Front row: Zack Zegan, Jon Howard Back row: Nick Andra, Josh Zegan, Clayton Hunt

t’s a rare treat to find a band that can unveil a throng of thirsty worshippers within the frenzy of a mosh pit with a well calculated stage dive. The energy that blazes from the stage makes it evident that this is some serious worship. The upraised hands, the lyrics belted out at planet-shaking decibels, the drum leaping; every moment a thundering journey upward, to the high places where God answers the heart cry of a generation on overload.

Dizmas front man and vocalist Zack Zegan had much to share prior to the show that culminated in an explosion of moving worship. Mostly, he talked about the heart behind the amazing adrenalin-juiced five-pack that streaks across the nation spouting lyrics like “This is submission, that I would live holy. This is rejection, that they would all hate me.”

These guys are not afraid to use gutsy lyrics to speak to the harsh realities of life while pointing to a single answer: the transforming love of Jesus Christ. The message however, is anything but typical. When asked if the music intentionally blurs the line between secular and Christian ideologies, Zack’s response is transparent and real. “I wouldn’t say that it’s intentional to cross the line in either direction. We’re living out what’s happening in our lives and then we’re writing and singing about it.”

One song on their newest CD, “Tension,” sprang from their encounter while on the road with a rock band, playing in non-Christian settings. It was during that tour that the other band was confronted by some Christians in the audience who were offended by the use of vulgar language during a set and told the band members they were going to hell. After the encounter, one of the band members admitted to Dizmas: “If that is the love of Christ you’ve been talking about, I don’t want any part of it.”
“We were crushed,” says Zack. “We’d spent so much time trying to show these guys the love of Christ, and then with a few condemning words spoken in traditional ‘Christian-eese,’ the door slammed shut. So we wrote a song about that.”

Zack’s story points directly to that blurred line, where Christians often meet the culture and demand it to conform to something it has not yet experienced and does not understand. Not so with this group of young men. Zack goes on to point out that Jesus was sent to infiltrate the world. “In walking like him, infiltrating the culture around us is the natural expression of God’s love becoming evident to everyone we meet, regardless of where we find ourselves.

“A lot of us premeditate our relationship with Christ, and we think ‘this is what walking with Christ looks like and is,’” says Zach. “I’ve learned from meeting a ton of people that God works in each person’s life differently. Some people come out of deep, dark, messed-up lifestyles; and other people have been in church their whole lives and they’ve come to know God that way. It doesn’t make any one of those people better than the other. God has miraculously changed each of their lives in a way that is befitting to them and to their lifestyle.”

“I’ve learned that the Christian life is not so much a premeditated walk with the Lord but, rather, an un-premeditated walk with God that is heartfelt and is led by the Spirit, and involves a lot of prayer, a lot of time on your knees worshipping God and reading his Word,” Zack explains.

The Dizmas journey began in 1998 when brothers Zack and Josh Zegan began playing together, adding friends along the way. Josh and Jon Howard provide the band’s iron-handed axes for bass guitar player Nick Andra, and drummer Clayton Hunt. Smile guy Zack belts out the lyrics, backed up by brother Josh. At some point during the show even the most unsuspecting audience member is aware that there is much more to the mighty five than raw energy alone can produce.

This self-taught band of heavy metal minstrels uses music in new dimensions to bring attention to the glory of God. As the stage tones down and an uncompromised gospel begins to pour forth, onlookers sense that God is in their midst — the Spirit of the Lord is roaming the audience, and the audience responds. Hearts are opened and worship breaks loose. Make no mistake; these guys are a secret weapon, planted intentionally in an unconventional world by the God who authored the box and everything outside of it.

Zack cites his parents and grandparents for influencing his own spiritual journey. The Zegan brothers count themselves among those he speaks of as always knowing a Christian environment. It was his high school Bible teacher, however, who taught him the most about living Christ intentionally, no matter where Zach finds himself.

Daily devotions and worship are an everyday part of the band’s routine, whether they find themselves on the road or on hiatus in the comforts of their high desert home in Lancaster, California.

As for the message, I asked Zack what he hopes their listeners take away from the Dizmas music.

“We want people to see the glory of God manifested through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. There seems to be a catch phrase among Christians these days that goes like this: ‘Glorify God.’ But that isn’t enough.” Many people might agree with this statement, but they may be talking about a different god.

Zach continues, “We want people to see the glory of God through the lenses, so to speak, of Jesus Christ; because that’s what separates the truth from the lies. He is the way, the truth and the life. We don’t care if they remember us or our name. We want them to remember their encounter with the love of Jesus Christ, and we want them to want it again.”