"The barrier between metal and jazz has been pierced again. Like Chicago's … Read Full Bio ↴"The barrier between metal and jazz has been pierced again. Like Chicago's Yakuza, the Bay Area thrash outfit The Mass augment their high-speed, staccato riffing with fluid, almost (dare I say it) harmolodic saxophone lines from vocalist Matt Walters. There are times when Walters launches into screeching, post-Ayler solos, in the manner of Steve Mackay on the Stooges' Fun House or Bruce Lamont on Yakuza's Way Of The Dead; the just-under-90-second "Gas Pipe" is the most extreme track on the disc, from this angle. But most of the time he does something far more interesting, adapting the cyclical, repetitive riffs of thrash metal for the saxophone. This is a change from the last album, City Of Dis, where the saxophone was as prominent as the songs were crude; Walters floated atop the primitive guitar-bass-drums crunch like Ornette Coleman fronting Napalm Death. The moody "Meditations On The Some Carcass" is the biggest leap forward for the band, stylistically and technically; it layers a bleak sax solo atop a doom-metal death march, to excellent, almost psychedelic effect. For the most part, though, Perfect Picture Of Wisdom And Boldness is an unsubtle, skull-cracking record that owes as much to My War-era Black Flag as it does to intricate, knuckle-popping thrash. Walters has no interest in stopping the moshpit so listeners can admire his nimble finger technique. Fans of the Flying Luttenbachers, Paul Flaherty, and whatever's passing for underground punk rock these days will all find something here to inspire hours of spastic contortions."
-- Phil Freeman, The Wire (UK) Oct 2005

Drifting
The Mass Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Consumption of life, mankind's ritual throughout time.
At our planet's demise, we won't find shelter in the sky.

Helpless... infected... home.
Lost... drifting... alone.

When the horsemen ride, to destroy the race they despise.
When the future dies,

There is no miracle we can try.

Helpless, infected, home.
Lost, drifting, alone, all alone.

Lost, drifting, alone. [x2]

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Mass's song "Drifting" talk about the imminent destruction of mankind due to their unrelenting consumption of the planet's resources. The first line of the lyrics "Consumption of life, mankind's ritual throughout time," establishes the theme of the song, which is the inevitable end of civilization due to humans' destructive habits. The second line "At our planet's demise, we won't find shelter in the sky," is a chilling reminder that we have nowhere to go once we have ruined the planet.

The chorus of the song "Helpless...infected...home. Lost...drifting...alone," is a poetic depiction of the despair and hopelessness that will engulf humanity when it faces its imminent destruction. The theme of helplessness and despair is further emphasized with the lines "When the horsemen ride, to destroy the race they despise. When the future dies, there is no miracle we can try."

The lyrics of the song are powerful and thought-provoking, urging listeners to reflect on the impact of their actions on the planet and take urgent steps to prevent its destruction. The song is a call to action for humanity to change its ways and work towards a sustainable future.

Line by Line Meaning

Consumption of life, mankind's ritual throughout time.
Humanity's standard practice has been to consume life since the beginning of time.

At our planet's demise, we won't find shelter in the sky.
As the world inevitably ends, we won't be able to seek refuge in the heavens.

Helpless... infected... home.
We're left feeling powerless and contaminated in our own dwelling place.

Lost... drifting... alone.
We feel disorientated and isolated, with no sense of direction or purpose in life.

When the horsemen ride, to destroy the race they despise.
In times of disaster, beings determined to annihilate that which they hold contempt for bring further chaos to society.

When the future dies, there is no miracle we can try.
When there's no hope left for the future, there's nothing we can do to change it.

Lost, drifting, alone.
The feeling of being disorientated and alone continues to overwhelm us.

Lost, drifting, alone.
The feeling of being disorientated and alone continues to overwhelm us, again.

Contributed by Molly H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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