Album Review :
Dystopian Futures - The Tyranny of Things

The Tyranny of Things, the latest release from Dystopian Futures, builds on the foundation laid during the band’s debut self-titled EP, and Low Arts. This world is a dangerous place. And it’s not just the horrific scenes that appear on the evening news. The danger lies in our hands, our thoughts, and by the technology that absorbs and directs our every waking moment.

The opening notes of “Dead Philosophers”, leaves the listener expecting a light pop song. Not so. The vocals build to a shout, naming philosopher after philosopher, no longer alive. How relevant are their earthly thoughts in comparison to those of the divine?

A rock edge comes into “Computer Face Boy”. Can reality be found in the land of the internet? The band shouting truth.

Dead democracy thirsting for theocracy
Reinforcing poverty to prison pipeline
Isolate the immigrant, intern the indolent
Fear is always the enemy of freedom

Grimness abounds. “The Bleak” is a musical maelstrom, demanding us to break from our self-centredness. Then comes an abrupt shift in style as Dystopian Futures share the forceful words of Joy Davidman, the eloquent and brilliant spouse of C.S Lewis, with a song that carries the name of the author

This darkness can be brought to light. The solution is within grasp. The answer is clearly delivered on rambunctious closer to the EP, “Post-Industrial”.

Post – industrial moral decay
Spiritual darkness shifts like twilight
Praying for the break of day
That we might receive fresh sight

While on the surface disheartening, The Tyranny of Things, brings spiritual answers to a dismal world. Dystopian Futures is a band that shows both our faults and the potential for societal and individual redemption. The question remains whether we we will grasp it?

About the author: Dave Hawkins is host of The Antidote, a syndicated weekly radio broadcast featuring interviews with innovative artists who share a Christian worldview.

http://www.theantidoteradio.com/