Long before Chris Tomlin, David Crowder Band and Matt Redman were household names on the worship scene, Sonicflood was paving the way for how the future of congregational praise would sound. Its self-titled debut in 1999 brought songs like “Open the Eyes of My Heart,” and “I Want to Know You” into churches around the world.
Fronted by Jeff Deyo and several members of Zilch, who were basically dc Talk’s traveling band, Sonicflood’s debut album sold nearly two million copies and amassed countless accolades including two Dove Awards and a Grammy nomination.
However, even with the group’s widespread popularity, the line-up ended up changing significantly after the first release because of artistic differences in the band. In fact, there were no founding members involved with the group when new frontman Rick Heil eventually took over in 2000. With Rick in the driver’s seat, the band eventually switched record labels and its 2001 album Resonate sounded completely different from anything previously associated with the band.
Over the years, band members have come and gone, although Rick has remained at the helm. Now comprised of McKendree Augustus (keyboards), Branden Taulbee (bass), Ron Robinson (guitar) and Chris Knight (drums), Sonicflood continues to write songs with the church in mind. In 2009, the band released When Love First Cried, a holiday project that celebrates the birth of Christ with a mix of new and familiar material.