Regenerated-X

My #2 Album

of 2008

Released

in 2003 on

Archetype Multimedia

This is MY kind of music. This is so much MY kind of music that I am amazed that the Michelle Tumes album surpassed this one on these annual awards.

My first Regenerator album, Debugged, made it to the Top 20 of my 2006 Music Awards. As much as I liked that, with this album (my second of theirs) being a remix album, it makes it even stronger. Well, that’s not always true. Both of Paradoxx’s albums made my top 10, but their remix album didn’t appeal to me. This album, however, has absolutely gorgeous remixes. Gorgeous in the dark electronic sense, that is.

On this American version of the album, there are 16 remixes culled from the duo’s first five albums: Their self-titled debut, 2.0, Soulseeker, Debugged, and War. (The European version is a 2-disc set.) The remixes are done by industrial giants such as Assemblage 23, Bigod 20, Clan Of Xymox, Front 242, Collide, and many more. These remixers have made Regenerator’s songs sound better than ever.

In 2008, I was longing for some good Christian dark music. I was so glad when I got this album. Unlike so much of Christian industrial and other EBM styles, which is way too often mediocre (partly due to limited audience to draw development help for the artists), this album is top-notch high quality from beginning to end. Even with nearly every track being mixed by a different entity, the album has a strong cohesiveness. Even though it’s a remix album, it doesn’t sound like a remix album; all of the songs sound like songs. The recording is pristine, with all of the electronics sounding beautiful and rich. The bass goes down so deep that it pushes my speakers to the limits. (I don’t have a subwoofer...when I get one, this will be one of the first I try on it!)

The reason I want Christian music is so that I can use the listening to music to help me connect with God. Too often I have to compromise good music for lyrics I like, or compromise the kind of lyrics I’m looking for to get the music I like. This album ranks #2 of 2008 because I like both the music and the lyrics.

While Regenerator never say “Jesus” or “Lord” in their lyrics, the messages still come through to those--like me--who know what they’re about. The first two songs on the album are particularly clear in their message.

The album begins with “Blink,” which addresses the way Satan tries every little way to make us fall. The chorus warns, “Blink, when your guard is down / Blink, and your fight is done / Blink, and you’ve dropped the crown / Blink, ‘cause you’ve lost the Son.”

The second song, “Take Me,” is one of the brightest sounding and most hopeful songs I’ve heard from Regenerator. It considers how our time on Earth is only temporary, as we look forward to our eternal life in heaven. “Take me ‘cause I am ready / Take me where I belong / Take me into forever / Take me away from wrong.”

Since this album is a greatest hits of sorts, there is no lyric sheet, so the rest of the lyrics I’m going to give examples of may have some inaccuracies, as I can only go by what I hear. Also, I am going to attribute to them the meaning I get from the songs, which may not be what the writers intended. But with no lyric sheet and no explanations, I can only assemble the meaning as I understand it. So here are what some of the other songs mean to me.

“Faith” is an encouragement to strengthen your faith... “If you have faith, then you can see...faith makes us whole.” Jesus often exhorted his disciples, “If you only had enough faith, you could....”

There are two versions of the song “Faith,” and I like both: the first is heavy on the synthesizer riff; the second emphasizes a beat more but ends with beatless vocals and chimes...so lovely.

“Lightbringer” reflects on the Bible’s warning that Satan can appear as an angel of light. “Lightbringer just brings you death; soul seeker just seeks your breath.” At the end of the song, some of the temptations named are “freedom, revolution, religion, technology.”

“God Is On My Side” is an amusing look at how everyone likes to claim God is on their side, from priests to politicians, from criminals to police, then says, “If all of this is true, then how come God is on my side?” I take that as a kind of twist on the idea...everyone thinks God wants whatever they think is right, and while they all can’t be right, in one way, God is on the side of all of us...in offering his salvation to us.

What “One Chance” means to me is a reminder that we only have one life to live before the Judgment, and it’s a reminder to me not to waste it. Life goes by so fast with all the mundane stuff, it’s too easy to let the eternal slip by. Here are some lines from the song: “Touched by faith, make me pure; I am Yours, so secure.”

My favorite song on the album, both musically and lyrically, is “Shores Of Forever.” I’ve put the lyrics to the chorus of that and the explanation of why I like it to the left.

I am so glad I found this album. It is the perfect combination of music and lyrics for me. I imagine this one will be an album that will keep coming back to my CD player for a long time to come.

Regenerator is a husband-wife duo consisting of Wrex Mock and Patrice Synthea. They have been married for more than 20 years. They have released

7 albums since 1993 and occasionally put up tracks on MySpace.

EXCERPTS FROM AN INTERVIEW WITH REGENERATOR FROM AUTOMATA MAGAZINE

ISSUE 1, 1999

Wrex: The reason we formed and continue as Regenerator is that we want to share our viewpoint; to let others know that it’s okay to believe in Christ beyond popular convention. True faith is, ultimately, a private affair between the creation and the Creator.

...

I know all true Christians are in the same church and Christ is their head and He’s our head, so God’s with us.

Chorus of “SHORES OF FOREVER”

We’re standing on the shores of forever

Where stars are shining brighter than

before

And peace is the prince of the moment

Our hearts are so weary from the war

This song is deeply meaningful to me. Here on this Earth, we are involuntarily in the midst of a fierce spiritual war. God wants us to follow him, while Satan wants to bring us down. It plays out in many struggles and failures. But the Bible says, “He who holds true to the end shall be saved.” And at that point, standing on the edge of forever, weary from this terrible lifelong war, at last eternal rest is on the horizon...the stars are shining brighter than before. And at last, the war is over; peace is at hand. I long to hear the words on that day, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”