View The New SonX Album "The State Of Things"
Check Out Our New Album "The State Of Things"
This new album will challenge and inspire you with it's mix of musical influences all coming together to create a powerful album showcasing biblical truths and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The Story Of SonX
In The Beginning
The year was 1993. Christian music was at a crossroads as artists were writing & recording Gospel music from all genres. Many churches were transitioning from traditional to contemporary worship styles. A small but quickly growing church in Jefferson, WI needed funding for a full time youth pastor. A couple musicians on the worship team got together and wrote a theme song to rally the congregation. Mike Todryk wrote the lyrics and Bob Rome wrote the music. The song was titled “2nd Mile” and emphasized the importance to go the 2ndmile for our kids! With Mike & Bob on guitars & vocals, Mike Nebal on keyboards & vocals, and Dan Carlin on drums, the song was first performed at the church’s outdoor festival. That song sparked 2 things: the church did pool the funds to call that youth pastor, and Bob & Mike realized they had an undeniable song writing chemistry.
Getting The Band Together
Those 4 guys decided to form a band, and named it Whitestone, which was Dan’s idea from Revelation chapter 2. Whitestone started rehearsals as Mike & Bob began writing original Gospel songs in the Hard Rock genre. It wasn’t long before Mike Nebal left the band, and the guys started looking for a bass player and lead vocalist. After a few unsuccessful try-outs the 3 members felt led to proceed as a power trio, with Mike Todryk switching to bass and lead vocals. Bob would handle lead guitar and vocals, and Dan drums & percussion. After a few months and more original songs, Whitestone was ready to start gigging. But after hearing of a few other bands with the same name, Bob saw the name SonX in a dream – and the guys adopted the name for the band. SonX started playing local festivals, church events, concert venues, and teen clubs in the southern WI / northern IL area, and building a following.
"Hard Music for Hard Times"
As 1996 rolled in, the band was busy performing dates year round and started recording their first album: Staring at the Son. SonX’s catch phrase reflected the band’s music & message: “Hard Music for Hard Times”. They made sure the Gospel of Jesus was shared in the music, testimony and hands on ministry at every concert. The album launched in early 1997 and was promoted by the band and friends. But by that time, SonX had enough new songs ready for another album! SonX set up their own recording studio and dubbed it Sonic Facial Studios. The songs were recorded to Tascam 8-track cassette format. Not quite state of the art, but the guys made up for it in Spirit led intensity! With a dozen or more songs “in the can” the next steps were to simply mix down, master & release. But alas, life happens, and Mike departed back to California in 1999 and the band broke up on good terms. Bob saved all the recordings and made a few attempts to complete the process, but with limited results due to his other musical projects that proceeded.
The Resurrection of SonX
Fast forward 25 years and both Mike & Bob have well equipped home studios, with Bob having completed numerous projects for his and other bands/artists. In the summer of 2024, Mike contacted Bob about finishing the album. Bob sent the files to Mike, and the 2ndalbum project began. Mike would handle the mixing phase in his studio, and Bob would handle the mastering phase in his studio. After agreeing on the album title “The State of Things”, Bob contributed the album concept and song order, and a vision for the cover art, along with a vision for an added dramatized 11thtrack: “The End”. Mike captured that vision and created the actual track on the album. Mike’s kid Harper created the cover art that captured the vision of the unseen heavenly battle of Ephesians 6.
The State Of Things
In early 2025, the album The State of Things by SonX was ready for release. During that 25 year span, our brother & bandmate Dan had departed for heaven. We honor his memory and contributions to these songs, and the lyrics he wrote for God of our Fathers (track 3). Mike & Bob came the realization that the lyrics of these songs seem even more relevant today than when they were created and performed in the 1990’s. Each song on this album is unique, pulling from diverse influences musically: Rock, Metal, Blues, Industrial, Grunge, and Worship. But they fit into a journey of movements that is Biblical; that display the unshakable truth of the scriptures and Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is our prayer that you are blessed, challenged and inspired by this album.