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All Music Guide:
Originally operating under the moniker Allysonhymn (pronounced "all-eyes-on-him"), Christian rockers Decyfer Down create a wall of sound with a message. Formed in 2002 around the talents of drummer Josh Oliver, vocalist/bassist Caleb Oliver, and guitarists Brandon Mills and Chris Clonts, the band's melodic and hard-driving debut, End of Grey, arrived on Sony Records in June 2006. The album proved to be quite popular in the Christian community, sending four consecutive singles into heavy rotation on the Internet radio station ChristianRock.net. Caleb Oliver left the lineup shortly thereafter, and former Fighting Instinct vocalist T.J. Harris enlisted in his place. Returning in 2009 with the sophomore effort Crash, Decyfer Down garnered more support from independent Christian rock radio. Additionally, the album's title track was featured in the pay-per-view broadcast of WrestleMania XXV, thus exposing the band's music to a wider audience.
Wikipedia:
Decyfer Down is a 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 [edit]
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 later joined the band as a bass player, followed in 2002 by guitarist Christopher Clonts, son of retired West Carteret High School special education teacher and track and field coach, Jerry Clonts. He is married to Meghan Clonts and has a son, Hayden. His arrival gave the band "a new sound and purpose" and they began to play with mainstream artists such as Puddle of Mudd, Breaking Benjamin, Crossfade and Adema. Around this time the band renamed themselves Decyfer Down.
The band has shared the stage with acts such as Pillar, Thousand Foot Krutch, Day of Fire, The Showdown, Skillet, Disciple, Hawk Nelson, The Letter Black and many more. In 2008, Caleb, appeared with Skillet on their "Comatose Comes Alive" tour. On the song "Those Nights" he played the bass.
End of Grey [edit]
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. "Fight Like This" was featured in UFC promo which aired on September 7, 2007 for twelve hours on the front page of YouTube.
Crash [edit]
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 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 August 2008, that original lead singer/bassist Caleb Oliver(brother of drummer Josh) had left the band to deal with some personal/ family issues. T.J. Harris formerly of Fighting Instinct joined a few months 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. 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 to the band.
Third Studio Album [edit]
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. The new but untitled song sounded heavier than the sound of Crash and closer to the style on End of Grey. It has been confirmed that their third studio album will be released in late 2012 or early 2013. In March 2012, the band went into the studio to record the album. The album will be released sometime in Spring/Summer 2013.
