About Spoken

Starting in 1996 Spoken quickly became a mainstay in their local music scene due to a relentless work ethic and performance schedule. Shortly after forming Spoken was signed to their first record deal with Metro 1 Music, and there they released 3 full-length records and a greatest hits compilation.

With the release of their first album, On Your Feet (1997) and continuing through their second record, ...What Remains (1999), The Spoken sound was a combination of rap meets metal, and a bit of melodic rock. On the third full-length release, Echoes of the Spirit Still Dwell (2000) embodied a heavier, more melodic approach to song writing, with songs like “Forevermore” and “This Path”, generating repeated rotations on various modern rock radio and video programs across the country.

Drastic changes in style often lead to a loss of a band's original audience.  Spoken on the other hand, has done the exact opposite. With each album the band grew to inherently be themselves, and widen their overall appeal, while gaining more and more fans in the process.

Continuing with a pattern of non-stop touring and the recording of increasingly diverse records, Spoken released their album, A Moment of Imperfect Clarity, on September 2nd 2003.

A Moment Of Imperfect Clarity has retained their harder edge but combined it with a distinctly unique pop sound, not unlike that of The Used or Finch. The band’s sensitivity to mass appeal is next to flawless: deeply emotional lyrics about change, love and life on the road. All the while, careful to avoid the cliché meandering of some current artists.

On September 25, 2007, Spoken released their self titled album, Spoken. The sound was heavier and more mature, with both heavy vocals and heavy guitar work. Matt Baird, the lead vocalist for Spoken, said this about their sound: "Our new record has a lot of diversity. There are songs that are heavier than anything we've done before, and there is a song that is mostly piano. The songs are really all over the place as far as a similar style or genre, but it works. I think the record is extremely cohesive. I can't wait for people to hear it."

The three songs that open the album: “History Erased,” “Close Your Eyes” and “Not Soon Forgotten,” start things off with nine minutes of blazing fast guitar riffs and loud and quick-rising vocals, all bounded by a full-sounding rhythm section.  From there the self-titled record diversifies from all-out metal with the mid-tempo rockers and ballads that fans have come to know and love. After two albums for Tooth and Nail where the band explored has more anthemic avenues, the quintet found itself re-examining its hard rock and metal roots on its third record for the label.  The resulting album is an 11-song sonic attack that knows when to slow down the pace and when to pounce back like a slap to the face. “We didn’t intentionally go for a heavier sound,” guitarist Jef Cunnigham said. “We just wrote what came to mind and I think it turned into some of our best material.”

As a band Spoken continues to strive for perfection with their songwriting as well as with their live show. That coupled with an unending dedication to the truth has made them many friends and many fans.