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All Music Guide:
The Fort Worth-based metalcore act Oh, Sleeper was an outgrowth of the short-lived Christian emo band Terminal, which split up shortly following the release of its only album in 2005. Three members of Terminal -- guitarist James Erwin, bassist Lucas Starr (who briefly played in a similar alternative Christian act, As Cities Burn, prior to that band's dissolution), and drummer Ryan Conley -- regrouped with a pair of local Fort Worth musicians, singer Micah Kinard and guitarist Shane Blay (formerly of Evelynn, as well as the North Carolina straight-edge act Between the Buried and Me) to form Oh, Sleeper in the spring of 2006. Oh, Sleeper's debut EP, The Armored March, was released by 1x1 Music in November of that year, and the group signed to Solid State Records for the release of their full-length debut, When I Am God, the following year.
Ryan Conley left the band after the release of When I Am God, choosing to eschew the life of a musician in order join the Navy and begin a family with his longtime girlfriend. Oh, Sleeper forged ahead in his absence, enlisting Matt Davis to handle drum duties and launching sessions for their second album. Son of the Morning, a concept album about God's final battle with the devil, appeared in 2009.
Wikipedia:
Oh, Sleeper is an American Christian metalcore band from Fort Worth, Texas and is signed to Solid State Records. They have recorded three full-length albums to date, the most recent being Children of Fire, released on September 6, 2011.
History [edit]
Formation and The Armored March EP [edit]
Oh, Sleeper was founded in April 2006 after former member, Ryan Conley, of the short-lived rock band Terminal got together with former Evelynn and Between the Buried and Me guitarist Shane Blay and former Terminal bassist Lucas Starr (who was at the time with As Cities Burn). Eventually they found a vocalist in Micah Kinard and began practicing. The four members experienced typical problems of a band start-up (no place to practice, no money and different schedules), but the biggest obstacle was finding the final member. Countless awkward auditions failed to fill the missing position, until long time friend and fellow Terminal member James Erwin was found. After his addition to the lineup, the band released an EP, titled The Armored March, through 1x1 music.
When I Am God [edit]
The band signed with Solid State Records in the summer of 2007. Their debut album, When I Am God, was released on October 23, 2007. On December 28, 2007, Oh, Sleeper performed at the Plano Centre in Plano, Texas along with the briefly reunited Terminal. Oh, Sleeper also supported Demon Hunter on their tour, along with Living Sacrifice, Advent, and The Famine. The tour - in-support of Norma Jean - was drummer Ryan Conley's last with the band.
Son of the Morning [edit]
Oh, Sleeper announced in early 2009 that they would release a new album entitled Son of the Morning, which was released on August 25. In an interview, Kinard stated that with this album, they wanted to combine crowd favorites such as "Vices Like Vipers" and "Charlatans Host" from the previous album in order to make Son of the Morning stay true to their sound and please the fans. The lyrics on this album are much more straightforward than on their debut wherein Son of the Morning is a concept album based on the final battle between the Devil and God. The first single from the record was the title track, "Son of the Morning" and later in the year, Oh, Sleeper played the entire album for the first time in Waco Texas at Art Ambush.
The cover of Son of the Morning is known as a "broken pentagram", which has to be distinguished from the broken pentagram used by black magicians with only one triangle left. The symbol was designed by Ryan Clark of Demon Hunter and it follows the same pattern as a pentagram with the horns missing. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 120 and also charted at No. 46 on the Rock Albums chart, at No. 7 on the Christian Albums chart and at No. 12 on the Hard Rock Albums chart.
Children of Fire [edit]
In a Solid State (Oh, Sleeper's record label) podcast, it was announced that the band would be releasing a new album in 2011. This new album will be called "Children of Fire," as announced on stage by the band at Micah's birthday show in Dallas, Texas on Friday, April 15, 2011. On August 2, Oh, Sleeper released "Endseekers", their first single from the album. The song "Hush Yael" was uploaded to their Facebook page on the August 23, 2011. Children of Fire was released digitally on September 6, 2011. The album was released physically in stores on September 27.
James Erwin explains in an interview that the new album takes place after "Son of the Morning" and follows the life of a Priest and his atheist daughter. The album is a spin on the rapture and explores how people would react in end times. At the beginning of the record, the Priest takes the role of judge now that he thinks God is dead and follows the daughter's path of finding God throughout the record.
In November 2012, rhythm guitarist James Erwin announced his departure from the band. Bassist Nate Grady was subsequently announced as the new guitarist.
The band recently announced that Johno Erickson (formerly of Sky Eats Airplane) would be filling in on bass while touring with Fit For a King and In Directions as well as playing several other shows and festivals.
Band name [edit]
In an interview, vocalist Micah Kinard stated that the band's name was derived from the Epistle to the Ephesians on passage 5:14; which reads: "Therefore it says, 'Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.'" (English Standard Version)
