Barren Cross

Los Angeles Christian metal outfit Barren Cross earned a reputation for aggressive riffs and soaring vocals, as heard on fist-pumping albums like Rock for the King (1986), Atomic Arena (1988), and State of Control (1989). While they never reached the mainstream heights of their Orange County peers Stryper, they stood among the most influential Christian metal bands of the '80s, helping to elevate the genre before disbanding in 2013.