Doug Van Pelt

There's no denying Christian music is big business. In fact, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, music made specifically by or for Christians accounts for $863 million, or one of every 15 CDs sold.

For 17 years, Doug Van Pelt and his HM Magazine have been successfully tapping into that marketplace -- serving as a must-read for fans of Christian hard rock and heavy metal. And yet, Van Pelt has also found himself explaining why Christian metal doesn't have to be an oxymoron.

"I've always said that there's not a note on the musical scale that's secular or evil," said Van Pelt, who recently moved the magazine's offices from central Austin to Pflugerville. "If there is, show me. Music is art and art is a reflection of the things around you. For a believer, they're reflecting the creation around them. They're creating to reflect what's around them. In turn, it's like worship -- it's turning something back towards God."

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	Metal faith Local magazine focuses on Christian heavy metal.

Van Pelt started his magazine as a photocopied fanzine while attending The University Of Texas. He titled it Heaven's Metal -- a name he shortened seven years ago to HM. But what was originally meant to entertain his circle of similarly interested friends has slowly progressed into a thick, full-color glossy magazine available at stores like Tower Records and Barnes & Noble.

"What's been exciting is that the fan base has grown more intelligent and picky about their art," Van Pelt says. "They've stopped accepting mediocrity in the name of faith. It
was kind of a problem when the Christian metal movement exploded they went out trying to gobble up bands to meet the demand. Of course, the quality went down. So everybody's standards have been raised a little bit and a lot of artists have come to the plate and released some really good stuff."

	A P.O.D. gold record hangs in Van Pelt's office.

The cornerstone of that "good stuff" seems to be P.O.D., a chart-topping act with mainstream appeal. The band's been featured on Ozzfest tours and mainstream magazine covers. It's little surprise that Atlantic Records bestowed upon Van Pelt the gold P.O.D. plaque that hangs in his magazine's offices -- because for years HM was the only place to read about P.O.D.

"P.O.D is a huge band," Van Pelt said. "And one of the things that's so great about them is that they're real. They're not pretending. They're just four guys that are being honest about who they are. And I think audiences, no matter what their faith, are connecting to them."

Van Pelt believes HM's latest issue may be it's most promising. Not only does it feature an article where Alice Cooper embraces religion, but it will also be specially displayed in Hastings Records stores nationwide. Van Pelt said its end-aisle placement has the potential to introduce HM and the music to a set of new and appreciative readers.

"A lot of people when they discover us go gangbusters," Van Pelt said. "It's just like the music, there's the whole faith and music hybrid going on. People freak out that they can look at pictures and find the latest news on bands. So we have to constantly reach out and introduce ourselves all the time. We can't coast on our success."

	Next issue
The March/April issue of HM Magazine hits shelves next week.