Oh, Sleeper
Oh, Sleeper |
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Oh, Sleeper is an American Christian metalcore band from Ft. Worth, Texas signed to Solid State Records. They have recorded two full-length albums to date, the most recent their sophomore album Son of the Morning, released on August 25, 2009. Their name is a reference to Ephesians 5:14 which reads, "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."
History
Formation and The Armored March EP
Oh, Sleeper formed 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. As the 4 members began sledging through all the normal problems of a band start-up (no place to practice, no money and different schedules) the biggest obstacle was finding the last and final member. Countless awkward auditions still fell short of the missing position, until the thought of long time friend and previous guitar player and band mate of the guys in Terminal, James Erwin. After adding James to the lineup, the band released an EP during this time titled The Armored March, through 1x1 music.
When I Am God
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. After the band's signing party at the Rigdalia Theater on October 24, session guitarist and longtime friend Cody Allen was pronounced dead after heart complications associated with angina pectoris, which had gone undiagnosed. Cody was most well known for his work in Stares to Somewhere New, an epic metal band from Denver, CO. The band set up a fund in Cody's memory that brings music lessons to underprivileged children in southeast Texas. On December 28, 2007, Oh, Sleeper performed at the Plano Centre (in Plano, Texas) along with the briefly reunited Terminal. This was the only Terminal reunion show, with all original members, that took place after their break-up in 2005. Oh, Sleeper also supported Demon Hunter on their "Stronger Than Hell Tour" alongside Living Sacrifice, Advent, and The Famine. The Anti-Mother tour in support of Norma Jean was drummer Ryan Conley's last tour with Oh, Sleeper.
Ryan Conley's Departure
Ryan Conley left Oh, Sleeper after he announced that he is going to join the Navy. After Oh Sleepers last song with Ryan Conley, Ryan made a speech about how much he loves his band members and God. At the end of his speech he proposed to Lyn Cole. There is a video of this on youtube.
Son of the Morning
Oh, Sleeper announced in early 2009 that they will release a new album entitled Son of the Morning. The album was released on August 25, 2009. In an interview with Micah he stated that with this album, they wanted to combine crowd favorites like Vices like Vipers and Charlatans Host from the last album to make this new album stay true to their sound as well as please the fans with what appeals to the fans the best. The messages are much more straight forward (WIAG had more metaphors in their messages). The album is a concept album based on the final battle between the devil and God. The first single from the CD was the title track, "Son of the Morning". The band was also interviewed about the album, during which they made several statements about what the album cover means and what certain songs represent. The cover of Son Of The Morning is a "Broken Pentagram" according to Micah. The last breakdown and chant of the album is "I'll cut off your horns!" in the song "The Finisher". The album cover follows the same pattern as a pentagram with the horns missing. Oh,Sleeper played their new album debut in Waco Texas at Art Ambush.
The album debuted on the Billboard 200 at #120 and also charted at #46 Rock Albums, at #7 Christian Albums & at #12 Hard Rock Albums.[1]
Members
- Current members
- Micah Kinard (2006- present) - lead vocals, keys
- James Erwin (2006- present) - guitars
- Shane Blay (2006-Present) - guitars, vocals
- Lucas Starr (2006- present) - bass
- Zac Mayfield (2010-present) - drums, percussion
- Former members
- Ryan Conley (2006-2008) - drums
- Matt Davis (2008-2010) - drums
Discography
| Year | Title | Label | Chart peaks | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Christ | US Heat | US Rock | US Hard Rock | |||
| 2006 | The Armored March EP | 1x1 Music | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2007 | When I Am God | Solid State Records | — | 33 | 19 | — | — |
| 2009 | Son of the Morning | 120 | 7 | — | 46 | 12 | |
Music videos
- "We Are The Archers" - Armored March (2006)
- "Vices Like Vipers" - When I Am God (2007)
- "Son of The Morning" - Son of The Morning (2009)
- "The Finisher" - Son of The Morning (2010)