Excellent Second Helping| Posted October 01, 2008
For those of you joining the debate over whether Christian music has a certain (bland) sound to it, I enter as exhibit "A," They Sang as They Slew's second album, "The Resistance." While the lyrics are more obscure than their first album ("Get Well," 5 stars), this is still not your fathers' Christian music.
This is a brooding, darkly melodic album, at times driving and insistent (Brain Damaged, The Flood) and at times haunting and chilling (Crush, Running in My Head). If you read my review of "Get Well," you know that I really like this band. They are creative giants and their talent for writing great songs is simply amazing.
A favorite track is "The Flood," which has a fantastic bass line that drives the song while it evokes the image of a driving rain. If you listen carefully, you can hear the people not on the Ark saying "It's not as if they didn't warn us...." Another lyric shines as a sarcastically brilliant commentary on the vain philosophies of this world: "Doesn't it seem so strange that there are those that want to explain that the flood is all in our minds, while they slip under the noontide..."
There is a lot to like about this album musically. The main guitar line in "Running in My Head" will live up to the song title, running through your head for days. It also underscores the theme of the song, returning again and again. As with other songs on the album, this one deals with a heavy subject, namely the Matthew 12:43 passage about the demonic tendency to return after they are kicked out. There is also the ironic line: "Happiness is elusive unless you buy it and nail its skin to the picket fence...It doesn't make sense..." Of course, once you've nailed its skin to the fence, it's dead.
It's not all tough sledding, though. The final song, "A Definite Return" reflects the sure hope of Christ's return. There is a dig at Darwin, who neglected the soul in his calculations, and this line: "An end to all nights, And so much pain, So much pain and suffering. It's not what should have been, it's not what's going to happen!
Don't give up, don't give in, For what my promise is worth, it's going to get so much better..."
If you think all Christian music sounds the same, try this band. They are better musically and lyrically than 98% of anything else out there.
to add lyrics if not listed.
