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Take Grammy and Dove Award nominations, a trio of best-selling major label albums, seven chart- topping singles, plus songs in major sporting events (UFC, WWE) alongside countless viral videos, and it’s certainly been a productive decade for Decyfer Down. Add in countless headlining tours, a double bill with Korn’s Brian “Head” Welch, plus support for Breaking Benjamin, Theory Of A Dead Man, Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, Puddle Of Mudd and Red (amongst many others), and it’s been nothing short of an all around whirlwind leading up to its latest (and somewhat belated) long player The Other Side Of Darkness (set to release independently through The Fuel Music). Sure the guys from a small North Carolina town were overwhelmingly appreciative for those opportunities, humbled at the worldwide response and thankful for at least three lifetime’s worth of experiences. However, with growing families, the constant riggers of traveling (mainly the logistics, never the people or places), coupled with mounting pressure to maintain the merry-go-round, the tension proved so tangible that at the peak of what appeared to be the perfect musical dream come true, Decyfer Down quietly unloaded the tour bus for what felt like the last time and simply retreated from public view. “When a band first comes together in their garage, there’s something magical about being with friends and playing what’s cool to you,” observes Chris of the band’s initial beginnings more than a decade ago. “But along the way if you have any kind of success, there’s a bar that’s put into place and then there’s a reset bar. You have to go higher and higher each time, so it becomes more of a business and therefore becomes more stressful.
It’s so easy to fall into a ‘well, if we had one song work, we have to stay with that sound and write a hundred of those.’” Adds Brandon: “During the last couple years before we took a break, we were burned out from trying to write hit songs, touring and being away from our families all the time. I think we could all agree we thought it was over at that point and we weren’t really enjoying it anymore, which is really a shame because it’s such a privilege to play music, to have a platform and for people to even like our music.” For two years, the group practically stayed out of sight, parting ways with their label, plugging back into home and seeming perfectly content to live outside of the musical spotlight. “It’s nothing that we really talked about, but we started spending more time with family and getting locked into a somewhat normal life,” shares TJ. “It wasn’t like we made a decision to not go out, but it just kind of happened and evolved into what it was.” But then completely out of the blue, Decyfer Down got a call to join the CityRockfest Tour with Disciple, Nine Lashes and Seventh Day Slumber, a truly unexpected development considering the band was without management or any official infrastructure whatsoever. “It was kind of cool and scary at the same time, but we decided, ‘man, we can just go out and play some shows,” recalls Brandon. “We definitely had some stuff to overcome, like doubting our abilities to bring it all back, but once we got out there, we saw that people actually missed Decyfer Down. Being able to go back out and reconnect with people was super inspiring and made us feel like our story wasn’t over yet.
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It’s really cool the Lord tapped into our hearts that there’s still a song to be sung and something to be said. The more we got together, the more we started writing and everything felt really exciting and just a whole lot of fun.” Continues Chris of the circumstances that finally lead to The Other Side Of Darkness: “It was so stressful for so long that being able to pull back this time and go back to the beginning- to just be together as brothers writing music- was unbelievably freeing and refreshing. I know every artist says ‘this is the best album we’ve ever done,’ but there is definitely some of the best sounding stuff we’ve done in a long time just because there are no limits. We can write about whatever we want to write and we’re not in a box.” Not only did that open canvas allow any creative and lyrical ideas to enter the fold throughout The Other Side Of Darkness, but it also gave the group a chance to partner directly with its fans and friends for the project via IndieGoGo. In fact, the title for the dynamic tunes contained therein couldn’t be more appropriate, chronicling both Decyfer Down’s specific journey from exhaustion to exhilaration, paired with the idea of overcoming obstacles of any nature.
“The burnout was part of the title and tying that in,” confirms Brandon. “It was very discouraging laying our baby to rest and everything we had worked so hard for, plus me, TJ and Chris have lost some guys and had to replace people. But now that we’re able to continue, we’re in such a good spot and there’s a peace and transparency within this band.” Piggybacks Chris: “The record is dealing with a lot of demons, but it’s also wrapped in hope. Darkness is a valley, but there’s the light of God’s love on the other side. A lot of people we talk to say ‘man, I’ve done too much bad stuff to get to heaven and there’s no way God could love me,’ but that’s not true. With all the subject matter we’ve talked about, we just want people to know on the other side of darkness is God’s love.
