That thread of searching for definition plays throughout Revelation, the veteran Atlanta-based band's 11th studio album, set to release on July 29. For Powell and his longtime bandmates - guitarist Mark Lee, bassist Tai Anderson and drummer David Carr - that search involved stepping out of their physical comfort zone by recording the project in Los Angeles, and out of their creative comfort zone by bringing in producer Howard Benson, known for his work with artists such as Daughtry, P.O.D., Flyleaf and Hoobastank.
The result is a muscular sound, strung taut with hooks and hat-tips to its Southern-rock influences, but also a real, palpable vulnerability in both song matter and performance.
"As we mature in our faith, we come to a point where we realize that everything is not black and white. The older you get, the more questions you have," Powell says. "The point is that it's okay that we don't have all the answers - but we know the One who does."
Just as this season of definition for Third Day involved bringing Benson into the fold, other artists step into to the creative mix as well, such as Chris Daughtry on the track "Slow Down," Flyleaf's Lacey Mosely on "Run To You" and "Born Again" and pedal steel guitar wizard Robert Randolph on "Otherside."
But it's the core of Third Day that pushed them to this bigger, more polished and yet edgier musical stance, with lyrics designed to relate to a broad swath of the human and Christian experience.
