Now that our album ‘Geen Weg Uit’ has been released for some time, we thought it would be a great idea to give a look behind the scenes and how this album came about. In this first post we look at the lyrics of the first song ‘Razernij’ and why we switched to Dutch.

RAZERNIJ

Razernij

Opgejaagd door Mohammedaans meest duister gebroed
Kankergebroed, de angsten in overvloed
Met vuur en vuist in verzet de vernietiging gevoed
Addergebroed, wie volgt nog waarom het moet?

Verdoofd door het valse geblaat, wie weet nog waar het voor staat?
Niets blijft gespaard, de oude kunsten verkracht, de razernij ontaard
Brand ze maar plat, verander het in een gat
Verlos me van de waanzin, eeuwige strijd is wat ik verwacht

Ik schreeuw
Krijs
Ik ontsteek in razernij

Geassocieerd met het christen gebroed,
Addergebroed, mijn identiteit vervloekt
Met vuur en vuist in verzet de vernietiging gevoed
De bijbel of het zwaard, de waarheid van het bloed

Verleid door het mooie gepraat, geen zicht op wat er vergaat
Niets blijft gespaard, de oude kunsten verkracht, de razernij ontaard
Laat mij maar gaan, ik blijf graag in de waan
In mijn reden van bestaan, mijn bestaan in mijn rede

De strijd der ideeën
Mens tegen mens
Broeder tegen broeder
De waarheid bestaat niet

Ik schreeuw
Krijs
Ik ontsteek in razernij

Gorgelend, morrelend, bloed opborrelend
Blatend, brakend, de schreeuw ontlatend
Zwichten, bezweken, de vrije wil vergeven
Gebroken, ontstoken, de hoop vervlogen

Woorden zijn slechts lucht
De natuur maalt niet om semantiek
De razernij mijn vlucht
De schreeuw mijn repliek

Heb je wel eens van de oude goden gehoord?
Wodan en Donar en eenieder die daartoe behoort?
Is dat dan de weg waarbij de onschuld is vermoord?
Of is daar de wreedheid slechts in de kiem gesmoord?

Wat halen we hier uit de aard, een kind versierd met huid en haar
In de modder verjaard, een offer voor de goden de waanzin vergaard
Jongens die te jong zijn voor een baard, de waanzin aanvaard
Het lijkt nu verklaard, waanzin zit in de aard

De strijd der ideeën
Mens tegen mens
Broeder tegen broeder
De waarheid bestaat niet

Ik schreeuw
Krijs
Ik ontsteek in razernij

The idea behind ‘Razernij’ was initially devised in response to the religious attacks on Charlie Hebdo and Bataclan in Paris in 2015. These had a major impact on me. How can young people be persuaded to go on a suicide mission? How is it that a scripture that claims to offer peace prompts people to take actions that have the exact opposite effect? How is it possible that bloodshed is an appropriate act in the context of honoring your highest ideals? I wanted to do something with these emotions that were racing through my body. I wanted to do something with my incomprehension, hatred and frustration. I wanted to express in lyrical form, as sharply as I could, why I am diametrically opposed to religious violence. Therefore, the first step was the switch to Dutch.

There were several reasons for this. The first is purely because of the phonetic aspect. Our previous albums were all in English. At least for the most part, because we already liked to use other languages for short parts of our songs. We did this with Latin (because come on, every black metal band flirts with Latin every now and then), German and Dutch. Along the way we discovered that the Dutch language lends itself perfectly to metal because of the many blunt and harsh sounds that our language has. Given the emotional charge that this song would get, Dutch suited it perfectly. I would be lying if the rest of the Dutch black metal scene didn’t have some influence on this but if the dutch language wouldn’t have fit creatively, we wouldn’t have used it. In addition, this song would be an exploration of my personal feelings and thoughts and it helped me to do that by writing in my native language. When I realized how I would say it, I could think about why I wanted to write about this. After some contemplation I came to the conclusion that what hurt me the most is this idea:

Apparently, there is a state of mind a person can end up in where one is firmly convinced that he or she has found the one and only truth. This is something that you can clearly recognize in religious extremists, but you can also see this in people who adhere to a (usually extreme) political ideology. One symptom is that in a discussion with such a person you are able to predict what the other is going to say because everything they say are quotes from the doctrine they adhere to and no individual thought seems to be possible anymore. Therefore, in addition to a shriek and a scream in frustration, my response to people like that is the phrase “De waarheid bestaat niet” (There is no truth). No one knows exactly how this universe came into existence, no one understands the exact nature of consciousness and no one can say for sure what the nature of our reality is. Anyone who claims to know is a liar and is on a perilous path. You cannot open a history book without being stained with the blood of the hundreds of millions of people who died as a direct result of the actions of those possessed by some ultimate truth. Be it political or religious.

‘Razernij’ was an emotional journey inward for me and I am very happy and proud with what it eventually turned out to be. Especially because of the way in which Dennis has brought the lyrics to life with his vocals. This is something that is always a special experience as a lyricist. In conclusion, I would like to add that I put references or easter eggs in almost all of my lyrics. Until now I did this purely for my own enjoyment, but this post gives me the opportunity to highlight a few:

Ik schreeuw
Krijs. Ik ontsteek in Razernij
‘Ik schreeuw’ (I scream) is a referral to the statue  ‘De schreeuw’ in honor of the late Theo van Gogh.

