Seventh Day Slumber front man Joseph Rojas has an image in his mind. You might even call it a vision. Angels and saints are in Heaven, surrounding the throne of God, singing anthems of praise. At the same time, here on Earth, praises ascend skyward. They are the anthems of the imperfect children of God, expressions of hope from a place much darker than Heaven, songs of honesty and victory. And in Rojas’s vision, they’re set to pounding drums and scorching guitars.

Honesty and candor have been trademarks of Rojas’s path from the depths of a cocaine-fueled suicide attempt through miraculous salvation in the back of an ambulance to the top of the Christian music charts. Seventh Day Slumber has long been heralded as a band that refuses to sugarcoat the struggles of real life. As the band has matured over the last 15 years, they’ve faced newfound challenges head on, and today their perspective and relevancy are as strong as ever, and their anthems of praise are even more profound.