dc Talk digs into the mysteries of faith with the release of its long-awaited new album, Supernatural. Most nights, Kevin Max plops down in front of the TV for a strange trip through the world of the paranormal. "Yeah," says Kevin, "I'm a big X-Files fan." So he was the first in line when Scully and Mulder hit the theaters last summer. Like millions of other X-philes, he couldn't wait to see the movie. His verdict? A major thumbs-down. "I thought it was really pathetic...' says Kevin, who recently changed his last name from "Smith" to "Max." "But I'm glad Scully and Mulder didn't kiss." Ah, but it was just a movie, a mere piece of celluloid fiction. When it comes to things truly supenatural-the real truth out there, found only in God-Kevin is never disappointed. And he finds that much more fascinating than the fictional stuff. "There are a lot of things going on around us that cannot be explained," he says. "And it's just natural human inclination to wonder what the supernatural world is all about. You know, what does an angel look like? What does heaven look like?" Kevin's best friends, fellow dc Talkers Toby McKeehan and Michael Tait, have been asking the same type of questions lately. And in their search for answers, they've come up with 12 fresh songs for their brand-new record, appropriately titled Supernatural [ForeFront/ Virgin]. "There's a lot of hoopla these days about supernatural this and supernatural that," says Toby. "It's so intriguing. But to us, God is intriguing. And God is supernatural." The seeds for the new record were planted one afternoon when Michael was writing a first draft of what would ultimately turn out to be the title song for Supernatural. "When I got to the chorus, I just wanted to sing the word supernatural" Michael says. "The song had such a mystique about it, I felt like it should be about God and his mysterious ways." God has worked his ways with these guys for a long time, especially since the release of their last studio album, 1995's hugely successful Jesus Freak, which sold more than a million copies. Campus Life caught up with Toby, Michael and Kevin just as they were wrapping up the new album. We talked about things supernatural, and, of course, things of this world. And just about everything in between.

TOBY: THE CONTROL FREAK

Whenever dc Talk heads into the studio, Toby's always the first to arrive and the last to leave. He wants everything perfect--every note, every chord, every last mix of every single song. Yeah, he's a Jesus freak. But he's also a control freak. And he's the first to admit it. "I used to go to bed at night thinking about what else I could've done in the studio that day," he says. "Now I just like to relax with a book and forget all about it-and so I can forget about the cymbals on the song 'Supernatural,' or whether or not we should've done a triplet on that 14th bar." Toby's learning what it means to let go-especially in his relationships with other people. "I've always had sort of an independent personality," he says. "I'm not real good at delegating or depending on others. But for the last few years-and this is an ongoing process-I'm learning to be more dependent. And that translates to my Christian walk. "I'm used to doing things myself, and not ultimately depending on God. But I'm learning more that I can't control things." Toby cites our interview as an example. "Right before we talked, I said, 'All right, Lord, let me say exactly what you'd have me say. 'And that right there says, 'OK, I'm going somewhere, I'm growing.' Because before, I was like, 'I can handle this interview. No problem.' But now I'm learning to lean on God more. "I'm also learning to be more encouraging to people. I tend to be a guy who sees the problem; I've always been able to tell you what's wrong with something. I'd like to be a person who can tell you what's right. That's where I'm going." Toby's one of the busiest people in Christian music. In addition to his dc Talk duties, he's incredibly involved with Gotee Records, where he's co-owner, manager, producer, songwriter-whatever needs to be done, actually. [The Gotee label includes Out of Eden, Jennifer Knapp, Temple Yard, The Katinas, Grits, Zilch and Curious Fools.] When he's not busy with music, Toby's either hanging out with his family--he and wife Amanda had their first child, a boy named Truett, in September-or playing sports. Toby plays in two basketball leagues, two softball leagues, and hits the golf course whenever he can. Yep, golf. In fact, Toby played well enough to earn a golf scholarship to Liberty University, where he met Michael and Kevin. "I've been playing golf a long time," he says. "It's done me right; it paid for my college education. I play wherever I can and whenever I can, which hasn't been much lately because we've been so busy with the new album."

MICHAEL: THAT SINKING FEELING...

We're talking about movies, and Michael has a confession. "I'm embarrassed to say this," he says, "but I've seen Titanic three times." Michael's a sucker for sentimental stuff, and Titanic certainly fits the bill. But it's more than that. When the movie came out late last year, it typified Michael's life. He, too, had reached a breaking point, a time when he'd either sink ... or swim. "I had a rough time in'97," Michael says. "I lost focus. I went through a time where our song 'What If I Stumble?' [from Jesus Freak] became very real to me. "I was struggling with self-indulgence. I had reached a point where I had to realize that there's a deeper meaning to life than selling lots of records. I faced a loss of joy. "I knew God's truth, but I was ignoring it-and I didn't want to hear it from anybody. Not from my dad, not from Toby or Kevin, not from my pastor, not from anybody." Well, except God. "The Lord really spoke to me in December of'97," Michael says. "I just felt in my heart that he was saying, 'Tait, I've given you everything to show you that you have nothing.' And that hit me like a ton of bricks. I just fell on my knees and said, 'God, I do not want to sink the Titanic. You've given me a massive responsibility. Help me to refocus." God did help him refocus, just in time to say farewell to his hero-his dad. In February of '98, Michael's father died of cancer. And just over a year before that, Michael's sister had died of AIDS. "My dad's death was the hardest thing in the world," Michael says. 'But to have two deaths in my immediate family so close together-that was brutal." Michael is still recovering from those painful events, but with each passing day, he's celebrating life more and more. He and his roommate, Chad, are snowboard freaks; they've been "everywhere from Colorado to Switzerland." And when they're not boarding, they're riding their Harley motorcycles everywhere. "It's a blast!" Michael says. "Just to get out on the open road and cruise along-there's no comparison to that feeling."

A SUPERNATURAL CD

Considering the tremendous success of Jesus Freak, you'd think the guys in dc Talk would feel a ton of pressure to come up with another great album. "The only pressure I felt,' says Toby, 'is just the normal pressure of wanting 12 great songs, songs that are a true depiction of what's going on inside our hearts, things that make you ask questions and go to the Bible and look up the answers. If we can get 12 songs that do that, that's a great record. And I think we've done that.' Here's a brief look at some of the songs and sample lyrics:

Consume Me "A beautiful song, very dreamy, pure mood,' says Michael. 'It's talking about the Holy Spirit and its consumption of us, taking over us and blowing through us.'

You consume me, You consume me-Like a burning flame, running through my veins-You consume me, moving through me-Anytime, anyplace, you invade my space

Killing Me 'It's a heavy song,' says Toby. 'It's about one of your friends walking away from the Lord. You've done all you can to bring 'em back, and finally you say, 'Look, it's killing me, but I've gotta let go. I can't go with you there any more, because it's too tempting for me."

I've seen it coming for quite some time now Don't know what you're thinkin' How can the two of us walk in stride if we don't see eye to eye You got me all messed up inside

Red Letters 'It's about the red letters in the Bible, the words of Jesus,' says Michael. 'It's talking about all the things we find in those words.'

There is love in the red letters There is truth in the red letters There is hope for the hopeless Peace and forgiveness There is life in the red letters, red letters.