After two Platinum-selling albums (Casting Crowns & Lifesong), two Platinum live projects (Live from Atlanta & Lifesong Live), numerous awards, and one of the most successful headlining tours in our industry, one might expect a different Casting Crowns. Those who meet this exceptional group, however, quickly realize they are still the same down-to-earth people with ministry at the heart of what they do both on the road, and in their local churches where each of the members serve on-staff or as laypeople, including lead singer/songwriter Mark Hall who still holds his post as youth pastor at his home church.
Casting Crowns' third album, The Altar and The Door, draws on this first-hand ministry experience with real people, real life struggle and the faith that overcomes. "At the altar, everything makes sense," says Hall. "When we're in the church and spending time with God, we know what we're supposed to do and how to live. Everything is black and white. But somewhere between the altar and the door, when we leave and go out into our lives, it all leaks out. Everything gets gray again. It's like we have these two lives, and the Christian life is the journey between the altar and door....trying to get the things you've got in your head, into your hands, into your feet, and into your life. This album is all about that journey of realization, the struggles we encounter and the victory of seeing it as possible."
The band is excited about the next ministry chapter to unfold, and is already planning Fall and Spring legs of The Altar and The Door Tour. With the debut radio single hitting in June and widespread media coverage starting late summer through the fall, this album is set to be another phenomenal release setting records and, more importantly, impacting hearts.
Video: "East To West: EPK"
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More directions than East & West| Posted August 03, 2007
The first single is a great song, but my early favorites have to be "Every Man" and "Slow Fade". "Slow Fade" deals with the gradual slide away from God. Nobody falls away instantly and once you realize that it has happened, it is tough to look back and see a defining point.
Mark Hall doesn't shy away from making a point with "What this world needs", which is a little more upbeat than we are used to hearing from the band, but intros the album nicely.
So far so good| Posted July 22, 2007
I have listened to the upcoming song and I really enjoyed listening to it. I of course voted for it in the weekly challenge this week. Cannot wait for the album release.
East to West| Posted July 19, 2007
When this song made its debut on the station I listen to, I was blown away! To find that this song has now become the top song in radio station debuts in one week (74) was no surprise. As a geography major, there is no definition for what is the distance from east to west. As a Christian, having the definition "from one scarred hand to the other" was mind boggling. AND SO VERY TRUE!
Casting Crows - The Altar and the Door| Posted July 16, 2007 Casting Crowns and their new Album The Altar and the Door has really set the new standard for Christian music!
ok, so i suppose u expect me to tell u about Casting Crowns previous albums, u expect me to give u all the hype about there impressive list of awards, nominations and the huge number of record sales. No. I'm not going to tell u any of that, because in my Opinion this new album makes the rest sound like any other band just pulled off the street! Don't get me wrong, i love all of Casting Crowns previous albums but they aren't in the same league as the new album, The Altar and the Door.
If u like Christian pop/rock (in fact even if u hate it) then u will love this new album by Casting Crowns.
This new album not only contains awe-inspiring lyrics, but the vocal skill and instrumental mastery it takes to make truly great songs.
In Mark Hall's (Lead Singer) own words 'Where god has us is singing to the church and talking to a believer, and to a culture now that would call that preaching to the choir, I guess we would call that discipleship, and so really its discipleship apposed to music.' And when I listened to this album, this is how I felt, I felt like I was being taught a lesson rather than listening to a song.
I have always thought that i am strong in my faith and that nothing could change that, yet when i listened to the songs on this album I realised that its not hard to drift away from god, the song 'Slow Fade' emphasises how easy it is to slowly slip away, because if it is a sudden change you will realise what has happened, but when it is a slow fade from god sometimes you wont realise what's happening! And this new album is full of awesome lessons such as that through the whole thing.
my favourite song has to be 'East To West' this song basically explains about the sacrifice made by Jesus and how he took our sin's away! This song makes me thank Jesus every time I hear it.
When Mark Hall said he was singing to the church i think he was wrong, i think that the songs on the new album can not only mean a lot to the church and the believers but also non believers because the songs answer so many questions that would be difficult to explain in words.
If i could give this song 10 stars out of 5 I would!
Cannot Wait| Posted July 11, 2007
This CD is gonna rock!!! I own the two previous Casting Crowns CD's, and The Altar and the Door is anything like the others I'll be more than pleased!
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