Massivivid
Encyclopedia
Massivivid was a Christian band founded by Wally Shaw and Mark Nash. Their sound was based in industrial rock and electronic pop, but with a hard edge and intensity similar to that of Nine Inch Nails
or The Smashing Pumpkins
. Massivivid was originally founded as a live side project to Deitiphobia
. They have released to critical acclaim, garnering a Dove Award.
's record label Ear Candy. They produced an EP that year and held their first show at the 1997 Cornerstone Festival
.
After producing a demo for the label they were picked up by Tattoo Records and produced their first album, BrightBlur. The name of the album refers to a line in C. S. Lewis
's Letters to Malcolm
where Lewis describes God
as a "bright blur becoming brighter and blurier". Several other Lewis references appear on the album: to The Space Trilogy
in "Deep Heaven", and quotes from Mere Christianity
in "Unmade". Lyrically BrightBlur is centered on the struggles faced by humanity, specifically the contrasts that technology introduces to society. The album propelled Massivivid to take the 1998 Dove Award for "Hard Music Album."
The band toured heavily throughout 1999. The follow-up record, Dressed To The Nines...Armed To The Teeth, was released in 2002 on Accidental Sirens, an indie label partially owned by Allan Aguirre of Scaterd Few
. A review in HM Magazine
was heavily critical of the album, stating that its "fuzz-tone guitar based electro industrial" sound had at best the quality of a demo.
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
or The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins are an American alternative rock band that formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1988. Formed by Billy Corgan frontman and James Iha , the band has included Jimmy Chamberlin , D'arcy Wretzky , and currently includes Jeff Schroeder Mike Byrne , and Nicole Fiorentino The Smashing...
. Massivivid was originally founded as a live side project to Deitiphobia
Deitiphobia
Deitiphobia is a Christian industrial / electro / techno band from the United States formed in 1990 consisting of the duo of Wally Shaw and Brent Stackhouse. Known originally as Donderfliegen , the band changed names to Deitiphobia in 1991 to better clarify the band's focus on Christianity...
. They have released to critical acclaim, garnering a Dove Award.
Background
The band was born in 1996 as a project of Michael KnottMichael Knott
Michael Knott is an American singer-songwriter and frontman for various bands, many of them Christian. He has released some 35 albums, including solo albums and with bands such as LSU and Cush....
's record label Ear Candy. They produced an EP that year and held their first show at the 1997 Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival
Cornerstone Festival is a Christian music festival put on by Jesus People USA and held annually around the 4th of July near Bushnell, Illinois. In a given year, many artists that play at Cornerstone also play at other events such as Creation Festival and mainstream festivals and tours such as the...
.
After producing a demo for the label they were picked up by Tattoo Records and produced their first album, BrightBlur. The name of the album refers to a line in C. S. Lewis
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
's Letters to Malcolm
Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer
Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer is a book by C.S. Lewis posthumously published in 1964. The book takes the form of a series of letters to a fictional friend, "Malcolm", in which Lewis meditates on prayer as an intimate dialogue between man and God...
where Lewis describes God
God in Christianity
In Christianity, God is the eternal being that created and preserves the universe. God is believed by most Christians to be immanent , while others believe the plan of redemption show he will be immanent later...
as a "bright blur becoming brighter and blurier". Several other Lewis references appear on the album: to The Space Trilogy
The Space Trilogy
The Space Trilogy, Cosmic Trilogy or Ransom Trilogy is a trilogy of science fiction novels by C. S. Lewis, famous for his later series The Chronicles of Narnia. A philologist named Elwin Ransom is the hero of the first two novels and an important character in the third.The books in the trilogy...
in "Deep Heaven", and quotes from Mere Christianity
Mere Christianity
Mere Christianity is a theological book by C. S. Lewis, adapted from a series of BBC radio talks made between 1941 and 1944, while Lewis was at Oxford during World War II...
in "Unmade". Lyrically BrightBlur is centered on the struggles faced by humanity, specifically the contrasts that technology introduces to society. The album propelled Massivivid to take the 1998 Dove Award for "Hard Music Album."
The band toured heavily throughout 1999. The follow-up record, Dressed To The Nines...Armed To The Teeth, was released in 2002 on Accidental Sirens, an indie label partially owned by Allan Aguirre of Scaterd Few
Scaterd Few
Scaterd Few was a Christian punk band originating from Burbank, California. CCM magazine described their music as "pure punk for dread people," stating that it was a cross between Janes Addiction and Charlie Mingus.-Sin Disease era:...
. A review in HM Magazine
HM Magazine
HM: The Hard Music Magazine is an American bimonthly publication focusing on both Christianity and hard rock. Articles include news, album and festival reviews, posters, artists to watch, indie artist reviews, devotionals and interviews with Christian artists...
was heavily critical of the album, stating that its "fuzz-tone guitar based electro industrial" sound had at best the quality of a demo.
Discography
- 1999: BrightBlur (Tattoo Records, Reviews: Cross Rhythms, 7ball7ball7ball was a Christian music magazine, first published in 1995, founded and created by Frank Chimento. They focused on rock, hip-hop, and other "alternative" forms of Christian music. The magazine was initially published by the Royal Magazine Group alongside Release magazine and others...
, YouthWorkerYouthWorker JournalYouthWorker Journal is a magazine published by Salem Publishing. It has been the leading source for thousands of youth workers throughout North America and elsewhere in the world. Published monthly, it helps its readers address most of the important theological and practical issues involved in...
) - 2002: Dressed To The Nines... Armed To The Teeth (Accidental Sirens, Review: HM Magazine)