. . .
Take a moment to analyze the hand pressed against the cover of Leviathan’s fifth album, True Traitor, True Whore. It’s not just any hand; it’s the left hand of lone Leviathan member Jef Whitehead. The hand he’s used to make a living as a nationally renowned tattoo artist. The hand that has forged his prolific musical output as Wrest, one of the most important figures in American black metal. The hand he allegedly used to beat and sexually assault his former girlfriend in early January. Considering the growing claims from those close to Whitehead that the plaintiff in the case has made the same allegations against previous partners, True Traitor, True Whore is about as far from subtle as a title could be. The key word at this point in the case is “alleged”, since the facts on both sides are still hearsay.
The only facts present are in the music itself. Black metal often asks us to separate the art from its creator, to contrast the known and unknown, much like the contrast of black and white of True Traitor, True Whore’s artwork. But Wrest has made the decision for us. Here, we cannot turn a blind eye to the album’s inspiration. We cannot simply listen to the music, because the music is its creator’s current condition. The haste with which it was recorded cannot be ignored. It’s a scathing response to allegations anyone, guilty or innocent, would be terrified to face.
For all of its thematic controversy, True Traitor, True Whore is the leanest record in the Leviathan oeuvre. One can feel that the album was stitched together, almost hastily handmade for fear the impetus to write could subside at any moment. “Brought Up from the Bottom” and “Shed This Skin” defy the advanced claims of this being Wrest’s least black metal effort. The latter is especially vicious, turning prototypical Leviathan ambient guitar wanderlust into broken blast beats and a raging crusty finale. Maybe it’s Wrest’s clean vocals and occasional whispers that have left some hitting rewind out of shock, but man, even those sections sound downright unsettling awash in dissonant chords and stray notes.
And while the lyrics may be buried under mounds of distortion, we can glean his contempt in song titles like “Her Circle Is the Noose” and “Every Orifice Yawning Her Price”; we feel his anger in the frantic drumming, sticks manically crossing over each other in a shockingly rushed performance considering his membership in high profile psych black metallers Nachtmystium; we hear his gratitude to those chosen few friends who have defended his name in the press in the aching melody of “Contrary Pulse”. That last aspect–the acknowledgment of those who have encircled him this past year–is a key element here. Whitehead has shed his reclusive persona in the months between the allegations and the release of what he has claimed to be his final record. He has reached out to the media for the first time in a decade, speaking not as cloistered black metal luminary Wrest, but Jef Whitehead, a man whose future as a free citizen is uncertain. Whether his reasoning is to draw attention to the music or the man behind it, or both, will likely be Whitehead’s last mystery once the case is settled.
. . .
HEAR TRUE TRAITOR, TRUE WHORE
. . .
Leviathan – “Her Circle Is The Noose”
. . .
. . .
Leviathan – “Shed This Skin”
. . .
BUY TRUE TRAITOR, TRUE WHORE
Profound Lore (CD)
Amazon (MP3 download)
. . .
Bummed this wasn’t an interview.
I think the new issue of dB has an interview.
It’s not the new issue anymore, but they do.
that said, it’s not the most revealing or probing interview by any stretch of the imagination…
No, it isn’t really the most insightful interview, but damn, he sure comes across as a first class prick in it. I’m pretty tolerant of just how evil a lot of the musicians I listen to can be. Many of my favourite albums were made by dudes that ended up serving prison time (like Storm of the Light’s Bane). But still, something about this sits really wrong with me, so much that I think I’ll have to pass on this one. I just can’t really imagine making an entire album that is more or less dedicated to smearing a woman who has alleged that he assaulted her. He might be innocent, I know he deserves his day in court, but maybe he should have at least kept his yap shut until this whole thing is resolved. I don’t know, Massive Conspiracy Against All Life is still a favourite of mine, and I’m not going to stop listening to it any time soon.
“I just can’t really imagine making an entire album that is more or less dedicated to smearing a woman who has alleged that he assaulted her. He might be innocent, I know he deserves his day in court, but maybe he should have at least kept his yap shut until this whole thing is resolved.”
