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From a Messianic Jew in Massachusetts
Wed., Nov. 28. 2018 9:40pm EST
We recently received this email from a longtime fan who is also a Messianic Jew. it greatly encouraged us, and he gave us permission to share it with you:I just listened to "Read Isaiah". That book is a particularly powerful tool for us Messianic Jews, especially the 53rd chapter. The first Christian heavy-metal band that I had gotten interested in was likely Stryper, which put a big emphasis on the fifth verse.
But I am also very impressed with your musicianship, which I feel has come a very long way, especially over perhaps about the last 10 (or more) years. Despite the original Sugarloaf song containing extensive instrumental portions, you still worked with the full version. As a follower of Jesus and a "Boomer" who grew up extensively on what is today often called "classic rock", I am thrilled with the way you have filled the void after my having given up so much of my youthful secular music.
And your library has exploded, too — 600+ songs is an extensive amount of work for one band! While you cover a variety of styles, I think that over 50 percent of them fit the classic rock "mold". Many times lately when I have been going to the gym to work out, the PA system is nearly always tuned to what seems to be a classic rock (mainstream, of course) satellite station. Whatever songs I may hear in a given classic-rock-listening visit there, I think that the majority of them have turned out to be spoofed by you as well. That's very impressive — it's like hitting an extensive amount of desirable targets!
I feel that ApologetiX is too much underrated. I am glad that HM Magazine (known as Heaven's Metal in earlier days) gave you at least some respect. But I lament CCM Magazine giving you what I felt was way too little space. I still remember when this magazine held a reader vote for who to put on the cover of one of its issues. The winner: Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys. The magazine's response: "Your wish is our command." The 2nd place runner-up: ApologetiX. The magazine's response: Probably about as stingy on the coverage as the magazine could get.
To be quite honest, I suspect that many editors at CCM were breathing a big sigh of relief that you did not get the top spot. At times I feel upset about this because if CCM, a very powerful resource in Christian music (at least back in its print edition days), gave ApologetiX at least as much coverage as HM did, I think you would have had many, many more fans (and, in turn, financial supporters).
Unfortunately, I guess that many at CCM were too uncomfortable with the parody concept. Yet I suspect that many Psalms themselves were parodies — assuming the Hebrew word "uhl"/"al" (spelled with the letters ayin and nun, and often meaning "on" or "upon"), which is found in many superscriptions, is likely to be translated as "upon the tune/melody of" in such contexts (perhaps songs like "Do Not Destroy" or "Doe of the Morning" were secular).
Anyway, keep up the awesome work. Your band's contribution to Godly music is too precious to ignore.
Longing for your band's welfare and extensive blessings,
Joel Havian
Beverly MA
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