Retro Insider - "Bloodgood"

We're now looking at a Christian metal band who embodies the 80's metal look and sound. Bloodgood, named for their bassist, sounds like Iron Maiden, Twisted Sister and Quiet Riot. Their songs covered topics such as suicide, temptation, patriotism and the passion of Christ, and although they formed in the 80's, they remain as a very influential band to this very day.
Bloodgood was formed in 1985 in Seattle, Washington. The original line-up was vocalist Les Carlsen, guitarist David Zaffiro, bassist Michael Bloodgood, and drummer Mark Welling. An interesting fact is that Welling actually became a Christian after joining the band.
Their debut records are considered their best work. They released their self-titled record in 1986. The lyrics drew on a lot of Armageddon imagery, popular to the genre at the time. Assurance of victory and triumph were the dominant themes. 1987's Detonation is the group's masterpiece. Songs include "Battle of the Flesh", "Self-Destruction", "Eat the Flesh", and "Crucify the Messiah". The Detonation tour that followed would set Bloodgood apart and introduce theatrics into a Christian rock concert. For the "Crucify the Messiah" part of the set list, the band would go into character. Carlsen would play the part of Pilate, then of Christ. The trial, whipping, and crucifixion scenes were acted out. These dramatics were later documented on CD and video known as Alive in America: Live Volume One and Shakin' the World: Live Volume Two.
In 1988, they released Rock in a Hard Place. This was a more 'popier' sound, drawing comparisons to the secular band Journey. Their "Alone in Suicide" and "She's Gone" song set inspired another dramatic moment in the live set featuring Carlsen reaching out to a troubled woman, played by Carlsen's wife.
After this, in 1989, they released Out of Darkness, reverting back to metal. In 1990, the aformentioned Live audio/video set was released on DVD. Then in 1991, the final studio record, All Stand Together was released. The title track referred to the Gulf War. As the band was more popular in Europe than America, they recorded their best live album, To Germany, With Love, in 1993, and then they broke up in 1994.
After a false start in 2002, they re-formed in 2006 bring back Welling and adding guitarist Oz Fox. Most recently, in April 2007, the band played its first public appearance in years.
Although they are not as popular or well known as other artists we may focus on, Bloodgood opened doors for speed and thrash metal to be accepted in the Christian market, and has therefore made their mark in the Christian music scene, and for that we are thankful!
For more information, check out their website at www.bloodgoodband.com