I listen to very... interesting music. It's only a step (from a pedantic standpoint) from not being music, and its message is often antithetical to what the perception of the genre assumes it to be. To be more straightforward, I listen to Christian metalcore. Yeah, the stuff where you can barely scratch out the lyrics from the gargles coming from the throat of the lead vomitter. All jokes aside, the genre is home to some very expressive, honest bands willing to voice their faith and dedication in unique and powerful ways. Oh, Sleeper is a upcoming leader in this genre (taking 1st on the iTunes metal chart and 23rd in the overall charts with their latest release, Children of Fire), and delivers potent theological messages through their albums.
Their freshman release was When I am God, an edgily title album that probably made more than a couple Christian shoppers wonder what it was doing in Christian stores and music displays. However, the full line (When I am God, this church is unsound) provides much more accurate insight into the band's true meaning. The album begins with an intense display of emotion on Vices like Vipers, a song detailing the dangers of vices and the wisdom of God. The Charlatan's Host is a powerful song about hypocrisy with strong resemblance to the story of David and Uriah (also known as David and Bathsheba). Later, the Color Theft is a call to live life the right way, even if it becomes difficult, because a life of mediocrity is like a world without color. The End of a Dark Campaign is the final song on the album, and talks of mercy and redemption.
Attempting to improve upon an excellent first release, their sophomore release is a tale of the war between God and the devil in plain words. The first track, The Son of the Morning (also the album's title) is the devil's take on the battle, a proud, arrogant stance that defies the mercy of God and brags of his presumed might. Then the album is packed with songs that deal with the battle for the human soul: The New Breed proclaims that we are all saved through Christ, urging this generation to find salvation ("If you are the new breed, scream 'I am Immortal in You'"). In All Honesty is an account of the evil that lurks in the heart of man, tangibly portrayed as a monster, killing then running "faster than guilt could ever", followed by a rejection of mercy because of the idea of self-worthlessness. Breathing Blood is a track with vivid imagery, with the contrast of breathing the blood of fallen enemies, but only drowning in the insufficiency of the slaughter, or accepting the mercy of the blood of Jesus. World Without a Sun is a potent track about fearing evil; the lyrics proclaim "I fear a world without the sun, but never who wished it gone", meaning that while we as Christians fear for the absence of salvation (for the souls that are lost), we never fear the forces that seek to destroy or corrupt. The Fire Dawn is a rousing song with a sharp edge, proclaiming that through the strength given by God, we can stand against any force of evil thrown against us. Finally, the Finisher is an account of the ultimate victory of God, destroying the Son of the Morning by cutting off his horns (hence the album art, a "broken" pentagram, symbolizing the devil with his horns cut off, defeated).
Children of Fire, the band's most recent release (though hopefully not their last) deals with the what if scenario of humanity trying to survive after the final battle. How do we act, now that there is no devil? How do we follow a God we cannot find? (The lyrics for the album are scarce, so I'll fix any inaccuracies in this post when the final lyrics come out, because my hearing can be a bit suggestive.) A key theme of the album is the premise of justice. Endseekers establishes the premise of the song, following the final battle, with the captain (God) leaving humanity to grow ("'So long all you children'
Don't go! We're almost there! 'Your road is not yet coming to an end'"). Shed Your Soul is a track about the rejection of morality, justice, and faith. The song proclaims "
We're on our own!" and continues to reject God. Fortunately, the album doesn't end there. The Marriage of Steel and Skin talks about the hijackers, the followers who enforce an overly violent justice in the bleakness of a world without God. The man stands for the victims and hunts down their murderers, avenging his daughter's honor. Hush Yael is a song that has great potency in or out of context. Out of context, it is simply a call for action regarding a terrorist that killed most of an Israeli family ("The 22nd day of the 4th month, 1979 warrants a judgement Because he came and he saw And this coward conquered a family asleep in their home"). However, in context, the song also develops how to do justice: standing up beyond the spite and hatred to resist evil, while keeping memory of the fallen and holding people accountable for their actions, even to their graves if necessary. The Conscience Speaks is a powerful followup, proclaiming "You shed his blood in my name To cover up the messes that he made. Will you please let it go? I helped you shed in their name But can't you see our wounds still remain? Will you please let it go". The meaning of this passage is that we need to stop blaming God for the actions of men (the Crusades, witch trials, etc.) and our own hypocrisy (such as the vices that the church proclaims is bad being about equally prevalent inside the church, and the idea that God needs to fix our problems or He is somehow derelict in His duties). In The Wake Of Pigs deals with hypocrisy in the church in more depth, crying for a pure voice that will urge us to climb, contrasted to the voices preaching for profit. The track Chewing the Stitch deals with the nature of man and the need for community and accountability to grow ("We are monsters on our own, banded together we'll overcome") and calling the Church to stand even when the world wants us to be quiet ("Don't expect us to apologize, Rebel dogs in the spotlight. We want no truce, No truce or compromise.) in order to witness as we are called, even if it makes people uncomfortable or displeased.
This is just a brief summary of the points in Oh, Sleeper's first three albums. Hopefully I can append this post when the next album comes out, and this post helps you find the meaning behind the lyrics.
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