We all deal with darkness every day in our life and we all personally know how it feels to be constantly submersed in the valley, but there’s the other side of that too.” One of the key tracks in that awakening is the lead single “Nothing More,” a fists-in-the-air anthem that ranks right up amongst Decyfer Down’s most aggressive and attention grabbing to date. “We kind of left that open for a little bit of interpretation, but basically everyone is going to deal with something in their lives where you wake up in the morning feeling like it’s just pounding you,” explains Chris. “If the Holy Spirit has convicted you of something, Satan can use whatever he can to weigh you down, so it just talks about severing the ties with whatever that is. You want nothing more in life to get rid of that problem that’s weighing you down and getting in the way of your relationship with God. Everybody deals with that, whether it’s an addiction or a relationship. There are lines in the song where some people might think it’s a person, but it’s basically a cry out to change for the better.” Another standout is the equally assertive “ Rearrange Yourself,” which chronicles another spiritually-centered struggle anchored around standing up for one’s beliefs. “There’s no doubt Christians are under attack more so than ever,” notices Chris.
“You can’t do things anymore without offending someone or getting in trouble, like if you say the word ‘Jesus’ at school or almost anywhere. ‘Rearrange Yourself’ is a double standard song that says ‘don’t pick me apart. You need to rearrange yourself first and then we can talk.’ We all know someone who, as much as we try, is still hard to love. They want to pick us apart as a Christian just sitting there judging us and watching every move. That’s one of the songs that comes out guns blazing.” “There’s a little bit of angst on this record for us,” concurs Brandon, who along with the rest of the guys in the band was raised on a steady diet of alternative rock, grunge and even some groove-based metal. “It’s probably one of our heaviest records, but there are also some chill songs.
I would definitely say on the heavy end, I love ‘Rearrange Yourself’ and ‘Nothing More,’ and then when it comes to mid-tempo tunes, ‘Dead Skin’ and ‘Beautiful Lies.’ It’s going back to where we started, but maybe a little harder on the aggressive side in places.” Indeed, Decyfer Down made a conscious decision to shatter all comfort zones, whether they be artistically or thematically, as evidenced in the all around no-holds-barred approach to The Other Side Of Darkness. “There’s a lot of stuff going on in this world, and if you watch the news for an hour, you can probably figure out ten songs you want to write about,” remarks Chris. “And let’s face it, we all have these conversations that no one wants to talk about that need to be talked about. Just because you’re a Christian doesn’t mean you can’t be pretty blunt with someone when you’re upset about something or share a struggle that you’re going through. I think it’s just important to be real, even if that might make people uncomfortable. Rock and roll has always been dangerous, so where’s the line that says if you’re a Christian band you can’t cross that line to talk about certain issues?
Not only should we talk about them, we should try to figure them out and help people try to deal with those things.” Even with the overt commitment to their core beliefs, Decyfer Down’s reach has stretched well beyond simply spiritual circles. In fact, the group is just as accustomed to playing in clubs, theatres and arenas as it is faith-based events and churches, which accounts for an incredibly diverse fan base. “People are people no matter what four walls surround them,” suggests Chris before Brandon expands. “That’s always been the heart of our band. We want to sing about the struggles we go through as Christians, but chances are there are those who are going through the exact same struggles and trials.
We’ve never set out to be a mainstream band or a Christian band. Whatever doors open, we just walk through them.
We love playing everywhere and we love meeting people.” And Decyfer Down will have plenty of chances to do just that while embarking upon a massive tour alongside Disciple, Seventh Day Slumber, Spoken and Children 18:3 in support of The Other Side Of Darkness. But rather than setting their sights on the grandeur that came the first time around, the guys simply want to energize and rejuvenate their fans, while taking enough pauses personally to simply enjoy the ride. “Ten years plus of doing this has been a crazy trip but it’s been awesome,” admits TJ. “After taking time off and going back out, it’s been great to see some familiar faces and hearing how they’ve grown as people and in their relationship with Christ, plus we still hear from people who heard us on mainstream radio and how a song changed their life. Everyone’s from all different backgrounds and situations, but hopefully we’re all growing.” “We definitely hope people are encouraged and challenged through this record,” sums up Brandon. “We are just enjoying the whole process again, and if people love it, awesome, and if they don’t, at least we really enjoyed making this record together.
