>Mankind, to whom are you kind? The peace that you mold is a lie
Before I’m paid, the system comes and takes half away, for bombs someday
See the world through sunken eyes
Exactly eight years ago I praised the band Dystopia when reviewing their album The Aftermath in Close-Up Magazine #38 (April 2000). I wrote something like “if you send me a tape I’ll send it back to you filled with Dystopia stuff”. I got one tape, from Jonn Jeppsson, now a prominent writer for Close-Up. Those were the days. Tapes instead of CDR.
Anyway, I still praise Dystopia as one of the very best bands ever. Their take on punk, metal, hardcore, doom and sludge is truly unique, and their misanthropic message is something I can wholeheartly agree with. The lyrics, music and artwork all work very well together, and for once it all seems for real: an honest fuck off spat in the face of humanity.
In 2008 they released their third and final album, simply entitled Dystopia. Maybe not as good as their previous efforts, but still way ahead of most scumbags out there. I witnessed them live two times and they fucking slayed! They were way ahead of us all.
Here are three songs for you to worship:
Hands That Mold – taken from the Human = Garbage CD (1994, Life Is Abuse/Misanthropic/Common Cause)
Socialized Death Sentence – taken from The Aftermath CD (1997, Life Is Abuse/Misanthropic/Crawlspace)
Leaning With Intent To Fall – taken from the Dystopia LP (2008, Life Is Abuse)
Please read the lyrics as well.
hands that kill mold illusions of peace
their fucked up pseudo security
destroy to give birth to technology
to quicken the killing of you and me and him and her
blind – us humans think we are so smart
creating challenges
now – our sky bleeds in our hands
it’s nothing
build and build and build some more
industry fucks nature like some kind of whore
quest for invention, intelligence gone too far
synthetic environment, we’re doomed from the start
and I guess we’re all gonna die (my home)
and take everything under the sky (is nothing… to you)
skies they bleed, infecting the land
oceans they vomit onto the sand
wind so foul, a putrid reek
animals they scream in disbelief
and I guess we’re all gonna die (our lives)
and take everything under the sky (are nothing… just used)
humanicide
humanicide
black trees, dead seeds, dirt weeds
how much longer do we have?
humanicide
human beings should have never evolved at all
your heart… your heart as cold as the concrete that you lay
your mind… clouded with the pollution that you make
hide… lies… from all of us, the ones you have chosen to die
smother our earth, blacken our skies
your quest for progress, convenient demise
man… kind… to whom are you kind
the peace that you mold is a lie, a lie, all lies
our lives float rejected down the stream
they are nothing, not you or me
Socialized Death Sentence
I am just a fucking slave
bust my ass for minimum wage
before I’m paid, the system comes and takes half away…
for bombs someday
my boss hates my fucking guts
I was never good enough
if I’m injured on the job
he’ll say tough luck
he’ll find someone else to fuck
my job… my life
landlords pissed, rent is due
haven’t worked in a few
if I don’t pay I get evicted
I’m fucking screwed
what am I suppose to do
each day… I die
your….. your job sucks
the system fucks
a timeclock head…I’m dead
employed… mind void
destroyed… can’t avoid
I try… to survive
…losing…
work work
socialized death sentence
system system
fucked all around
work work
like taking cyanide
system system
washing it down…
and I die again tomorrow…
when I wake up
Another friend found dead in the street
A painful death of self-defeat
The reaper killed by the seeds that were sown
Another mother destined to be alone
See the world through sunken eyes
Infected soul, infected brain
Feel your flesh turn stone cold
And endless downward spiral of misery and pain is what remains
You used to do that shit for fun
A steady march of slow death
With no intention of turning back
Feel the pleasure, you taste the pain
Getting high just to get sick again
You don’t seem to be having much fun
Wake up, wake up from this lucid dream
Nightmares, nightmares are what the future brings
See your spirit fly with the angels
Fall from the heavens
Fall through your fingers
You say you’re hurting? I’m hurting too
Am I to love you? I hate the things you do
You say it’s over. you say you’re sober
You’re fucking clean
And then you fucking O.D.?
So you chose to take your life away
Suicide is an easier way
See the world through sunken eyes
We tried to change the path you were on
Feel your flesh turn stone cold
A night alone. a spoon, a needle in the arm, and now you’re gone.
Can you climb out of this hole that you’ve dug?
I wish I could help you but I can’t
Watching through my eyes is misery
Dying in your eyes, that’s all I see
See your shadow fall from heavens
Fall through your fingers
Fade into nothing
This is Hands That Mold performed live in 2002.