Ever since I can remember being really cognizant of technology’s stranglehold on modern society, I’ve known deep in my heart that it would one day kill me.

Don’t worry, I’m not delusional enough to think I’m some kind of visionary on that philosophy. Science fiction has been trying to warn us of the perils of our tech dependence and thirst for advancing science for goddamned EVER (Will Shakespeare himself made the prototype for the “mad scientist story” with The Tempest). My point for all this is simply to say that a mistrust of tech is a very real part of my overall psyche. I fucking hate robots. Clowns? Fine. Creepy-ass dolls? Ok. Grotesque, otherworldly monsters? Cool! Robots? GET THE FUCK OUTTA HERE WITH THAT.

Anyway, this is all to say that I dig Children of Technology’s vibe. Beyond the grimy, punk-meets-speed-metal crossover thing they’re doing (which is plenty appealing to me to begin with), any time that kind of medium is used to deliver the gospel of “tech is coming to kill you” I’m more than happy to listen, and Written Destiny is filled with enough catchy songwriting and fun, thrashy goodness to make it a thoroughly enjoyable experience, even if it does make my anxiety go a little haywire.

There’s not a whole lot of sense beating you over the head with the details about this thing – much like the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal thing going on, the classic sound of Speed Metal is back in a big way – and these Italians are another in the line of Hellrippers, Butchers and Vultures of the world, albeit with maybe a little more of a crusty Anti Climax or Amebix gutter aesthetic. You’ve got riffs, you’ve got more riffs, you’ve got barking punk vocals accentuated by the occasional heavy metal high end yelp, you’ve got simple, speedy drums, and uh…. What am I missing? OH! Yeah, more riffs.

Things get off to a raucous start with “Soundtrack of No Future,” complete with the kind of crowd-friendly group chants, thrashy two-stepping and neck-snapping speedy riffs that you’re looking for from a record like this. No frills, nothing fancy, just the stuff you need to get the job at hand done. Follow-up “Creation Through Destruction” keeps the party going with the same frantic energy, throwing in a nice little slight change-of-pace bridge and solo that helps keep the track from being too one-dimensional.

It’s not until 4^th track “The New Barbarians” that you get a real taste of anything really different from these guys, the track starting with a little mid-paced jaunt, and singer Deathlord Astwulf doing a weird kinda, like, Rob Flynn or Jonah Jenkins of Only Living Witness impression. It’s certainly something… different from what we’ve gotten so far! But the changeup doesn’t last very long, as the band barrels right back into their speedy riffage and sneering, punk attitude before you have any time to really notice anything was different.

Like I said, I’m not gonna take a bunch of your time trying to overexplain this thing. The rest of the album plays out like a nostalgic sprint down memory lane filled with cheesy sci-fi/horror flicks, and a fuck-all attitude towards society in general. It may not be my most favorite recent example of this kind of thing, but I’m certainly still here for it. If you’re in to the new age of speed metal that has come back in vogue, then you’ll probably find a lot to like about “Written Destiny.” With their more punk-leaning attitude, Children of Technology do, if nothing else, have something a little different to bring to the table than a lot of their counterparts – and if you have a deep-seeded hatred and fear of robots like I do, even better! Your fears are heard and 100% founded and when the Terminators take over you’re welcome in my bunker. Bring snacks.

[Visit the band's website]

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