Spoken

In Nashville, Tennessee, 1996 marked the arrival of Christian heavy rock band Spoken. The initial lineup brought together three longtime friends—Matt Baird handling vocals, Scoop Roberts on guitar, and Isaiah Perez behind the drums—whose nu-metal approach first appeared on the 1997 debut On Your Feet, issued by Metro 1 Music. Their sophomore effort, ...What Remains, stayed close to that same style, yet the third and last Metro 1 release, Echoes of the Spirit Still Dwell, signaled a decisive shift toward heavier territory. Metro 1 followed with a Greatest Hits collection in 2001, after which the band moved to Tooth & Nail. Across three albums for the Christian imprint the sound continued to evolve, beginning with the screamo/pop-punk energy of 2003’s A Moment of Imperfect Clarity, shifting into melodic hard rock on 2005’s Last Chance to Breathe, and then embracing a full Linkin Park direction for the self-titled 2007 set. Once the Tooth & Nail era ended, Spoken reissued Echoes in 2008 and, following a brief hiatus, returned in 2013 with Illusion on E1 Music, their first collection of original material in six years. A successful 2015 Kickstarter campaign funded the eighth album, Breathe Again, which appeared on Artery Records. Early the following year the group issued the singles “I Will Not Fade” and “Stronger” ahead of the aptly titled ninth full-length IX, released that September.