“Sticks and Stones” alludes to the power of hurtful words. On “Flesh and Bone,” the singer reverently confesses a spiritual longing, noting that he’s “torn between halos [and] demons.” He uses film metaphor to describe a troubled romance he wants to save on “Movies.” While not boldly pro-social, a number of lyrically ambiguous tracks avoid trouble.
“Whisper,” “Wish” and “Summer” each contain a mild profanity, but the bug that really spoils the picnic is “Death Day.” On that morbid, irresponsible cut, a guy who killed his former girlfriend mocks, “Happy Death Day to you baby/I know you’re flying in the blue now/We’ll be together real soon . . . Papa’s got a brand new body bag for you.” Inexcusable.
Lyrical obscurity is the rule down on the Farm, though the exceptions run to extremes. One minute, Dryden Mitchell (lead vocals), Terry Corso (guitar), Mike Cosgrove (drums) and Tye Zamora (bass) are searching for spiritual enlightenment, the next they’re gloating over a homicidal crime of passion. Despite tunneling through positive soil at times, ANThology lacks direction and gets totally squashed by “Death Day.”
