Young people have always played an important role in revolutionary struggles around the world. And in a country like the United $tates, where the workers would rather live off the exploitation of the third world than fight for a system without oppression, they play an even more important role. Kids are disempowered under our patriarchal capitalist system. They are faced with few options other than depending on their parents. When situations at home become unbearable they can go live on the streets or call child welfare, or just commit suicide. This is one reason that kids have an interest in changing the current system.
Now a lot of kids in this country have it pretty good, thanks to the big checks their parents bring home from parasitic jobs where they make more than the value of their labor. Many of these kids see the way their parents are making out and stay on the right path so that they can someday get a piece of that pie. But some kids are exposed to the injustices of the world and make a decision early on that things need to change. And even as people break the oppressive chains of childhood, they still face the threats of a military disaster or environmental destruction, regardless of social standing. Imperialism feeds the war machine which now possesses weapons that could destroy us all. Meanwhile, the profit motive keeps other interests in the background, including the maintenance of an environment that we need to survive.
The time period when one becomes less dependent on one's parents is possibly the freest time of one's life. With no one to rely on and no one relying on you. That is why we see people in this age group leading social movements. And these are the people you see when you go to a show. And you know when you go to a show that the people there tend to have a much more revolutionary view of the world than the average person on the street. That's because there is a culture that supports these ideas through music and zines. Without that culture hardcore/punk is just another style of music.
The hardcore and punk scenes are hotbeds for activism, and we need to take advantage of this and organize people before they sell out. This is why MIM has taken on this project. And we encourage you all to get involved with it. Hand out MIM Notes and fliers at shows. If you can write reviews send them in to mim3@mim.org. If your hardcore/punk/metal band has a political message that you think we could appreciate you can send demos, 7 inches or CD's (with lyrics please) to the following address: MIM P.O. Box 559 Cambridge, MA 02140 and we'll review them for our biweekly newspaper and post the review on our webpage. If your band has an album available through Amazon.com then it will be linked through our bookstore.
P.S.:We are happy to post replies from the bands about our reviews in order to promote an open dialogue.
Bane's first CD release is a re-release of their previous 7"s in digital. Musically, you can't ask for more in a CD. It's fast, heavy, in-your-face hardcore from MA, that really gets the crowd movin.
As a positive hardcore band, Bane's lyrics focus on personal struggles and relationships and of course, the scene. In "Count Me Out" they proclaim their dedication to hardcore as others move on. In the same vein, "Scared" describes a fear of growing up and selling out. "No you are the king of killers / I've seen what you do / Carving through the hearts / and souls of many." While Bane doesn't bring a revolutionary message with them, this song rings true. As the intro to the punk/hardcore reviews describes, youth play an important role in changing the world. Once people get married, get a job and move to the suburbs you can bet they won't be fighting oppression in their spare time. We've all seen people sell out, and those of us who haven't are scared of it happening to us. That's one reason why when it comes to political change, organization and discipline are so important. Through the study and application of dialectical materialism and practicing democratic centralism, MIM provides that central stability that is necessary to keep the movement on the right path.
Keeping with the subject of youth, the one political stance Bane seems to take is against the oppression of young people. The detrimental effects that substance abuse has on children is addressed through personal experiences in "Both Guns Blazing" and "Lay the Blame." Meanwhile, they criticize the verbal abuse that children in our society are forced to put up with in "Forked Tongue," which specifically addresses a womyn who publicly humiliated her child in the street. "And if this is how you do it / right in front of me - I cannot imagine / what must go down at home." In the song, the witness merely turns his back and walks away, as we so often do. This just shows how trained we are to "respect other people's privacy," even if it results in the harm of other people. In our society privacy is used by the patriarchy to enforce its power in the privacy of the home, or even in the middle of the street. The old saying goes, it takes a whole village to raise a child. Under socialism this will be put into effect, eliminating the ability for individuals to oppress their children and discouraging the view that they are personal property.
"Superhero" is about all those people who say, "Oh you're straight edge, that's really cool. I wish I could do that." The song points out that we're all human and we all have the strength to live free of drugs. This goes for other struggles as well. Young people, especially wimmin, are taught that they don't have the strength to do what grown men can do and as a result are often timid to take a strong stance. This is something we need to help each other overcome through education and struggle. You learn by doing, and the sooner you start, the better.
"Every Effort Made" is a song about hardcore and why it is so important to many people. Hardcore is more than just a style of music because it has political content. "Ideals that won't fade...chewing on words but spitting out actions." Many people such as Bane embrace this culture without taking a strong stance of their own. As discussed above, this is where organization comes into play. For those who are serious about changing the world, MIM is currently organizing to do the most effective work possible for the cause of ending all oppression.
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Beyond
Reasonable Doubt
1997
Hardcore may not be the first word that comes to mind when listening to Candiria (depending on the song), but it is one of many. Other obvious influences include metal, rap, and jazz. Yet Candiria has found a home in the hardcore scene; and why not? Hardcore is just as influenced by metal and rap these days as it is by punk. The lyrical style varies as much as the other instruments, including guest vocalists from both hardcore and hip hop. One thing that is fairly constant is the stream of consciousness style that the lyrics are written in; making it hard to pull out any meaning. However, Candiria gives us enough to recognize some level of political awareness.
The album opens up with Faction, which begins peculiarly similar to Earth Crisis' Forged in the Flames. This song has its fair share of progressive messages: "CUT YOUR LIFE / FROM THE POINT OF VIEW / THAT KEEPS YOU ON YOUR BACKSIDE / TRUST IN MY CLIQUE / ODDS ARE / ONE TO SIX / REVOLUTION OF THE SICK." The message then becomes a little clearer: "ELIMINATE / THE CAUSE / FACTIONS RISE UP THEN DEPLOY / NON ATTRACTIVE / THE LANGUAGE OF THE MASSES... UPRIGHT POSITION / MOVE IN THE FORWARD FASHION / OPPOSITION... PEACE BEAUTIFIES ALL." The last chapter (each song is divided into chapters) is by Mark Scondotto of Shutdown who screams, "CORPORATE BODIES FIGHTING TO BRING US DOWN / BANNING TOGETHER HELPS TURN IT AROUND... NOW WE MUST LOOK WHERE WE STAND / IN BETWEEN THE LINE INVADING THIS LAND." The general idea seems to be a call for a revolutionary group to rise up against those in power and eventually bring peace. But the message is neither strong nor clear.