De bijbel of het zwaard (The bible or the sword)
This was a sentence that my history teacher used to describe the way how early christianity spread through Europe. People had the ‘choice’ to either accept the Bible or the violence from the sword.

Broeder tegen broeder (Brother against brother)
This is one of the ways that the American civil war was described.

Woorden zijn slechts lucht (words are wind)
This is a referral to the book ‘A song of Ice and Fire’ by George R.R. Martin. The saying ‘words are wind’ is used often in this series.

In de modder verjaard, een offer voor de goden de waanzin vergaard. (Aged in mud, an offering to the gods, madness achieved)
This refers to the bog bodies that have been found all over europe. Some of which were found with stab wounds. It is assumed that these people were sacrificed as a religious offering.

VAN DE MEUTE VERVREEMD

Van de Meute Vervreemd

Aanschouw de aard van ‘t bestaan
Aanschouw en wanhoop
In onwetendheid zullen ze vergaan
Door de zaligheid verblind

In de doodsreutel zullen ze ontwaken
Er is geen weg uit
Slaafs spring ik door de hoepels
Er is geen weg uit

ER IS GEEN WEG UIT

Ben ik een mens?
Ik ben krachtig, ik ben afhankelijk
Ik houd mijn woord, ik lieg
Ik ben trouw, ik verraad
Ik bescherm, ik vermoord

Ben ik vrij?

Wat is de reden dat ik haat?
Wat is de reden dat ik verraad?
Ben ik de baas over mijn lichaam?
Worden de keuzes voor mij gemaakt?

De slaap van de rede brengt monsters voort
De geest getergd en verminkt
Een verstommende waas, de levenswil verstoord
Zinkend grijpend naar de oppervlakte
Ik heb geen keus, het is een grap

Fles en vrouw bieden geen soelaas
De vlucht het symptoom van het gestuurde gedrag
Ik stort ter aarde in roes en waas
Machteloos getuige van mijn eigen gelach

In mijn slaap komen de dromen weer terug
Met vuur en bloed, het einde der tijden
De weg vooruit lijkt onveranderd
Slaafs spring ik door de hoepels, er is geen weg uit

“I’ve been writing lyrics for the band since our inception and they have always had a strong anti-religious character. Partly because of the anti-Christian tradition of the genre, partly from being a teenager kicking against his social surroundings but not in the least because of my own personal conviction of a scientifically based worldview.
The latter became more sharply articulated over the years. For me personally but also in the lyrics. To me it was clear: the only way to interpret reality is through the scientific method.
 
Everything you need in life can only be determined through that (be it practical like modern physics and chemistry or navigating through morality and ethics). This said, this world view turned out to be a trap for me.
I faced an issue that I couldn’t resolve in this way: free will.
 
I started to analyze my own emotions, like anger or rage. Then I’d consider what the source of those reactions would be, which was twofold: external impulses and the chemical process in my body resulting in emotions.
 
As I don’t have control over the former I went deeper into the latter; the mechanics of the body.
 
I found that a large amount of decisions you make aren’t voluntary but prescribed by cells that produce chemicals.
When you study this further, you start to realize how these cells are basically insanely intricate factories that operate purely on scientific principles. They have to, because cells operate on the molecular level.
 
From that point I reasoned my way back to the start and came to the conclusion that our consciousness is the consequence of a scientific process and, with that, subjected to all the physical laws we know.
Because of that, it follows that consciousness should be, in theory, something to predict through science.
 
The only problem that arises with this idea is that if all processes in the brain are predictable and could be reduced to chemistry..
 
Where does free will come in?
 
“Through scientific determinism I ended up with a very dark form of nihilism.
 
If free will doesn’t exist, then what would be the meaning in life?
 
I wasn’t able to enjoy life because this convinction made me lose the ability to place life in an appropriate context. I looked at life through the wrong time scale: ‘in a century everyone that knows me is dead, what’s the point’. I couldn’t enjoy art, sports or any form of creativity because I would tell myself that everything that makes me want to do these things is the result of physics forcing myself to. I have no choice to deviate from it.
 
Slaafs spring ik door de hoepels, er is geen weg uit (Slavishly, I jump through the hoops, there is no way out).
 
At my lowest point of this phase I forced myself to a choice (which I, paradoxically, didn’t really believe in): or you end this here and now, or you choose a life that ís meaningful.
 
While I’m typing this I have to say I don’t regret the choice I made then.
The song ‘Van De Meute Vervreemd’ is me trying to express this whole process. I felt estranged from everyone because few seemed to understand what corner I talked myself into, or they (understandably) didn’t have the patience to deal with it.”
 
Easter eggs and references:
Aanschouw en wanhoop (Behold and despair) This is a shortened version of the famous line from ‘Ozymandias’ by Percy Bysshe Shelley (“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”)
 
Ben ik een mens? (Am I human?)
Reference to ‘Life Eternal’ by Mayhem. These lyrics were the last that Dead had written before committing suicide.
 
De slaap van de rede brengt monsters voort (The sleep of reason produces monsters)
This is the title of an etching by the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya.