| The Other Side of Darkness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 1, 2016 | |||
| Studio | Fallen Sparrow Studio | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 37:01 | |||
| Label | Fuel | |||
| Producer | Brandon Mills | |||
| Decyfer Down chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Other Side of Darkness | ||||
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The Other Side of Darkness is Decyfer Down's fourth album, released on April 1, 2016. This is the band's first independent album, and it's also their first record to feature Benjamin Millhouse (formerly of Wolves at the Gate).
On September 26, 2015, Decyfer Down announced an upcoming EP consisting of six songs, which would be their first independent EP. [1] They started a campaign on IndieGogo to get some support via Crowd Funding. [2] On October 23, 2015, they announced the addition of four bonus tracks to the project, and converted the EP to an album, consisting of ten songs. [3]
They released an acoustic version of the song "Anchor Me", exclusively to people who contributed to their campaign. [4] Contributors also received an acoustic EP by the end of April. [5]
On September 4, 2016, "Anchor Me" reached No. 4 on the Billboard Christian National Rock Airplay chart, [6] and four days later, the song went up to No. 3. [7] By November 30, 2016, the song went up to No. 2. [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| CCM Magazine |   [9] |
| The Christian Beat |  [10] |
| HM Magazine | [11] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout | [12] [13] |
| Jesus Wired | 71/100 [14] |
| New Release Today | [15] |
| Today's Christian Entertainment | [16] |
Ben Rickaby, allotting the album four stars at HM Magazine , writes, "After reconnecting with fans on the City Rockfest Tour last year, they rekindled the spark, hit the studio and came out with the spectacular The Other Side of Darkness...With The Other Side of Darkness, Decyfer Down has done one of the hardest things for a band: evolve their sound while still maintaining a firm grasp of what’s so great about their earlier music." [11] Indicating in a four star review from CCM Magazine , Andy Argyrakis says, "Decyfer Down makes a bold, authentic and endlessly compelling case that God's love can truly trump any degree of darkness." [9] Christopher Smith, signaling in a four star review at Jesus Freak Hideout, writes, "With Crash feeling rushed and uneven and Scarecrow being a departure from their typical sound, The Other Side of Darkness is the proper follow-up to the Caleb-led End of Grey . It's more straightforward modern rock than the post-grunge sound the band has largely been known for, but it's a solid rock album that holds up well over several dozen listens." [12] Rewarding the album with a four star rating by Jesus Freak Hideout, Michael Weaver states, "Decyfer Down is back again with The Other Side of Darkness, an album that casts aside any notion of the post-grunge of End of Grey and Crash, and embraces a hard modern rock sound...For one who is over post-grunge rock, The Other Side of Darkness is Decyfer Down's best work to date." [13]
Ken Wiegman, reviewing the album for Alpha Omega News, says, "The new music they played that night was energetic and promising. And so far, the new album, 'The Other Side of Darkness' does not fail to live up to the level of anticipation that was born that night." [17] Awarding the album four stars at New Release Today, Jonathan J. Francesco states, "This is pure, unapologetic rock, and it succeeds at delivering exactly what it sets out to." [15] Chris Major, giving the album four and a half stars from The Christian Beat, writes, "Expressing our pain, our struggle, His victory, and His faithfulness, The Other Side of Darkness is intense, energetic, and moving...Once again, Decyfer Down has created a masterpiece of a collection." [10] Rating the album a 71 out of 100 for Jesus Wired, Christopher "Topher P." Parks says, "The Other Side of Darkness is a decent effort and among Decyfer Down's better records, and yet it still doesn't feel like a top-notch release. Even at its best moments, there's nothing that sets The Other Side of Darkness apart from any other recent rock album, and that is its biggest weakness." [14] Abby Baracskai, bestowing a four star rating upon the album from Today's Christian Entertainment, writes, "The Other Side of Darkness should bring joy to any fan of Christian Rock music and any music lover who enjoys well-crafted lyrics." [16]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rearrange" | 3:51 | |
| 2. | "Dead Skin" | 4:01 | |
| 3. | "Nothing More" | Christopher Clonts | 4:05 |
| 4. | "Believe in Me" | 3:42 | |
| 5. | "Other Side of Darkness" | 3:03 | |
| 6. | "Beautiful Lie" | 3:52 | |
| 7. | "Lifetime" | Gavin Brown, TJ Harris | 3:25 |
| 8. | "Anchor Me" | 4:00 | |
| 9. | "Don't Walk Away" | 3:01 | |
| 10. | "Burn Back the Sun" (previously recorded on End of Grey ) | Caleb Oliver, Brandon Mills, Christopher Clonts, Josh Oliver, Jason Burkham | 3:58 |
| Total length: | 37:01 [12] | ||
On November 27, 2015, they released a single from the album, called "Nothing More", which went on to peak the Christian Rock charts. It ranked No. 8 on ChristianRock.Net in top 30 for a week.[ citation needed ] On March 14, 2016, the band uploaded the official lyric video for this song. [18]
On April 5, 2016, Decyfer Down announced that "Nothing More" had reached No. 5 on the charts. [19] [ which? ]
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Christian Albums (Billboard) [20] | 9 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard) [21] | 15 |
| US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [22] | 40 |
Sanctus Real is an American Christian rock band formed in Toledo, Ohio, in 1996. The group is composed of Chris Rohman, Mark Graalman (drums), and Dustin Lolli. The band is best known for their number one singles "Lead Me", "Forgiven", "Whatever You're Doing", "I'm Not Alright", "Don't Give Up", "We Need Each Other", "Everything About You", and "The Fight Song". Since 2002, they have released five albums through the Sparrow Records label, an independent EP This Is Love, and "Changed" on Framework Records.