Thank you. You hit the nail on the head. Whitehead, regardless of whether he is absolved of these horrendous accusations or not, has the right to be angry, but I wonder if anyone (record label, friends, Sanford Parker) said to him, “umm, dude, maybe you need to chill until this gets resolved.” I don’t know very much about Whitehead but I get the impression that he really doesn’t give a shit what people think of him – fine, I guess, but the theme of the album makes him look like he certainly has it in him to do what he is accused of. I’m also wondering why Pitchfork and other music media outlets haven’t really pressed on how this album (and the accusations leveled atWhitehead) affects female black metal fans – not that he is indiactive of the whole scene, but again, the ‘allowance’ of this to be released by again, the label, alludes to the notion that there is nothing offensive to the album. Freedom of speech ain’t free.
@Lainad – I understand where you’re coming from. But I can see valid reasons for releasing this, at least from his perspective. If he didn’t do it, and he’s being threatened with many years in prison by a jilted lover, he has every right to be fucking furious, and that’s exactly the kind of rage that fuels the most nihilistic works in this or really any genre. Is it a good idea from the perspective of keeping him out of jail? Probably not, but it’s not like being angry about a false accusation is an unjustified response.
On the other hand, if he did do it… I doubt he could be bothered by anything a woman would have to say, whether she’s a part of the black metal community or no. Again, still not the best idea to release this on behalf of his defense, but maybe he just wanted to crank out a final contribution to his ‘legacy’ before he goes away.
I haven’t heard this yet, but I am curious about it. I couldn’t begin to speculate on his guilt or innocence since I don’t know the facts or the people; as such, I don’t see why people should feel guilty about listening to the album. Any judgements we may pass at this stage are preemptive and uninformed — the court of public opinion is quick to pass judgement, but at this stage (or really at any stage) we have no way of knowing the whole truth.
Thanks @Wash – One thing that bothered me was that more than one person I talked to said in defense of Whitehead was “well, I heard the girl was a whore,” and “I heard she’s got a repuation for doing stuff like that.” So, yeah, give the guy benefit of the doubt, but in defending him, please don’t pull that tired, “I bet she deserved it,” shit. We are willing to give the accused the benefit of the doubt but not the alledged victim?
I know there have been a number of articles and blog posts on separating the actions of the musician from the music. I don’t think we could use this particular album as an legitimate example, as it is too early to tell.
A bad idea, practically, yes.
On the other hand, it’s not a smear if it’s true.
Is it true? I don’t know.
(My inclination is to doubt it on more or less statistical grounds related to how totally Screwed Up lifer black metal guys can be, but that ain’t evidence either, and no matter how much of a prick he comes across in an interview when he’s really pissed off, he might also be completely innocent.)
But – “smear” is a term that only applies to false accusations, and we shouldn’t assume their truth or falsity on current non-evidence.
Now, say, “attack”, that’s a good word to use. Because it sure is an attack on her – we just can’t tell if it’s justified or egregious, from here, now.
At least the Decibel piece is better than that joke of an interview Pitchfork posted.
Must every heavy band from chicago have some sort of beardo/hipster appeal? Urgh, our ’scene’ is a joke.
Dare ya to tell that to Cianide…
Ha ha, that dude looks like a really fat Jeff Bridges.
I honestly think he looks more like John Goodman with a beard. Either way, I doubt they have any compunction about crushing posers.
Our scene is fine, plus Jef is from California and just relocated here, so there’s no homegrown thing going on. This album rips. I hope I never meet him, just in case he turns out to be a sweet guy in person.
What’s a ‘beardo’ and why do people go on about beards in relation to hipsters? Genuinely don’t understand the correlation.
Anyway, this was pretty interesting but not quite as much so as the Nachtmystium interview (I think it was over at No Clean Singing) where they talk about Wrest at the end.
