Delirious? Calls the Church to Action With 'The Mission Bell'
World renowned rock quintet Delirious? – authors of such congregational classics as “I Could Sing of Your Love Forever” and “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?” – is set to release one of their most ambitious projects to date, The Mission Bell, on Dec. 26 on Sparrow Records.
With The Mission Bell, the band delivers a challenge to the Church to stop merely speaking about what it believes, but to take action with all it’s been given.
“What are we going to do with what we have been given?” asks lead singer Martin Smith. “We love what we do, but there’s gotta be more. We want to make a change. Surely, this whole ‘God thing’ is not just for putting Christian records out. Surely, God has called us to higher things. It’s not enough to sit back and enjoy the ride, but to be sure of the ride we’re on.”
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“I think there’s a lot of inspiration for people to get out of these songs,” says guitarist Stu G. “I think it’ll help some folks kind of work out their calling, work out what they’re supposed to be doing.”
To communicate such a vision on a record, the band learned that they would have to tackle some difficult issues, as on the track “Our God Reigns,” which deals with the subject of social injustice, particularly A.I.D.S., abortion and the constant focus of Western culture on self-improvement and materialism.
“All I had was the chorus when I started out,” recalls Smith, “and I thought, ‘Oh, fantastic, this is going to be another little church song that everyone will sing. That will be great.’ But I could not write any verses for it, and all the sudden, these heavy lyrics came out.”
The album also features the talents of well-known artist tobyMac on “Solid Rock,” a remake of the hymn, “On Christ the Solid Rock.” Additionally, The Mission Bell will be enhanced with a 12-minute behind the scenes video.
In anticipation of the Dec. 26 release of The Mission Bell, Delirious? will be prepping American audiences by playing new music at four dates in California, with the band hitting the Arco Arena in Sacramento today. The band is also planning a US tour next April.
For all the latest tour updates, go to www.delirious.co.uk.
