Hard-driving music is a perfect match for expressing
righteous anger.
Scarecrow
Artist: Decyfer Down (www.decyferdown.com)
Label: FAIRTRADE SERVICES
Length: 10 tracks/34 minutes
Scarecrow by
Decyfer Down is hard music with heart. Though it can be blistering in sound and
sentiment, it subtly expresses a Christian worldview. “Say hello to agony,”
listeners hear, of someone who crosses boundaries that God has established.
“Westboro” had me wondering about its significance. Where
have I heard of it? It starts with a fast hard rock riff, quickly joined by
pounding drums. Listeners hear the unsettling lines which provide a clue, “Hey
man, that’s my brother’s grave you’re spitting on/Hey man, this is hallowed
ground/You don’t belong/Just go back to Westboro, baby/Where they love to
hate.” This refers to the church by the same name that has become infamous for
protests. The hard-driving music is a perfect match for the expression of
righteous anger.
This rage, which the band expresses so powerfully,
continues on the title track. The target is a modern day Pharisee. This
provides commentary on the cover, which depicts a scarecrow, New Testament in
pocket, but a heart filled with greed, envy and hate. It’s a person who is more
concerned about maintaining their self-made righteousness than helping their
fellows escape the mire of sin. This confronts without coming across as
judgmental. Hard music complements hard truths.
“The River” is a change-up. It starts with
acoustic guitar and builds into something decidedly southern. As in Scripture,
water is used to depict the burial of the old life and rising to the new.
The closing, “So in Love,” removes any doubt about the
band’s allegiance. They openly reference God in this powerful fusion of modern
rock and worship.
Absent in this recording is the doom and hopelessness
that overshadows this genre. The band chronicles the struggle between light and
dark without the heaviness of spirit that might leave someone in despair. The
production is precise without being sterile. Others plow similar ground but
this harvest is a delight.
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