Yeah, haven’t metal dudes had beards for decades? I’d love for someone to tell Johann from Amon Amarth that he’s a ‘beardo.’
or Billy Gibbons and Dusty Hill for that matter
A “beardo” is a hipster carpetbagging the metal scene not because they actually like metal but because fashion dictates that they should, or because certain artists have been covered in hipster media. Like many modern hipsters, they have ironic facial hair, hence the beard reference.
Alternatively, they’re someone who has the audacity to like metal without meeting the official metal fan membership requirements. (“You like Nachtmystium but you’ve never heard of Cirith Ungol? Begone with you!”)
Or, someone who likes Isis. It’s a pretty fluid definition.
First of all, no I don’t have a beard. And yes, I love Isis. They were amazing. There’s no rule that says you can’t love Mercyful Fate, Autopsy, Destroyer 666, and Immortal, AND still like Isis. That fucking attitude only hurts metal.
And why couldn’t someone like Nachtmystium without knowing who Cirith Ungol was? Are metalheads born, and thus required to learn things over time, or do they spring fully-formed from their father’s heads, fully armed with all knowledge of metal?
Cliff was being saracastic.
damn it, i meant sarcastic. I AM THE TYPO KING.
Got it. It’s a bit difficult to tell, considering there are many people that actually DO think that way.
Yeah, I was being sarcastic. I think the whole notion of trueness in any form is silly (granted, I know guys who think black metal started with Liturgy and Nachtmystium and it does make me roll my eyes), and that for all of the inclusive/misfit/nonconformist/anti-fashion, anti-trend talk, metal fandom tends to be just as exclusive, cultish, and obsessed with authenticity as indie rock at its worst.
Your first definition is pretty spot on. In addition, they only listen to heavy bands if they’re on Hydra Head or Southern Lord. You’ll almost never see them at a Slayer show. Pants will be creamed if Indian’s coming to the Empty Bottle, however.
On the other hand, there’s some great shit on HydraHead and Southern Lord. And I thought it was cool to “like” Slayer, even if you didn’t like Slayer.
What the hell is wrong with Indian? They are a solid doom band.
I hope that if his name is cleared, he speaks out against false accusations.
Don’t be like Modest Mouse guy, who never said anything about it again.
Why should a disparaging album about a woman be a blow to women in the metal scene as a whole? If Wrest hates his ex, it doesn’t concern me in the least. If Wrest hates ALL women, it still doesn’t concern me, as he’s just one guy who still writes good music. I hate that there’s this assumption that women who are into metal are this sensitive endangered species, and one negative statement aimed at us can send us all reeling.
You are awesome. Thank you.
Hail
Something I haven’t seen mentioned yet: I wonder how likely this thing was just cranked out to generate some $$ for his defense, or maybe in exchange for a small advance from the label? In the interviews Wrest has mentioned that he doesn’t even think the album is all that great, especially the clean singing parts… so, I dunno. Makes ya wonder.
I’m definitely not trying to imply anything nefarious on the part of either the “band” or label, btw. I don’t even know if bands or labels operating at this level would do an advance or not. And guilty or not, everybody’s entitled to defend themselves, and that shit costs money.
If this was something meant to help with his defense, he did a crap job. With titles like “Her Circle Is The Noose” and “Every Orifice Yawning Her Price”, he might has well have called the fucking thing Exhibit A For The Prosecution.
That seems like it would be a fantastic artistic statement, the meaning significantly amplified by wahtever verdict he gets. That’s “meta”, right?
@Wash — If this case ever gets to trial it will be inordinately expensive to hire a reputable defense attorney. The cost would almost certainly exceed the entire annual budget of a mid-sized metal label. I don;t think sales from this would account for that many billable hours. I bet he’s got a public defender.
@FullMetal — Does the above sound accurate to you?
If Mike Scheidt’s experience with the “Band Who Cannot Be Named” is any indication of the expenses and hardship a lawsuit can inflict on an independent artist, your statement sounds dead on. Whitehead is going to be in significant debt if he wants to defend this thing effectively.
