DROM Records
Release Date: September 30, 2014
Reviewed by: Micah Garnett
Matthew Parker – Shadowlands (iTunes)
Track Listing:
- We Go
- Bleeding Hearts
- Shadowlands (feat. Anna Criss)
- Immortal (feat. eXecutive Decision)
- Earth To Sky
- I Can’t Imagine
- Wherever You Are
- MouseTrap (feat. Skrip)
- All Around De World (feat. St. Matthew)
- Vita Brevis
- Life Again
- Light of Dawn (feat. Cash Hollistah)
- Take Me Back
Matthew Parker is a man on a mission. “There really isn’t much good Christian EDM out there,” he claims, and he’s right. Thankfully, with the help of the newly founded DROM Records (Swedish for “dream”), along with a successful Kickstarter, Parker is able to fulfill his goal of bringing great dance music with an uplifting message to a much larger audience.
Like David Thulin before him, Matthew Parker clearly knows what he’s doing, delivering beats and melodies that you can’t help but move to. You’d be hard pressed to listen to Matthew Parker’s music and not bob your head. Complementing the music, though, are surprisingly deep lyrics. Who would have thought that 2,000 years later the Great Commission would be put to a driving dance beat like on “We Go?”
“We go to the ends of the earth and you know that we go to the edge of the world. Ain’t a place too dirty. No, ain’t a place too dangerous.”
“Bleeding Hearts”, the best song on the album, is chill and mellow, and speaks to the human condition that we all experience. “To feel pain is human, and everybody bleeds red sometimes. But we feel all the cuts in our heart when we run through the flame and we fall as we climb. Everyone in the world can feel. And everyone has nearly fallen apart. So be the one. Don’t hurt but heal, and show ‘em how to love our bleeding hearts.”
There’s enough variety throughout the thirteen tracks to keep things fresh. There’s plenty of dubstep on songs like “Immortal” and “I Can’t Imagine”, as Parker chops and screws the vocals to deliver a fun listening experience. “All Around De World”, featuring St. Matthew, is the closest thing to a reggae/EDM mash-up you’ll ever hear. “Mousetrap” highlights Christian rapper Skrip as he raps quickly and aggressively to another flawless beat by Parker.
If you, like Parker, were wondering where all the good Christian EDM music is, look no further; Matthew Parker took it upon himself to produce one of the best albums currently out there for the genre. He’s the next big thing in Christian music, and has a bright career ahead of him. Shadowlands is proof that Christians can have fun with music, so it might just be time to jump on the Matthew Parker train. It’s going to be a fun ride.
3 songs to listen to: We Go, Bleeding Hearts, I Can’t Imagine
Score: 4/5
RIYL: David Thulin, Soul Glow Activatur, Skrillex, Avicii