Metal in the war zones of the East - and Black Sabbath

A somewhat different report from the underground in Syria. If not only death metal, all types of metal (except "hair"), as part of the rebellion is documented in a new rockumentary called "Syrian Metal is War".  An interesting piece on the rockumentary and the Syrian metal scene:

Gerstle, D. J. (2014, April 14). Surviving Syria’s Civil War With Heavy Metal. The Atlantic.

An interview wth the young film-maker can be found here:

Grim Kim. (2014, January 28). Syrian Metal is War: An Interview with Filmmaker Monzer Darwish. MetalSucks.

This follows other recent examples on metal in the war zones of the East, such as Kabul and Baghdad. It appears that the heritage from Sabbaths old classics, such as 1971's, "Children of the Grave", is taken care of. Lyrics and video below:

Revolution in their minds
The children start to march
Against the world in which they have to live
And all the hate that's in their hearts
They're tired of being pushed around
And told just what to do
They'll fight the world until they've won
And love comes flowing through.

Children of tomorrow live in the tears that fall today
Will the sunrise of tomorrow bringing peace in any way
Must the world live in the shadow of atomic fear
Can they win the fight for peace or will they disappear?

So you children of the world, listen to what I say
If you want a better place to live in spread the word today
Show the world that love is still alive you must be brave
Or you children of today are children of the grave.

 

Of course "War Pigs" is another classic in the Sabbath songbook. A more recent video fram 2005's Ozzfest, featuring the original lineup (including Bill Ward) is posted below.

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of death's construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds
Oh lord yeah!

Politicians hide themselves away
They only started the war
Why should they go out to fight?
They leave that role to the poor
Time will tell on their power minds
Making war just for fun
Treating people just like pawns in chess
Wait 'til their judgement day comes
Yeah!

Now in darkness world stops turning
Ashes where the bodies burning
No more war pigs have the power
Hand of God has struck the hour
Day of judgement, God is calling
On their knees the war pig's crawling
Begging mercy for their sins
Satan laughing spreads his wings
Oh lord yeah!

 

Lecture on Norwegian Culture and Society

At Lillehammer University College there is a course specifically designed for foreign exchange students to learn more about the Norwegian Society.

Over the years I have had the pleasure of giving a lecture on how the Norwegian society is challenged by globalisation and the fact that "it is a tiny country in the world", as once stated by a former prime minister. Below you can browse through the Prezi-file from the most recent lecture, held on April 4. 2014.