for rap, i'd recommend these artists:

Immortal Technique
K-Os
Jedi Mind Tricks
Nas
MF Doom
Beastie Boys
Public Enemy

Master of Puppets

not the most original choice, but it's loved for good reason.

[QUOTE="matrix_hiei"]not a fan, although i'm a atheist that was raised in a jewish family, so a christian rock band has to really be something special to impress me.Silver_Dragon17

I don't get why people are always turned off by the fact that they are Christians. Their songs are ambiguous; They can be interpreted into a Christian message or something else entirely.

there's a difference between being christian and playing christian rock. the genre has a very generic style to it, and although i give skillet credit for being one of the bands that influenced that style, it's still very generic. basically, they sound like a generic post-grunge band with typical christian rock lyrics. personally, i don't find that compelling.

definitely check out Opeth, but I'd recommend avoiding Job for a Cowboy. the latter is pretty generic, and the band members are jerks on top of that. anyway, I'd recommend these are starting points:

Strapping Young Lad
Orphaned Land
Lacuna Coil
Nightwish
Children of Bodom
Nevermore
Epica
Shadows Fall
Chimaira
Daath
In Flames
Machine Head
Dark Tranquillity
Scar Symmetry

also, I'm working on a "holiday buyer's guide" on my blog, so you can always look at that for help. the url is http://musicreviews666.blogspot.com/2007/11/holiday-buyers-guide-accessible-metal.html