Innocence by The Children of Power (Review)

Originally released in 1991, Innocence taps into the same shadowy sounds as First and Last and Always-era The Sisters of Mercy, The Cure circa Seventeen Seconds, and even Lifesavers Underground’s Shaded Pain. Slashing guitars, echoing basslines, funereal keys, and gloom-ridden vocals that don’t sing so much as intone — the requisite elements all here, especially on songs like “Bridges Burn” and “Cold Fever.” And that extends to the lyrics, which lament social decline (“Revolution”) and request divine help (“Sanctuary”).

Apparently recorded in just four days, Innocence doesn’t have the highest audio quality, and the band’s music is pretty rough around the edges. But that, along with the British trio’s conviction and devotion to their sound, adds to the intrigue and charm. But listening to Innocence also raises some questions.

How was The Children of Power received by other Christians, not to mention the rest of the musical scene? Were they seen as legit or ridiculed for not being Christian enough (or, as the case may be, being too Christian)? And to the extent that they were part of it, what was the British indie/underground Christian music scene like in the early ’90s?

The Children of Power broke up shortly after Innocence’s release, with members forming other, even more obscure projects including The Garden Party, Seranance, and Zonei. Which raises perhaps the most important and unanswerable question of all: What might’ve been had The Children Power stayed together and continued to develop their sound?

Based on what I hear in Innocence, part of me thinks they could have achieved the same status that artists like Dead Artist Syndrome and Lifesavers Underground now enjoy in Christian circles. Or, put another way, had The Children of Power stayed around longer, I suspect they would’ve been in constant rotation back in the Asylum tent at Cornerstone.