so i’ve read from various reliable sources that in the english dub of the anime, the nazis are only referred to as “german soldiers”. while this is true for the italian adaptation of the anime as well, a highlight of the official italian dub is Kars not giving a shit about censorship and furiously addressing stroheim as the fucking nazi he is (episode 25)
“nazista” being the italian term for nazi. used on this scene in place of the english “damn you!”
“To travel in silence by a long and circuitous route, to brave the arrows of misfortune, and fear neither noose nor fire. To play the greatest of all games and win, foregoing no expense, is to mock the vicissitudes of fate, and gain at last the key that will unlock the Ninth Gate.”
wamuu – main lyricist, rhythm guitar, folk instruments
esidisi – (band co-founder) drums
kars – (frontman & band founder) harsh vocals, clean vocals, lead guitar.
santana leaves right before the beginning of the band’s first tour overseas, lacking energy for live shows. he gets kicked out because he couldn’t keep up with his bandmates’ schedule. on press talks, kars doesn’t hesitate to call him lazy. santana’s current status is unknown, as he seems to have disappeared from social media. rumors say that he hasn’t left his hometown, and that he’s still working in the music industry at a more comfortable pace as a producer or mixer.
continue below the cut! ⬇️
wamuu is the closest to his audience on a human level. fans especially appreciate his poignant, open-hearted lyrics. vocalist kars will admit he personally finds them a bit too corny at times. esidisi, on the other hand, doesn’t mind that. according to esidisi, who knows kars better than anyone, screaming out wamuu’s stories surprisingly represents an ideal pathway for kars to express his more sensitive side. wamuu gets praised by his bandmates for having the most stamina. he’s capable of enduring extensive rehearsals, recording sessions and encores at gigs. an excellent rhythm guitarist to count on, he masters the traditional wind instruments incorporated in the band’s most atmospheric catalogue. kars has sneered at colleagues in the metal scene before, thus friction may stem between wamuu and kars on the topic of featuring external artists on their albums. wamuu thinks collaborations are an enriching experience– kars deems them unnecessary beyond the deceptive appeal.
esidisi is an absolute blast beat monster. he spoils his drumkit like he would a loyal son. esidisi is also in charge of the entertainment aspect of the band’s live shows, from the staging to the pyrotechnics. fans can hardly forget his insane attempt to swallow an entire flare stick in the middle of a performance, which resulted in a few minor injuries, a permanent ban from the venue and a couple nights in jail. similar incidents in the early days all involved blazing fire and a dangerous state of intoxication. esidisi revealed he’s never come to serious disagreement with kars since the day he joined his music project, except when a drastic decision had to be made about santana. esidisi was fond of his bassist but in hindsight, he believes parting ways turned out for the best.
if santana is missed for his cavernous gutturals, kars’ high-pitched screams have something haunting in them. kars would rather keep the clean vocals to a minimum, but when he hums, oh how ethereal he sounds. kars is at the core of the songwriting, from slamming riffs to intricate solos, and will happen to come up with some of the lyrics too. fans and critics have learned to recognise kars’ lyrics since his style, sophisticated and cryptic, differs from wamuu’s. kars refuses to fit within one metal subgenre. he’s naturally inclined to break all rules and experiment with new sounds. his headbanging, like you’d imagine just by looking at the majestic purple hair, is a mesmerizing dance of its own. kars revels in the worship and the stage lights shining down on him– still he’d describe himself as an introvert and remains very secretive about his private life. he doesn’t speak much in interviews, he lets esidisi and wamuu handle the annoying questions. esidisi, for one, enjoys the gossip about his supposed intimate connection to kars, neither confirming nor denying, often toying with the ambiguity of their dynamics. some attentive fans have theorized the truth is carefully hidden in kars’ verses.
So, about this: "Aztec death whistles", used by the Mexica people, originally did not make a shrieking sound and instead would have sounded like an eerie wind blowing. It's also not clear they were ever used in battle: The first "death whistle" unearthed was found with a sacrificial victim. Later reproductions, much larger than the original whistle, make the infamous spine-chilling screaming sound, but there's no evidence these ever existed in the Aztec Empire. In any case, these days the reproductions are mostly used to freak people out or scare stray animals away.
So, while the sentiment is good, unfortunately it's mostly bunk.
And you, my old nemesis... I see how entrancing you are. Yours is a beauty the likes of which I have never seen. I once feared you. But now... I fear you no more.
— Kars bathing in the sunlight for the first time
Never regret thy fall, O Icarus of the fearless flight, for the greatest tragedy of them all is never to feel the burning light.
— Poetic fragment commonly attributed to Oscar Wilde
I wonder, what’s Kars trying to achieve exactly? He’s powerless, hopeless by now. He must’ve known he would not be able to land back on Earth again and yet, even as he’s freezing, he attempts to sprout a new set of wings. Not from his arms, but from his upper back instead. Much closer to an angel than he is a bird of prey. Is he making a conscious effort, or is it more like an instinctive reaction? Is his pride urging him to do it? To frantically take charge and shape a final image of magnificence onto his body, doomed to turn ice-cold for eternity. Frozen wings. A memento of his soaring in the daylight. Or symbolic retribution for the vastness of his yearning, depending on how you see it.
“Everyone forgets that Icarus also flew. I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell, but just coming to the end of his triumph.” (Jack Gilbert, 1925–2012)
romaincrisis
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