The Benjamin Gate

South African Christian band The Benjamin Gate — made up of singer Adrienne ("Adie") Liesching, bassist Costa Balamatsias, drummer Nick Volsteedt, and guitarists Marc Pautz and Chris Poisat — splashed the stateside shores in 2001 with their stunning rookie bow, untitled. Their full-length debut received rave reviews, earned four Dove Award nods, and scored a pair of #1 singles on the rock charts ("All Over Me" and "Lay It Down") and a #2 single ("How Long"), all culminating in solid first round sales. Yet as "untitled" highlighted several Euro-pop touches, "Contact" finds its focus upping the tempo and energy for a more dynamic and daring rock release. Vibrant vocals, masterful melodies, and hard-stacked hooks all come together to give Contact a passionate, guitar-driven clash of rocket-fueled pop and searing six-string distortion. Contact soars with a raw vitality that opts for an energized live feel over the confined sterility of the overtly primed and polished. Peeling back the history pages, The Benjamin Gate first formed in 1998 following the tragic automobile death of a musician friend named Ben. The effect of the loss — which Adrienne describes as "shocking us into finding our own existence" — brought together The Benjamin Gate's five members with the charge to take life by the reigns, and for them, it meant fulfilling their dream of starting a band. Sadly the band split up because of their personal life had begun to take precedence over the band (marriage, kids, etc.).