The simplest explanation is more likely the correct one. Entities must not be multiplied beyond what is necessary: Occam's Razor or The Law of Parsimony.
Bent over in pain and frustration,
A bead of sweat rolls down his cheeks,
Watching it evaporate slowly in the hot sand,
The hot wind blew hard against his face bleak
This is what it has all come down to,
A conflict with the virulent demons inside
They whisper first and advance to growls
And tauntingly spiral around the walls of his mind
An electric blue aura resonates around him,
Deer watch him behind bushes in the forest thick,
Some stellar power surges through his veins
As the forest's children flock to watch a ritual mystic.
Green vapours surround him,
Enveloping his body within,
Taking him places higher,
Places where new stories begin.
The reign of man is over, submit to Gaia,
She knows where to take you: light the fire,
The reign of man is over, submit to Gaia,
She knows where to take you: someplace higher.
You dont know what you want yourself,
You dont know what you want in someone else,
If you look beyond your pain alone,
You'd see there's more to it than I can show
Hanging by your words, I found comfort
How was I to know you never meant a word of it?
I put in every bit of my last effort,
But your mind was already set; none could amend it.
I've been patient through it all,
Ask yourself too. Have you?
A sole string held us from our fall
You pushed me to it so I cut it.
You say you've loved but you think you lost it
Dig all you want but you'l never unearth it
I gave you love but you didn't think it was worth it
Desire love now only if you deserve it.
At the end of the day, I wish you had stayed
Not washed your hands clean and walk away
Loving is always easy to preach but not easy to do
And I'll be forever waiting on you.
Sometimes, starting with what you should be finishing off with, would best express the plethora of thoughts and emotions inside you. I will not restrict this to your heart or mind alone. This is plainly food for thought so keep yourself open for every sensation that comes over you.
I'm sure you've had the nightmare of being stuck in a long winding, dark tunnel that has no end to it. You wave your hands wildly, in the hope of bumping into something solid- maybe a door or an escape route from this pitch-dark confinement you've been put in. Catching the smallest glimpse of light along this never-ending tunnel would give you the drive you need to run to it, and free yourself of the veil of darkness that has been thrown over you. Generally, waking up from your deep sleep is consequent to reaching the light. You gasp for breath, pinch yourself and assure yourself it was only a dream and then fall back to sleep.
Breaking away from the stereotype, have you ever dreamt about a circumstance where- instead of being stuck in a dark tunnel, you find yourself in a dazzling, bright place that LEADS TO the dark tunnel I've about? This is one step before your normal dream, isn't it? Here is where I am. You may think I'm some suicidal sonnuvagun for all that I'm cooking up in my head. Note for the ignorant: consider this a suicide wish then, you narrow-minded idiot. Back to my mental crap- iridescent as it may seem, I don't think belong here in the bright place right now. My conscience tells me to walk on. Yes, into the dark if it may be, but still, walk on. Wait, this just in-
And if the darkness is to keep us apart
And if the daylight feels like its a long way off
And if your glass heart should crack
And for a second you turn back
Oh no, be strong,
Walk on, walk on...
U2 - "Walk On"
... That just randomly hit me in the head. The ways in which music can relate to our emotions is infinite and totally mindblowing. I've always been fascinated by this art. Anyhow, going back to where we were- the dark tunnel. Going along the skeletal figure of what I mean makes my words must ambiguous to you, so I'll open up to you. We all have a bright place- our comfort zone, where nothing can go wrong and everything seems perfect. The dark tunnel is the rude awakening you receive to shake you loose from this lucid dream. Reluctant as you are, walk on. The tunnel has a brighter and more spacious place ahead of it for you. If you're in your bright place with no dark tunnel ahead of you, don't be a moron and go searching for it. Enter it when it comes to you. And believe me, it WILL come to you. No one has the perfect life. In my belief, there is imperfection even in perfection... though I shall strive for perfection still! The dark place comes to each of us in many forms- a bitter experience you keep only to yourself, the death of a dear one that has scarred you, getting your heart broken etc. Jeopardise yourself in the dark tunnel when you are left with no option. Reluctance and refusal to move on will only weigh you down further.
