Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Ashes of the Wake

Shrieking vocals, galloping guitars and high-speed drums fly out of speakers when this CD plays. Nine out of the eleven tracks on the album will kick off with a steady explosion of heavily distorted instruments, all storming out with incredible rage, power, and ferocity. Those new or unfamiliar with the genre of metal will contort their faces in disgust, protesting that this was a shame to the name of music. So why do so many turn their heads away? If the audible sounds are too disconcerting for the average ear, many people drown out the lyrics or possible themes because of the assumption that it's "too loud" or "too messy" to have meaning. And that, ladies and gents, is completely off the charts.

Many a review focus upon the music content and technicality of the album, accessing it from a musical rather than a thematic and symbolic perspective. Don't get me wrong; I certainly dig those reviews and articles about albums, but in particular this one can be a real shame to overlook, particularly when it is one of Lamb of God's most motivational. The album centrally aims at the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Songs that prominently highlight this theme are "Now You've Got Something To Die For", "The Faded Line", "Laid To Rest", and the album-titled song "Ashes Of The Wake". In a quick overview, the lyrics contained on all the songs involve the persona directing negative emotions - betrayal, hate, rage, and frustration - towards entities that represent efforts of the war. It is even more interesting to see that out of all the songs on CD, the album-titled track is the only one that does not contain any lyrics. This is interesting to note because there the presence of two guest guitarists formerly from other heavy metal bands Megadeth and Testament adds to the intensity of the music, thus almost pushing away and eliminating the need for words.

The first track of the album "Laid To Rest" contains the words "The blood's on the wall, so you might just well admit it". This seems directed towards the US government that not only instigated the war, but claimed that the violation of UN policies and global image of powerful Western influence mercilessly invading a lesser country was completely justified. The lyrics assert that contrary to administrative claims, the damage has been inevitably caused, and it is more brutal and ruthless than was ever initially regarded. The more political motives of this album is evident via examination of the frequent repetition of expletives contained in the latter part of this track. "See who gives a f----!" is heard between intervals of slow and controlled sequences of unvaried low notes on the guitar. This "breakdown" technique effectively instills a strong collective atmosphere of rage and motion that peaks during this point of the song - reflective of the strong protest towards the war. The sheer ferocity of this track rips out through the air and postulates the pure incredulity of the 2003 invasion.

The second track on the album is named "Hourglass". We are taken back in time to a series of wartime invasions here, and certainly the concept of time is a common motif throughout. The burning of draft letters - hence resistance to conscription - is evident in the lyrics "the edge of the envelope burns". The imagery of clashing gods with their insurmountable wrath and vengeance is clear in this track, outlining the ineffective and certainly overly-ambitious US government tendency to "Play God" with their peacekeeping strategies and hence seek out and destroy all forms of tyranny and abuse in today's world. The only thing left is death, and in particular we are overwhelmed with the hand of the devil from the reference to the Jewish gate to the underworld in "Gehenna has now arrived". Additionally the persona mocks upon the foolishness of those who fought for the name of their country amidst this completely unjustified invasion: "You finally made it home, draped in that flag you fell for." It connotes to foolish and naive martyrdom; a needless and unnecessary death in the name of something completely ill-fated and inhuman - all for political authority.

"Now You've Got Something To Die For" is another song written to draw attention to the foolish efforts of the war. This track seems more like a vision cast into the darkest possible result and consequence of the war, for it is metaphorically titled as a "prophecy", and it is "fulfilled" with actions of hatred, destruction, and utter chaos. The American solider is characterized as a determined bloodthirsty monster that does not stop the search for killings or murder. This is evident in the words "Lust for blood, a blind crusade", pertaining to the foolishness of the invasion, especially since the only real reason seems to be for the pure pleasure of the kill. There is very strong and violent imagery conjured, such as "raping democracy"; a sign of pure failure upon the American government with plans to enter Iraq and emerge victorious, but instead have shamelessly ruined the result they sought to accomplish.

There is a sense of entering the mindset of the fighting U.S. marine in the next track "The Faded Line." Here the lyrics are almost of a 'stream-of-consciousness' manner; the frequent high-pitched shrieks that utter the bleak adjectives "hopeless...emptiness...colorless" are like desperate cries for help and salvation. This is a catalyst to the psychological breakdown of the solider; the fact that he may be coming to terms with his crimes of war that he has no choice but to continue undertaking, because they are the orders of his high-command. The "promise" mentioned in this track is almost a reference to the original aims and intentions of the U.S. government; to establish a democratic office within the country of Iraq in order to rid it of tyranny and exploitation. Yet these plans have more than just backfired; we can see that it is now just a "silence" and hence a definite shadow of the former promise it once was.

A common definition for the next track "Omerta" is a code of silence. This term stemmed from areas such as Sicily or Campania, where organizations such as the Mafia reigned powerfully. It extends down to those who serve them; in that if they are convicted of a crime, they will remain silent and will not protest to provide any further information, even if they are falsely accused. Thus, this was used to prevent the leaking of information about more powerful figures within the organization, giving them confidence that lessers within the party will take the blame for them and allow them walk unblamed. This track of the Lamb of God album is the slowest pace, but provides definite power and force. The spoken introduction by vocalist Randy Blythe serves to add a sinister beginning to the song, highlighting the importance of the honor code within fighters. It underlines the procedure of those subject themselves to falling obedient to the code of silence, and illustrates them to end up twisted and a shadow of their former selves. The slower part of the song highlights the mind of the organization in power, offering a certain comfort to one who is yet to be recruited. The pounding of the instruments - a slow, yet brutal rhythmic pulse - is an indoctrination that drums into the mind of the recruit, making sure he is capable of serving. Then as the track rips into a faster pace, higher-energy section, we have the solider faced with the enormity of his actions; the fact that his fate is now tied with the silence of his mouth, and if he speaks foolishly, his life will go with it. The mistake of "a slip of the tongue" will only result in death, which is evident in "a slit of the throat". Furthermore the lyrics "Keep my name from your mouth forever" pertains to the mastermind of the organization kept secret, and the fact that the song concludes with "Sing for me now" suggests that there will always be new recruits that are willing to offer themselves up...always new recruits ready to die for the crimes of someone wielding them as pawns.

