HolyName is an exciting new music venture led by Tommy Green, renowned as the lead vocalist of the metalcore band Sleeping Giant. Along with his best friend, folk-rock musician Joe Holt, he has founded HolyName, a band that defines its sound as "holy drone violent worship." Their debut self-titled album, in collaboration with Facedown Records, is now available.
"Holy drone violent worship" is a mouthful, but it aptly describes HolyName's music. Their music is anchored in the Christian faith, emphasizing the "holy" aspect. The "drone" element is reflected in the song structures, with recurring themes and repetitions, much like traditional hymns.
The term "violent" is often used to describe the intensity and rawness of hard rock and metal music, while "worship" is at the heart of HolyName's lyrics. The songs are written as prayers to God and about His people. Understanding the stories behind HolyName's songs further highlights their worship aspect.
Tommy's personal journey and his unwavering faith in Jesus are at the core of HolyName's music. Despite facing difficult times, he found solace and strength in his faith. The album features great guest vocalists and remarkable musical arrangements. You will undoubtedly appreciate this record's exciting story and musical aspects.
Your faith journal propelled HolyName in the last few years. Can you share about your journey and what led you here?
The toughest times in my spiritual journey happened around 2013 when a survivor in the human trafficking space contacted me. Her story was incredibly intense and deeply affected my wife and me. But that was just the start.
The church we attended and loved dearly in Salt Lake City was forced to shut down because of a division, an enormous blow to our community. To make matters worse, I watched as one of my mentors fell apart. All these events took a toll on the people around us and us.
During this challenging time, I organized a race across Utah to raise awareness of human trafficking, which we had witnessed firsthand. But the worst was yet to come for my family. My little brother passed away suddenly, and within months afterward, my wife suffered four miscarriages. We also lost my uncle and my wife's mother. It felt like an endless cycle of grief and loss.
Growing up Pentecostal, we believed in praying for miracles and expecting signs and wonders from God. But in the face of so much tragedy, we experienced the opposite.
So, I started searching for answers because no one was giving me what I needed to confront all this death and hurt around me. I thought the Catholic Church had the oldest roots in church history, but the Orthodox Church has the oldest roots in church history.
Through my exploration of Orthodoxy, I gained a deeper understanding of my faith and a refreshed passion for Jesus. Looking back, I realize Orthodoxy has been in my life for a long time, and I now feel that I am where I need to be.
You run an anti-human trafficking organization. How has Run Against Traffic been?
It's been great. We partner with many people and organizations to help raise money and get it to those who need it. We recently did a barber shop benefit where they donated their time and efforts, and we helped organize that, and the community benefited.
In 2018, I organized a running race to raise awareness, which marked the beginning of my organization's efforts. The following year, in 2019, we were getting things ready to launch, and then, in 2020, we were locked down. So, it wasn't until recently that we could regain momentum. I'm excited to see how it takes off from here.
With the HolyName record, is there a song or something that is most representative of your faith journey?
Well, the first song I wrote was "Meet Me Somewhere Quiet," as an acoustic song in 2014. And then someone close to me wrote: "Fall on Your Knees." I resonated with that song, so those two helped me hang on to my faith sometimes.
But for something new, the song "The Sect" has a line that says, "I used to be afraid I would see you/now I’m seeing you differently/I used to be afraid you would meet me/But now I see you in a different light." For me, that's how I relate to all the death around me. I now see that death is a servant of Christ, liberating us from death. That sums up my journey recently.
What was the songwriting like for such a musically diverse yet heavy record?
Most of the music is credited to my friend, the co-founder, Joe Holt. He wrote many melodies, rhythms, guitars, and such. I penned stuff, and he translated it into a song. We also had this group of friends called the Rev Gang. We tried writing like a mixtape but then got locked down. So, instead, they pitched in on one song together: "Creed." I also didn't want my voice to be super present because I still think I’m not a great singer.
How did the guest vocals come into play?
These are all guys that I love. People that I have met through touring, life, or otherwise. And with the part of my singing not being as good as I'd like, getting some guest vocals for screaming and such was great for the record. Plus, the guests often wrote the lyrics to the songs they screamed, making it more personal.
What do you think is in the future for HolyName?
I'm not sure yet. We would love the opportunity to share what we are doing. But there are other records besides this; we're constantly writing stuff, anyway. Time will tell what we get to do later, though.
How can we pray for you?
We love prayer for anything—wisdom for my family, me, and the band members. We need healing for our souls and understanding of our situations. Just pray for us.
Ryan Adams graduated from Boise Bible College in 2017. He lives with his family in Montana.
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