A Collision

In a time when Praise and Worship is all the rage, and for a band who built their reputation on that type of music, A Collision was a bit of a mystery for some fans. “I really like their music, but there is only one song on that album that we can use in worship.”

The problem was that the David Crowder Band had set out to make, not a praise and worship set, but a concept album that served as more of a sermon. In so doing, they made one of the best albums ever made.

Coming out of the terrible experience of having their pastor die in front of a congregation full of worshipers and having a dear friend lose his young wife to breast cancer, the band set out to tackle the subject of death.

The opening track intones: “Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die,” and sums up the main idea of the album. Death is a source of pain and sorrow for everyone, even those of us who have the hope Christ brings. Songs like “God Where Are You Now” and “Be Still” struggle with the issue, even after the band has already started the conversation out with the source of hope in “Here is Our King” and “Be Lifted, or Hope Rising.”

The climax of thought and sound comes in the track “Come Awake.” It is a powerful envisioning of the final resurrection. It starts with the sound of a heart monitor registering the moment of death. The chorus is the voice of God, calling His children to rise. As the song builds and grows, you hear a faint sound build and increase… an alarm clock ringing.

Then the album goes into a celebration; “You Are My Joy,” “Our happy Home” and “We Win.” If you haven’t given this album a shot, or if you were mystified the first time around, give it another few tries.