The Benjamin Gate was a South African Christian rock baformed in 1998 by friends of musician Ben Herbert following his death in a traffic collision. Their name, which was also the name of one the entrances into the original city of Jerusalem, was chosen as a tribute to him.
The Benjamin Gate released two local, independent albums while in South Africa, Spinning Head and comeputyourheadupinmyheart. The band, along with their manager and co-songwriter Marc "Thux" Theodosiou, left Port Elizabeth and came to the United States in 2001 after David Bach at Forefront Records heard their demo that they had sent to Nashville for mastering.
Many of the songs of comeputyourheadupinmyheart were retooled and re-released on their first major-label album for Forefront Records, ["untitled"]. This album and Contact were critically acclaimed albums. They were nominated for four Dove Awards, produced two No. 1 and one No. 2 singles, and toured the United States and Europe. Their merchandise was easily recognized by their gasmask logo. They had an endorsement contract from Oakley, Inc. This success helped them to be included on three Festival Con Dios tours.
The group parted ways in 2003 due to Liesching's engagement to Christian artist, Jeremy Camp.
-- via Wikipedia