Cassandra Syndrome - Of Patriots and Tyrants
CD Info
2009
Figmental Records
10 Tracks
English Lyrics
The 21st Century has not been kind to America, nor has America been particularly kind to the 21st Century. From pretty much any perspective, politically, economically, ecumenically, morally, or socially, much of the world has seen America as a society in decline, and many Americans would agree. And, in the opinions of many, that would include musically. According to the music industry, the action is in rap and Disney boy bands, neither a direction that has had a particularly profound effect on the concept from a historical perspective. I think back to the 60s and 70s when American music drove the industry world wide, with a socially conscious message that inflamed a generation and did much to shape the thinking of much of the world in generally positive directions. No more, now we celebrate violence for violence sake, we listen to music that appeals to 13 year old girls who have yet to figure out what life after 14 is all about. And we watch a political establishment that has, for the most part, had little interest in the needs of our society, or even our planet, although there are signs that there may be some awakening to those concerns at least in some corners. Call it limited hope.
There are, however, some sparks on the musical front, limited at best, but you take what you can get. Cassandra Syndrome from Frederick, Maryland, of all places, is one of these. Their message is one largely absent from the American music scene lo these many years, a message of social / political consciousness and warning. Of Patriots and Tyrants also takes the music into some new directions. You know, it’s not that there isn’t some good music in this country. Evanescence has pretty much rapped up the female fronted metal scene with a few exceptions. But there are other first rate sounds out there. Kamelot from Tampa is certainly another sound that has an international following, just not in this country. Cassandra Syndrome is metal, with a first rate female soprano driving the train. I wouldn’t call it Symphonic Gothic; there is no symphonic component. But there is a bit of the Gothic, in a socially enclosed format. That vocal is provided by one Irene Jericho. Hers may not be the trained vocal of a Tarja or Floor Jensen, but it is certainly talented and entertaining. And she seems to have the ability to switch between delivery alternatives in the mode of a Helena Iren Michaelsen and to a similarly enticing effect. The rest of the sound is provided by Chris Kackley on guitar, Joe Cariola on bass and Jay Jericho on drums. A final member, Katie Doherty who provides guitar work and backing vocals was added to the band at the completion of the CD under review here. Clearly, it’s a guitar based sound and a pretty good one, although I’d sure like to see some keyboards thrown in for effect, especially on the more ethereal tracks like Skadi’s Touch and PTSD. The later actually screams out for a synthetic background in the European tradition.
The music tends towards an interesting interpretation of the traditional metal sound, with a heavy dose from a very talented soprano doing the front work. There is some limited male vocal, some grunting, but the music is essentially a wonderful vocal flowing over a guitar / drum base. And that voice is certainly in the upper echelons of the genre. I can’t think of another American vocal to compare it to, unless you include Slava Papova and she wasn’t born American. The guitar work is a solid traditional heavy axe, one that flows in the grand tradition of that American art form. It occasionally goes to lighter moments and interacts well with the rhythm section provided by the bass and the drums. Songs run from heavier numbers like Burning to softer numbers like Mirror Mirror and include some that compare favorably to the traditional European Gothic. However, it’s mainly traditional American guitar driven metal with the lovely vocals doing the story telling.
But, with Cassandra Syndrome, it’s the story telling that is at the forefront, once you get past the beautiful vocal doing the telling. Cassandra Syndrome looks at the world and doesn’t really like much of what it’s seeing. A world sick in the physical sense, and blind in the literal sense. Oceans in peril, climate on the brink, war as a socially acceptable art form and the largest and most powerful society on the planet largely blind to the disaster on its door step. These are the themes in Of Patriots and Tyrants, and thank god someone is talking about it. It’s a truism that in much of the contemporary music scene, it’s the delivery of the message that counts, the actual message is often just a vehicle to allow the vocalist to do something other than mumble. For Cassandra, on the other hand, although the message is delivered in an enjoyable format, it’s the message that counts, and if one fails to pay attention to that message, one misses out on a major goal of the music.
The Cassandra message addresses a number of topics ranging from environmental concerns to wars of choice. Their message talks to the need to listen, to observe, to learn, and to grow in positive directions. In None but Shadows, Jericho sings:
And falling, falling tumbled down
All our dreams begin to drown
Alexandria is lost
Weeping prophets know the cost
We did not fight, we did not learn
What we lose when our books burn
Wrapped in chains of hate and fear
None but shadows will dwell here
Our blinded charge to destroy our home, our world, our source of life, is another theme. Cassandra is a metal based call to arms; a plea to recognize that life is fragile and that the earth that supports it must be nurtured. The guitars thunder as an earthly cry to listen, a warning to heed, and Jericho reminds us:
You could say I didn't warn you
You could say you didn't know
Of the poison in the water
How the trees won't grow
Of the melting of the ice caps
And the rising of the sea
Of the species that we kill
To make more space for you and me
For me, the most powerful message is provided in PTSD. It speaks to one of the real costs of our nation’s misguided adventures into a war of choice. Having spent considerable time in DOD environments during the past decade, and having a son who served as a combat Marine in both wars, the topic is one I am intimately familiar with. The members of Cassandra Syndrome also have first hand experience; three of them wore the uniform during the past several years, one in some particularly nasty combat. That experience served as the basis for this song and lends an air of deep understanding to the lyrics. Jericho begins the track asking:
What is it we have become
Babies raised living by the gun
Walking now with deadened eyes
Trained to kill and fueled by lies
Of Patriots and Tyrants is not your customary Gothic theme. Where Nightwish, Therion and the Morton Veland bands address the mystery of the eternal and remind us that our short mortal existence is but a flicker in eternity, Cassandra reminds us that that flicker may be all we have. Until we take that path beyond the veil, we are still in this mortal reality and what we do here is important. The name Cassandra is, of course, taken from the Trojan seeress who prophesized the fall of her beloved city but whose warnings were ignored. Let’s hope that this version gets a better review from the locals, and a better result.
9 / 10
