With a debut already under their belt, Sevenglory returns to the music scene with a sophomore album, Atmosphere. Formed in 2001, the band has been a youth group staple with their catchy pop/rock melodies. Rest assured, devout fans of Sevenglory will not be disappointed; this album is much of the same, if not better, than their debut Over the Rooftops.

Atmosphere begins with the groovy, upbeat "All You Want," which includes some interesting whistling and bell percussion. The second track, entitled "All of This for You," though not the first or loudest cut on the album, sets the stage for Atmosphere. The bright guitar and airy piano, reminiscent of As Tall as Lions, make this song the best on the record. The same style echoes through tracks like "Even the Blues" and "The Best is Yet to Come," giving an excellent pallet for the entire album.

Though pitfalls through the disc are scarce and slight, Sevenglory's style tends to move toward the glam-rock or even grunge guitar sounds of the 80's, and it doesn't fair nearly as well as their softer tracks. Ironically, the strangest song on the album is the title track, in which the guitar solo sounds more like an Evanescence melody than a youth group favorite. However, these missteps are easily overlooked and don't take away from the general impression of Atmosphere.

While Christian media is labeling Sevenglory as a Christian Radiohead or Jimmy Eat World, the band is much more than that. Lyrically, Sevenglory steps way outside the box, throwing the true message of Christianity in listener's hands. Ironically, where others have gone before and failed, Sevenglory finds their way perfectly. On "Lay it All Down," lead singer Fred Butson sings, "I don't want to wait another day right now, lay it all down, lay it all down…"

Although the disc is quite half and half style-wise, that's exactly the beauty of Atmosphere. One minute, Sevenglory could be pulling out the distortion hooks; the next minute performing a dramatic worship ballad. Sevenglory truly is a diamond in the Christian music rough. With bands like Casting Crowns and Relient K getting all the attention, it's nice to know that there's gleaming talent out there beyond the major labels.

- Review date: 10/22/07, written by Garrett DeRossett