I recall the uncertainty that I felt as I depressed the play button on my CD player. I had just invested in Slayer's then new release, "Diabolus En Musica", and was anxious to know what direction these demigods had taken their music. I did not know what to expect considering how watered down and tired sounding "Divine Intervention" had been followed by the band's pathetic attempt to revive hardcore punk. I prayed to every forgotten god or ancient deity that I could verbally pronounce that Slayer had recaptured their youthful aggression and skull fucking intensity. Though all I really hoped for was that they would not follow in the same footsteps as the notorious fallen angel Alternica. As I listened, I found the excitement and nervousness I had felt prior to hearing the new release slowly become replaced by the hollow sensation of disappointment. Slayer had not rediscovered their previous exuberance nor reinvented their sound in a positive way. Every track was less passionate then the one before. How could this be the same band that had inspired me to buy a 6 string? How could these burn outs have driven me to practice 4 hours daily aspiring to recreate King and Hannamen's technical brilliance and eye popping speed. In the words of Roger Miret, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away." Well Slayer was fading pretty fucking fast. Why didn't these heroes die in a glorious plane crash after completing their Seasons In The Abyss tour? Why?

In my weakened state I was completely unprepared for track six. As "Love to Hate" began my jaw dropped. "Fuck this shit!" I exclaimed as I stormed outside for a cigarette. What the fuck were they thinking? How could they desecrate their previous accomplishments by playing rapcore, and extremely bad rapcore at that? Tom how could you? Why lower yourself to the likes of Fred Durst? How could you make such a pathetic attempt to appeal to middle school MTV viewers? HOW?

Soon after this I began listening to Black Metal and Hardcore more and more. Bands that preached messages so religiously and politically taboo that the American Pop industry would have nothing to do with them. Thus leaving them with no opportunity to sell out. Bands that were so uncompromising in their underground views that I would be saved from the disappointment of further "Load"esque experimentation. Unfortunately Snapcase managed to bypass all these safety precautions with "Typecast Modulator". But the exception proves the rule I guess. And the only true rule to music is that the pop music giant is the great corruptor. The sworn enemy of anyone enlightened enough to ignore the media propaganda and formulate their own views and beliefs.

Why is it that with the coming of age of each new generation the nation becomes progressively indifferent towards politics and the state of the world? One could say the patriotically biased propaganda force fed to us through public schooling in an attempt to socialize us into good citizens causes it. This resulting is disillusionment as one reaches adulthood and is exposed to the facts that their high school history teacher excluded in the curriculum because they showed the founding fathers as power hungry opportunists as apposed to virtuous heroes. "what do you mean Samuel Adams was a tea smuggler?" But there is a difference between disillusionment and indifference. The disillusioned become radical or reactionaries and are most usually active in politics, whereas the indifferent are usually uninformed and uncaring. In an era where presidential election participation averages under 50% it is obvious that political indifference is the culprit. But who is responsible? The pop music industry of course. Why is it that the average teenage boy thinks more about when he's going to get laid next or if he can get time off from work for that party next weekend than why we are peace keeping in Bosnia? Could it be because he listens to Eminem rap about getting fucked up daily? Could it be because Fred Durst's search for the "Nookie"? Why is the teenage girl's days filled with daydreams about true love and shopping for that perfect wardrobe perfectly sheltered from knowledge of China's numerous human right's violations? Could it be because when she turns on the TV after school she sees N'Sync dancing to catchy beats singing about a possessive girlfriend? Could it be because when she turns on the radio while driving she is subjected to Brittany Spear's idealistic lyrics about love? Through aggressive marketing and MTV's stranglehold over the youth's minds and interests The music industry has transformed our children into sheep. Those that will inherit the reigns of the sole surviving world power are ignorant to world affairs and completely unprepared for the responsibility that will soon be forced upon them. Can we actually pretend to be surprised at this when politics have been exiled from popular music, excluding Rage Against The Machine's hypocritical message in order to fill the record label's ever expanding bank accounts? Just as our politicians rally support through emotional issues (i.e. the ten commandments in school, abortion, etc.) as apposed to addressing those reforms that are long past due. The music industry gains sales through the exploitation of the teenage interest in sex, drugs, and wealth while ignoring bands and genres that actually have something to say. By replacing intellectual lyrics and true musicians with catchy beats and teen idols we have damned ourselves and the unborn generations who will be forced to deal with the consequences of our errors. The indifference of the populous has resulted in an unresponsive government. The situation will only degenerate into either as armed uprising, or the total collapse of the nation and our way of life. The pop music industry will be responsible for so many deaths, for our loss of liberty, and is already guilty for our loss of faith. So as the great American Ragnorok draws near and as it becomes clearer and clearer and clearer that revolution is inevitable please remember just one thing. It did not have to end like this. The exponential decline in our nations leadership, the unjustified lack of necessary reforms, and the increasing corruption of democracy can all be attributed to Americas Executive officers, and Congressmen. But whose fault is it that the prerequisite for a successful politician is fundraising skills instead of actual leadership ability? Who is to blame for current legislation being a half-century outdated? Who? I blame the country's ineffectual leadership on the population's indifference and indirectly the media socializing our youth into zombies. "The meek shall inherit the Earth." Well in a sense Christ was right. The idealistically weak and ignorant will inherit the United States and sit idly by as the nation ignites and is destroyed by revolution. A generation of Nero's has inherited the Earth.