It’s exciting to think about what it could do, but we’re not dependent on it now that we’re all married and are all dads, which is a great place to be. It’s a different season and it feels like we’re in a new place. It all feels new again, it’s fresh and it’s just cool.”.
Decyfer Down performing in on March 29, 2011. Background information Also known as Allysonhymn Decyfer Origin, United States Genres, Years active 1999–present Labels Fuel Music Website Members. Brandon Mills. Christopher Clonts.
Ben Millhouse Past members. Caleb Oliver. Josh Oliver. Chris Furr Decyfer Down is a band formed in 1999 and based in. Until 2002 – the year that Christopher Clonts joined the band – they went by the moniker Allysonhymn (pronounced All-eyes-on-Him). Decyfer Down is well known in Christian music, but the band is also known for their mainstream success, having toured with bands like. Contents.
Biography Decyfer Down was originally formed in 1999 as Allysonhymn by guitarist Brandon Mills and drummer Josh Oliver, who met in high school. Formerly an acoustic outfit, the group eventually switched to a more rock-oriented sound after Josh's brother, Caleb, joined the band. Caleb Oliver started out doing percussion with Josh, up until their bassist left the band. Caleb stated 'After our bass player left, we found ourselves needing someone to carry the low end.
So, I picked up the bass and had a quick crash course.' In 2002 guitarist Christopher Clonts joined, cementing their sound. Clonts met Caleb, Brandon and Josh at Morehead City, after graduating from high school, and later on, joined Allysonhymn. The band changed their name to Decyfer shortly afterwards. In June 2003, the band released two singles named 'Fallen' and 'Reflections' on their website unofficially, for free. In early 2005, the band independently released their first EP, called ' Decyfer EP'.
The band was first signed by SRE Recordings in mid-2005. In an interview, Brandon Mills claimed that 'marketing-wise, it was a little challenging to have bands named Decyfer and on the same label'. Hence, they changed their name to Decyfer Down. A record deal with INO Records led to the band's debut album, which was released in June 2006.
The album had five singles 'Fight Like This', 'Break Free', 'Burn Back the Sun,' 'No Longer' and 'Life Again' all of which reached No. 1 on the Christian rock charts. The album peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard.
'Fight Like This' was featured in promo which aired on September 7, 2007 for twelve hours on the front page of. After that, they toured with artists such as,. The band has shared the stage with acts such as, and many more. In 2008, Caleb, appeared with on their 'Comatose Comes Alive' tour and played the Bass for them. On February 20, 2008, Caleb Oliver made an announcement on Decyfer Down's official website, saying that the band has started working on a new album. On May 2, 2008, Caleb posted updates, saying that the entire album has been recorded.
The initial release date was announced as September 16, 2008. On July 7, 2008 Decyfer Down's released the lead single off their upcoming album; 'Crash' to radio. 'Crash' went on to peak at the No.
1 spot on the Christian Rock charts and No. 20 on the ChristianRock.net end of year charts. The song was also used to promote the vs. On August 1, 2008, the band announced on their website that the release date was postponed to early 2009. In support of their upcoming album, the band released a 3-track EP to iTunes on September 30, 2008. The EP contained 'Crash' as well as two other new songs entitled 'Best I Can' and 'Now I'm Alive'. Some claim that Decyfer Down had already started selling signed, physical copies of the entire Crash album (containing all songs except 'Desperate' and 'Moving On') before its release, during their live shows.
However, no legitimate proof exists on the internet, and Decyfer Down hasn't said anything about it. In October 2008, the band announced that Caleb Oliver had left the band.
On October 27, 2008, Josh Oliver announced on Decyfer Down's website that (formerly of ) had joined the band as the new lead singer and bassist. On February 3, the second single 'Fading' was released. Fading peaked at No. 1 on the Christian Rock Charts, making it their second No. 1 single from their new album and sixth consecutive No. 1 single. It is their first official public studio recording TJ Harris.