In Year One, Jorge Rosado of Merauder sings "YEAR ONE / THE GATERHING OF THE UNDERGROUND / MILLIONS OF UNHEARD VOICES / READY TO CLAIM THEIR ANSWER NOW / YOU SET YOUR TRAP / BUT WE COUNTERATTACK... MUSIC OF WAR SURROUNDS / IT'S THE BEGINNING... / OF THE FINAL ROUND." Again the message is of an uprising and giving a voice to the majority that does not have a say.
Tribes is a song about the fighting between groups. Ryan Murphy of Cutthroat puts it best in chapter 2: "WE MAY LIVE IN DIFFERENT PLACES / BUT THERE'S NO MISTAKE WE SHARE / THE SAME BITTER FACES / YOU CAN'T ISOLATE THE HATE / TOO BUSY FIGHTING AMONGST OURSELVES / TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE ANYWAY / WE'VE GOT TO GET OUR ACT TOGETHER / WE'VE GOT TO FIGHT THE ENEMY / TOO BUSY WASTING OUR TIME / WITH TURF SQUABBLES AND / STREET CRIMES / WE MAKE THINGS TWICE AS HARD / THE UNITY HAS BEEN SCARRED / TOO MANY IGNORANT MINDS / STUCK IN THE SYSTEM FOR LIFE." These lyrics have a clear message for young people to quit all the fighting between gangs and crews and take on a struggle against those who really pose a threat. The enemy isn't identified here, but MIM knows that it is the imperialist government and the bourgeoisie that controls it who threatens all our lives with war and environmental degradation, while feeding kids in the United $tates crap through the media to keep us distracted. The last line seems to be referring either to the prison system or perhaps the system that perpetuates crime and gang violence. Either way, Murphy is right to say that the system has trapped these people and to imply that education is necessary to find the way out. This is why MIM is actively working to educate the people locked up, as well as the people on the streets.
Carley Coma, lyricist for Candiria, seems to throw around the word masses a lot without really defining what he is referring to. MIM uses the term masses to refer to the majority of the world's people who are exploited by imperialism, and other allies to the struggle. In Primary Obstacle, Carley says, "OBSERVE THE MASSES AND DO THE OPPOSITE." As always its hard to get any context from his lyrics, but if he is referring to the "masses" as defined by MIM then we would disagree. It is the oppressed majority of the world whose interests will lead us towards a communist society where oppression no longer exists. If Carley is referring to the majority of the U$ as the "masses" then MIM would agree that their line will be reactionary and we must build revolution among the oppressed. It is the vanguard party's responsibility to maintain the perspective of the international proletariat and to reinforce the correct revolutionary line among the masses. Mao described how correct ideas come from the masses and must be sorted out and reinforced by the party, which has the responsibility of bringing these correct ideas back to the masses.
Buy This CD Fartz
"Because This World Still Fuckin' Stinks"
The Fartz
1998
Alternative Tentacles Records
www.alternativetentacles.com
reviewed by MC5
This CD is proof that hard-core punk is still coming out as it has since the late 1970s. It's not grunge, metal or other "alternative." Hard-core punk songs share the commonalities of being the fastest rock music, often with simple but repeated and loud guitar riffs accompanying vocals screaming to the point of hoarseness. The Fartz are a hard-core punk band, four guys sporting anarchist symbols just like the rest of the Alternative Tentacles releases.
Aside from the low-life name of the band, the CD jacket sleeve makes no attempt to hide that the album is an amateurish production. Typos are rife in the lyrics printed out. The album screams out that anyone could have made it. Yet all that is part of the whole allure of the punk movement--an end to heroes and mega-corporations doing record distribution. The hard-core movement produced some people who went on to become regular bourgeois rock stars, but for the same reason that people should exercise and play sports instead of spectating all the time, punk bands are a part of the people's culture that can contribute to the actuality of socialism and then communism. It is a part of how the people become prepared to rule themselves and dispense with the capitalist class.
The reviewer is not aware of what the band is doing now. The Fartz made their music in 1981 and 1982 and now Alternative Tentacles is making enough money to be releasing their CD. A homosexual who spent most his life in the Mormon Church claims that The Fartz revitalized him at a depressing stage of life after becoming an H.P. Lovecraft fan. No doubt the following review is what many progressive musicians are working hard toward hearing: "I went to the International Punk Explosion, at the Showbox theatre, in April of 1981, I saw the FARTZ, and my life was forever alter'd. The noise wash'd over me like some storm of emotion. . . . I found something to get excited about, to feel intensely with a sense of lust. Punk smash'd my apathy, and --shaken-- I awoke with a new lust for life."
From what we can see in the lyrics, the Fartz are pacifist-anarchists. They criticize the pseudo-Maoist Revolutionary Communist Party (R.C.P) right in the misspelled lyrics of their song "Don't want no gun": "Bloody bodies, children die/ more solgers bullets fly/ have a stand off in the street innocent victims at your feet;/ all these things will be done through the R.C.P.'s revolution/if sacrafice is in the plan/I'm not going to lend a hand."
In some songs they say they are just humyns and should not be labeled politically as communists or anarchists. In another song titled, "Questions and Answers," they say "let's unite in revolution/anarchy is my solutions." At the same time, they are calling for "individuality."
