Decyfer Down
| Decyfer Down | |
|---|---|
 Decyfer Down performing in Jacksonville, Florida on March 29, 2011. | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Morehead City, North Carolina, United States |
| Genres | Christian rock, hard rock,[1] post-grunge, alternative metal |
| Years active | 1999–Present |
| Labels | Fairtrade Services, formerly known as (INO Records) |
| Website | http://www.decyferdown.com/ |
| Members |
TJ Harris Brandon Mills Josh Oliver Christopher Clonts |
| Past members | Caleb Oliver |
Decyfer Down is a Christian rock band formed in 1999 and based in Morehead City, North Carolina. Until 2002 – the year that Christopher Clonts joined the band – they went by the moniker Allysonhymn (pronounced All-eyes-on-Him). Following Clonts' arrival they switched to the current name, Decyfer Down. Decyfer Down is made up of Christians, but the band is known for their mainstream success having toured with bands like Puddle of Mudd, Breaking Benjamin, and Theory of a Deadman. They have also toured with Christian rock bands like Skillet and RED.
Biography
Decyfer Down was originally formed in 1999 as Allysonhymn by guitarist Brandon Mills and drummer Josh Oliver. Formerly an acoustic outfit, the group eventually switched to a more rock-oriented sound. Josh Oliver's brother Caleb Oliver joined the band later that year as a bass player and vocalist. In 2002 guitarist Christopher Clonts joined, cementing their sound. The band changed their name to Decyfer Down, then began writing and touring heavily. They have toured with artists such as Puddle of Mudd, Breaking Benjamin, Crossfade and Adema. The band has shared the stage with acts such as Pillar, Thousand Foot Krutch, Day of Fire, The Showdown, Skillet, Disciple, Hawk Nelson, and many more.[2] In 2008, Caleb, appeared with Skillet on their "Comatose Comes Alive" tour. On the song "Those Nights" he played the bass.
End of Grey
A record deal with INO Records led to the band's debut album, End of Grey, which was released on June 6, 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 Top Christian Albums.[3] "Fight Like This" was featured in UFC promo which aired on September 7, 2007 for twelve hours on the front page of YouTube.
Crash
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.[4] The song was also used to promote the Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy match at WrestleMania XXV. In support of their upcoming album the band released a 3 song EP to iTunes on September 30. The EP contained "Crash" as well as two other new songs entitled "Best I Can" and "Now I'm Alive".
The band announced in September 2008, that original lead singer/bassist Caleb Oliver (brother of drummer Josh) had left the band. T.J. Harris formerly of Fighting Instinct joined a few weeks later. 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, "Crash" was released. It debuted at No. 66 on the Billboard 200 in its first week, selling nearly 9,000 copies. It stayed in the Billboard 200 for three weeks, dropping to No. 128 and then to No. 181 before falling off the chart.[5] Drummer Josh Oliver stated in an interview in July that the record had sold upwards of 30,000 copies in 3 months.
On December 3, 2009 it was announced on their official site that Crash had been nominated for a Grammy for Best Rock or Rap Gospel album of the year. Decyfer Down did not win the Grammy in 2009 (award going to Third Day) but being nominated was a huge success for the band.[6]
Scarecrow
In March 2010, the band announced that they had begun writing for a 3rd album. In September 2010, the band posted a short video of them in the studio, working on a new song. In June 2013, the band announced their new album would be titled "Scarecrow" and would be released on August 27, 2013. The album arrived and continued the radio-friendly format of accessible hard rock. The riffs and songwriting are a bit heavier and more aggressive than heard on previous outings and a tighter band cohesiveness is evident. Highlights include the title track as well as the fantastic "Westboro".
Members
- TJ Harris – Lead Vocals,Acoustic Guitars (2008–Present)
- Chris Clonts – Lead Guitars (2002–Present)
- Brandon Mills – Guitars/Backing Vocals (1999–Present)
- Josh Oliver – Drums, Percussion (1999–Present)
Touring Members
- Glenn Hartzog – Bass (Toured a few tours during stretch of 2008-2009)
Former members
- Caleb Oliver – Lead vocals, Bass Guitars (1999–2008) (Recorded bass guitar for 8 tracks on the "Crash" album in addition to co-writing).
Discography
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Label | Chart peaks[7] | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Rock | US Hard Rock | US Christian | |||||||||||
| 2006 | End of Grey | SRE Recordings/INO Records, Columbia Records | — | — | — | 43 | ||||||||
| 2009 | Crash | INO Records, Columbia Records | 66 | 21 | 9 | 3 | ||||||||
| 2013 | Scarecrow | Fair Trade Services | — | — | 15 | 14 | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a release that did not chart. | ||||||||||||||
EPs
| Year | Album | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Decyfer | Independent | Released when the group was named Decyfer.[8] |
| 2008 | Crash Digital - EP | INO Records | Contained three songs with Caleb Oliver's vocals.[9] |
| 2009 | Crash - EP | INO Records | An updated EP with TJ Harris's vocals.[10] |
Compilations
| Year | Album | Label | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | ConGRADulations! Class of 2006 | interlinc | I'll Breathe For You |
Singles
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christian Rock | Christian CHR | |||
| 2006 | "Fight Like This" | 1 | — | End of Grey |
| "Burn Back the Sun" | 1 | — | ||
| 2007 | "No Longer" | 1 | — | |
| "Life Again" | 1 | — | ||
| 2008 | "Crash" | 1 | — | Crash |
| 2009 | "Fading" | 1 | 15 | |
| "Desperate" | 1 | — | ||
| "Best I Can" | 16 | 24 | ||
| 2010 | "Moving On" | — | — | |
| "Ride with Me" | 3 | — | ||
| 2013 | "Fight to Win" | - | - | Scarecrow |
| "So in Love" | - | - | ||
| "Westboro" | - | - | ||
References
- ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p791288
- ↑ "Official Dates: Skillet’s Awake & Alive Tour 2009". StereoTruth.net. 2009-07-28. Retrieved 2011-09-26.
- ↑
- ↑ "Top 100 of songs 2008". Christianrock.net. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/decyfer-down/740588Drummer
- ↑ "Decyfer Down gets Grammy nomination | HM". Hmmagazine.com. 2010-01-31. Retrieved 2011-08-07.
- ↑ http://www.billboard.com/artist/300654/decyfer+down/chart
- ↑ http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/artists/DecyferDown.asp
- ↑ Crash (Decyfer Down album)
- ↑ Crash (Decyfer Down album)