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Biography (courtesy of Floodgate Records)

Following up their critically acclaimed national debut, Cool Hand Luke continues their musical journey with The Fires of Life.

Under the guidance of producers Steve Hindalong (City on a Hill, Jeremy Camp) and Marc Byrd (City on a Hill, Glassbyrd) and engineer Skye McCaskey (MercyMe, Rebecca St. James), The Fires of Life continues on the band's quest to combine the spiritual and the artistic.

The title is inspired by Isaiah 43:2, but the theme of the album is based on Psalm 30:5—"His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes in the morning." Mark Nicks explains, "I had a very hard past year, and when I was starting to write these songs I realized just how much I learned in the process. The Bible doesn't say that the way will be easy. It says we will have fire and weeping, but we can rest assured that we won't get burned. We know that joy comes in the morning. There is hope in our trials. That's what this CD is all about.

With the addition of guitarist Chris susi, the writing process changed. Most of the songs were written on piano. More attention was paid to the songs as a whole instead of a bunch of interesting parts put together. Mark thought of himself as the singer instead of the drummer. Guitar tones focused on layers and texture. Their friend Timbre played the harp—and will at their hometown album release show in Nashville. Following in their tradition, the stunning artwork was created from painting done by Brandon, the band's bass player. And The Fires of Life was born.

The Fires of Life is the perfect next chapter in the story of Cool Hand Luke.