Yeah, defense attorneys are expensive. But they are also fully aware that most of their clients don’t have a lot of money. At the firm where I used to work, they sometimes accepted non-cash payments (such as vehicles). Other times, the fees could be paid by family members. In some places, I believe an attorney can have an interest in bail payments, so that when the bail is released it could go to the attorney instead of to the defendant.
Worked on an hourly basis, a felony charge could be quite expensive, easily topping $10,000. Trial preparations are extremely time-consuming, not to mention the trial itself, and attorney rates can range anywhere from $100/hour on up (if I had to guess a median rate, I would venture $150-200/hour). At our firm, though, we normally negotiated a flat fee up-front. In some cases, it was a flat fee that would be paid regardless of how involved the case got .If you got a plea bargain the next day it might look like you paid a lot of money for nothing, but if you went in front of a jury it would look like you got an amazing deal. This way, the cost and risk could be spread across all clients, and the firm could better determine whether it could actually get paid everything it was owed (you are rarely able to get out of representing a criminal defendant on the grounds that you’re not getting paid). In some other cases, we might negotiate a fee for representation and a separate, additional fee if the case goes to trial.
As far as whether he could get a public defender, that depends on a lot of things, like how much money he has in the bank, whether he owns his home/tattoo parlor outright or has other property he can use as collateral for a loan, whether he has a steady income, etc. I am not in a position to know what his finances are like, or what kind of money an album like this can bring in.
As a final bit of trivia, the public defender’s office might have a conflict of interest, requiring the court to appoint some other attorney. So, he could get an attorney who’s not with the public defender’s office (and therefore possibly has more time to dedicate to each individual case) for free.
Also, to quote the disclaimer I wrote for my site, “Nothing in this blog is intended as legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. All legal discussions are strictly informative, not advisory, and accuracy of the information is not subject to any warranty, express or implied. If you choose to rely on such information, you do so completely at your own risk. If you believe you may have a legal issue, an attorney licensed in your jurisdiction can provide legal advice which will take into account your own unique circumstances and the applicable law.”
Now that’s some good lawyering!
I am a public defender. I would be really surprised if Wrest qualifies for the assistance of the PD, because the income requirements are so strict.
That depends on your jurisdiction of course. Around here there is not a clear-cut test. The judge asks the defendant a handful of questions about income, assets, and necessary expenditures, and then follows gut instinct. In the jail-house arraignments that I usually attended, most of the defendants were appointed the PD, but that sample is obviously skewed because they’re the people who couldn’t immediately make bail. In misdemeanor court, I would guess close to half the people had a PD, then about a third had a private lawyer, and the rest were going it alone.
But like I said, I don’t know anything about Wrest’s finances.
Obviously, it is in the Judge’s discretion where the Court actually appoints, but Illinois, as with most States, appears to base eligibility on the Federal poverty guidelines.
And, for what it is worth, Iowa also bases eligibility on the poverty guidelines.
All that was paid for was the studio bill, the mastering bill, a small art fee for the CD layout, and the pressing of the CD. I told Wrest that the album needs to sell x amount of copies, a combination of physical and digital sales, and no I am not disclosing the amount, before his royalties commence. The goal is of course to recoup costs and get Wrest some deserved royalty money. So no, this was not done to “generate $$$ for his defense”. It was done to get Wrest inspired and fired up to do music again, to create, write and record music, something he needed to do to get out of the dark place he was dwelling in previously. And Sanford Parker was very vital in helping Wrest and making the album a reality since the actual recording session of TTTW was frantic, contemplative, and chaotic. Will not get into too many details because it’s not my discretion to do so, but it quite reflects the maddening psychosis of the album. The way black metal should be; confrontational, polarizing, and in a way something that should make people generate a sense of unease, and even, to a certain extent fear.
Personally, as a longtime Leviathan fan, if I were to chose the best metal album of the year (not being biased because Profound Lore released it) TTTW would be my top ten albums of the year. Then again, I do resonate more with albums that I have a personal connection with. I’ll just leave it at that (and for the record, I had no idea Wrest was going to call the album TTTW until after the album was recorded nor did I have an idea of what the songs were going to be called, with the exception of the two re-recorded demo tracks, until the album was ready to be mastered; I heard a rough mix of the album way before I knew what any of the songs were going to be titled, with the exception of the two re-recorded demo tracks).