On February 17, the band released an updated EP with TJ's vocals, containing the songs 'Crash', 'Fading', and 'Moving On'. On May 5, 2009 Decyfer Down's second studio album, ' was released. It debuted at No. 66 on the in its first week, selling nearly 9,000 copies, and stayed for three weeks, dropping to No. 128 and then to No. 181 before falling off the chart. Drummer Josh Oliver stated in an interview in July that the record had sold upwards of 30,000 copies in three months. On October 27, 2009, Decyfer Down appeared on radio station. TJ Harris, along with Christopher Clonts, performed an acoustic version of 'Best I Can', live.
On December 3, 2009 it was announced that Crash had been nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock or Rap Gospel album of the year, which they did not win, but being nominated was a huge success for the band. In March 2010, the band announced that they had begun writing for a third album. In November 2010, the band posted a short video of them in the studio, working on writing new songs for their upcoming album, with the help of Gavin Brown. On August 27, 2013, the band released their third album called. On July 12, 2014, Decyfer Down announced on their Facebook page the release of 'Black and White' EP by Revely. Josh and Brandon were the producers of that EP. On October 27, 2014, the band released a compilation of their songs in an, called ' ', which was released under the label of.
This compilation consisted of songs from their previous albums. There were no new songs on this record. On May 12, 2015, original member and drummer Josh Oliver announced that he would be stepping down from the band. During City Rockfest 2015, the band's guitarist, Chris Clonts, was unable to tour with the band due to business in his hometown. While he couldn't tour with them, he stated that he is still a member of the band. He continued to help the band in studio recording sessions, and played in live performances at North Carolina. He has stopped touring with Decyfer Down.
On September 26, 2015, Decyfer Down announced an upcoming EP consisting of six songs which would be their first independent EP. They started a campaign on IndieGogo to get some support via Crowd Funding. On October 23, 2015, Decyfer Down announced that they have added 4 bonus tracks to the project, and converted the EP to an album, consisting of ten songs. The estimated release date of this album is in February, 2016. On November 14, 2015, Decyfer Down revealed the name of their new album to be 'The Other Side of Darkness'. On November 27, 2015, they released a single from the album, called 'Nothing More', which went on to peak the Christian Rock charts.
On February 18, 2016, Decyfer Down announced the release date of their new album, to be released on April 1, 2016. While there were short previews of the album on YouTube by March 2016, a full preview of the album was released on NewReleaseToday a week before the album's official release. On April 1, 2016, the album was released on iTunes and in stores. Decyfer Down (along with Christopher Clonts) toured with the bands Disciple, Children 18:3, Seventh Day Slumber and Spoken on City Rockfest 2016 after the album's release. After the end of the tour, Decyfer Down announced that they will be headlining their next tour, 'The Other Side of Darkness 2016'. In a promo video, TJ Harris announced that 'The Other Side of Darkness 2016' tour will commence on October 20, 2016, and that the tour will kick off at Jamestown, NC.
The band was accompanied by Ilia, Jeremy Greene and The Protest on this tour. Set for the Fall also jumped in during the last few shows.
The tour ended on November 14, 2016. Discography Studio albums Year Title Label Chart peaks 2006 /, — — — 43 2009, 66 21 9 3 2013 — — Independent/Fuel Music — 40 15 9 '—' denotes a release that did not chart.
EPs Year Title Label Notes 2005 Decyfer Independent Released when the group was named Decyfer. 2008 Crash - Digital EP Contained three songs with Caleb Oliver's vocals.
2009 Crash - EP An updated EP with TJ Harris's vocals. 2016 Acoustic Independent Released exclusively to their IndieGoGo donators. Compilations Year Title Label Contribution 2006 ConGRADulations! Retrieved 2016-03-25.
Blastzone Online. Retrieved 2016-03-25. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
Retrieved 2011-08-07. Air1 (2009-10-27), retrieved 2016-03-25.
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Archived from on 2011-06-10. Retrieved 2011-08-07. DecyferDownOfficial (2010-11-22), retrieved 2016-04-11. Retrieved 2016-09-23. Retrieved 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2016-02-27. Retrieved 2016-02-21.
D13 Live Music Events - East Coast (2016-10-16), retrieved 2016-10-17. Retrieved 2016-11-16. External links.