How many people's lives are absolutely fucked right now for no reason? How many families are being torn apart so that some of the worst people in the history of this country can feel smug satisfaction for about half a second before moving onto whatever their next petty grievance is? Plenty of terrible things are currently happening in the United States of America, and ICE's fevered, anonymous kidnapping spree is the worst of them. We can't do much about this bullshit, but we can help out a little bit. One way is raising money to help the legal costs of the families currently dealing with deportation. That's what Panopticon is doing.
Panopticon, Austin Lunn's one-man project, has been pushing black metal to its immersive extremes for years. Earlier this year, Lunn released two Panopticon albums, the folk LP Laruentian Blue and the fully black metal Songs Of Hiraeth. Today, Lunn follows those albums with a new EP called The Poppies Bloom For No King. It's only got two songs, but they last 12 and 14 minutes respectively, so this is one of those EPs that's longer than plenty of albums. 75% of its proceeds are going to help families of ICE deportees.
The second song on The Poppies Bloom For No King is called "...Speaking...," and it's a newly re-recorded version of "Speaking," which appeared on Panopticon's self-titled 2008 debut. The first song is new, and Austin Lunn recorded it during the sessions for the new Panopticon albums. The title track is a powerful, expansive rage-out. There are some beautiful string parts in there, and there are some stretches that will pulverize you. In one spoken-word passage, a friend of Lunn's gives a poetic account of how it feels to live under threat of deportation. It's worth reading Lunn's full Bandcamp description:
First and foremost: The imagery, artwork and lyrical devices in this song are in NO WAY a call to violence, but are rather a call to compassion, an expression of frustration at the political/social climate and increasing authoritarianism we are experiencing. The art is a photo collage and digital edit, printed in color separations and layered with vellum using sunlight on a window as a light box. It is a tribute to Gee Vaucher's piece "Flying High." The song was written in frustration while the USA engaged in mass deportation of immigrants, as well as dropping massive bombs over a distant nation. It was recorded months ago as part of the sessions of the new album and its art was made back at the beginning of August. The point of this EP for me is to express and process emotions in a constructive way while also raising money for those in need.
As such, 75% of money made from this EP will go to help families affected by ICE deportations with legal defense. This is an issue close to my heart as I have many immigrant and multicultural friends and Bek and I both have lived abroad at times in our lives.
I would like to, insteadof explaining or expounding upon my intent any further (after the previous sentiment being expressed), direct the reader to the transcribed speech from "The Poppies Bloom For No King."This speech was written by a good friend of mine who, for these purposes, is called Bamse.
Bamse is a Persian American and US citizen, who was so kind and brave in this harrowing time to tell his immigration story, as well as how the current administration and political climate has affected his life
-A
---------“I was born from soil soaked in sorrow..
a land no stranger to merciless invaders,
nor to treacherous rulers,
who for centuries have carved their names in ash…
and blood.And yet…
from this wounded ancient earth,
the land of Ahura Mazda,
a buried hope still rises..As soaring as Alborz,
as defiant as Zagros,
resilient as wildflowers
in scorched fields,
glowing like embers…
beneath the ancient dust.And it was with such hope cupped gently in my heart,
that I embarked on this migration…
to unchain the young wounded phoenix
of my yesteryears…
to let it rise…
beyond the absurdities of life under a theocratic regime…
and beyond the atrocities of warmongers feeding off the fear
and blood of the innocent..I journeyed far..
Into this country..
to live a life of peace..
where dreams
aren’t rationed with the constant threats of the mad king,
nor the fear of stealthy bombs falling over my home…But peace,
for all its gentleness,
came laced… with guilt.For my family stayed behind.
And later told to stay behind..
Banned to travel…In this quiet alley
where birdsongs replace sirens,
my breath feels heavier.
The silence here….
it does not erase
my mother’s tearful eyes..
nor my father’s trembling voice
holding back a thousand anxious storms..How I wish I could hold their trembling frames
as they swallowed their tears…
Dancing on my wedding..
Celebrating my commencement..
Holding their newborn grandchildren..
All from thousands of miles away….And so I vowed,
not just to survive,
but to carry their patience
and strength
in every breath…
and to not let the pain of this forced farewell conquer my soul.
For as Sohrab mused:
“As long as the poppies bloom, life must be lived.”
Listen below.
You can buy the Poppies Bloom For No King EP at Bandcamp.
