Guitarists Matt Hammitt and Chris Rohman formed Sanctus Real in 1996 while both were still tenth graders at Toledo Christian School. The group released three independent albums of power pop before signing with Sparrow Records, leading to 2002’s Say It Loud, which was produced by Pete Stewart.

“Making music for the sake of making music never made sense to us,” claims Chris. “Our mission was so clear at the beginning it was almost unspoken. It has been so natural for us to create music that reflects a life lived through faith in God.”

In 2015 lead singer Matt Hammitt left Sanctus Real and the new lead singer is Dustin Lolli.