Most of the album is opposing militarism and bigotry. We have very little concrete difference with the songs. The lyrics run more like short essays than most rock songs that make it big in the mainstream. Many artists would agree with the Fartz that rock should be used to pound in a straight-forward message that the audience would not otherwise listen to. We call the pound-it-in-their-skulls approach in music "didacticism," and we do not agree with that approach to music or most art. On the other hand, we are not going to go out of our way to oppose it either. Music expresses sentiments and plays on emotions, and there is a fairly vague unity possible through it.
It would be hard to say what role in the world journalists have if music should be about how analytical messages are pounded into the audience's brains. There is some useful boundary between prose and poetry/song-writing. The didactic line takes a masses-are-asses approach that can set back the revolutionary struggle. While it is true that the masses have had poor education, much of the reason for why progressive activists become frustrated from the poor reception they receive is rooted in the real world of comfort in the U$A, not just stupidity. The Fartz spread some illusions about this point by calling the working-class "poor" in the song "Happy Apathy." From the Fartz's point of view, the poor reception communists and anarchists get in Amerika becomes a matter of the first song's title: "You got a brain (use it)."
As a genre of music, hard-core lends itself to this sort of didacticism. In fact, with such a heavy proportion of anarchists with the "masses-are-asses" line in hard-core, it might be the case that the politics created the musical form and not the other way around. The screaming and energy are the exaggerated essence of rock's rebelliousness while the simplicity of the music and its usefulness for shouting out borderline poetry reflect more on a certain niche of political activists' views of their audience.
The title of the album pretty much sums up our difference with anarchists, nihilists and other idealists. Although the world does suck, we must look in it to find the good things that are worth fostering, nurturing or even imitating. Although the Fartz sing much against religion, complete negativity is also a religion simply because it offers nothing in the real world as a solution. It becomes simply another way that the Mind attempts to detach itself from Nature--criticizing reality from the vantage point of Ideas.
"How long?" had already complained that the working-class does not rule. Later in the album, in "What's Wrong," we see the typical ambiguity of anarchism. We at MIM were wondering how it is possible to rule and have anarchism, since anarchism is the lack of a state. Apparently, the Fartz did not know either: "We don't change a thing (Im sure there is an answer/I don't know do you?)/lets all fight the system/have a revolution, are you really sure this is the solution/Shout out all this crap bout what we want to change, haven't got the foggest how to rearrange/What we want is freedom to live the way we like how we gonna get if we don't stand up and fight/Kill everybody on sight put 'em in the ground, gonna kill ourselves if we mess around."
Indecision
Release the Cure
1999
This is Indecision's first release written and produced with their new vocalist, Artie Philie. While Indecision has always been a progressive band, Artie seems to have brought more politically charged lyrics. This album will sound different to old Indecision fans. They redo "This Time Tomorrow," which doesn't sound quite right at first, but after a few listens it's as good as ever. "Release the Cure" has a more metallic sound and that new school flavor. While they seem to have lost some of the originality that made them stick out, the new album is still excellent. As always, they provide lots of opportunities to dance; songs like "At the Wake" have strong mosh potential.
"Release the Cure" refers to the conspiracy theories that the government created diseases such as AIDS and that they have the cure but refuse to release it because they use epidemics for population control and to make money off of the sick. Indecision points out that the medical economy would virtually collapse with the release of a cure for AIDS or cancer. In the song entitled "Release the Cure" they say, "One death is tragedy- / billions, the industry / and epidemics equal revenue." The album contains spooky images of a man with tubes in his nose in a hospital and his skin is printed with the image of a dollar bill. The band offers more detailed info on this subject by writing them and sending a stamp to:
Indecision Mission Control PO Box 09-581 Brooklyn, NY 11209
Though we have yet to review this info, as the band states in their insert, these are conspiracy theories and not established fact. Whether or not it is true may not even be the most important issue. The thing is that it is believable. The fact that something like that is possible points to the inherent flaws in a system that places great value on power and profit. In a system that puts people first, medicine will be carried out to help people and not make money.
"May Be Monitored To Assure Quality Control," is a song about empty materialism (the greedy kind, not the Marxist kind) in our culture. The song asks, "But what do you have? What do you feel? What do you want besides more? What is your definition of what is real?" Indecision expands on this theme in the insert to the CD, "Make no mistake, that which is convenient, that which is made to be easy, is meant to control." They go on to talk about how modern electronic gizmos are able to keep people distracted from what is going on in the world. While this is true, they ignore the more important factor involved. In the U$ we get all these neat gizmos in addition to all of the everyday necessities that most people in the world aren't guaranteed. So what they bring up is really just an extension of the fact that people in this country are bought off, and that is why they don't step out of line and try to change the system.
Through the Wasteland is an environmentalist song about the dreams of youth being crushed through the destruction of the world around us.
"Burning Saints" puts forth a dialectical view of the world, specifically of U$ domination over it. "Empires are temporary. Every government is temporary. No standard prevails. Nothing lasts forever." While Indecision doesn't provide an analysis of how or why the United $tates is doomed, they are certainly correct that it is digging its own grave (see Karl Marx for an explanation of why capitalism will fall). The lyrics do prophesize some form of rebellion to destroy U.$. imperialism, "Reaching across the world and spreading like a cancer. Amputate it, sterilize and start all over." This is a nice analogy for the role of the oppressed all over the world who must cut off imperialist influence in their regions, as part of a worldwide struggle to destroy it.
"Dead" is a song about the 9 to 5 life style that robs one's life from oneself. This is a subject that must be treated carefully by revolutionaries in the imperialist countries. This is because it lends to the idea that workers in this country are exploited. This song is actually a fairly righteous song since it talks of breaking from the system that robs part of life. Marx wrote about the alienation of workers from their work under capitalism because of the fact that they are producing for someone else and merely renting out their time/labor. This is still true for many people in this country, and is a legitimate complaint. The problem is that most amerikan workers would rather just fight for more money, which they don' t even deserve, than try to change the system itself.
