South African rock band Seether, was created in Pretoria, Gauteng in 1999. The band was formed by vocalist Shaun Morgan, bassist Tyronne Morris, and drummer Dave Cohoe originally as “Saron Gas”. The name change occurred when the band relocated to the United State, to avoid people confusing the band name with the deadly chemical “Sarin Gas”.
Some pioneer members of the band left to pursue other interests, while new members joined the music group. Seether currently consists of vocalist Shaun Morgan, bassist Dale Stewart, drummer John Humphrey, and guitarist Corey Lowery.
The band released its debut album “Disclaimer” in 2002 and by 2004, the band’s breakthrough single peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. The band has enjoyed success in its career as many of its songs keep getting recognition in the mainstream.
For over 20 years in the music scene, Seether has garnered a good number of listeners and fans. There have been many questions from these fans on the religious stance of Seether. A close examination of song lyrics and themes, beliefs, and public comments by band members in this article will answer the question: Is Seether a Christain band?
Is Seether a Religious Band?
A religious band can be identified by the type of songs it churns out and the beliefs of the band. Seether has never been expressive about their religious or spiritual beliefs. Members of the band have not shown affiliation with any religious group and the question of the band being religious is still up for debate.
In different interviews, members of the band have revealed that they are not religious and do not make religious songs. In a 2013 interview with Dan Macintosh of song facts and Shaun Morgan, the band’s frontman made some comments on the religious stance of the band. In his words
“I honestly think I try to keep religion out as much as possible unless I’m using it as a reference of some sort. “No Jesus Christ” is called that because of people with their God complexes that I was surrounded by for a while. And it may or may not have been inspired by a girlfriend that talked a lot of crap about me in the press. So it was a tongue-in-cheek thing.
But religion is not something that I talk about or that I care for people to know where I stand. In “69 Tea” there’s a line that says, “Save me smiling Jesus, get off that cross.” And that was overwhelmingly sarcastic. I wrote that when I was 16. It was something that was just there in front of me and that’s the way I wanted to say it.
So yeah, the song is not religious at all, but it’s an attack on the God complex that people have.”
Though not a religious band, Seether makes references to faith and religion in some of their songs. One such song is “You’re not Jesus Christ” by Seether.
In this song, the band makes use of religious terms to send messages to listeners. The message of the song is to address religious people who are condescending and often look down on people who do not hold similar beliefs. Below are the lyrics:
“Before you hedge those bets you placed against me
Be reticent of fortunes they foretell.
Your verbal defecation I can’t wash away despite myself.
Your vanity it seems has served you well.
You’re so quick to choose the path walked by the righteous
So you can go and nest among the weak.
And the innocent observers will refuse to find the lie within
Renew the disappointment of the meek.
You’re no Jesus Christ!
You’re no Jesus Christ!”
What kind of Music Band is Seether?
Seether is a South African rock band. Rock music originated in the US in the early 1950s as a broad genre of pop music. This genre of music draws influence directly from blues, country music, rhythm and blues, electric blues, folk, and classical music. The major instrumentation of rock music comprises; electric guitar, bass guitar, drums, keyboards, and piano.
Seether has infused elements of hard rock, post-grunge, alternative metal, and nu-metal
into their songs, making those songs an artistic blend of melodic and aggressive vocals, distorted electric guitars, occasional guitar riffs, growling, sailing or screaming vocals, falsetto vocals, raps, less abrasive or intense tone, mid-tempo, radio-ready production, down-tuned guitar, and blast beats.
Songs by Seether incorporate themes like; emotions, angst, pain, bullying, personal alienation, mental health issues, romance, love and relationships, breakups, politics, deadly addiction, struggles, despair, and fear amongst others.
The band’s flair for vivid imagery and humor has produced well-crafted songs that resonate with listeners in different moods and from different backgrounds. Most songs deal with the darker side of life and reflect the songwriter’s personal experiences.
Seether is a multi-platinum-selling band that has released 8 studio albums with the most recent “Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum” released in 2020. The band’s debut album contained singles like “Fine Again” and “Broken” that occupied top spots on different music charts and were successful records in the mainstream.
As a music band with intriguing songs and a massive fanbase, Seether has won a series of awards. The band has won popular awards like; MTV Africa music awards, South American Music Awards, BDS spin Awards, BMI pop awards, Radio Contraband, topped Billboard Charts, and Canadian Hot 100 amongst others.
Is Seether a Christian Band?
To determine if Seether is a Christian band or not we’ll first examine what Christianity entails and what it means to be a Christian band. A Christian is a person whose lifestyle reflects the teachings and life of Jesus Christ who is considered the head of Christianity.
Christianity implies believing in God, Jesus Christ, the holy spirit, and other structures of the religion. Christians are supposed to be guided by the principles and beliefs of the religion.
Similarly, a Christian band is one whose songs and other musical elements reflect Christianity. Songs by a Christian band contain biblical references, glorifying God and other structures of Christianity. These songs depict Christian beliefs and practices. Songs by a Christian band are most times intended to spread the gospel and share messages of faith, hope, salvation, redemption, and perseverance.
The band’s frontman, Shaun Morgan has granted interviews in churches and Christian blogs. He disclosed that he was raised Catholic but was never overly religious or anti-religious. However, as he grew older, he started to realize that he can’t put his faith in a religion or people that can’t have his back, after the unfortunate death of his brother. Shaun revealed that he stopped believing in religion after realizing that God does not care for humans. According to him, “if there was God, I would like him to come down here so that I could fuck him up.”
Other members of the band have not publicly confirmed whether they are Christians or believe in any religious group or not. Collectively, the band has not labeled itself a Christian band. Also, songs by the band contain both Christian and secular messages. From our analysis, we do not consider Seether a Christian band.
Is Seether a Satanic Band?
To be labeled a satanic band, such a band must produce songs that reflect satanic practices. Satanists believe in the Devil who is regarded as the central figure of the religion. Satanic bands produce songs with dark and creepy lyrics. Their concepts and practices usually appear demonic and they promote or glorify Satan.
Despite the band’s explicit lyrics, infused with dark and gloomy themes, there is no solid evidence to suggest that Seether is a satanic band. The band has been able to creatively use these dark lyrics to tell stories about challenges and the darker sides of life which is one thing people admire so much about the band. The band or its members have not shown any affiliation with Satanism and we opine that the band is not Satanic.
Seether Christian Songs
The lyrics of songs by Seether are usually ambiguous, meaning that they are open to various interpretations. Some might interpret some of their songs as Christian songs because of the intent of such songs and their messages of faith and hope. However, some of these songs are open to mix interpretations. They can be interpreted to be Christian or secular messages. As such we do not classify them as Christian songs. Seether has no Christian songs.
Final Thoughts
Any category of “good” music can evoke powerful emotions from listeners. Seether has been around for over two decades and is well known for producing great songs that resonate with listeners in their bright moments as well as in their dark or lowest moments. Their unique lyrical content has made the band successful in the South African and American music industries.
Songs by Seether are not explicitly “Christian” which is supposed to be one criterion to be labeled as a Christian band. Their songs contain secular themes and a few Christian themes to send useful messages to their listeners. The notion of Seether being a Christian band is still a topic of debate, but from our analysis, we do not consider the band a Christian band.
Think we were wrong? Write your reasoning in the comments and prove us wrong!