In 1994, after Derek Shulman, president of Collision Arts (a subsidiary of Giant Records) saw the band play live at Zelda's in Houston, he signed them on the spot.
[1][3] Often compared with King's X or the Galactic Cowboys, both of whom were managed and produced by Taylor, Atomic Opera forged their own path with poetic lyrics, varied instruments, and strong Christian influences.
While working on new material, Hart compiled the album Alpha and Oranges, a collection of unreleased demos originally from the For Madmen Only lineup, and released this independently as well.
In 2000, the band released Gospel Cola on Metal Blade with its new lineup; the album garnered some positive notice in both Christian and mainstream music outlets.
After adding Trip Wamsley to the lineup in 2004, and parting ways with Metal Blade, the band were working on a new album called The Mystery of Hope, but there has been no news on this effort for several years.