Chosen by Monk

These groove metallers hit us with a double whammy today, with the simultaneous release of both their latest single and the EP from which it is extracted:

‘Death Starts’, the third single to be taken from the ‘Cerca Trova’ mini opus, explores the idea that humanity’s relationship with religion, mortality, and redemption has shaped both our worldview and our violence toward one another, as frontman Darryn McCartney explained to me:

[It] is effectively about the impact that we, as a species, have on one another and the world around us. We continue to use religion as a vehicle to wage wars and conflicts.

The song examines the paradox embedded in many belief systems – the idea that death is merely a gateway to eternal life.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that from an early age: when we die, we get eternal life. So since birth we’ve been told death starts with life, and life – eternal life – starts with death.

According to McCartney, this belief can sometimes create a dangerous sense of moral immunity:

Publicity by Asylum Road

That belief – and an extremist one at that – can give people a kind of hubris, the idea that no matter what they’ve done, they’ll be redeemed when they die and get to live forever.