"Suspension of Disbelief" is a song about the maintenance of power through fear without having any right to rule. Indecision says that this song applies to everyone from governments, to bosses, to "tough guys." The song says, "When no one fears them, no one respects them, no one runs from them- watch them as they disappear. Their power is a lie." In The Simpsons Halloween Special VI, the townspeople are able to stop the giant advertisements turned monsters by just not paying attention to them. Unfortunately, real life is not quite as simple. The imperialists do have real military power that must be dealt with. Even dealing with tough guys requires a certain amount of organization and force. But the general sentiment of this song is true. Mao called the imperialist powers "paper tigers," because they looked tough, but were really easily defeated by a mass movement. Again this should not be interpreted to mean that a strong, organized effort is not required to bring down imperialism. The fact is that imperialism still rules 50 years after Chinese liberation.
This compilation has two songs by each of ten bands (including 25 ta Life, Indecision, Skarhead, Sons of Abraham, in addition to Candiria.) One of Candiria's tracks, Statistics, features some guest rappers making this a hip hop song until the breakdown at the very end. Mixed in with the lyrics lies a message against the U$ government as well as its police force and the religion that supports it. The message is fairly militant as the first vocalist says: "TRADE MY CROSS FOR A BOMB"... "NEW VIETNAM / NEW YORK MURDERERS VS. US"... "WORKING MIDDLE CLASS / IT'S TOO LATE THEY'RE LOSIN IT." He seems to be saying to take up arms against the repressive forces of the NYPD rather than turn the other cheek. MIM agrees that violence is necessary to overcome the oppressors, but maintains that armed struggle should only occur at a strategic point when the imperialists are weakened enough at home that success is attainable. The final line agrees with what MIM has been struggling with people over for years, both within the imperialist United $tates and abroad. The fact is that the working class within the U$ imperialist state currently benefits from imperialism rather than being exploited like the people of the third world. While we encourage people to commit class, nation, and gender suicide and join the communist struggle, the majority of the white nation are not likely to ally with the revolutionary struggle at this point in history.
Another line of Statistics is, "GOT SOLDIERS REPRESENT / PREPARE FOR COMBAT / GOVERNMENT GENOCIDE." Once again they are calling for armed resistance, this time in opposition to the genocidal practices of the U$ government. MIM has proposed that "genocide should be accounted for as an historical and continuing debt."(1) Blacks and First Nations possess less today as a result of the genocide they faced for hundreds of years, and this is part of why these groups are potential allies to the revolutionary struggle against the white oppressor nation. The song refers to U$ genocide of Blacks again while rejecting conspiracy theory for the reality of the occupational forces that clearly exist within the Black neighborhoods: "READING TOO MUCH WILLIAM COOPER / BEHOLD THEM PALE HORSES / THE FRIENDLY FORCES / FUCK ME LIKE THE CULTURE OF MY HUMBLE PEOPLE IN THE NAME OF GOD." (2)
The members of Candiria seem to take a scientific approach to the world: "I STUDY MY ENVIRONMENT MORE THAN THE GEOPHYSCIST." Here they point out that studying the world around you isn't just for a few elite scientists, its for everyone who wants to understand it and make things better. In an interview with MoM (3) members of the band said this:
MM: You have to constantly evolve. Once you stop evolving,
you're dead. Every day that you're alive, you evolve into
something different whether it's something that you can see with
your eyes or not, you're still changing constantly. Every single
day is a new learning experience and a new step- It builds up to
who you are. The band is like it's own living entity made up of 5
people so we're going to constantly change.
CC: Even with
yourselves, every 11 months, your cells regenerate so you're not
the same person who you were last year. It works the same way
mentally. If you observe everything that goes on around you,
eventually you'll be on a new mental plane by next year because
you're observing more and learning more. It's the way of the
universe, everything keeps going and going. (3)
On the inside cover of the CD booklet it says "Observation, Analysis, Solution." This is similar to the scientific method of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, which encourages the analysis of the material world around us in order to find the solution to our problems. In On Practice, Mao Tse Tung describes the cyclical process through which Perceptual Knowledge is analyzed to form Rational Knowledge, which is used to direct Revolutionary Practice, from which new Perceptual Knowledge can be gained. The main difference being that here Mao has integrated action into the process of knowing.
The other song Candiria released on this comp. is Pull, which can also be found on their new album, Process of Self.Development. This song is somewhat unique for Candiria in that it has a strong theme throughout, which is anti-TV and mass media: "TELEVISION / THE MEANS OF WORLDWIDE INFECTION...MILITANT ADVERTISING / RAPING DEEP WITH THE GIFT OF DESPERATION." Justin Brannan and Tom Sheehan(formerly) of Indecision do chapter 2: "A TRADITION / BASED ON INTIMIDATION / OF DESTRUCTION / MAUL THE OPPOSITION / AN ILLUSION / OF DEMOCRACY / NO CONCLUSION / LONG LIVE THE LEGACY." This chapter depicts the senseless destructiveness of capitalist competition. The song goes on to compare TV to drugs, since they produce the same zombie-like state. They also sing about the effects of TV on the family and its ability to manipulate the ignorant. The fact that Amerikans can spend so much time watching TV is just another indication of the decadence of imperialism. MIM doesn't go as far as some people do to say that everyone in the U$ is just brainwashed and need to be woken up from their stupor. There are economic reasons why Amerikans would rather watch TV than work to change society. But we do recognize the power of the corporate owned media, and the necessity to build independent media to combat the propaganda of the imperialists.
notes:
Bloodlust Revenge This six song ep was OKD's only release with singer Rob Fusco,
and by far their most popular. Kids in cities all over the
northeast were singing along to OKD before this CD even came out.
The music is heavy, with that Albany metal edge, screamy vocals,
and very danceable. With Rob as the frontman, OKD's image was
strictly vegan straight edge. With this message, Rob brought the
energy on stage that really got kids excited.
