Heavy metal has long enjoyed a relationship with the left-hand path, the dark side, the underworld and Satan himself. Then there's the whole other side of the equation, which is the extreme Christian metal scene. Author Bruce Moore has chronicled the genesis and growth of the scene and has written a book called 'Metal Missionaries: The Assimilation of Extreme Christian Metal Into the Mainstream Consciousness.' The book is a documentation of the rise of the Christian metal bands that are bringing decidedly Christ-like messages of love, faith, hope and redemption to aggressive music, which was once relegated to dusty, often hard-to-find back bins of Christian book stores but now enjoys end cap placement at secular retailers like Best Buy and Hot Topic.

Moore told Noisecreep, "Extreme Christian metal? Indeed some would call this blasphemous, while others would call it downright sacrilegious. No matter what you call it, though, it is a genre that is crossing over into mainstream culture more so now than ever. Over the course of the last year and a half, I have spoken with and interviewed numerous black metal, death metal and metalcore bands from around the globe that I feel have made a significant contribution to the extreme Christian metal genre in one way or another, essentially helping define it."

Moore also said that he hopes "readers of this book will gain insight into a subculture that is gaining tremendous popularity forcing those in the industry to take them seriously. Through persistence, perseverance and a large dose of faith, the bands showcased in the book are making headway and earning respect and their place on the stage next to their peers in the music business."

The book features in-depth chats with bands like Becoming the Archetype, Corpus Christi, Grave Robber and Fearscape, among others.

'Metal Missionaries' is now available for digital download exclusively through unDark.

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