Op-Ed: Reflecting on Third Day’s ‘Come Together’—A Hard Rock Adjacent Classic

by Seth Metoyer, Heaven’s Metal Magazine,

I know, I know—Third Day isn’t metal. But if you squint a little, their Southern rock grit and unpolished edge—with tracks that feature heavy, layered guitars, punchy rhythms, and raw vocal delivery, we just might be able to squeeze them somewhere in the “hard rock adjacent” camp. And since I had a hand in designing the visuals for Come Together, I thought it was only fair to dive into this personal story and take a look back at the album’s impact, 23 years later (it was released on November 6, 2001).

To kick things off, I featured the “red design” above—one of my runner-up concepts and the image that ended up on the single’s cover, sent out to radio stations. Of course, this isn’t the cover fans are familiar with, but it was close to being it. The label almost went with the “red version” before settling on the final choice (sorry about the low-resolution scan above). The official album cover is right below.

Released in 2001, Come Together was a pivotal album for Third Day, reaching Gold status and producing chart-topping singles like Show Me Your Glory and 40 Days. The album broke into Billboard’s Top 200, where it peaked at number 31, and reached number 3 on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. By July 2002, Come Together was certified Gold by the RIAA, reflecting over 500,000 units sold in the United States—a testament to its influence and reach within Christian rock and its crossover appeal.

The success of Come Together didn’t stop at charting and certification milestones. In 2002, Third Day took home the Dove Award for Rock Album of the Year, with the album’s title track also winning Rock Recorded Song of the Year. That same night, lead vocalist Mac Powell was honored as Male Vocalist of the Year, further cementing the band’s impact in Christian rock. Just a year earlier, in 2001, Third Day was awarded Artist of the Year at the Dove Awards, rounding off a powerful stretch for the band in both critical and fan acclaim.

Working on this album was a highlight of my time as a graphic designer at Provident Music/Sony BMG Entertainment’s Essential Records division, where I worked from 2000-2002. Our creative team was just four designers, yet we were responsible for producing at least 10 cover concepts per album, giving the label no fewer than 40 designs to sift through. For Come Together, I combed through the stacks of band photos until I found a few that felt right. The final cover the label chose was based on my “blue” design, though with some adjustments. My original concept included a contemporary font and an edgy, blurred effect at the top—my attempt to add that “wow factor” I was brought on to provide. You can see my original concept right below. Sorry about the poor resolution, it’s a 23-year-old low-resolution scan.

However, as is common in collaborative projects, the label wanted a few tweaks. They opted for a throwback, hand-drawn typeface that had a bit of a psychedelic feel, created by another designer on our team. The cover’s vintage border effect, also hand-drawn, added a nostalgic flair, giving Come Together its own unique visual identity. Still, I always felt the label took the safer route, a choice that came up often when it came to my designs. My ideas frequently made it into the final consideration phase but were usually passed over for something more familiar to Christian music at the time.

In addition to the final cover, two other designs of mine made it to the final round: the red cover (which, as I mentioned, ended up being used for the radio single packaging) and a “woodish” design with a natural, earthy feel. This “safer” approach was something I encountered often during my time at Provident. I was hired to bring something fresh and secular-inspired, but those ideas rarely made it through unchanged. You can see the “woodish” design below. Again, I apologize for the low-resolution scan from 23 years ago.

Now, 23 years later, Come Together feels like a relic of a different era. Life is short, and reflecting on this project takes me back to Franklin, TN—a place that feels like both a lifetime ago and just yesterday. Now, let’s turn it back up to eleven and get back to your regularly scheduled metal.

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