It won't take long for listeners of Spoken's sixth studio album to be remin… Read Full Bio ↴It won't take long for listeners of Spoken's sixth studio album to be reminded of how hard and fast the band can rock. The three songs that open the album, "History Erased," "Close Your Eyes" and "Not Soon Forgotten," start things off with nine minutes of blazing fast guitar riffs and loud and quick-rising vocals, all bounded by a full-sounding rhythm section.

After two albums for Tooth and Nail where the band explored more anthemic avenues, the quintet found itself re-examining its hard rock and metal roots on its third record for the label. The resulting album is an 11-song sonic attack that knows when to slow down the pace and when to pounce back like a slap to the face. "We didn't intentionally go for a heavier sound," guitarist Jef Cunnigham said. "We just wrote what came to mind and I think it turned into some of our best material."

Late last year the band's hectic touring schedule slowed enough for them to start working on the record, though they had a few geographical obstacles to overcome before starting. With members spread across four states, each created a secret Myspace for a non-existent band where they would post song ideas for the others to listen to.

Singer Matt Baird would download these parts to his iPod, where he began to craft the lyrics for the record. His finished work centers on topics like redemption and restoration, and reaches its pinnacle on the album's tenth track, "When Hope is All You Have," which began as a phrase he used during his father's funeral just before recording began.

"There are songs about healing and hope and about moving on after we've made mistakes," Baird said. "I felt some pressure in writing, hoping my parts would turn out as good as the music. But I think it all came out better than I could've imagined." After their internet-aided pre-production, the band decided to set up shop in a one-room cabin in the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee for over a month to mold those song ideas into the core of the album. After three weeks of work, Baird joined the band for the final two weeks to add his lyrics to the fray.

With songs in hand the band then headed to Lakeside Studios in Knoxville for a month-long session with producer Travis Wyrick (P.O.D., Disciple), who also produced 2005's "Last Chance to Breathe," a record that helped the band expand its fanbase as it ventured into poppier leanings.

"I'm blown away by the finished record," Cunnigham said. "We wrote these songs to please ourselves, to write songs that we wanted to play live and we ended up with a few that were heavier and harder than anything on the last two records." Wyrick and the band have created a sound less reliant on overdubs and layering and more focused on bringing the band's live show to mind with a more sparse sound that still rocks as hard as ever. Maybe more so. "We wanted to experiment with heavier songs and think further ahead in the lifespan of the band," Baird said. "And with these heavier songs it really feels like a step toward the future and a reflection of the past."

Beneath The Surface
Spoken Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Death rise
Somewhere you gave up control
Lie back
So long you've been alone
Death rise
Somewhere you gave up control
Lie back
You'll be the one to let go

And now you're lost again
The war on where your life began
And now you're lost again
The war on where your life began

Beneath the surface
You'll sit and cry the controlling

So now you're falling
Slipping further away
Into the depths of your heart
And now you're reaching
Falling into the dark
Into the depths of your heart

I am alive
I am alive again
I'm so alive
I'm dying to live again
I am alive
I am alive again
I'm still alive
I'm dying, dying to live again

I am alive
I am alive again
I'm still alive

I'm dying, dying to live again
I am alive

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Spoken's "Beneath the Surface" seem to touch on the themes of loss of control, loneliness, and the struggle to find meaning in one's life. The repetition of the phrases "death rise" and "somewhere you gave up control" seem to suggest that the singer is feeling defeated and overwhelmed by some unknown force, while the line "so long you've been alone" indicates a sense of isolation and disconnection from the world around them.

The chorus of the song, with its repeated refrain of "beneath the surface, you'll sit and cry the controlling," suggests that the singer is struggling with some inner turmoil, perhaps related to past traumas or unresolved emotional issues. The lines "now you're lost again, the war on where your life began" further emphasize this sense of confusion and desperation, as the singer grapples with their own identity and purpose in life.

Despite these dark themes, the song also offers a sense of hope and resilience. The repeated refrain "I am alive again, I'm dying to live again" suggests that the singer is determined to overcome their struggles and find meaning and purpose in their life once more, even if it means facing their deepest fears and darkest secrets.

Line by Line Meaning

Death rise
The feeling of death or danger is present and growing

Somewhere you gave up control
At some point, you lost the ability to control your life

Lie back
Relax and let go

So long you've been alone
You've been isolated for a long time

You'll be the one to let go
You will be the one to release your grip and give up control

And now you're lost again
You are confused and unsure of your path

The war on where your life began
Struggles with where your journey started and what it has become

Beneath the surface
Hidden below a surface level, deeper emotions and struggles exist

You'll sit and cry the controlling
You'll sit and cry over the lack of control in your life

So now you're falling
You're slipping and losing control

Slipping further away
Losing control more and more