Here's a band that is making a move that is somewhat opposite that of Dream Theater and a lot of other prog bands that are trying to become metal bands, Nevermore is a heavy metal band that is broadening it's sound with elements of prog rock. (Swearing ahead, but just once)
It should be obvious from the song title that this song is a bit anti-religion, but it is much more than a song screaming at organized religion. Musically and lyrically, it is very complex and layered. The opening lyrics, sung over the clean guitars, paint a very vivid scene of being at a crossroads and confused as to the path to take. Not a totally original setting for a song, but perhaps new to the metal genre. The line that I love the most in the intro is "standing face to back, Still afraid to see our eyes". It shows the band's view of religious blindness, walking in line without seeing the people around you, or even the world around you.
The next verse (or so I'll call it, the lyrics are not as cut and dry as other songs) is a vision, at least that's how I interpret it. I view it as a guitarist playing in a dark room when a visitor arrives with answers, but doesn't really tell him what they are before he leaves. This is how humanity sort of has to live with the limited knowledge that we have of the world right now. So close to answers but not quite knowing or understanding them. Religion is one way to get answers, but at the same time there is faith involved, which is not the same as knowing.
In the next 'verse', the narrator tries to come to a compromise with religion asking "Can we agree to disagree on the concept of god?", but is shot down by his 'brother', which I believe is figurative, for being naive. This is how atheists (like the guy writing this blog) view organized religions, unable to deal with other groups existing because they have to be right.
The next section is where the music takes a prog twist while maintaining the heaviness of the song. Fast riffs in odd time signatures, mixing with even time signatures. Where the guitarist (Jeff Loomis) shows his best skill (I think) is around the 6 minute mark, where he plays what I can only call heavy metal grooves. These riffs break away from the intense and driving riffs that define and simplify most heavy metal.
After this break, the guitar part shreds away in a sweep (guitar term) section that is extremely influenced by Jason Becker with its blazing fast speed and classical tones. This section for me (as a guitar player) was the pinnacle of the entire album and I find it extremely powerful.
The ending lines of the song show that the character's non-belief has gotten him ridiculed by everyone else on the figurative planet, and he sees them as worshiping industry and the disease that humanity spreads. So dark ... so metal. In the last 'verse' he says everyone is using random interpretation to try and figure out the world, which I choose to include science in there because even through they are taking the logical steps toward increasing our knowledge, we still don't know a whole lot. He blames the god for watching the human race kill itself over his existence or non-existence, and finally the song ends on "the sky has opened", which is the sort of self-fulfilling prophecy of the apocalypse. Self-fulfilling because religions that preach that non-believers should be converted or killed tend to have an 'end of the world' myth, which correlates with religious strife in a great way. A great combination of heavy guitar with surprising variety and a complex lyrical structure.
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