Hard rock band Decyfer Down is back with their new, crowdfunded project, The Other Side of Darkness (get it on iTunes), and to celebrate, we're sharing some things about this newly independent North Carolina band you likely didn't know. 

1. They were originally called Allysonhymn--which wasn't pronounced "Allison Hymn," but actually "All eyes on Him." They changed their name to Decyfer, but then added "Down" in order to steer clear of confusion with their labelmates at the time, Disciple.

2. Guitarist Brandon Mills and singer Josh Oliver started the band, and not long after, Josh's brother, Caleb Oliver, started playing bass for them. The trio met eventual guitarist Christopher Clonts at TobyMac's Christian music camp, Camp Electric, in 2002. 

3. The band toured with not just Christian acts, but mainstream ones as well. After their song, "Fight Like This," was featured on YouTube as part of a UFC promo, doors opened for Decyfer Down to tour with Puddle of Mudd, Breaking Benjamin, Crossfade and Adema, among others. 

4. Decyfer Down has been a supergroup out on the road over the years, deploying the talents of Disciple frontman Kevin Young on bass and Thousand Foot Krutch rhythm guitarist Andrew Welch during the 2009 Comatose tour, Disciple drummer Joey West keeping the beat during the Reload and Rock Tour in 2014, and Day of Fire's Joe Pangallo playing rhythm guitar on the Days of the Reckoning Tour in 2006. 
 
5. Decyfer Down's connection with Skillet is strong. Skillet is largely credited with discovering the band and taking them under their wing. John Cooper has co-wrote on a few of their songs, and in 2008, Caleb appeared with Skillet on their "Comatose Comes Alive" tour and played bass for them. 

6. Current lead singer TJ Harris was previously the frontman of the Gotee Records rock band Fighting Instinct. That band had some radio success with the single, "I Found Forever," and had recorded a cover of dcTalk song "Like It, Love It, Need It" for the compilation album Freaked! A Gotee Tribute to dcTalk's Jesus Freak. That band broke up in 2008, after Harris accepted the invitation to sing for fellow North Carolina band Decyfer Down. 

7. Speaking of TJ Harris, the Decyfer Down singer appeared at Liberty University's Convocation ceremony in 2012 as a guest singer, where he sang his original song, "Walk Love," which hasn't officially been released on any recorded project.
 
8. Decyfer Down's song, "Crash," helped set the tone for WWE's Wrestlemania XXV pay-per-view event, as it was featured in promotional videos specifically focused on the match between Matt Hardy and Jeff Hardy. Their music also has been used in promos for the UFC and daytime soap opera One Life to Live.