Though all of this is easy to talk about, it certainly isn't piece of cake to actually undergo it. But going ahead with it with an open heart and clear mind would be the best decision you can make. You can tell my about a higher power, the bigger scheme of things and how things are what they are because they're meant to be, but I'd prefer to take it up one issue at a time. From the very little experience I've gatheredI have understood that- It is what YOU want it to be. Now, feel free to replace 'it' with anything you want, be it- you, your life, your love, your happiness, your sorrow, your misery... anything. Take this mini-mantra with you and experiment with it. "Its not meant to be" is a phrase either you or your conscience cooks up to avoid a confrontation, be it voluntarily or involuntarily. Think with your mind and love with your heart. Don't get it mixed up when you make your choices.
The reason why I'm yapping about the metaphysical and the like is simple- I was listen to The End by The Doors when I was entering my dark phase. Interpreting Morrison's lyrics blew me over to this illusion of the tunnel and a bright place which, now I understand, is a crossroad all of us reach at some or many points in our lives. Penning down every inference I make of this experience seems to be the best way to help me tackle the tunnel. All that I'm saying may seem random and crazy to you but I kid you not- I'm not drunk, I'm not stoned. I'm just a sober chap caught up in self-introspection. Anyhow, enough of my rambling. Put your thinking hats on now. Oh wait, I think I lost mine.
"This is the end
Beautiful friend
This is the end
My only friend, the end
Of our elaborate plans, the end
Of everything that stands, the end
No safety or surprise, the end
I'll never look into your eyes... again."
Jim Morrison: an eye-opener for many, though he couldn't keep his eyes open himself; Refer: Stoned.
Edit (11th Dec. 2010): A brief reading of this post after 24 hours makes me realise that what I wrote almost sounds like the drug-deprived, depressing bullsh*t you see in the movies. Wtf? In all its senselessness and absurdity, I still wish to hold it as a memory of the torrent of emotions I've undergone. Some people feel more than others. I guess I'm in that bunch. Whoopie.
The air reeks of blood,
So foul are the grounds,
Bodies laid to rest
Not a soul, not a sound
Fastened to the soil by arrows
The bodies lifeless and dead
Families with a changed tomorrow
Sons of this earth, drenched in red
For whom is this sacrifice?
Bodies slain for a price
The sea of swords lay you a bed
For an answer, search inside yourself
Whisper a a prayer in her ear
Promises made of safe return
Put a rest to all her fears
With your body, your promise shall burn
Why promise if you're sure theyd be broken?
Why leave if you want to stay?
Why let your desires remain unspoken?
Why make today your last day?
Between Gods and Titans do the wars wage
And for Olympian spectators, this just a game
The human cry will be forever caged
Slashed away, be the finger that blames
Alliances can be purchased and tables turned
In the name of honour, a thousand bodies burn
Like Zeus before you, who fell to his feet
Stand in my path and taste the soil beneath!
(A tribute to Lord Kratos of the God of War series)
With bated breath, I stood there right up-front, right below the stage set up for none other Virginia-based metal-heads Lamb of God, headlining for the very first edition of the Summerstorm Festival! Up there on the top of my list for bands that combine great technical music with killer lyrics, this is one gig that had me on the hooks before I even experienced it. Lamb of God is well-known for their note-to-note replication of their music from their records to their live shows. From Randy Blythe’s(vocals) shrill screams to Chris Adler’s(drums) pounding double-bass, I was sure that this was going to be one helluva ride!
After the opening acts governed by the likes of Scribe(Mumbai) and Extinct Reflections(Mumbai) (I missed the other 2 bands), the mini-moshes were set to motion around Palace Grounds. The crowd was getting restless amplifying chants for ‘Lamb of God’, ‘Randy Blythe’ etc. etc with continuous requests from the security to move back. A couple of technicians came up on stage to test the instruments, and the sight of firangs gave the sweat-drenched, restless crowds high hopes which were short-lived. All bum and no fart! That wasn’t the band unfortunately! After staring quite a while at the LoG drumkit, wrapped in the ‘Wrath’ cover, I caught glances of John Campbell(bass) on the side of the stage! Woohoo! This was it! We got off the seat we reserved for ourselves on the muddy floor, for the moment we’d all been waiting for, was here!
