videos and song lyrics depict depression, rage, anger, and violence, they can’t be tagged a satanic band because they have openly and clearly stated the essence of their songs, the reason for the themes, and their intent.
For instance, Caleb Shomo revealed that he was a victim of depression since age 11. This provides a little insight as to why some of the lyrics he wrote expressed depression and rage and have also provided helpful tips through some of their lyrics to listeners who might be having the same experience.
Final Thoughts
Beartooth has produced a myriad of songs that have connected them to listeners from different backgrounds around the globe. Undoubtedly, they have been a source of inspiration to the depressed, the violated, anxious, and frustrated.
Although the band was formerly categorized as a Christian music band with some religious undertone in their songs, different members of the group have publicly declared that their band is not a Christian band which we’ve acknowledged in this article.
They are a group of like-minded individuals that have come together to express their views, experience, and setbacks through music and to help others who have passed through similar situations get over it.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comment and prove us wrong.