Artist A-Z

Audio Adrenaline - Some Kind Of Zombie

Zombie has never really been seen as a Christian symbol. Quite the reverse really but US alternative rock outfit Audio Adrenaline have taken the image of the walking dead, removed it from it's regular late Saturday night black and white Sci Fi cult movie, and given it the new setting of a devotional challenge of the Christian walk. Vocalist Mark Stuart explained to me by transatlantic phone, "My parents are missionaries in Haiti and while there for six months I was aware of the trickery and potions and catatonic states of real Zombies. For me it was important to proclaim the truth that Jesus is the only way. And we are walking dead in that we are dead to sin but alive to Christ."

The whole album is as lyrically up front as that. More so than their previous release Bloom. There begins an interesting debate between the two of us, Mark believing that the album was more risky by it's more up front message and me feeling that the lyrics were more conservative and less creative. The chat did however give me a few slants on the songs that in turn gave them a little more meaning. "Chevette" is just using a symbol of my personal history. "New Body" is based around the fact that Bob's (keyboard/guitarist) father-in-law is crippled and the idea of that being made wondrously new in heaven. "People Like Me" is a challenge to the Church. Divisions and strife are a number one turn off to non-believers and this song is asking us to not let traditions get in the way of unity. "Original Species" is taking a new slant on Darwin's origins of the species and letting people know that they are each one unique." Now that is a good message to Northern Ireland evangelicalism that so often makes us more aware of the wormishness of our sinfulness. Sure we are tattered and torn but we are still made in the image of God and that should be respected.

Musically I suggested a Radiohead influence and Mark, as visibly as one could on the phone, seemed chuffed and excited. "The Radiohead album is genius in the same way Nirvana was - melodies wrapped around pushing the boundaries of experimentation. Bloom was very pure and we wanted this album to be more of an art piece, more creative, more fun to make." It is certainly a different feel to Bloom and the crazy sound effects and rockier edge will keep Audio in the forefront of CCM for a few years to come.

If you like to rock and the lyrics to be as subtle as a Mission Tent Preach then this is for you. If it is ready to compete with DC Talk and Jars of Clay to build bridges into the real world then my jury is still out.

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