"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

dispair
The Mass Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Our life sewn, from total darkness.
Harvesting doubt, preserve the abscess.
An emotional bout, a total state of unrest.
Thrive on despair, to prey on a weakness.

Lyers, sewn by lyers.
Conquered minds, thurst for power.

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of The Mass's song "Despair" speak to the human experience of being born into a world where everything is dark and uncertain. The metaphor of life being "sewn" implies that it is not a natural progression, but something created and constructed. The second line, "Harvesting doubt, preserve the abscess," suggests that this construction of life is not necessarily a positive or beneficial thing - rather, that it is built upon and sustained by negative emotions such as doubt and pain.

The final two lines of the first verse, "An emotional bout, a total state of unrest. Thrive on despair, to prey on weakness," seem to suggest that this dark, uncertain world breeds a sense of emotional instability and unrest in those who must live in it. The final phrase, "Thrive on despair, to prey on weakness," implies a sort of predatory or parasitic relationship between those who are strong enough to capitalize on the pain and uncertainty of others and those who must endure it.

In total, "Despair" paints a bleak picture of the human condition and the world we inhabit - one in which we are born into darkness and must fight to survive against others who are willing to exploit our pain and uncertainty for their own gain.

Line by Line Meaning

Our life sewn, from total darkness.
Our existence is crafted from a place of complete obscurity and lack of light.

Harvesting doubt, preserve the abscess.
We cultivate feelings of uncertainty and insecurity, preserving the wound rather than allowing it to heal.

An emotional bout, a total state of unrest.
We are in a constant state of emotional turmoil and instability, never finding peace or contentment.

Thrive on despair, to prey on a weakness.
We find solace and satisfaction in our own misery, and use it as a tool to exploit the vulnerabilities of others.

Lyers, sewn by lyers.
The falsehoods we are presented with are created and perpetuated by those who themselves are dishonest.

Conquered minds, thurst for power.
Our thoughts and beliefs have been manipulated and controlled by those seeking to gain and maintain power over us.

Contributed by Katherine B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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