Great album
It’s getting really tiring to read critic after critic acting as though rape accusations that haven’t yet gone to court have an equal chance of being false. The false reporting rate for rape is generally accepted to be well under 10%. Are rape charges necessarily true? No. Is there a “good chance” that an accusation is false? No.
It’s also worth noting that the conviction rate for rape cases in the US is under 60%, and that a significant number of reported rapes never even result in an arrest. Putting this together with the false reporting rate, it’s pretty clear that not-being-in-jail doesn’t mean one is innocent.
Given the numbers, it might be better to give one’s sympathy to the accuser rather than the likely rapist. It’s also particularly vile how so much of the metal community has publicly attacked and smeared the victim’s reputation…
Here are some things to read, with links and references to sources for the data:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_statistics#False_reporting
http://www.rainn.org/get-information/statistics/reporting-rates
So you’re arguing that we should collectively pass judgement based on statistics, when all we ‘know’ is hearsay? Brilliant. I could probably produce a statistic proving 90% of statistics quoted onthe Internet are bullshit, so where does that leave us?
Hey, you know what, if you don’t like the concept of “innocent until proven guilty”, then move to a country with a draconian penal code.
I don’t buy your statistic for even one second. For one thing, I have known the kind of person who would falsely report a rape, not necessarily as a vindictive thing but because cognitive dissonance and guilt alter their perception of the past. Your low conviction rate is especially astonishing in light of the fact that the rules of evidence are now stacked against accused rapists, when they are not so imbalanced for any other type of crime. In this ancient blog post I touched on the topic. I’ll quote most of the relevant portion here:
“Recently in my Evidence class we discussed certain federal evidence rules that make it much easier to convict alleged sex offenders. What struck me was the assumption, by each female (and most male) student who took part in the discussion, that the alleged offender was guilty. Therefore they believed all of the rules that made this easier a good thing.
“But why this assumption? In no other area of the law is there this assumption. If I walked into my state legislature today and asked them to pass laws making it easier to convict alleged murderers, how would that go over? The rules assume guilt, and I find this abhorrent.
“I think this PC way of speaking about rape has led us all to believe that no woman would file a false report of a rape. While I will not dispute the figures that tend to show a large number of unreported rapes, I would argue that reported rapes are much more likely to be fabricated, whether a lie or a regret turned to altered memory. This is especially true in a date rape situation. But does it make sense to make it easier to convict innocent people because so many guilty people go free?
“One of the rules in particular makes it more difficult to attack the character of the alleged victim. Which I suppose is good if you want to encourage people to report crimes. But what if the ‘victim’ is a pathological liar, or a sex addict, or bi-polar? Any of these could easily lead to a false date-rape claim, and I suspect that there are probably other personality characteristics which could also lead to this result.”
I’m not disputing that sexual assault is a horrible thing, and that it often goes unreported. But a false accusation of rape is nearly as horrible, ruining a person’s reputation (socially and for their job prospects) permanently. And it’s much more likely to happen than you think.
Please cite some evidence beyond anecdotal bullshit, or please point out the specific problems in the studies that RAINN page links to.
Otherwise, you’re just talking out of your ass…
Hey, all I’m saying is that everyone should get the benefit of the doubt, be they accuser or accused. Just like the accuser wasn’t laughed out of the police station, those of us in the court of the public eye shouldn’t pile on and leap to any accusations either way. That you suggest we all behave otherwise is problematic, to put it politely.
You are the one who needs to cite evidence. You are the one who brought up the statistics. Show me the study, so I can read the abstract and methodology, and I will tell you why it’s flawed.
Also, here’s the evidence to back up my point: Federal Rules of Evidence, 412 through 415 (link). Read that and tell me it’s not unfair to an alleged rapist as compared to an alleged thief.
