Third Day

Third Day may be the most popular rock band you've never heard of. The band has racked up numerous Gospel awards, nabbed 24 chart-topping singles and sold over six million records in its career. Ok, so why aren't they as big as, say, God? Well, that would be blasphemous, but with their stats, Third Day should be as much of a household name as Creed was in the late '90s! But you've probably never heard of Third Day right? The band has a massive Christian following and it's no surprise, since the band camps out in safe, unassuming, utterly wholesome rock-ville, and the music is heavily dosed with vanilla. The band doesn't saddle itself with the showy bombast that defined Creed and frontman Scott Stapp, instead opting to win people over with melodies and by genuinely spreading the word of God.

On Revelation, Third Day doesn't stray from the mid-tempo rock formula or the praise-the-Lord lyrics that have brought them their success. It's doubtful this release will do much to convert millions more people, but it will more than satisfy the people who already cling to the band's clean cut, slightly Southern-tinged rock. The first single, "Call My Name" is a bit melancholy, but it brings the hooks. Album opener "This is Who I Am" is rowdy, probably the most muscular cut on the platter, while "Otherside" once again sees the band exploring its Southern roots by injecting fiery guitar licks. "Born Again" and the title track are the requisite ballads, but they're inspirational and raised on a note of hope. Vocalist Mac Powell's no-nonsense vocals are a wee bit gruff, but their main function is to get the band's Christian message across and Powell's emotive pipes achieve that goal. That's not to suggest that Revelation is alienating in its piety and references to the Almighty; there's just a lot of celebratin' of the Lord, and if you like that kind of thing, it'll suit you. Those not interested in faith-based rock who prefer secular messages might be a bit bored.

If the Lord did indeed sayeth to praise him with a joyful noise, Third Day are taking those words literally and to the heart on Revelation.

— Amy Sciarretto
07.25.08

The pre-release hoopla surrounding Revelation, Third Day's eighth studio album, was eerily reminiscent of the hype behind 2004's Wire, the band's would-be crossover breakthrough. A breathless Billboard cover story even reported Revelation had all the makings of a disc poised for the big leagues, seemingly unaware that a similar machine pushed Wire to be a general market success four years earlier, to little avail. That album did go gold and cemented the foursome further in Christian circles, but a crossover it wasn't -- indeed, it was the same old Third Day, except rockier and with lyrics that were not as overtly spiritual. The particulars of Revelation are awfully similar. Produced by modern rock guru Howard Benson, recorded in Los Angeles, and boasting guests that would make the mainstream press stand at attention -- among them, Flyleaf's Lacey Mosley, American Idol's Chris Daughtry, and pedal steel maestro Robert Randolph -- Revelation finds Third Day trying new things, but not to the extent that they sound like a different band. If anything, it seems like the change of setting and the added star power intimidated them for the better, inciting them to not settle for the middle of the road or the pat-answer anthems that dogged them post-Offerings -- the turning point where the band went from a Southern rock powerhouse to an adult contemporary one. It's like the Atlanta natives are back to their good old selves, rocking out not because they're trying to appease corporate rock types, but because they've once again reconnected with the conviction and assurance that was prevalent in their first few albums -- even their faith is worn more proudly on their sleeves as a result. It's a muscular, anthemic sound -- unquestionably populist, yet the closest Third Day has come to replicating the Southern-fried goodness of Time, their master opus and one of the best Christian rock full-lengths of the '90s. Believe the hype: Revelation is the best album Third Day has released this decade, as well as a long overdue return to the unbridled fervor that characterized them in their early years. ~ Andree Farias, All Music Guide