SEVENTH DAY SLUMBER: THE ANTHEM OF ANGELS

Seventh Day Slumber’s latest album, The Anthem Of Angels, is sure to bring the rock and the worship in a way that only Seventh Day Slumber can do.
 
Seventh Day Slumber has long been heralded as a band that refuses to sugar‐coat the struggles of real life. Honesty and candor have been trademarks of frontman Joseph Rojas’s path from the depths of a cocaine‐fueled suicide attempt through miraculous salvation in the back of an ambulance to the top of the Christian music charts. As the band has matured over the last 15 years, they’ve faced newfound challenges head on, and today their perspective and relevancy are as strong as ever, and their anthems of praise are even more profound.
 
Were it not for the resiliency of Rojas, Seventh Day Slumber’s story might be far different. In the early days, he knew his band needed a way to build awareness and name recognition, so he started his own label, signed his own band, and managed to get a single added on just two radio stations. Undeterred, Rojas launched a radio tour, wound up in the top ten, booked 30 shows, and got a distribution deal. The band’s first independent release, “Picking up the Pieces”, sold 40,000 units out of the gate and word of this scrappy Christian rock band was getting around.
 
By 2005, Tooth and Nail Records came calling with an offer to sign the band to BEC, and since then Seventh Day Slumber has not only found chart success and a string of top ten singles, they’ve seen the power of music and the gospel to change lives. “The stories we hear are amazing,” says Rojas. “Emails that say, ‘I was on the verge of pulling the trigger, and I heard your song on the radio, and it gave me hope, and I put the gun down.’ It’s just crazy to me, that a guy once filled with so much pain and hurt could write songs that touch people’s lives and make them feel like they can go on.”
 
The Anthem Of Angels doesn’t pull any punches.

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The lyrics are straightforward and honest. In the words of Rojas, this is “one of the most honest records we’ve made. We’ve opened ourselves up more, and been vulnerable. On this record, we pull no punches.”
 
Take the song "Love Came Down", a song that written about trusting God even in the middle of overwhelming circumstances. Sometimes life can be so difficult. “I've struggled in my own life with feeling like I couldn't hear the voice of God clearly, especially in the middle of stressful situations. The best way to describe this song is to imagine that you are on an airplane that is descending. You will go from seeing everything clear as you look out of the window to seeing nothing but clouds. It can be really scary not knowing what is in front of you. Now add turbulence to the situation and a pilot talking over a microphone that you can barely hear because of the loud noises of turbulence and things bouncing around. As the turbulence gets worse stress begins to enter in the equation and the pilot’s voice becomes more and more faint. It's at this point that you have a choice to make. The choices are, you can live those next few moments in fear until you land safely on the ground, or you can trust that the pilot knows exactly what he is doing and is more than qualified to land your plane. I guess what I am trying to say is this. You may not be able to hear God as clearly as you would like to at times but you should take confidence in the fact that Your God always lands the plane!”
 
"Never Too Far Gone" was written from the point of view of a friend who is watching his buddy crash and burn. He is telling him that life doesn't have to be this way. He is saying to his buddy "You aren't too far gone for God to fix your situation". Not only is he telling his buddy that he doesn't have to go out like this, he is also saying “I WON’T LET YOU GO OUT LIKE THIS!” This is a song about a true friend who believes in a God that still meets people where they are. This is an ANTHEM for all the true friends out there!
 
Seventh Day Slumber fans love to sing along with their music, perhaps because it’s so meaningful to them, and, Rojas promises, “’Anthem of Angels’ has so many songs you can sing along to. You’ll hear catchy melodies and hooks and big riffs. From beginning to end, it’s a full rock worship experience.”
 
Maybe that’s what Rojas was picturing all along: a concert. A sea of people, joining their voices together in an anthem of praise, forming a beautiful union with the anthems of the angels, proclaiming not just doubt and struggle and fear but hope in a God of grace who will never leave us. That’s an anthem we’ll all want to sing.
 
The Anthem Of Angels is now available in South Africa.