The chunky guitar riffs and irregular drum patterns in "Blood Of The Scribe" reflect the sudden realization of the solider in battle. He realizes that there is imminent death within serving to fight this war, whether it be killed in action or surviving but becoming scarred by the results for life. We have him entering a delusion mindset; the insomnia in "sleepless" as well as loss of faith in "hopeless" serves to tie in with the connotations of graves and burial. His entrapment is evident in the lyrics "Climb the walls till nails bleed, rip the hair, tair the seems, break the glass", where the final vestiges of his composure are finally dissolving to provide very violent imagery of his breakdown. The vampire is a representation of the solider, for he is killing for blood and has no other purpose. Blythe's bloodcurdling scream "sun" reflects the marine's hunger for sunlight; a metaphor for salvation and liberation from such a hellish reality that he must remain in. Hence, the scribe is the general that reports back to the U.S. Army about the situation against the insurgents, but of course the blood he writes with comes from the solider.

The lyrics of "One Gun", the next track of the album, illustrate the intentions of those who live and die for their country. The characterization through the eyes of a sniper at the beginning of the song suggest a concealed but deadly threat that is always watching. The title "One Gun" refers to the mockery of the salute of honor to martyrs; the lyrics "a one gun salute for the new Independence Day" connotes to an outrageous act of dying for your nation and then being remembered on the country's national holiday. The prominent message of this track is the satirizing of how glorious sacrifice really is; on the surface it seems beyond honor that one should die in the name of their country - that one should sacrifice themselves for their nation. But through the eyes of the solider we see that it is a completely overrated concept; that sacrifice for the longevity of your country will prompt the government to do nothing better, and that your death will have only been in vain. The repetition of "They'll hallow your name" is almost ironic, because through this constant veneration of your name and how you are honored because you died in your country's name, it does not make a difference at all when the U.S. government will still proceed and see thousands others die without batting an eyelid.

Beginning with a thin moment of guitar instrumental before the vocals kick in, "Break You" is the shortest track of the album. The imagery conjured up is dynamic and violent: "cut by the dawn razor" ; "whipping the nightmares to a froth" all suggest brutal force of dehumanizing style. These violent lyrics seem directed towards the U.S. government, where "The empire of lies to whom you pandered" . This suggests that they seemed to have waned from their original intentions to cleanse Iraq of terrorism and fear, and have instead turned to killings and torture and interrogation that all ignored human rights and standards. Furthermore, the controversy behind their real intention to invade and hence control the oil stocks of the Middle Easy can also be reflected in the "pandered", thus illustrating their catering to lower tastes and hence exploiting the resources of the area. The hatred escalates in the words "You taught me hate, I'll teach you fear", where the lessons taught by the army are soon sought to be reversed, with the solider relaying his venom back onto his commanders who cannot see past their blind and foolish mission. This intensity peaks with the ferocious ending of the song "Son of a bitch, I'm going to rape you. Son of a bitch, I'm going to break you", conjuring up brutal images that are reflected in Blythe's chilling, bloodcurdling shrieks.

"What I've Become" is a track that underlines the sequence of events when the solider is viewed as a total stranger amongst familiar faces he once knew. The lyrics "Blank stares from broken men" serves as a grim reminder of the total monster he has become in the eyes of those who once knew him, for he has mutated into a killer in simple terms, obeying or disobeying his orders. The religious speakings "You giveth, I taketh away" suggest that there are meddling and defying with the intentions of God - that their actions of inhumanity and cruelty will earn them eternal punishment. The solider realizes that he is nothing more than a mere pawn in the grander scheme of things; the words "Take your place in the line to be ground by the gears of the masterpiece" serve to show that he is simply another piece of the puzzle; a mere number amidst the enormous equation to try and defeat terror in a staggering full-scale invasion. His death will therefore count as nothing; even as martyr he will achieve nothing, and the repetition of "betrayal" further stabs out accusations towards the U.S. government, further reinforcing the bitter feeling of isolation and abandonment he is experiencing.

The album-named track "Ashes of the Wake" is one that contains no lyrics, other than that of an alleged U.S. Marine who served in the army and fought in the Iraq war. The mechanical tone in which he first speaks characterizes the commands that were mostly given to him by his superior commanders in an empty and meaningless way. He mentions that the war had become "an eradication", thus pertaining to the way the war had deteriorated down to nothing but a carnage. In the same manner the U.S. invasion of Iraq reflected this attitude; indeed it was becoming another war in Vietnam once more. Only the numbers of killed terrorists mattered each day; the mission relied upon taking out potential enemies that - most of the time - where nothing more than innocent civilians. The track has a complex rhythm and choppy guitar riffs; an overview of the turbulence that the war would ultimately result in. Furthermore, the inclusion of solo guitarists from other metal bands - Chris Poland, former Megadeth guitarist and Alex Skolnick, former Testament guitarist - illustrates the full intensity of the war, for the fiery solos that erupt on this track are double the magnitude, and that means double the aggression.