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End Of I

by Art Of Empathy

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invincibleandante
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invincibleandante Art of Empathy from Belgium is one of the neo-folk projects that introduced me to the world of neo-folk, apocalyptic folk, and similar genres. Their latest album, ”End of I,“ released in 2020, takes their neo-folk core to a higher level, both musically and in terms of the ideas conveyed by the lyrics. Favorite track: Here Comes Everybody.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Hand-numbered 100 copies, 32 pages lyrics/artwork book

    Includes unlimited streaming of End Of I via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 3 days
    edition of 100 

      €11.90 EUR

     

  • Streaming + Download

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1.
First there was darkness And the earth was formless and void And the lord of darkness saw it was good Within the deep waters The pulse of the moon, bringer of life And the lord of darkness saw it was good Lies or truth It matters what you do Truth or lies Choose the ones you despise So many words and so little meaning I move upon the surface of water “Don’t fly too close to the sun” was the advise The unnamable is the eternally real So I dive into this pristine womb To find but nothingness, to embrace the cold Enjoy the ritual exorcism Of your human fear No longer paralyzed, forever amazed Get enchanted by darkness Let your soul shine bright Be authentic and passionate Be alright Be a lord of darkness to see it is good Be a lord of darkness
2.
End Of I 06:29 video
While we prepare ourselves again For the unknown, the unforeseeable Seasons of history repeat Perversion of power, denial, a friend No more believe in apathy Their source is drying, leave it that way Time will no longer have to tell The things we knew the day we were born End of pleasing End of treason End of flying high End of vanity End of I End of old forces Of human resources The end of nations Of tired generations End of pleasing End of treason End of flying high End of vanity End of I The higher you soar The smaller you appear To all of those With their feet on the ground We are many You are but one Many As One We are many You are but one We are many You are but one
3.
Freed ourselves from the chains of great stories We push aside the illusions and advice Moving around in any direction the wind blows Moving around, embracing all the new lies Watch us Here we come Hear us Here we come All work and no play, will it make me a dull boy in the end? When the bullshit leaves, it’s the wonderful money that talks The market will guide me on my arousing quest for happiness The market will guide me on these ever enthralling walks Watch me Here I come Hear me Here I come Welcome to the anthropocene And now we have all sunk to a depth At which the restatement of the obvious Is the first duty of intelligent men There’s an antidote to our selfish genes There’s a joy of being conscious There is a way to rise above our origins Rise above All those who proudly try to play it sole alone Beholden to no one, no eye for any relief Will surely regret ignoring the face of the other Will never expect the certain coming of grief I’ll watch you There you go I’ll hear you There you go
4.
Here they come Brace yourself, ‘cause no one will do it for you Here they come Watch your back, ‘cause no one will stop them for you Here they come Ranting and preaching, practicing is not part of it Here they come Minding their own business, loyalty is not part of that Nearer and nearer Don’t stand in their way And mind the herd of ignorant, collective fear is feeding them Nearer and nearer Don’t be led astray And try to stand the awful stench of social desirability Let go What goes around, doesn’t always come around So say the new kings So say the new kings Beware the vicious games they play Beware the false words of pray Don’t look for morals, or scruples, nor conscience Kiss butt or kick it Never confronted with honesty Truth will never reveal itself to you Don’t know the taste of purity Keep chewing on your own lies Here they come Blinded by a narrow mind, rotten to the bone Here they come Their will to power, will cause you harm Nearer and nearer I did not stand in the way Of the queen bees and the kings of queens, surrounded by the wannabees Nearer and nearer I wasn’t led astray And now not able anymore to hide my disgust Let go What goes around, doesn’t always come around So say the new kings So say the new kings Beware the vicious games they play Beware the false words of pray Don’t look for morals, or scruples, nor conscience Beware the vicious games they play Beware the false words of pray Don’t look for morals, or scruples, nor conscience
5.
Legion 04:47
We’re not conceited, we’re unobtrusive Don’t look edgy, not impressed by brag We are lone wolves, hunting for beauty Wearing Cain’s mark deeply burned in our skin We are not screaming, we bathe in silence Against the current, our destiny We do not share the relentless ego That suits the feeling being atop of the chain Might be one hundred forty four thousand Might be more or might be less The legion of the willing Bonded in darkness Here’s to the ones pure at heart Here’s to the ones who won’t let go In search of honor, you are not Yet be revered for all times you fought Might be one hundred forty four thousand Might be more or might be less The legion of the willing Bonded in darkness No remorse, still looking forward Unaffected by distress The legion of the willing Bonded in darkness
6.
The awareness Of the cold ground Lied up in chains In pain I am grounded deep again Thoroughly covered in mud No, not entirely Unexpected Long before the stabbing Heard the sharpening of knives Saw deceit in the eyes The stabs won’t end my breathing The scars will show me the way all over The stabs won’t end my breathing The scars will show me the way all over This soil will stop the bleeding I will bend. I will not break Sure will bend. I will not break I’m learning kindness From the unkind Amor fati forever Sometimes you shine sometimes you burn Sometimes you win, sometimes you learn The stabs won’t end my breathing The scars will show me the way all over The soil will stop the bleeding I will bend. I will not break Sure will bend. I will not break Get up, cease the straying Leave all the ones that are betraying The stabs won’t end my breathing The scars will show me the way all over This soil will stop the bleeding I will bend. I will not break The stabs won’t end my breathing The scars will show me the way all over This soil will stop the bleeding I will bend. I will not break Sure will bend. I will not break
7.
From a growing worship of justice they’ll rise For the lovely art of retribution they’ll fight Forget the good luck or the bad luck this time All sense of grace or sympathy declined For a greater... A greater… From a growing worship of justice they’ll rise For the lovely art of retribution they’ll fight Forget the good luck or the bad luck this time All sense of grace or sympathy declined For a greater good For a greater... For a greater good0 For a greater... For a greater... A greater… Good For a greater good They will follow through In name of the fathers In name of the sons The mothers and daughters In name of the ones Who suffer in silence Dignity lost Consistently hold on At any cost For a greater good For a greater... From a growing worship of justice they’ll rise For the lovely art of retribution they’ll fight
8.
Everywhere 05:02
Don’t have to be joyful Don’t have to be Of good cheer Keep bowing your head And kneel as you please I’ve never been where you have been Tell me all about Your fear and despair I’ve never seen what you have seen Though I see… Beauty in what’s given I saw beauty, when at ease I hear beauty in dawn’s chorus In the poetry of trees How silly our brain To lead us astray Now go your way And let go How silly our brain There’s really no gain Aim for restraint And look for Beauty in what’s given Look for beauty, be at ease And find beauty in dawn’s chorus In the poetry of trees How silly our brain To lead us astray Now go your way And let go How silly our brain There’s really no gain Aim for restraint And let go Let it flow I’ll tell you all about Wovon man nicht sprechen kann We’ll find the essence of all unintended meaning
9.
We are Spirits in heaven They are L’enfer We are The almighty subject They are Objects Existence precedes essence We are Outrunning the nothing They are Observing We are Seeking approval They are Judging You’re looking worn out You’re walking cramped Your thoughts distorted Feel discontent Stop fighting the wrong ones It is not them That kill your values And more to come Much more to come It’s not about cheating Your loneliness For silence will still be Forever a bless It’s not about friendship Although we share A common foe A common despair Now cease the worship of conceit Cease the worship of pride To those lacking virtue Your destiny is not tied Cease the worship of conceit Drop those lacking virtue Essence precedes existence We are All marching forward They are Walking along We are Standing and fighting They are Brothers in arms We will strike harder We’ll break the chains Reclaim our freedom Or what still remains Now fighting the right ones We know them by name The bliss you crave for We can attain
10.
(instrumental)
11.
I came to earth, gazing upwards Found some answers tripping down Learned to read words of wisdom Heard the chatter with no one around I was advised by Apollo Learned to look in my own eyes What remains seems so hollow All that I know… Is I don’t really know No I don’t really know Is it bliss? I walk around, keep observing People searching, making a name Self-centred forces are creaking Old imperiums forced to shame I see desire, difficult trials Witness the stutter without success Carrying meaning for many miles And then I know... That I don’t really know No I don’t really know Why the hell would I know? Why the hell should I know? For as long I see the moon dance around the earth The craving for answers remain, so does my mirth I’ll embrace the admission that life doesn’t fall In a well-designed logic. So I will recall... That I don’t really know No I don’t really know Why the hell would I know? Why the hell should I know? It is bliss Will we be us again Because you still know?
12.
I say Ooh Ooh I say Ooh Ooh Come on There is a village out there we call the earth In which inhabitants are trying not to drown They share the universal language of absurd A little sweet to make the sour go down I say Ooh Ooh As land is slowly turning into a wild sea All secure grounds are making way for the unknown The end of counseling by fear will set them free They get in touch for they will never be alone Get in touch, you fool You fool You fool... Still chasing magic, though can’t find a key? Get out your bed of roses, follow me You fool...

