Article By: Pat ‘Riot’ Whitaker ‡ Edited By: Leanne Ridgeway
MINDWARS, the progressive thrash band helmed by Holy Terror guitarist Mike Alvord, will release their third album next month.
Titled ‘Do Unto Others‘ and arriving from Dissonance Productions, indications are this is MINDWARS at its most advanced yet. Known for their tightly structured, intricate metal and intriguing, thought-provoking lyrics dissecting the decline of mankind, MINDWARS is unlike any other band.
‘Do Unto Others’ will be available on CD through Dissonance Productions on April 13th, while a vinyl edition will be issued via Back On Black on June 15th.
Along with the news of the upcoming release, guitarist and vocalist Mike Alvord also shared a track-by-track breakdown of “Do Unto Others“. Check out his synopsizing of the songs further below. MINDWARS’ roster is completed by drummer Roby Vitari and bassist Danny “Z” Pizzi.
Tracklist:
The Fourth Turning
I Am The One
Blacklisted
Conspiracy
In God’s Name
Allegiance Of Death
Wall Of Fire
Kill Or Be Killed
Peace Through Violence
New World Order
Take It All Away
Mike Alvord walks us through each track:
“The Fourth Turning” – “The opening track jumps through the speakers with thundering double bass drums, pounding bass guitar, and thrashing guitars. ‘The Fourth Turning’ has the power and aggression capturing the tone of a pure thrash album. The lyrics were inspired by William Strauss and Neil Howe’s look at the historical cycles and distinct patterns in human history. The disorder within the world and the control by the political elite is a recurring theme on Do Unto Others.”
“I Am The One” – “Many leaders in society claim to be “The One” who can provide the masses with whatever they desire. The song begins with an epic old school thrash feel and transitions to a mid tempo march leading to a first person chorus chant of “I Am The One”. The song bursts into an all out speed frenzy through a frantic solo bouncing between speed and dive bombs. The song ends with the antagonist shouting he is the one to save, rape, and ultimately kill us all.”
“Blacklisted” – “This juggernaut starts at full speed and never lets up. Galloping through lyrics of surveillance and censure, blacklisted flies through the depths of secret surveillance. Our privacy is no longer. We are all being watched on multiple levels and are at the mercy of social media and the government. Do we have control? Do we have freedom? If this song doesn’t boil your blood… what will?“
“Conspiracy” – “This song brings us to the heart of the album. What is real and what is fake and full of lies? Conspiracy theories are all around us, from 9/11 in the U.S. to the life of Jesus Christ and everything in between. Is it the elite trying to manipulate the world or are they just that… conspiracy theories? The song drives this question through a Germanic tempo which leads to a mid tempo bridge and Egyptian style solo. Soon enough the song takes us back to the pounding drive and encapsulating with the idea of a Deep State!“
“In God’s Name” – “This is the slowest song on the album and was inspired by the David Yallop book of the same title. It carries on the conspiracy theme and questions how Pope John Paul I really died. Some believe that John Paul I was uncovering the corruption of the IOR and P2 Lodge, therefore he was assassinated. The slow drive of the verse and chorus soon give way to a galloping high-speed bridge and solo. The song circles back to the question of what really happened.”
“Allegiance Of Death” – “ATD as the band refers to this song returns to the speed and thrash of what is Mindwars. It begins with a marching beat before the speed sets in. The song questions the struggles of the men and woman of any military. They give their all, but for what? They truly pledge their allegiance to death by paying the ultimate price. The speed of the song breaks to a pounding mid section chanting about the people fighting the wars as puppets for the political elite. It ends with a full out thrash dual style solo.”
“Wall Of Fire” – “Scientology has always been an interest and this song looks at the OTIII and the secret advanced technology doctrine of the Church. After hours of auditing the follower can eventually advance to the third level Operating Theatan. This song is the shortest song on the album and is a combination metal mid-tempo song with various punk rock influences. Keep reaching higher and you too can become a member of L Ron Hubbard’s twisted society.“
“Kill Or Be Killed” – “The song begins with a dark and haunting opening. It sways back and forth through an evil grinding tempo. It transitions through various musical tempos and segments with vocals, solos, and 70s style rock. Lyrically this song departures a little from the over arching political theme of the album, but stills revolves around the controlling of others. Munchausen by proxy is a psychological disorder where you control people, usually your children by convincing them that they are really ill by exaggerating and making up symptoms. The person has no choice but to Kill or Be Killed or do they… Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!“
“Peace Through Violence” – “Returning to speed and thrash once again, ‘Peace Through Violence’ opens with a New Wave of British Heavy Metalesque intro and capitulates to a fast driving pace. The song was inspired by Sun Tzu’s military strategy in “The Art Of War”. Walking through this strategy, one will subdue and trick their opponent into a sense of self-confidence. That’s when you ATTACK!”
“New World Order” – “This was supposed to be the last song on the album because it brings to a close the Fourth Turning, conspiracies, and control, and leads us to our New World Order. Not a traditional thrash song by any means, but the galloping tempo drives the listener through their consciousness and brings them into the new order with a frantic and frenzied mid-section and solo. It returns to the memorizing and hypnotic intro before finishing with the ultimate distraction and control of the New World Order.“
“Take It All Away” – “Unfortunately the album didn’t end with ‘New World Order’. This song was written in just about 15 minutes right after the untimely death of Chris Cornell. Cornell’s death rocked the music world and this is our tribute to this amazing artistic person. We aren’t really sure where this song came from, because it does sound a bit different than the rest of DUO, but we felt it only appropriate to include it as the final track.”
