Despite hailing from the relatively well-off economic hub of Padua, Italy, Children of Technology has created a dystopian air around themselves. Their image is of ‘77 punk crash landing on the set of Mad Max Beyond Thunder Dome. Lyrically and thematically, nuclear war and post-devastation survival is a topic they’ve had in their crosshairs since forming seven years ago. As well, there’s an underlying theme that their two-dudes, two-chicks line-up are eventually going to be the spiky-haired parents of post-nuclear repopulation where communal living and peace punk anarchy are going to make the philosophical rounds instead of the war and fear mongering that’s had the death clock on the verge of striking midnight since the 70s.
The band’s sound is firmly rooted in metalpunk with the throaty vocals and uncanny Schmier-like yelps of Paolo “DeathLörd Astwülf” Astolfi and the loose D-beat throbbing of Goddess of Hammering Chaos (a.k.a. Giovanna) providing distinguishing elements from their peers in Dishammer, Syphilitic Vaginas and Midnight. On Future Decay, GoHC has tightened up her usually rickety pitter-patter and now complements guitarist Borys Crossburn’s continued attempts at ramming off-kilter, early Voivod into Motorhead. There are moments that are dripping with speedy washes of minor key darkness, where the sound is all Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse cantering in on steeds that fart fire and shit lightning. Other times, the two-beats and riffs are injected with extra bounce and pep and the result has them coming across like the sort of band that gets hired to play biker rallies where songs like “Hold Up Your Fuel” and the title track are cranked in the background while dudes peacock their hogs up and down the strip and swing pool cues at one another.
To their credit and advantage, they keep things short and sweet at a mere eight tacks and 27 minutes, not giving the listener the chance to get bored and realise that there’s not a lot separating them from Inepsy and Bastardator. Maybe there is something beyond doom and gloom to this apocalypse thing after all?
8/10
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqHLLnQGWNw&w=420&h=315]
