Everything is political nowadays. Consequently, I’m wary of everything in case the political connections and connotations are dubious or worse.
Paganism – which is a far cry from satanism, despite some people seemingly conflating the two, should, on the face of if be safe enough, but having been appropriated by the far right on account of a number of philosophical intersections, paganism and fascism have a strong connection. Consequently, just as not all neofolk acts have fascist leanings, the scene has more than its share of bad apples, and the same is true of the pagan metal scene, with its links to National Socialism.
With lyrical themes of fantasy, mythology, and Roman paganism (as opposed to the European paganism favoured by the far right, Tersivel are above board, and on their latest single, sound very much like Killing Joke. It’s not just Lian Gerbino’s vocal style, with its elongated vowels and a balance of grit and melody, but the churning guitar sound that hammers out a hard, stuttering riff that tears the air against a rock-solid rhythm section.
There’s a bleak, nihilistic existentialism that filters through this thunderous beast of a tune, but the epic chorus with its refrain of ‘I will reach the sun’ is ultimately optimistic and redemptive.
