Metal VS Emo: Seventh Day Slumber

Seventh Day Slumber is a Christian rock band who got their start in 1996. They started their journey as an independent artist for five years, sharing the message of the gospel to all who would listen. After Joseph Rojas's, the lead singer for Seventh Day Slumber, father left him and his mother at the age of 3, Rojas went into a deep state of depression and started to become addicted to crack, cocaine (400$ a day addiction), and other drugs. He was soon selling drugs himself on the streets and taking part in other various felonies and crimes. He was admitted to various rehab centers and hospitals, but when all of them failed he gave up, quitting all together. Rojas was planning to commit suicide and overdose on cocaine to stop his heart, but he wasn't expecting his mother to be the one to find him. He was rescued by paramedics and was later quoted as saying that the flashing lights from the ambulance made him truly see God, and inspired him to change his ways. He started slowing cutting back on his drugs and drinking, and eventually was able to quit them all together through the help of family, rehabs, and prayer. Once he was clean, he decided to go to college, which is where he found his passion for music and where he met his current band members. The reason why he wanted to write music was because, "I wanted to give something back to God after all he's done for me.

Seventh Day Slumber's lyrics mostly focus on issues that teenagers face, such as suicide, drugs, home abuse, drinking, sex, etc. For example the meaning for the album "Finally Awake" was quoted by the band as "The message of this album is clear. We want to empower kids to stop looking to the media, to what the world tells them they have to be, to find identity. You don’t have to be what everyone else tells you to be what you were created to be." One song (Caroline) is about Rojas's mother in law, she went through hard times after a divorce. The song is sung from the point of view of God.