"Jesus Freak" is a song by the American contemporary Christian music group DC Talk. Released on August 1, 1995, it was the lead radio single from the group's fourth album. The song was written and produced by Toby McKeehan and Mark Heimermann. Lyrically, the song is about standing up for the belief in Jesus Christ in the midst of persecution. Musically, the song has been described as alternative rock and grunge. It received airplay on both contemporary Christian music and alternative rock stations, formats that rarely interact. "Jesus Freak" earned DC Talk three GMA Dove Awards.
House of Heroes is an American alternative rock band from Columbus, Ohio. They have released six albums: What You Want Is Now (2003), House of Heroes (2005), The End Is Not the End (2008), Suburba (2010), Cold Hard Want (2012), and Colors (2016). The band also released the album Ten Months (2001) under their original name, No Tagbacks, which had more of a punk sound than their releases as House of Heroes. They also re-released their self-titled record under the name of Say No More (2006). The band was last composed of Tim Skipper, Colin Rigsby, A.J. Babcock, Jared Rigsby, and Eric Newcomer.
Fighting Instinct was a Christian rock band formed in Winston-Salem/Greensboro, North Carolina. It was founded by TJ Harris and Dallas Farmer. They played together for several years before they met up with Jason Weekly in the Winston-Salem/Greensboro area. Jason Weekly came up with the band's name.
Decyfer Down is an American Christian rock band formed in 1999 and based in Morehead City, North Carolina, United States. Until 2002 – the year that Christopher Clonts joined the band – they went by the moniker Allysonhymn. Decyfer Down is well known in Christian music, but the band is also known for their mainstream success, having toured with bands like Puddle of Mudd and Breaking Benjamin.
End of Grey is the debut album of the Christian rock band Decyfer Down and the only album to feature lead vocalist Caleb Oliver. It was released on June 6, 2006, and has four singles, all of which reached No. 1 on the Christian rock chart. The album peaked at No. 43 on the Top Christian Albums.
Crash is the second album by Christian hard rock band Decyfer Down and the first album to feature current lead vocalist TJ Harris.
"Burn Back the Sun" is the second single from Decyfer Down's debut album, End of Grey. It reached the number-one spot on the Christian Rock chart and remains a popular song from the band.
Alive Again is the second studio album by contemporary Christian musician Matt Maher, released on September 22, 2009. It is his second album with Essential Records. It reached #6 on the Billboard Christian albums chart, and reached #128 on the Billboard 200. The single "Alive Again" became the top selling Christian and Gospel single on iTunes Rewind. The song "Hold Us Together" was the No. 1 K-LOVE song of 2010.
Escape is the debut studio album by the American Christian rock band Nine Lashes, released on June 5, 2009. Recorded before the group signed to Tooth & Nail Records, the album was released through the independent record label Collide Records and produced by Travis Wyrick, and has a slightly darker sound than their second album and Tooth & Nail debut, World We View. While the album itself failed to chart, the songs "Words of Red" and "Word of Advice" made Billboard's Christian rock chart.
Wolves at the Gate is an American Christian metalcore band that originated from Cedarville, Ohio. Formed in 2008, they are currently signed to Solid State Records, where the band has released four EPs: We Are the Ones (2011), Back to School (2013), Reprise (2015), and Dawn (2020), five full-length albums: Captors (2012), VxV (2014), Types & Shadows (2016), Eclipse (2019), Eulogies (2022), and three Christmas singles over the years.
Scarecrow is the third studio album by Christian rock band Decyfer Down, which it was released on August 27, 2013, by Fair Trade Services record label, and it was produced by Paul Ebersold with Seth Mosley. The album has achieved positive critical attention, and has seen chart successes.
Empires is the fourth studio album from Australian contemporary worship music band Hillsong United, a worship band from Hillsong Church. The album was released on 26 May 2015, under Hillsong Music, Sparrow Records and Capitol Christian Music Group. Michael Guy Chislett served as the album's producer, with vocalist Joel Houston serving as creative director and co-producer. "Touch the Sky" was released as the album's lead single in March 2015. The album won the Worship Album of the Year at the 47th Dove Awards.
Exhale is the seventh studio album by Plumb. Word Records alongside Curb Records released the album on May 4, 2015. Plumb worked with Matt Bronleewe in the production of this album.
Innova is the sixth studio album by Fireflight. The band independently released the album on May 5, 2015. This album was funded by a crowdfunding project. Fireflight worked with Geoff Duncan, Joshua Silverberg, Rusty Varenkamp, and Kipp Williams in the production and writing of this album, with vocalist Dawn Michele being the only band member to contribute compositions.
One Love Revolution is the seventh album by Pillar. The album released on August 18, 2015, at LifeWay, and everywhere else on August 21, 2015.
Ascend is the fourth studio album from Nine Lashes and was released through BEC Recordings on March 11, 2016.
Life Screams is the debut solo studio album by the American singer Lacey Sturm. It was released on February 12, 2016 through Followspot Records. With the release of Life Screams, Sturm became the first solo female to top the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart. The album sold 9,000 copies in its first week in the United States.
Songs for the Late Night Drive Home is the third studio album from American singer-songwriter Anchor & Braille. Tooth & Nail Records released the album on February 5, 2016, as their second release with the label.
Anthology is an anthology album from Christian rock band Decyfer Down. It was released after the release of their third studio album, Scarecrow. This album consists of songs from End of Grey, Crash and Scarecrow.
