''Audio Adrenaline'' is the debut studio album by the American

Christian rock Christian rock is a form of rock music that features lyrics focusing on matters of Christian faith, often with an emphasis on Jesus, typically performed by self-proclaimed Christian individuals. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Ch ...

band of the same name. It was released on April 17, 1992. "My God" was one of the first songs recorded by the band, which caught the attention of

ForeFront Records ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divis ...

Development

According to the band, the album came to be when they met

Bob Herdman Robert Vaughn Herdman (born March 8, 1966) is a Christian musician, songwriter and producer more known for being a member of the band Audio Adrenaline. Life and career Herdman grew up in Lynchburg, a rural town in the southwest part of Ohio. At ...

. The band, which was known as A-180 at the time, had been playing and touring for some time already. Herdman approached them to record a song he had written called "My God" which mixed

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

and

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

. After they did, they asked Herdman to join the band as their keyboardist. Herdman also suggested they change their name, which they did to Audio Adrenaline. Producer and singer

Toby McKeehan Toby McKeehan (born Kevin Michael McKeehan; October 22, 1964), better known by his stage name TobyMac (styled tobyMac or TOBYMAC), is an American contemporary Christian music singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He was first known f ...

(from

dc Talk DC Talk (stylized as dc Talk) is a Christian hip hop, Christian rap and Christian rock, rock trio. The group was formed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia in 1987 by tobyMac, Toby McKeehan, Michael Tait, and Kevin Max, Kevin Max Smith ...

) stumbled upon the recording of "My God", and they met after a dc Talk concert in 1989. McKeehan then brought the tape to the people at

Forefront Records ForeFront Records is a contemporary Christian music and Christian rock record label founded in 1987 by Dan R. Brock, Eddie DeGarmo, Dana Key, and Ron W. Griffin. It was purchased by EMI in 1996 from Dan R. Brock and Eddie DeGarmo, and is a divis ...

and they decided to sign the band. They then started writing and recording songs in the same vein as "My God", combining rock/pop elements with rap.Audio Adrenaline review
on Jesus Freak Hideout; Portell, Paul (February 12, 2003)

Reception

''Audio Adrenaline'' was generally well received by the audience selling 75,000 copies.
on

CCM Magazine ''CCM Magazine'' is a twice-monthly online magazine focusing on contemporary Christian music, published by Salem Publishing, a division of Salem Communications. History ''CCM'' was first published in July 1978, as a printed magazine. It has bee ...

; Selby, Marykay (April 1996) Thom Granger, of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, gave the album 3 stars out of 5 and called it a "decent debut". Paul Portell, of Jesus Freak Hideout, gave the album 3 stars out of 5. Portell wrote that the album "showed early on that you can be in a Christian band with positive lyrics and still have fun all in the same." However, he pointed out that "the album does have a few flaws". John DiBiase, of Jesus Freak Hideout too, wrote that the album "has a few memorable tunes". The album features the song "DC-10", which would later be featured in several compilations of the band. In later interviews, band members have expressed their dislike for the album. Guitarist Barry Blair said in an interview with

about the album "If it was up to me, I would burn them all, make them disappear... There is nothing personal about that record." Despite this, the song "DC-10" was remade for Audio Adrenaline's fifth studio album, ''

Underdog An underdog is a person or group in a competition, usually in sports and creative works, who is largely expected to lose. The party, team, or individual expected to win is called the favorite or top dog. In the case where an underdog wins, the ...

'', albeit with a swing rhythm.

Music videos

A music video for the song "PDA" was released.PDA video
on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

Track listing

: Live recording later appeared on '' Live Bootleg'' (1995) : Demo recording originally appeared on ''Reaper's Train'' (1990) : Re-recorded for ''Underdog'' (1999)

Personnel

Audio Adrenaline * Mark Stuart — lead vocals * Barry Blair — guitars, vocals * Will McGinniss — bass, vocals *

— keyboards, vocals Production * Produced, recorded, and mixed by Steve Griffith for GaGa Productions * Produced by Audio Adrenaline * Executive producers: Ron W. Griffin, Dan R. Brock * Mixed at Quad Studios in Nashville, Tennessee * Mastered by Hank Williams for Master Mix

References

{{Authority control 1992 debut albums Audio Adrenaline albums ForeFront Records albums