I fail to see how that shows the statistics are flawed, which is kind of the point, isn’t it?
The studies are cited on the pages I pointed to.
Yeah, those are statistics cited out of context. Everyone knows numbers can be made to say whatever you want. You’re the one using the statistics–point me to it.
On second thought, forget it–I don’t even need to see the study to tell you why those stats don’t say all that you think they do.
First and foremost: All of them assume guilt. The truth is we can’t possibly know what percentage of reported rapes are true. They say there’s a 50.8% chance of arrest. Why are the police not arresting these “rapists”? It’s not as if they don’t take it seriously, I assure you. (As someone who once practiced criminal law, I have a pretty decent idea of how it works.) They say there’s only an 80% chance of prosecution and a 58% chance of conviction. Why is that? Isn’t it possible only 80% are credible rape claims, and 58% of them are guilty? Granted, I know not all will be prosecuted due to evidentiary deficiencies, and I don’t believe all guilty people will be convicted, but I also don’t believe all convicted people are guilty. We simply don’t know. The stats also say about 69% of those convicted will spend time in jail. Now this is something I feel quite qualified to speak on, and if someone was really guilty of what we think of when we hear the word “rape”, I guarantee a judge will put the offender in prison.
Other factors that aren’t adequately considered:
- Do they include statutory rape? In Nebraska, it’s legal for a 50 year old to have sex with a 16 year old, but not for a 19 year old to have sex with a 15 year old. The latter is, technically, rape, but the culpability is questionable.
- The numbers are absolutely meaningless without comparison to other crimes. What percentage of murder trials, or theft trials, or robbery trials result in conviction? What percentage of other crimes may go unreported?
- The nature of consent is not always so clear-cut. The “rapist” may indeed believe his “victim” is consenting in some cases. Maybe she truly is not. Then again, maybe she is reluctantly consenting, and only after feeling violated she decides it was rape. There are countless permutations. Obviously there is a line somewhere, but it’s not always easy to see where a particular case falls.
The same issues apply to the research about unreported rapes. Some of the instances that are counted might not be *real* rape. They might fall into a gray area (this is real life we’re talking about here, and all of real life falls into a gray area). The “victim” herself might not be *sure* it was rape.
Which all comes down to my real point, which is not to claim that all those who you’re counting as victims are not. The word “rape” obviously refers to an extraordinarily serious crime, and I don’t want to downplay that at all. But there is no way we can know for sure how credible this particular woman’s story is, and you should not assume that Wrest is guilty. And I think you should recognize that the rules are stacked unfairly against rape defendants. Rule 413 completely screws the ordinary defense choice to not put the defendant on the stand, and Rule 412 can seriously hamper the defense’s ability to cast doubt on the question of consent (although I agree with the latter rule’s goal of encouraging victims to come forward without fear of being totally dragged through the mud).
The bottom line is what others have already said: Wrest is innocent until proven guilty.
If you honestly believe that enduring a false rape allegation is “nearly” as horrible as enduring something as traumatic as sexual violence then you are a misogynist piece of shit. Plain. Simple. The culture of assumed guilt has nothing to do with being politically correct… it is a major part of rape culture to assume that women are lying about the alleged assailant and it is not only extremely immature but insensitve and senseless of you to fail to see this in spite of the apparent tertiary education you are undertaking. False allegations happen… but a majority of incidents of sexual violence do not even go reported and a lot of those that are and do go to trial get thrown out of court due to a lack of evidence in spite of your dubious claims to the contrary. Just because forensic evidence can show that intercourse took place a lot of cases are thrown out because the defence argues that the woman consented to the incident and a lot of the time intercourse didn’t take place but some other sexual behaviour that is not so easily traced forensically. For someone apparently looking at evidence in a criminological context your argument or the lack of rather is terrible.
Until he’s proven guilty in a court of law, Invisible Oranges could be liable for defamation if they don’t say “alleged” and “accused” when talking about the crime. Using those terms isn’t just giving him the benefit of the doubt, it’s also responsible journalism.
