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You gave me love, Oh Lord
When I was so unlovable
You gave me peace, Oh Lord
When I was so restless

You gave me a joyful song to sing
When I was so downhearted 

You gave me life
You are the Lifegiver
You are the Lifegiver

So begins the debut CD from new band Hyper Static Union.  It also is the first disc from Consuming Fire Productions (run by members of Third Day) and RKT Music (the new rock-music imprint from Michael W. Smith’s Rocketown Records).  With such grand pedigree behind this debut, this disc carries a little more expectations behind it than the typical new CCM release.  The band really doesn’t show any close relation to Third Day’s or Smith’s sound.  While producer (and Third Day front man) Mac Powell is quoted as saying “Hyper Static Union is unlike any other band out there,” the band is really an almost exact update of Audio Adrenaline for this next generation of rock CCM fans.

The lyrics above demonstrate the basis for singer/songwriter Shawn Lewis’ direction for this band.  Much like Audio Adrenaline before them, they go for a basic evangelistic approach with their lyrics – there is no doubt that ministry is one of the main focuses of this group.  However, with that approach, it is of fairly limited interest to anyone not currently attending Youth Group at their local church.  The topics addressed include dating non-Christians, sharing the Gospel, Fully committing to Christ, Waiting for Christ’s return, and the title track’s dual meaning of giving both Birth and Rebirth to us.

The musical sound is an exact duplicate of Audio Adrenaline, at least on CD.  They go for a basic rock sound, with a funky underpinning on many songs.  The vocalist and guitar tones are very similar to those delivered by AA for years.  I have heard that Hyper Static Union is a fantastic live band, but the songs on this disc have been through the CCM production machine, and come out sounding safe and bland for the most part.

The band succeeds best on two songs that hit a strong mid-tempo groove.  The first is a straight up rock & roll-styled song, “Right Where You Want Me.”  The guitar stands out & is propelled by a tight rhythm section.  Later, the closing track, “Now That It’s Over,” adds a little funk and strong harmony vocals to that same formula and comes up with a winner.  After a few minutes of dead air, there is a communion-time worship song (“In Remembrance of Him”) that is better than any other attempts the band has at a ballad or quiet song.

Audio Adrenaline showed great improvement on both their second and third CDs, which lead them into a strong lengthy career.  I have the same hope for Hyper Static Union. They certainly have talent and potential for great things.  I hope in the future they are allowed to stretch their musical sound and capture more of their live sound on their studio recordings.  This disc has the potential to be a CCM hit (a la Casting Crowns or Mercy Me), but I think the band has more to offer & hope they don’t settle for just CCM success.

Jonathan Nelson  5/2/2006