Of Kingdoms, Kings and Comfort
Last modified: 17 Dec 2007
Artist: Delirious?
Label: Furious? Records
Date: 17 Dec 2007
It's really not supposed to be this way. As bands approach the mid-point of their second decade they're supposed to make their selections from an increasingly limited menu. Right about now it's supposed to be all hiding behind big gates and sweeping driveways, taking things easy, making yourself comfortable.
Thankfully, none of the above have ever been an option for Delirious?. Instead something bigger, bolder, perilous has happened, leaving the band well and truly messed up, fully inspired and utterly uncomfortable.
'Kingdom of Comfort' is the band's 9th studio album. What can we say? From cancer to consumerism, fear and failure to hope and unity, Martin, Stu G, Stew, Tim and Jon-the-bassist offer their most real and risky album to date. With anthems and wakes, anger and the rawest guts you've ever heard, Delirious? have produced their loudest album yet. Hooks and melodies drip from every track, drawing listeners in only to have the razor-words slash away all that is fake and artificial.
It all started with trips to slums in India and Cambodia - encounters with life that made poverty personal and forced hard questions to be asked by each member of the band. Living the five star dream comes with a whole load more baggage when it's fused with feeding projects and faith.
So Delirious? took their questions into the studio and emerged with this: a heart full of tracks that rage and praise and applaud and tear down and stumble and sprint. Soaked in stories and personal experience, you'll have to wait for the song-by-song to catch the detail of individual tracks, and there are too many highlights to lift out here. But if you want a simple sound bite to savour, try this dragnet of lyrics:
'See me falling down... there will come a day when this all will fall away... I can't believe that I just turned away from the souls living in this hell today... see me falling down... save me from the kingdom of comfort where I am king, from my unhealthy lust of material things... is there a place in your arms of love strong enough?'