Again… some good lawyering going on!
Which is why I emphasized “alleged” in the first paragraph. I sat through enough lectures on media law and ethics in college to not make that fatal error. Libel is a serious matter and I feel I discussed the circumstances surrounding the album’s creation by acknowledging both sides equally and staying non-biased by stating that any assumptions either way are unfounded because we don’t know all the facts yet.
I get that, and of course you’re right. The problem isn’t so much in the words “alleged” and “accused”. Rather,
1. This review paints Wrest as a sympathetic character–someone facing terrifying allegations, but standing strong in their face and delivering his troubled, masterful response, in true romantic anti-hero style. Hell, he’s even grateful to his friends! What a guy.
2. The inclusion of a little smear against his accuser, noting that she’s ostensibly “made the same allegations against previous partners”–as though that implies the allegations are false.
Isn’t this kind of fucked?
Actually I thought it was presented pretty fairly. From all we know, either one could be the true story. Schrodinger’s cat and all.
And also, if she’s made similar allegations against others, it means one of two things:
1. She makes some seriously poor decisions about who she hangs around with, in which case she needs some help but is not in any way culpable and is still a real victim, OR
2. She is a vindictive bitch, in which case she still needs help but is absolutely a threat to civilized society.
Of course, if she hasn’t made similar allegations in the past, then neither of those applies.
To be fair, that’s a pretty reductive stance, FMA.
(1) A victim isn’t to blame because they happened to befriend / date someone who turns out to be an abuser. The only person to blame for a rape is the rapist. While I’m sure there are plenty of sexual deviants who are obvious to others, I’d be willing to bet most sexual assaults come from seemingly normal, otherwise ‘good’ people.
(2) Again, calling an accuser a ‘vindictive bitch’ whether she’s lying or not, is not a good approach in general. It’s inherently sexist, even though I’m sure that wasn’t your intent. People lie for any number of reasons, and when you consider mental illnesses such as Borderline Personality Disorder (where victimization and calculated manipulation are both symptoms), it’s all too easy to pass blame even when the accuser is in the wrong.
Again, we don’t know the details, nor will we ever. As a rule, the bible pretty much nailed this one with “judge not lest ye be judged.” Sure, it’s ridiculous to quote the bible in a black metal thread, and no, I don’t generally subscribe to any of the tenets of Christianity, but in this case it’s a pretty good policy.
(1) I thought I made that clear. “she . . . is not in any way culpable and is still a real victim”.
(2) I had considered the inherent sexism of the word when I posted, but I decided it was the word which best described the concept I was trying to represent, and damn if I’m going to censor myself at the expense of clarity. And borderlines are exactly the kind of people I would expect to make a false rape claim, but I don’t agree that personality disorders (axis 2) are a psychiatric condition in the same way as axis 1 disorders. They’re just bad personality characteristics.
I like your quoting the Bible. It brings an interested, intrigued smile to my face. I didn’t intend to judge her, specifically, by my comment–I obviously don’t even know her. My intent was to judge the action as wrong. Some may think that’s too fine a distinction, but I don’t think so. However, I may have gone too far in my judging of the action and cast some blame on her. For that I apologize. I don’t know for certain whether speaking in hypotheticals can cross that boundary, but in case it can, then I apologize.
Here is the problem with those studies: the Bureau of Justice Statistics relies on data collected by the police. The function of the police is to gather enough information, called “probable cause”, to pass a charging decision on to the prosecutor. Because of the immense sympathy that exists for an individual claiming sexual assualt, it is no surprise that police determine that less than 10% of cases are “unfounded”. In other words, the police determined in those cases that there wasn’t even a good reason to believe that a rape had occurred. That, of course, is a very different inquiry than whether the accused actually committed the crime. In short, the 8% figure is as good as meaningless.
The much more telling statistic is the result at trial, where 40% of people are acquitted, according to your sources. Keep in mind, an acquittal can mean one of two things: (1) the State failed to carry their burden or (2) the person was actually innocent. Nonetheless, in nearly half of the cases that go to trial, which is nearly all rape cases, a jury of 12 neutral people concludes that they are not persuaded beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused actually committed the crime. And this is after having heard all of the evidence. So, I would argue, the trial statistic is much more telling than the BJS statistic.
