Zeal

Zeal was a Christian rock/metal band that formed in 1988 out of Decatur, Illinois. The band Zeal was made up of Jonathan Johnson (All Guitars and Vocals), Richard Allen (Drums) and Erik Kyr (Bass). Their song "Loner" was featured on Pure Metal's Big Rage, Volume 1.
At the dawn of a new millennium a band emerged with a sound that might very well define the twenty first century rock revolution. Zeal was a band with incredible passion, an unstoppable will, and a tireless work ethic.
The power of Zeal's unique sound sprung from the bond between its founding members, drummer Richard Allan and vocalist/guitarist Jonathan Johnson, who began their writing partnership as teenagers growing up in the Midwest. As a response to being exposed to so much negativity early on, they made the decision to focus their lyrics in a positive direction, while keeping the grit of the rundown industrial environment they were living in. After years of performing in various incarnations nationwide and developing into a high energy live band, the members relocated to Orlando Florida in the summer of 2001 in order to focus on song development and to record new music. That event caused them to cross paths with Brett Hestla (former vocalist for Atlantic Records act Virgos Merlot and more recently Creed touring bassist), who with Justin Thomas recently recorded a new batch of songs that finally captured the "vibe" of this band at their facility Gridlock Studios. After a promising period of music creativity and exploration in Florida the band had most recently ventured back toward it's original hometown "roots" and prepped for another national trek and a set of west coast dates.
Things weren't always so promising. "We used to play outside bars on flatbed trucks," said Johnson, who went to MacArthur High School. "We were almost too young to hold up the guitar."
Along for the ride would be lifetime friend, bassist C.W. Thorn and new guitarist Sean Trimmer. Guitarist Johnathon Johnson said "We will do whatever it takes in order to get this music out to the people." This is what this band is about... reaching the people.
The band garnered more and more attention. It enjoyed radio airplay in Las Vegas, Louisville, New York and Decatur, and was weighing deals from several record labels. The band had also scored songs on two upcoming movie soundtracks.
The band broke up soon afterward and Johnson would join Sacred Warrior and later start a new band with Sacred Warrior vocalist Rey Parra called "Deny The Fallen" in 2018.