Syco

Item: Kommand
Author: J. Warner Soditus

Kommand

(1992)

Reviewed by J. Warner Soditus

Discogs YouTube

Label E-BeatThe LighthouseJanuary 1993

dance pop electronic industrial techno

SYCO stands for SYnth-sonic Christian Order. The debut project by this group is, in a word, interesting. I totally enjoyed the music. It is a danceable mix of techno, pop, and house--like a mix of Scott Blackwell and Painted Orange. The production on the music is very impressive. It is some of the best out.

I choose the word interesting since it doesn't really lean towards the good or bad. My first impression on seeing the album jacket was that there was going to be a Christian dance album with Christian lyrics. While the album is based on scripture, and except for "Kommand," it only contains short phrases repeated throughout the songs, very similar to Blackwell's projects. I was impressed with "Kommand," rapping a modern translation of the ten commandments.

The problem comes on the third song, "Thou Shalt Not Kill." While the idea is not bad, the one line that repeats throughout the song is scripture taken out of context. This lyric states, "No murderer has eternal life." Well, I immediately went to my Bible to get to the bottom of this lyric that disturbed me the second I heard it. 1 John 3:14-15 reads (NIV) "We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him," which does not mean that no murderer can have eternal life. I couldn't find anything else in my Bible that came close to the claim made in this song. This shifts the whole attitude towards vindication, ignoring God's grace. Unfortunately, this really detracts from an otherwise excellent album. I think their Biblical consultant, Beth O Dell, should have thought about this a little more. It's also ironic that the inside of the jacket states, "Read The Bible--Much More Than Just Kommands," seeming to imply God's wonderful grace, so excluded on "Thou Shalt Not Kill."

I still like the album, but I usually have to skip "Thou Shalt Not Kill." With that taken out, this is a top-notch project.