Kicking off with the intro The Passing, everybody was just ecstatic, eager to catch the first glimpse of the band. Randy and the boys strode in to the thunderous roar of a very mixed crowd, including people from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh etc.! All hell broke loose and Palace Grounds, Bangalore was set ablaze by a killer of an opener- In Your Words off the Wrath album. Every person around me-man, woman and child, was jumping, headbanging, fist punching and a plethora of other psychotic acts. There were quite a few who could not handle the violent mobs, and stepped out before the track ended. Randy’s vocals were inexplicable. It sounded even better than the record to some extent, mainly because I have the man behind the killer growls standing right before me! Next to follow was Set to Fail, which too, is off the Wrath album. Mark Morton (guitars) was chopping away to glory accompanied by his comrade, Willie Adler (guitars). A better response was received for the songs that followed, which included Ruin, Walk With Me In Hell and Blacken The Cursed Sun. Somehow, I did not feel quite at home with the way Descending off the Sacrament record was reproduced. But better vibes followed with all the remaining songs- Dead Seeds, As The Palaces Burn, Laid To Rest, Vigil, Contractor, Hourglass, Redneck and Black Label.
I didn’t expect As The Palaces Burn to figure on their setlist here, but what the heck?! The more the merrier! Screaming along to Dead Seeds gave me the goosebumps- Betray your prophets, dead seeds buried deep/An army of men will prey on the weak/Betray your prophets, dead seeds buried deep/An army of men will prey on the weak. What great showmanship they displayed! Randy introduced Laid To Rest to us, as a song we may have heard off video games. For many of us, that was exactly how we got hooked on Lamb of God! The crowd participated with the band with See who gives a fuck! chants to lay the Ashes Of The Wake song to rest, to be followed by the eerie and sinister guitar intro from Vigil. Chris Adler deserved special mention for the final songs the band played. He belted out beats that kept the atmosphere pumping with high levels of adrenaline for the mosh pits. The last four songs were sure-shot mosh songs, with Randy calling for circle pits on both sides of the stage. On May the 15th, I had witnessed and took part in, what is sure to be one of the craziest moshes ever! Every person in the crowd was under a frenzied trance and lost control of themselves when Randy handed us our mother*ckin’ invitation! The only we could ever need! How true can the truth be and what a spectacular sight it was indeed!
The band announced their final song- Black Label, which is popular for its instigation of the Wall of Death, a Chef’s Special from the Lamb of God mosh-kitchen! It started off with the very familiar industrial-metal drumming. The anxiety that had built up in the veins of many, for several months found its vent in the form of this song. Randy called for the biggest circle pit this country has ever seen, and that’s exactly what he got! So chaotic but yet so beautiful... My freedom can't contain but tell me/ The pain I liberate/ Riff hostility to anyone/Has made us so much hate... The pain and suffering... I know, with these words and the resonating distortion of Mark’s guitar, Lamb of God closed their first show in India. Highly impressed with the turnout of people, Randy, on several instances, had hinted that this might just be the start of something big in the Indian sub-continent. Having already opened for the four biggest names in metal, namely- Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer, Lamb of God is riding high on the waves of their success. I’ve been praying on my knees ever since, hoping Randy might be able to convince any of the big-shots down here!
All in all, it was an insane show, except for a few problems I encountered, probably due to the position I stood at! The vocals and leads were overshadowed by the pounding from the bass drum, in my opinion. But, I wasn’t in a very acoustically favourable position to jump to conclusions there! After last attending a Porcupine Tree gig, the mixing sounded a tad bit shabby here. Lamb of God has a policy to openly offer their PAs to the bands opening for them, to give them an equal footing. Unlike normal gigs where the headlining act is louder than the rest, this was not the case. Certainly the mark of great musicians! But, this led to a sort of monotonous level of sound from the beginning to the end, without that extra blast of sonic energy you were expecting, from when Lamb of God takes the stage. Besides that, I was counting on them to belt out classics like 11th Hour, Grace, Omerta etc. Even though they played 16 songs, the set felt very short to me. Time flies when you’re having fun or something.... wasn’t that how it goes??
It has been tested and verified- their stage-presence IS something to die for. No kidding. With highly technical music coated in groovy riffs, backed by intellectual lyrics and killer vocals, it sure is a nerve-wrenching task finding any sort of criticism against this band. It is difficult even for a first-timer, to resist pounding his fists out to the band and headbang along with them. Having established a respectable name for themselves in the American metal scene, Lamb of God have come a long way from their initial Burn The Priest era. The attitude Randy throws on the stage is the same he shows off it, as you can evidently see on their Killadelphia DVD, which is exactly the sort of demeanour the crowd wants from him. It would be an understatement to say that Lamb of God kicked some major ass that night. Now that I’ve got the real taste of ‘pure American metal’, I certainly expect more of it in the days to come. Walk with me in hell! \m/ Cheers!
