Guest
Waging War Against God is the third single from Lowen's sophomore album Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran. The album will be released through Church Road Records and Lay Bare Recordings on Friday 4th October 2024. Pre-orders for vinyl, CD and cassette are available here: Video by Topher OMeagher and Dan Cayzer of Watchmaker Studios. Feat. Dinko Pehlic of Vehement You can support Lowen here: Merch: Facebook: Instagram: Bandcamp: Church Road Records: Lay Bare Recordings: This is a video about freedom and tolerance. It is meant to warn against the misuse of religion and power in the hands of tyrants, and is not intended to be interpreted as intolerance for any religion in its true, peaceful form. “Waging War Against God“ Waging War Against God is one of the legal terms used by the Iranian government to persecute and execute individuals who stand up to the regime. This song explores the folly of tyranny. It asks: “why do we grasp at eternity when we know it will leave us behind?”. It also highlights that time and history are so vast that attempts of ownership and control will ultimately be consigned to the grave of memory, and memory is soon butchered by time. The recent race riots in the UK punctuate the difficulty that women of colour face inside and outside of their homelands. The head that bears the veil is heavy - be it due to the force of religious power in the hands of tyrants, or the enmity of cultural division that does not permit tolerance of visible differences. As someone who has grown up between two cultures struggling with oppression and racism, this song is a stand against the intolerance that has been ever present. It champions the strength of women, especially those who despite the threat of death have been carrying forward the Woman Life Freedom movement inside and outside of Iran. This song embodies the longing for safety and the fight for freedom. The pomegranate is an ancient symbol that embodies fertility and abundance, but it is also the basis for the invention of the grenade. In the video it is shown as a synecdoche for the way that the bodies of women have been abused and dissected throughout history. There are also several alchemical Easter eggs for those who enjoy such symbolism. At the midpoint of the video, the narrative turns and the regenerative, divine strength of women and the power they command ultimately wins out against tyranny. Lyrics: Heavy is the head that bears the veil How free the hand that wields the sword So sweet the blood of innocents On the tongues of the serpent crowned They make one law for man And yet as beasts they walk the Earth Proclaiming god-sent verse And slaying all who question Why do we grasp at eternity, when we know it will leave us behind? Time is the butcher of memory, and memory the grave of time We dream to walk where we cannot walk We wish to dwell where we cannot dwell We yearn to divine with gods And ask what they would never tell There is an echo all through the land, like a mother mourning Weeping the paths that we have walked They have made the battlefield a temple Where gods lie silent like distant stars
