Bulwark, by Opaque Mass

Bulwark

by Opaque Mass

supported by

	/

Streaming + Download

Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

Purchasable with gift card

€4 EUR or more

1.	Fathom 01:06	info	buy track
2.	Stalwart 06:08	lyrics	buy track
Brave when we all fight with words What is this conviction worth? Confronted with violence aimed at me and mine Would I speak up or back down when lives are on the line? Would I still be stalwart when the survivors aren't mine? Cost of regret The price of shame May you live on Forget my name Tread not in my footsteps May no one sing my tale When all is said and done My kin can have their chance to be brave May no one sing my tale My kin can have their chance to be brave Would I still be stalwart When the survivors aren't mine?
3.	Bulwark 04:44	lyrics	buy track
Fragile relationship exposed Alliance quietly foreclosed Antebellum rhetoric transposed Protectorate orders - borders closed Friendships evaporate Contingency plans laid to waste Aware of guilt, a bulwark is raised On that hill, prepared to die for pride for pride Tribal belief Bulwark besieged Tribal belief Bulwark besieged People caged like beasts Walled safety internecine Withstand the test of time Atrocities unseen Atrocities unseen
4.	Bahramdipitous 04:17	lyrics	buy track
Suppression of progress Everything be as it was According to the lie Truth was the first to fall All drawled alt-truths instead of facts Settled in false dignity Iniquity justified Forsook integrity Loyalty to force Oblivious to reason Let malice run its course Science unemployed Stupid and annoyed Enough to have a pulse Nulltiple results Forsook integrity Loyalty to force Oblivious to reason Let malice run its course Science unemployed - Bahramdipitous Stupid and annoyed - Bahramdipitous Enough to have a pulse - Bahramdipitous Nulltiple results - Bahramdipitous
5.	Damocles 06:11	lyrics	buy track
No one holds the straw that breaks the horse's back. No one sees the weight that breaks the horse's hair. Nobody hears yet must await the sword's attack. One day it strikes. For heaven's sake proceed with care. To fear the sky Nobody hears yet must await the sword's attack. One day it strikes. Never rest. Always aware. To fear the sky Damocles Once cruelty and malice are employed by one who reigns, one cannot then rule justly as vengeance now ordains. Damocles To fear the sky Damocles To fear the sky
6.	Skirmish 04:06	lyrics	buy track
Information warfare Reasoning drowned out Arguments are enemies The instrument is doubt Faced with uncertainty The demagogue does thrive Free speech is weaponized To stir up the hive You cannot run You cannot hide The fight is on You stand alone unless you pick a side Skirmish Those blamed are not me; pretend not to hear Skirmish Those hunted are not me; do not intervene Enraged Engaged When next in line are me and mine, I cannot abide The fight is on. We stand as one as I have picked a side Engaged Enraged Skirmish Those killed are not me; resolve not to fear Skirmish When next in line are me and mine Aid will be brought to bear Aid will be brought to bear
7.	Journey 05:38	info	buy track
8.	Headwind 05:13	lyrics	buy track
In spring we're born as falling raindrops We fall upon newborn leaves From leaves we fall into a river that carries us into the sea As seas we merge in an ocean and gradually disappear And when we're gone and long forgotten we wash up on the shores Where do we go at the end of the road? Where is our home at the end of the road? What have I done at the end of the road? Who have I become at the end of the road? Where do we go at the end of the road? Where is our home at the end of the road? What have I done at the end of the road? Who have I become at the end of the road?
9.	Settle 03:16	info	buy track

about

Opaque Mass started in the 90s as a metal band that did a few live shows performing death and black metal covers before dissolving without much rumor. 25 years later, the founding member and lead guitarist noticed how events unfolding in the world such as the Arab Spring and the corona pandemic incited behaviour in people that reminded of "Mankind's destructive nature", as Bolt Thrower put it at the end of their track Through the Ages. Inspired by this and with the love for 90s death metal still very much alive, the concept for Bulwark was born, and with it Opaque Mass was reborn as the fitting entity for this endeavour, this time as a solo act. Every track refers to an aspect of the overarching theme: how intolerance isolates people, poisons civil discourse and ultimately destroys civilization.

credits

released December 23, 2021

Jasper Bogers - All instruments, vocals, compositions, lyrics, recording, mastering

Cover art: The Self- Sacrifice of Titusz Dugovics by Alexander von Wagner
Logo by visualdefect

license

about

Opaque Mass Utrecht, Netherlands

Originally founded in the 90s as a metal band in Oosterhout with its roots in death metal of that time.

Currently operating as a solo project by Jasper Bogers in Utrecht, Netherlands.

The love for 90s death metal has not faltered, as can be heard on the first album, Bulwark. ... more

mastodon.art

Recommendations

contact / help

Contact Opaque Mass

Streaming and
Download help

Report this album or account

Opaque Mass recommends:

Gnosis
by Spectral Lore

Spectral Lore inspired me to embrace working as a solo artist. Gnosis takes its time to envelop you. Let the songs unfold into multiple layers of death metal melodies that wash over you. Opaque Mass
go to album
The IVth Crusade
by Bolt Thrower

Every album Bolt Thrower ever put out was a sure buy, but this is one of the albums that laid the foundation of what I think death metal is about - sturdy, steady, aggressive, confronting, captivating Opaque Mass
go to album
The Karelian Isthmus / Privilege of Evil
by Amorphis

Where Amorphis' Tales from the Thousand Lakes taught me how much room there can be for melody in death metal, it was their The Karelian Isthmus album that showed me how unpolished that beauty can be. Opaque Mass
go to album