I wound up purchasing this as a download off of iTunes. That being said, I have no idea if the lyrics came with the cd or not. So…..I have no idea and can only make assumptions based on song titles as to what the slant of the lyrics is. I guess you could say I really don’t care. All that matters to me is the music, and in the case of this album, I think it’s pretty damn good. I’ve always been a huge Leviathan fan and I consider the last two full lengths to be among my favorite albums ever. This one is really good but just overall isn’t quite as solid as the last two. I should add that my expectations were overwhelmingly high, but I still think this is great stuff.
I freaking love this site. I just started reading, and besides the fact that most of the articles are well written and informative (I said most, please don’t jump down my throat), most of the people (again, I said most) who comment on those articles are articulate, well written and support their arguments with logic and research.
In particular, mad kudos in this respect to Wash Jones and Full Metal Attorney. I wish the people on MetalSucks would comment like this. I hit comment two on that site and it’s a blur of seemingly baseless arguments and ad hominem attacks on either the author, the first commenter or the band being written about.
Thank you Invisible Oranges, for renewing my faith in intelligent metalheads on the internet. Keep up the good work, I raise my horns to you \m/.
I would like to second this. I have much respect for how Full Metal Attorney conducts himself here, his blog, and elsewhere. It was the core posters at IO as much as Cosmo that caught my attention, and why I will continue to read till IO gets back on its feet.
Most interesting comment section this time around. I’m going to be checking this release out solely because of how much faith Chris Bruni has put into it, and ghats not something the gu seems to ever do lightly.
However, ideologically, my views often line up with those of feminism, and should Wrest be proven guilty, I will drop this record from my collection faster than a 300 pound cinder block.
It’s hard enough reconciling it when he seems like the metal’s douche-of-the-decade, but if this is genuinely the best response he could have towards his own actions, well that’s just fucking insidious.
I will however await that verdict in the interest of giving him the benefit of the doubt.
musically, the only real criticism about the album is that the delay on most of the vocals sounds dumb after a while. it’s a unique style, but drowning it removes the impact.
that said, i did buy this album when it dropped. i don’t know what happened. that he’s (reportedly) had a bail reduction and hasn’t been hammered on this yet (being a weirdo/not rich isn’t going to help anyone within the criminal justice system regardless of guilt/innocence) helped sway me. and profound lore doesn’t have a rep for shock for shock’s sake, courting misogyny, or cheap stunts. perhaps that’s a rather simpleminded rationalization on my part, however.
all of that aside, it is more than a bit foolish to put out an album with this title – i would argue that “every orifice…” is even worse than the title – while facing these kinds of charges. then again, black metal – or even metal in general – and subtlety live on different sides of the street and rarely say hi to one another.
As for the actual album: I listened on the way to work. Pretty solid. There’s an odd juxtaposition between the heavily processed one-man-band USBM-style vocals over the studio-sounding instrumentation, but the ultimate effect is just another kind of dissonance. I can dig it.
Without the lyrics on hand I can’t say too much about the theme, but knowing the backstory and seeing it paired with the song titles has the unfortunate effect of weighting down the atmosphere with not entirely pleasant connotations. I generally prefer my metal more esoteric (or even just escapist), and this feels grounded by reality (something the studio drumming reinforces in parallel). Some people might find that even “more brutal”; that’s fine, just not my bag.
You’s all a bunch of PC fags who don’t think so?
So let me get this straight… the guy releases an album of borderline sociopathic misogynist cliches but we are still expected to believe he wouldn’t have it in him to rape a girl and still people reduce the debate to mantras about innocent until proven guilty? Guilty or not the guy is a misogynist piece of shit… fanboys have always been guilty of denialism but this case is about as sickening as it gets.
artist writes reactionary music about experience with treacherous whore.
definitely a rapist