about

10 years after the release of “Posthuman Decadence”, the Belgian artist ART OF EMPATHY returns with the album “End Of I”. Empathy reflects our social and moral nature and is broadly defined as the ability to understand, experience, and identify with the feelings, thoughts, and experiences of others. Displaying empathy constitutes a form of art that enables people to connect with each other in a world where antisocial, selfish behavior is often not only encouraged but praised.

“Solitude is bliss, but strength is in numbers.” (AOE, 2020)

Sculpted out of acoustic guitars, dark synths, bombastic orchestration, and pounding percussion, skillfully carved with vocals ranging from intimate, haunting whispers to loudly chanting choirs, “End Of I” embodies a vision and a hope: that humans transcend the current individualistic way of life and attune to the whispers of other humans, species, and mother Earth, as we are all part of the same living network.

The essence and true sound of ART OF EMPATHY are reflected throughout the entire album, which is rich in lyrics and quotations and spans no less than 12 tracks and 71 minutes. “End Of I” may be a lot to digest in times when everything tends to be flashy and superficial, but any work that is poised to elicit self-reflection and re-evaluation is not for the faint of heart. “End Of I” was necessary and worth waiting for.

True to his character, ART OF EMPATHY has always used Creative Commons license and made all music, lyrics, and artwork available for free no matter how much time and effort were invested in them. His only request is that people share the music, so that it gets a chance to reach all those who will see themselves in and get inspired by it.

“People search for authenticity and durability in a world that is full of falsehood and volatility. And music will always have a compelling power that nothing else can match.” (AOE, 2020)

“End Of I” is so unique in and of itself that Aenaos Records decided to offer a tangible experience of the album by publishing a Limited Collector’s Edition: a hand-numbered Media Book with 32 pages of artwork and lyrics limited to 100 units.

The Media Book can be pre-ordered directly at www.aenaos-records.com or at Bandcamp and the order includes a free download version of the album. “End Of I” will be officially released on June 26th.

credits

released January 20, 2020

All words and music: Jef Janssen

>>> Download for free on www.artofempathymusic.com

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Art Of Empathy Diest, Belgium

AOE is a Belgian one man project. Its music can be described as a mixture between neofolk and darkwave: grounded on acoustic guitars, combined with dreamy or dark synths and whispering, haunting vocals. Sometimes dark romantic, sometimes apocalyptic. Always nature-loving, always driven by melancholy. ... more

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