Showbread is/was an art punk band originally hailing from the state of Georgia. And by the time this album rolled around in 2012 it was primarily the brainchild of lead singer and chief songwriter Josh “Dies” Porter. The album “Cancer” tells the story of an invading alien species that takes over earth and uses its influence over the media and government to get everyone worshiping the media, government, and if I understand the story correctly the cancer of death itself. In the midst of this a punk rock band rises up and attempts to defy this great power. However the band finds themselves falling under the alien influence themselves and ultimately having to fight for their very souls.
In case it’s not clear this is a very head on the nail metaphor for the band fighting against the powers of darkness in our very real and present world. This ultimately works to the bands advantage as many of the best tracks from this album work as standalone tracks or within the context of the story. Take for instance the opening track “I’m afraid that I’m Me”, a seven minute epic that manages to jump between punk, ska, and the albums main musical influence, glam rock. It lays out very clearly Josh Dies feelings on the politicization of the church and how he feels about patriotism in general (hint, he doesn’t feel favorably about it). The song climaxes in the righteous fury of, “’blessed are the meek’ succumbs to might makes right, ‘turn the other cheek’ succumbs to pre-emptive strike, ‘love your enemies’ is fossilized beneath the frozen tundra, and ‘blessed are the poor in spirit’ is devoured by ‘God bless America'". I don’t’ recall this specific song shaping my political opinions but it certainly spells them out for me. Another stand out track is the anthem “Anarchy!”. Another track rejecting patriotic fervor that includes some standout bass work from Patrick Porter. However where many punk songs in history have called for revolution by way of violence this song’s lyrics instead states, “ Non-violent non-resistance, sworn to honor our true King” before giving a fist pumping “Anarchy, anarchy, anarchy!” for good measure. From bold face rebellion to despair, the middle tracks can be a little depressing if taken out of context. Thankfully the album ends on a hopeful note with the twin tracks “You Will Die in a Prison”, “You Will Not Die in a Prison” which together act as a 14 minute mini opera. Bringing the glam rock to full force. Hear we are treated to epic guitar solos and ultimate hope we have in Jesus Christ and his return someday. The closing lyrics say it best, “Now we’re dancing, swept up in love. Jesus, King forever, You are King forever! Leaving sorrow and death behind, He’s beaten them forever”. This album was produced with an accompanying (and at times super trippy) film. As of this writing the film can be found on Joshua S. Porter’s YouTube page, but the stress of making that film ended up causing a creative breakdown for the band, leading to the what was intended to be the final album and breakup of the band. The band has ultimately resurrected in one form or another in the years since but through it all this album tends to be a forgotten footnote and that’s really a shame. For me personally, this album stands as almost a blueprint for the way I view politics as an adult. Beyond that, it is an epic rock opera that carries through with a hopeful story, without ever getting bogged down in narrative. For that reason and just it’s solid replay value this album is on my list. Suggested Tracks: I’m Afraid That I’m Me Sex with Strangers Anarchy! You Will Not Die in a Prison
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