"Absolve" is a song of personal struggle that says, "No savior
can salvage my past. As your savior bleeds so do I." Here he is
taking responsibility for his actions, rather than leaving them
with a mystical savior. This is a concrete criticism of religion,
telling people to face the real world, rather than escaping in
fictional ideas. MIM takes a materialist outlook of the world in
order to understand how things occur, and struggles against
mystical ideas amongst our allies.
"Prey to Human Silence" is a song calling for the end of humyn
consumption of other animals. The conclusion is
"Butchers...vivisectors...the killers should be killed." The song
ends in anger, and surely OKD have not put this into practice.
However, if they truly want to reach their goals they should
promote a strategy that will succeed. Obviously killing individual
butchers will not end the slaughter of animals for food. Building
socialism will allow more access to the media for progressive
movements such as veganism. It will also eliminate the profit
motive for the production of animal products. Meanwhile,
guaranteed employment will allow butchers and vivisectors to play
other roles in society without threatening their personal
well-being. Animal liberation won't occur under capitalism.
Straight edge is a popular theme on this album. "Mass Suicide"
takes the best approach to the subject. The refrain goes "This
poison's addiction is a global self-genocide and the apathy it
breeds is the mass suicide." It points out that through drug abuse
people are killing themselves in two ways. The physical effects
have the effect of killing individuals. Meanwhile, the apathy it
breeds allows for the oppressers to keep the oppressed in their
place. Drugs are used as a means of escapism from reality, similar
to religion as mentioned above. By avoiding reality, people allow
the current system of oppression to continue. And it is this
system that causes people to escape from drugs in the first place.
To eliminate drug abuse we must give people an alternative.
Organizing for communist revolution is the best way to fight the
current system, and on a personal level it gives people an
alternative to drugs.
God Loves, Man Kills This is One King Down's third CD with their third singer. Less
than a year after releasing this album OKD called it quits after
shows brought sparse crowd support, compared to hundreds of kids
that sang along to the previous album (they have since reunited
with Rob Fusco). God Loves, Man Kills has a familiar flavor to it,
without the kick that OKD had in the past. And of course the title
caused people to ask, "Did One King Down go christian-core?" And
one look at their lyrics indicate an affirmitive.
For some reason, hardcore bands are always using religious
imagery in their work, even when the message isn't religious. But
God Loves, Man Kills is more than a few religious phrases such as
"Deliver Me," the title of their first song. The title track is
the best example of this: "without discretion / we destroy his
creation." And the song concludes, "poor fallible mankind / repent
for the end is near." Perhaps OKD trading in their compassion for
animals for their new love of god helped them lose some of their
followers. For a long time people have argued that religion does
not belong in hardcore because it serves to support the status
quo, while hardcore is about rejecting it. Kids are right to
reject religion just as they are to reject drugs or promiscuity,
for they all prevent people from struggling against the system.
However, religion has taken more positive forms, for example
liberation theology, which encourage people to ally with Maoist or
other revolutionary forces. These religious people can play
important roles in the struggle. However, if liberation is the
goal, only the scientific study of reality will show you the way,
not mysticism.
Jon, the new vocalist, does get some credit for rejecting the
system forced upon him. The last two songs of the CD take a turn
for the better. "Forever Your Enemy" is a song of youthful
rebellion, refusing to give in to the system trying to manipulate
him, with strong statements, such as, "as big brother watches /
with my dying breath I'll spit in his face." Similarly, the final
song, "From Cradle To Grave," proclaims that we were not born to
serve and then die; wasting our youth away. What this song needs
is a link to the oppressed people of the third world. He sings,
"living a life of toil and woe / then we die." While young people
in the United $tates may not face a great future depending on
one's standards, the material conditions of the third world make
it necessary that the system is changed according to their needs,
in order to ensure a peaceful future where all have the right to
self-determination. This is the sort of analysis that is not
possible through mysticism. If OKD had any desire to change things
they would throw out god and study the science of
Marxism-Leninism-Maoism.
Breed the Killers, the latest release from Earth Crisis, will
be enjoyed by anyone who has remained a fan through the last two
albums. ExC have demonstrated that they have found their sound and
will stick to it (slow, brutal hardcore). That's not to say that
they haven't tried anything new on this album. Karl lets the rest
of the band back him up on vocals a few times, which should evoke
some sing alongs in the pit. Musically, Breed the Killers, will
make the crowd move and will leave ExC fans satisfied.
Lyrically, ExC has grown as one of the most influential
militant bands in hardcore. While their early releases focused on
veganism and straight edge, Karl has embraced a greater depth of
issues with time. Their previous release, Gomorrah's Season Ends,
showed this in the jacket which included a short essay on the
problems of the world and how ExC hoped to be a part of the
solution. They took a step backwards in the latest album jacket
which details their dedication to the vegan lifestyle; something
they seem to be bringing back to the forefront as they broaden
their audience after leaving Victory Records for Roadrunner.
While it seemed ExC was making the connections between
capitalism and the state of the world in Gomorrah's Season Ends,
Breed the Killers reaffirms that they see veganism as the answer.
The jacket reads, "If the meat industry was dismantled, the food
produced in these fields could be fed to famished mouths
worldwide." While they point out many advantages of veganism, this
one is not accurate. In reality, enough food is produced to feed
the world's people, but production for profit rather than use
under capitalism prevents the distribution of food and causes
people to dump it in the ocean rather than give it to people who
need it.
This album does maintain a strong criticism of the current
system's rulers ("false gods") and the drones who follow it.
"Filthy Hands to Famished Mouths" addresses the genocide of the
people in the third world, without quite pointing the finger at
imperialism. The title track criticizes European supremacy and
states that it will "breed the killers of the lies." This
recognizes that the people will rise up in opposition to a system
that oppresses them. Overall ExC does not follow this belief
though. Living in the heart of imperialism they seem to have given
up on most of the people around them and resorted to focoism to
force their beliefs into effect as evidenced in "Ultramilitance,"
which proposes "direct action" by "masked rescuers," ignoring the
need to address more systematic change. ExC and other young
Amerikans with revolutionary ideas need to realize that they
aren't alone in their struggle and that the best way to succeed is
to ally with the oppressed nations of the world. Focoist
activities only weaken the struggle by encouraging repression by
the state. By allying with the oppressed, people in amerika can
join a systematic struggle rather than depending on lifestyle
changes such as veganism, which won't destroy the current system.
