BEC Recordings has just signed a techno-praise band named Ultrabeat. Their debut CD, Trip to a Planet Called Heaven, has the weak points of both genres. On the praise and worship side, the lyrics are simplistic to the point of cheesiness, and while some might argue that worship music doesn't have to be intelligently written, it also doesn't need to be so shallow that listeners receive an oversimplified idea of God's character. Meanwhile, the album has some of the common weak points of the techno genre as well -- the monotonous music, the unimaginative keyboards, and the annoying vocals.
Here's an example. "Pure Heart," which was featured on Tooth & Nail's recent Cheapskates compilation, borrows heavily from the already overused praise chorus, "Create In Me a Clean Heart," and its melody was stolen from another well-known praise song:
Create in me a heart that's pure like You
Create in me a soul that's longing for You
Give me a love, a love like Yours
And let Your light shine so fair and so bright
Let it shine
Unfortunately, this song is the most enjoyable one on the album.
To be fair, this is their first album. Ultrabeat still has plenty of time to grow, both musically and lyrically. However, if their future albums are on the same level as their debut, I'd advise listeners to stay away.
1.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
7ball #31Reviewed by David MuttilloUltrabeat is the one-man-band work of Erik Augustsson, who creates, records and produces all the tracks. While this outing carries the ambitious title Trip to a Planet Called Heaven, the music he makes is - in the end - no more exciting than a routine trip to the corner store. Augustsson's simplistic lyrics are the weakest point. For example, in "Madness" he likens living without Christ to a life…Similar sounding releases
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