The Way of Purity - Equate
CD Info
2012
Wormhole Death Records / Japan
8 Tracks
English Lyrics
In the days of my youth, we were PISSED. There was a war going on, a war many of us saw as worthless, one that was killing our friends by the truckload. I lost half my friends from my freshman year in college by the end of my second year in college in the rice paddies of Vietnam. We took to the streets in the tens of thousands. We brought an American presidency to an end, two actually, and forced a turn of policy. We won. Today, we see things like that in some parts of the world, most recently in Egypt where, wonder of wonders, the military sided with the population and brought about change. But, in much of the western world, certainly in the US, the only way to get young people into the streets is to promise them better reception on their cell phones. Where’s the anger, where’s the outrage, where’s the passion...and where’s the Weapons of Mass Destruction?
Well, there’s passion here. This is an ANGRY CD, full of outrage and fury. It’s also a damn fine musical release. Unfortunately, many will never recognize the message, which happens a lot in music, what the artist says takes a backstage to the music. If we like the music, the singer can be talking about his feeling on the subject of tulips and we couldn’t care less. TWoP has a message, maybe different from the one that took me to the streets back in the day but a message, and thank god someone does. The focus here is Animal Rights, but they’re a little more intense on the subject than that, they’re militant, and they’re pissed. Now, I occasionally argue on this subject that maybe we should be more concerned with the devastating lack of concern mankind visits on his fellow man, and worry about the animals later. But this is clearly a weak argument, there’s not really a comparison to be made here, and I am rarely very strong on the argument. Of course, in the final analysis, mankind is just as unkind to animals as to their fellow man; it’s just a trait of the species, unfortunately. And, given the nature of the sin, one is as bad as the other. So, it’s certainly fine with me to hear the crushing anger we are exposed to with this release, the subject gets a thumbs up with me. Of course, the screaming metal that delivers that message, generally with a screeching death metal vocal, makes it even more comfortable. This message would hardly be appropriate delivered by the Beiber.
The band is from Norway, two women, three men and some really solid guest vocalists. It’s not a long production, only 8 tracks and less than 40 minutes of music. But, they cover the topic nicely and provide some thundering metal in the process. This is their second release, but they seem to be getting some solid recognition in Europe. They’re featured on the World of Glass Compilation III and have toured widely throughout Europe, and, almost, through America where any message would be welcomed. They’ve played some big festivals and, given the excellence of the music, that should come as no surprise.
Artwork of Nature takes us directly to both the thundering metal and the message, and they take no prisoners. Those crushing guitars that begin the track are a signature component that carries on throughout most tracks. As do the harsh vocals. They’re not the focus of every track but they do the damage on most. But again, don’t focus on the metal to the detriment of the message. We get to that message with the first words:
I wish I could grant, animals we are
this truth can't be wrong / so pure, incomplete they are
Remember, just because / an act of God could make it, could give if form
How far back no one, can know? / How far back can we go?
The message broadens with the second track, Death Abound Everywhere but there is still anger, not quite as specifically placed but clearly evident. And the message is again delivered over a metal framework that is nothing short of brilliant. Here, the drums take us to the vocal, and continue to pound as our vocalist reminds us:
Be who you are / do as you please
the truth is going to / bring you to your knees
the truth is that / that we all need
the truth is the end / of a mystery
there's the truth behind the cry / there's the cry behind the lie
they fall through time
The highlight of the release, IMO, is Eternal Damnation to Rene Descartes. Descartes is, of course, the French philosopher and mathematician whose works are often quoted as being the basis for Western philosophy. This is the dude who said, "I think, therefore I am". Well, he’s also a dude who suggested animals cannot experience pain and thus enacted live vivisections upon them. Hardly a concept to guarantee a warm reception to animal rights groups and, even 400 years later, a concept that is at odds with much of human belief. Personally, my suggestion would be to dig his ass up, revive him and do a little live vivisection on him, course, I’m a cat guy. Well, anyway, TWoP has some thoughts on the subject as well:
eat without pleasure / cry without pain
grow without knowing / this is all a lie
the grim reality remains / liberation of the slaves
If not you, who? / If not now, when? / liberation of the slaves
Lay down / Feel the cold / Hope – gold / Run
rise up and break the chains / we are the slaves
rise up and tear the cage / it's far too late / you wear my skin
as a monument of wealth / you wear my skin / this is not the promise that was made
It should be made clear that the musicians have strong personal feelings on the subject; this is not just a musical vehicle. Vocalist Marja comments: "I’m not religious at all, but I can’t define myself atheist ‘cause anyway there is something I believe in and I’m talking about what I see and feel inside and outside me, life generally talking in all its forms, respect for life and in this point of view my God is Nature, even if you don’t care you are part of it and you will follow the elementary laws of the superior force and die like everyone else. Animals with their purity can feel this and we should consider them like the most clear example and way of salvation. For what we say and what we do, activism through everything characterizes our lives. Every single daily action should be thought in relation to what surrounds us and consequences. We are militant cause we try to change, starting from ourselves and then indirectly and directly to exchange our experiences and energy with other people."
However, there is a broader message that comes from the band, it’s one worth listening to, "We believe there is a god that cannot be represented by shallow icons because it is a superior force: for us this superior force is simply Nature. We can see every day the power of nature around us: if any of its elements, water, wind or fire, decides to destroy us, it does so effortlessly. This force is something that all animals can still feel inside them, but not us. And why is that? Unlike us, animals are pure: they only kill for food and self-preservation; they use sex only for reproduction while we have pornography, prostitution and all sorts of perversions. Follow the example of animals, that's the only way for salvation. Our inspiration is the wrath of God. In our vision is all about mother nature. We are just trying to ask people to understand that nature, sea, animals, forests are the only thing we have and they could (and will) exist without us. We are acting like a virus. A virus enters your cells to replicate...Destroying and modifying them.
That's what we do with the Earth. We are devastating it to replicate...This will be our end. Millions and millions of individuals with no resources (and believe me I am not discovering anything) that will die starving, with no water and oxygen. When the end will come animals will start again to live, the forests and vegetables will take back all the space destroying the concrete. Oxygen will be created again as long as water until the sun will end. Everything will develop again because we cannot destroy insects or bacteria...Not even with a final immense nuclear bomb. This doesn't mean that we can change things...Everything will only start again. when we will disappear in eternal damnation. We are the ugly, horrible, piercing and awful face of the end."
9.5 / 10
