“Metamorphosis” by delirious? Friday, September 13, 2024

 

In 1999, Delirious? released their sophomore album Mezzamorphosis. The album was a sharp departure from their 1997 debut album King of Fools and the band’s previous work, formerly under the moniker Cutting Edge, a worship band formed in 1992 as part of a youth ministry in Littlehampton, England. The band changed their name to Delirious? when they decided to tour and market their music internationally. The band’s first big Christian Rock single internationally, “Deeper” raised interest in the band’s worship music. Songs such as “I Could of Your Love Forever,” “Shout to the North,” and “Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble?” became standards sung in youth groups and in the contemporary church services that had become popular around the world in the ‘90s. Mezzamorphosis was an album that had worshipful moments, but it was mostly a rock album with subtle worshipful moments.

MY TEFLON COAT IS WEARING THIN. Christian Rock’s British Invasion happened around Oasis and Blur was making chart success in America. Worship leaders Matt Redman and Tim Hughes and the rock band Delirious? were mostly the extent of British Christian artists impacting America in the ‘90s. As a rock band, Delirious? was a bit of a genre chameleon. Lead singer Martin Smith was inspired to take the band full-time after reading a biography about U2’s Bono while being hospitalized after a car accident. The anthemic choruses on King of Fools draw unmistakable U2 comparisons as does much of Delirious’s worship music. In Delirious’s live shows, Smith captures Bono-like charisma, drawing listeners into a worshipful experience. Of course, the choruses of Delirious’s work hand in hand with Smith’s spoken interludes, creating a euphoric atmosphere like a U2 concert, though Delirious? chose to focus their audience on worship. The band’s 1999 sophomore album is unlike anything else in their discography. The band experiments with industrial synthesizers as well as hard rock on songs like “Heaven” and “Bliss.” 

MY CYNICAL CLOTHING WILL FALL FROM ME. Delirious’s Mezzamorphosis had several anthemic choruses on songs such as “Follow” and “See the Star,” but the band seemed to tap into a bleaker sound, taking influence from Radiohead and possibly The Verve. The album also sounds like Delirious? had been listeners to both Coldplay and Muse before either group broke out internationally, with “Beautiful Sun” sounding as moody as the songs on Parachutes and “Heaven” being not unlike “Muscle Museum” or “Plug In Baby.” The album takes its title as a mash-up of two of the songs “Mezzanine Floor” and “Metamorphosis.” Just as with King of Fools, Mezzamorphosis produced several crossover hits on the UK singles chart. The album’s lyrical content may be the most secular a Delirious? album ever got as the band took another sharp departure back into worship music with their 2000 album Glo. The lyrics of Mezzamorphosis deal with being torn between the Christian and the general market. As frontman Martin Smith sings about being stuck on the “Mezzanine Floor,” the band seems to be in musical purgatory of being “too Christian” and “secular sellouts.” with the album being released separately on Virgin Records and Sparrow Records in America. Virgin Records omitted the songs “Kiss Your Feet” and “Jesus’ Blood” from Delirious’ American release but Sparrow Records included the songs. Meanwhile, the album was almost banned in Christian bookstores due to the lyrics of “It’s O.K.,” mentioning drinking wine and a girl who is “as pretty as hell.” Ultimately, in the album’s second title track, Smith exclaims, “I know one day I will be free / My cynical clothing will fall from me / Flying high in the blink of an eye.” Ultimately, Mezzamorphosis was a turning point in Delirious’ career. They could have explored the musical and lyrical landscape they created for the album, but ultimately, they ventured back to the safety of church worship music. 

Read “Metamorphis” by Delirious? on Genius.