Originally from Sydney, Australia, the Christian rock band Revive formed as the brainchild of singer Dave Hanbury and guitarist Tyler Hall. In 2004, Hanbury and Hall had been writing and performing songs for youth groups and school ministries when they decided to expand their sound, adding bassist Rich Thompson and drummer Mike Tenkate. They got to work writing, and later that year released their debut, Where I Belong. The quartet quickly gained a following, and in 2006 the bandmembers decided to leave their day jobs to focus on Revive full-time. Their dedication came to fruition later that year with the release of their second album, Trafalgar Street. The album gained the attention of the American CCM band Third Day, who invited Revive to open for them on the Australian leg of their tour. The band was impressive enough to be invited by Third Day singer Mac Powell to come to the U.S. to record its next album. In 2007, the group took a leap of faith and left Australia for Atlanta, GA. Revive got right to work with Powell, and in 2008 released Chorus of the Saints on Essential. The boys hit a setback in 2009 with their first lineup change. Hall, who had never quite settled in America, returned to Australia with his wife, leaving Revive without a guitarist in the midst of writing their fourth album. The group found a replacement soon afterwards in Nevertheless guitarist A.J. Cheek, who immediately clicked with the other bandmembers creatively. In 2010, Revive released their fourth full-length album, Blink. ~ Gregory Heaney