Third Day - Conspiracy No. 5

Reviewed by Tony Cummings

The story so far: A couple of years back a bunch of young hopefuls from Atlanta, Georgia got turned down by all the major Christian record companies. So the guys, who played an intriguing pick'n'mix brand of rock, fusing elements of alternative Southern boogie and grunge, went and recorded and released an album themselves. That album 'Third Day' became a Christian underground radio hit and soon Reunion were signing the band and re-releasing/re-mastering their debut which went on to sell 200,000 copies plus! (yep, you heard me right!). Not surprising for their follow up Zomba (Reunion's new mainstream owner) have thrown a whole heap of money/studio time at the second album and the result is a breathtaking set with the genuine potential to be considered a Christian rock classic in years to come. The sonic values of the production are stunning (layers of grunge-style guitars don't so much roar as reach out of the speakers and give you a good shaking) while in Mac Powell they have one of the most distinctive new voices in Christendom, a gritty, gnarled, rasping, emotionally-charged thing able to squeeze maximum passion from the compelling songs here.