Grammatrain
Seattle, Washington10 reviews across 3 releases
Grammatrain is a Seattle rock band formed in 1994. Its self-titled release on Zoe Worldwide Records presented a vocal-heavy hard-rock sound with jangly drums, fuzzy guitar and enough grunge influence to interest listeners from outside Christian music. The lyrics used direct religious language without avoiding ordinary subjects: "Drown" addressed alcoholism, while "Mindform" attacked MTV and "Need" expressed dependence on God. Flying, released on ForeFront in 1997, gave the trio cleaner production and a more mature arrangement of the same basic style. The guitars became more aggressive, the songwriting more varied, and Pete Stewart's singing moved between a growl and a melodic delivery. Reviewers still heard familiar Seattle grunge structures, and some found the longer album less memorable than the earlier material.
On December 7, 1998, Grammatrain played its final show at Christmas Rock Night in Hagen, Germany. The performance became Grammatrain Live 120798, issued by ForeFront in 1999; its turbulent, bass-heavy sound and Larry Norman cover documented the group's last concert, while an announcement from the stage confirmed the breakup. The band had consisted of Pete Stewart on vocals and guitar, Dalton Roraback on bass, and Paul Roraback on drums. Stewart released a solo album in 1999, later joined Tait, produced for TobyMac, and fronted The Accident Experiment. Paul Roraback recorded under the name PJ Bostic. Grammatrain reunited in 2009, played shows in Seattle and Germany, and released Imperium independently in 2010.
3 releases reviewed
Grammatrain
Grammatrain Live 120798