This one’s a doozy. Guitarist John Bailey—who normally serves as a touring guitarist for the likes of Aled Jones and Russell Watson—teamed up with Corrupt Moral Altar vocalist Chris Reese and a ridiculous list of guest musicians to create tech-metal insaniacs Utopia. Their first album, Stalker, features members of Fawn Limbs and Psyopus, Leprous, Tangaroa and more.
While Stalker isn’t set for release until next month, Decibel teamed up to premiere the official video for “It’s Not the End,” a cut from the album that features drummer Lee Fisher (Psyopus/Fawn Limbs) and bassist Arran MacSporran (De Profundis). It’s the musical equivalent to a manic episode, bouncing from calm to spastic, off-the-wall energy on a second’s notice. The most impressive thing about “It’s Not the End” is that everything is always in its right place; the listener gets the feeling that things could go off the rails without warning if the musicianship weren’t the high caliber it is.
“The lyrics and idea for ‘It’s Not The End’ are based on a principle by Friedrich Nietzsche about a type of renaissance or rebirth of the selfm” Bailey tells Decibel.
“‘foghorn blasts / battering stinging /coming in and out with the freezing fog’
“This represents the beginning of a journey through the self. Harsh personal criticisms and rethinking your own viewpoints.
“‘a vision on the horizon / The howling light breaks the dank’
“This imagery represents the emerging vision of a new value system based on your own re-evaluation of your opinions and morality.
“‘black room prayers unanswered / muttered in clumsy apeish hope’
“This is a shot at religion. The belief in a God who judges you for your wrong doing is not an appropriate reason for doing right. Rightness and wrongness should come from within not from fear of an unpleasant afterlife.
“‘back break, toil, real prayers / real results / hallucinate’
“Through pain and suffering comes a system of values and resilience that is strong and born through self-sacrifice.
“The video shows different textures of natural, earthy tones. Natural earthy, real world colours and textures. The woman wiping off the various clays and mud shows ‘changing’ or metamorphosis. It’s a physical change in the video but it represents a ‘spiritual’ or moral changing.”
Stalker is out August 27 on APF Records.