ExC finds a likely ally in Machine Head frontman Rob Flynn who
helps Karl with the vocals in "One Against All," which predicts
humynkind's self-destruction through greed and competition. Breed
the Killers has the same gloomy feel as the previous album as
Karl's lyrics predict the demise of humyns and describe the
destructive effects of narcotics. But as always ExC puts forth a
message of action. This is clear in the final track which is their
classic song "Ecocide" with Karl's matured vocal style. "The power
of the dollar can't take precedence / Over the inevitable
detrimental consequence / The time to react is long overdue / From
protest to confrontation by me and by you" True environmentalists
will join MIM in the struggle against the destructive forces of
capitalism, and for a more harmonious world where decisions are
based on the needs of the people and not on profit.
All Out War Fans of the new ExC stuff will find a much older flavor in
their first releases, which is a bit faster with more sing along
potential. This 7" turned CD classic is Earth Crisis' first
release which brought them fame in upstate New York, which would
soon spread round the world. The title track (All Out War) has
brought ExC to the forefront of the militant vegan movement.
"Stand By" puts forth similar ideas proclaiming, "for innocent
victims we will attack." The second track, "Ecocide," calls for
action against money hungry capitalists who are destroying the
Amazon rainforest. This song points the finger in the right
direction, blaming capitalism for environmental degradation. The
final track on this CD, "No Allegiance," is a militant straight
edge song, criticizing those who have turned to a life of drugs.
This song is counterproductive by alienating those who have given
in to escapism, rather than struggling to prevent people from
giving in. The song starts out "There will be no allegiance / with
those who turn to sin." This takes a moralistic stance that puts
lifestyle choice in the forefront. While we should not refuse to
associate with someone because of their decision to escape through
drugs, it can become a great problem on both the personal and
political level.
In revolutionary China, the masses led by the Communist Party
attacked drug addiction as a public health problem. MIM views drug
and alcohol dependence the same way today. While we do not vilify
the masses for their lifestyle choices, we recognize that
addiction is a barrier to political work just as mental and
physical illnesses can be. As the Black Panthers did, we aim to be
strong enough to build our own Serve the People Medical Programs,
including detoxification and rehabilitation. Serve the People
Programs that address the people's basic needs are central to the
mass work of Maoism. We aim to show the people that we put their
well-being ahead of all else; proving this is the only way to gain
their support.
Firestorm One year after their first release, the Firestorm 7"/CD came
out with a similar flavor. Both 7"s are faster than the new stuff
and Karl still hasn't developed the throaty style that he has
today. Yet both are classics that arouse strong crowd response at
live shows. While the prior release called for "all out war" in
defense of animals, the title track on this release declares war
against "corrupt politicians, corrupt enforcement, drug lords and
dealers" in defense of innocent children who are victims of drugs
and abuse. Here their attacks are misguided, and serve to unite
white youth against internal colonies, rather than uniting all
youth against the u$ government and it's drug cartelling. ExC
blames "corrupt" politicians and enforcement, implying there are a
few (or many) bad seeds, and ignoring the corrupt system that is
the enemy of the people. Also they blame drug lords and dealers,
but again it must be made clear that the u$ goverment is the true
drug lord. Because oppressed nations are the disproportionate
victims of these drugs, to fight drugs on the street can end up
furthering national oppresion, as seen with the War on Drugs.
"Forged in the Flames" is a step forward as it describes the
personal strength gained through straight edge, rather than
attacking those who use drugs as they did in "No Allegiance" on
their previous release. The third song, "Unseen Holocaust,"
vividly depicts the destruction of indigenous people throughout
the American continents and ends by acknowledging their continuing
struggle and saying, "stop the unseen holocaust." The final track,
"Eden's Demise," describes "mankind's supremist mentality" that
has destroyed the world around us and will in turn destroy
humynkind. Once again ExC points to greed as the source of this
destruction. Later the song says, "A peaceful world can evolve
after animal liberation." This line has no scientific basis in
reality.
To end oppression in the world it is important to identify the
principal contradiction, which when resolved, will do the most to
further humyns towards a harmonious existence. Fighting for animal
liberation does not benefit the struggle of the oppressed people,
however the fight for communism benefits the whole world in the
long run. To join communists in the struggle to overthrow
capitalism is actually the most effective way to fight for animal
liberation. Animal liberationists would have better access to the
media under socialism and more freedom to agitate politically. The
distribution system under socialism would make healthy vegan diets
accessable to all people. Also, socialism would abolish much
decadent luxury production like the production of fur coats and
much meat production (especially the part of meat production that
owes its existence to imperialism) in favor of producing things
that are more urgently needed to meet people's needs. Hopes for a
vegan world can never be realized under capitalism.
Destroy the Machines The first full length release by Earth Crisis is a transition
stage musically for the band, while lyrically it is less advanced
than their later releases. With this release ExC found themselves
being labeled as metalcore by many due to the heavier, slower
sound they developed on this album. Still, the sound is distinct
from their current style which is even heavier and much more
growly, rather than screamy. The title track is about focoist
action to prevent the destruction of the natural environment. They
ignore the larger battle to destroy capitalism and focus on
small-scale illegal actions, which have no permanent effects,
except to weaken the struggle. This is a strategy that they have
maintained throughout their years as a band.
The first track, "Forced March," describes our decadent
society: "Lives of excess lust and material greed / A slave to
their own desires, apathetic to those in need." However, this
album fails to address the issues of the oppressed nations in the
third world or here in the u$ as they do on other albums. Destroy
the Machines focuses on animal and earth liberation. These issues
are addressed in the reviews of Firestorm and Breed the Killers.
Gomorrah's Season Ends From the artwork, to the music, to the lyrics, this is by far
the most gloomy album Earth Crisis has released. Yet they haven't
given up hope. With their slogan "there is a war, this is a
weapon" they make it clear that they are educating kids about the
problems of the world and calling on them to act. This effort is
clear on the inside jacket which describes the many problems of
the world from environmental degradation, to bigotry, to more
systematic issues of oppression. It links them all together into
one battle. Though gloomy, this is also ExC's most progressive
release yet. However, they still fall short in the action
department, encouraging focoism rather than protracted struggle
for communism.
"Cease to Exist" is a doomsday song, describing a world
destroyed by nuclear war. "All creation lays at the mercy of
madmen / Whose commands could cast us into World War III." While
this song is a good criticism of cold war and imperialist
militarism, MIM has a couple comments on the above quote. First,
the people who control these weapons of mass destruction are not
"madmen," they know exactly what they're doing. Of course they
still have no right to put the lives of billions in danger over
their power struggles. Second, MIM would argue that WWIII is
already going on. There just haven't been many weapons of mass
destruction used, as it has been limited to low-intensity warfare
in third world countries all over.
ExC has progressed ideologically in its views of straight edge.
For example, in the title track Karl sings, "An effective
revolutionary through the clarity of mind that I've attained."
They have taken on the growing idea of straight edge as a
beginning and not an end in itself. On this album they also
sympathize with those who suffer from their addictions to drugs in
"Situation Degenerates."
Although ExC has held focoist views in their struggle for earth
and animal liberation, they criticize certain terrorist activities
which target civilians in "Names Carved into Granite." The
distinction here is that they are criticizing those who attack
innocent people to further their cause. This song could be applied
to u$ activities in Iraq and Yugoslavia: "Potential military
targets are left untouched by the cowards who instead kill
unconnected innocents." While the u$ hasn't left the military
targets untouched, they have done extensive damage to the civilian
population through bombings of the infrastructures and through
sanctions.
The last song, "Forgiveness Denied," is about revenge for
victims of rape and abuse and says, "the guilty must be slain."
This is a common view in society and in the context of a
partiarchal system where law and order amplify gender oppression
it is reactionary; it shouldn't be allowed to turn into reality.
MIM has shown extensively that efforts to lock up or kill rapists
through the injustice system has only led to locking up more black
men and increasing national oppression. That is why MIM does not
look for a solution to rape in increased incarceration and
expanding the use of the death penalty. But rather we must change
the system so that all people are equal, and men do not have power
over wimmin and children. However this cannot be achieved while
oppressed nations still suffer under imperialism. Therefore MIM's
principal work is opposing imperialism and supporting national
liberation as the quickest path towards ending all oppression.
This struggle will clear the path to eliminate other differences
such as class and gender, and is therefore the most effective way
to end rape and abuse.
The Oath that Keeps Me Free (live) This is a live recording from a December 7, 1997 show at the
former Hungry Charlies in ExC's home town of Syracuse, NY. The set
opens up with a brutal rendition of Cream's "Sunshine of Your
Love." The CD contains high quality live versions of many favorite
ExC songs, some of which are much revised from their original
versions. You also get two unreleased tracks. The cover song, two
new tracks, and quality live recordings make this CD a worthwhile
buy for ExC fans.
The first new track is a short but heavy song titled "Smash or
Be Smashed." This song criticizes the dog eat dog mentality of our
capitalist society, where only the powerful survive and the rest
are smashed. "Fate of the Neo-Gods" is also uncharacteristically
short for an ExC song. It puts forth a strong message that we will
all be affected by disaster, even those who act like gods. The
song criticizes those who ignore the problems of the world,
stating that they'll know they were wrong when tragedy falls upon
us all. It then criticizes the "Neo-Gods" who are allowed to
continue in their destructive ways by those who refuse to
acknowledge the truth and stop them. ExC is lacking the idea of
material interest, that explains why most people in imperialist
countries are willing to work with the system because it usually
works for them. However, this song addresses world disaster which
will affect even the wealthy of the world. ExC seems to be calling
for a unity among people to change things as they criticize
special interest groups: "A selfish focus / The special interest
flight / Only compounds havoc. / The holistic picture / Stays
unviewed and worsens. / It is the reason violators live / While
innocents are terminated." This song questions how much longer
things can continue as they are, and clearly calls for people to
unite for the common good before we are all destroyed. This
involves a struggle against militarism and other destructive
imperialist activities. A peaceful world can evolve after
communist revolution.
Buy
This CD Under the Knife
With this four song demo Hatebreed left many in awe and wanting more.
The
tape is short and painful, and is a must for all who like hard music.
And
anyone who has seen them live can attest that the breakdowns will inci
te
violence.
Hatebreed's lyrics are about as cheerful as their music sounds. Kill A
n
Addict is a song of contempt for those addicted to drugs who will not
allow
friends to stop them from hurting themselves and others. Under the Kni
fe and
Smash Your Enemies are both songs about personal suffering. Jamey even
asks,
"should I put the razor to my wrist?" Although imperialism works well
for
Amerikans materially speaking, the psychological effects are one reaso
n even
Amerikans would benefit from communism. In fact, suicide is more commo
n
among the relatively wealthy, as are random acts of violence (turn on
the
news any day). These problems are common because of the empty lives fi
rst
world people lead. In general, they do not play productive roles in so
ciety
and lack a connection to the rest of society. Psychology responds to t
his by
further encouraging individualism to satisfy the emptiness in their li
ves.
MIM has also addressed how psychology is used by imperialism to neutra
lize
people who aren't happy living parasitically off the oppressed (1) One
formerly suicidal comrade who rebuilt her sense of worth through polit
ical
activism wrote in a self-criticism, "The most meaningful existence for
members of parasitic Amerika is to work for communism to destroy it."
(1)
Filth is the one song that brings promise and some kind of message for
change: "I won't celebrate your genocide and I won't consume your lies
, and
you cannot deny how your selfish ways kill and ruin innocent lives." W
hile
other songs deal with personal pain in an abstract way, here Hatebreed
addresses some social problems. They seem to be condemning capitalist
greed,
but go on to admit they "see no cure." But then he says, "I'm gonna ta
ke you
out. I can justify your suffering, can you justify theirs?" While offe
ring
no solution to the current system, Hatebreed seems to promote a vengef
ul
attack against it. Rather than saying we will build the opposition of
the
oppressed and overthrow your rotten system, he talks as if he's person
ally
going to take out the oppressors. This focoist attitude is indicative
of
people in the U$ who don't realize that there are millions of people a
round
the world that are our potential allies against the system (imperialis
m). It
is stupid to throw our lives away in one attack on the government by a
handful of revolutionaries here in the belly of the beast, when we can
strategically build a movement in alliance with the people of the thir
d
world.
In Filth, Jamey also says, "I won't consume! I won't take part! I cann
ot and
I won't, I won't consume your filth!!!" Here Hatebreed takes the unrea
listic
approach of saying 'your system sucks so I'm not gonna be a part of it
.' It
is only the privileged here in Amerika that even have this option in t
he
first place. The reality is that we all live in this system and play o
ur
individual roles in it, until we can band together and change it. By
pretending to opt out of the way things are run, one only allows them
to
continue on as they have been. For those who recognize that the curren
t
imperialist system causes unnecessary killing and suffering, you must
become
organized to overthrow it. That is the only way things will ever impro
ve.
note: (1) MIM Theory 9: Psychology and Imperialism, available from MIM
Distributors for $5
Buy This CD Satisfaction is the Death of Desire
This long awaited full-length by CT's hardest is a worthy follow up to
their
popular demo. The new album doesn't quite have the quick in-your-face
style
that you get with the demo, but I don't think many will be disappointe
d
musically. The glimmer of hope that Filth provided for revolutionaries
on
the demo however, has faded. Aside from a few points here and there,
Hatebreed proves their true nihilistic individualism on this album. Th
is is
the attitude that describes many of the tough guy bands in hardcore wh
o
basically sing about how life sucks. Jamey even bragged about bringing
the
"scumbag" image to Victory Records and replacing the former "clean-cut
straightedge" bands.
About half of the songs (6 of 14) deal with lies and deception, eviden
tly
something Jamey has a lot of personal experience with. Empty Promises
attacks religion for promising to save people. This is a good point, b
ecause
many religions teach people to reach for the great afterlife, causing
them
to ignore the problems of real life. Burn the Lies then condemns 'thei
r'
lies. If you replace 'they' with the media and its corporate sponsors
then
this song would have a good message, but Hatebreed doesn't specify who
"they" are.
Puritan also addresses religion and addresses those who are motivated
by
greed to deceive others. The conclusion of the song is, "I see now man
kind
was not meant to last." This is the essence of their nihilistic view w
hich
claims there is no hope. Prepare for War is yet another song where Jam
ey
refuses to believe the lies of those who try to deceive him. He goes a
s far
to say, "No cause worthy of my respect." making it clear that he is no
t
going to bother to try and change things. Two lines earlier he states,
"I
have yet begun to fight." Other lyrics seem to indicate he is talking
about
fighting for himself (especially if he's not fighting for a cause). It
seems
an overly negative view of the world around him has led to selfish
individualism. The fact that he rejects all causes, seems to indicate
that
he is ignorant of the many righteous struggles being carried out by th
e
oppressed in countries like the Philippines and Peru. A look at the ma
inly
bourgeoisie causes that exist in the imperialist United $tates may lea
d
someone to conclude that there are no worthy causes, but we must broad
en our
views and see what's going on in the rest of the world.
Not One Truth claims "We've lost our chance to save this dying world."
Who
knows what basis they have for this claim, but it seems that until hum
yns
kill themselves off they'll still have a chance to fix things. The son
g's
chorus states, "there is not one truth... only lies." Hatebreed seems
to
feel lost because the world around them is based on a morality that th
ey
cannot identify with. MIM encourages them to check out some of the
information we have available to see that through Marxism, we can bett
er
understand reality and how to change it.
Hatebreed has clearly given up on the world. Betrayed By Life says, "I
n a
cold unforgiving world, alone with fear and weakness, oppressed and dy
ing
slowly. Countless people have been betrayed by life." Burial for the L
iving
and Driven By Suffering give similar bleak views of the world. However
Burial for the Living ends, "Our only hope is vengeance." So there is
hope
according to Hatebreed. It is likely that they are referring to vengea
nce
against all of humankind for destroying the planet but it could be
interpreted as vengeance of the oppressed masses against imperialism.
Those
who want vengeance against the people who destroy the earth for selfis
h
gains, should join MIM in the struggle. The hardcore scene doesn't nee
d
bands like Hatebreed telling us that there's no point in trying to cha
nge
the world, we can get that message from mainstream culture easily enou
gh. We
need to keep the positivity alive and bring back the youthful rebellio
usness
of punk.
(1) On the internal class structures of the internal
semi-colonies. MIM Congress resolution, 1998
(2) Behold a Pale
Horse, by William Cooper is a conspiracy theory book
(3) Metal
Online Magazine
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One King Down CD's Reviewed
by a
RAIL comrade
1997
1998
Earth Crisis CD's Reviewed
by a
RAIL comrade
Breed the Killers
Roadrunner Records
1998
Victory Records
1992
Victory Records
1993
Victory Records
1994
Victory Records
1996
Victory Records
1998
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Hatebreed's CDs Reviewed
by a RAIL comrade
(re-released on CD with 3 extra tracks, two of which can be found on
Satisfaction...)
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