Swiss extreme metal band Samael released the video for their song “Dictate of Transparency” on April 22, 2022. The song is from their most recent studio album Hegemony, which was released in October 2017 by Napalm Records. The song was already relevant at its conception and continues to become increasingly applicable to everyone’s daily lives. 

Those interested can watch the new video and listen to the song here: 

The song discusses freedom’s place (or rather its lack thereof) in modern life. It claims that people “Drown in the fever of control/Freely in that trend we enroll.” In other words, Samael say that people consent to the conditions of their oppression. The following lines go further into this idea: “It’s no longer the Stasi’s lunacy/The dictate of transparency/It’s our current reality/A mutation of democracy.” Stasi’s lunacy references the secret German police force of the East German communist government, which was known for its abominable harassment. Samael link the current political atmosphere to Stasi by claiming that the “mutation of democracy” is a common trait between the two. We are not so different from those we criticize. 

The video shows clips of military and riot police in action, some of which are displayed as if they were video games. This highlights the detachment between law enforcement and civilians. It also implies that civilian aches and casualties are just numbers on a scoreboard and are not of monumental importance.

Samael commented on the song and video, making clear their sentiments. “‘Dictate of Transparency’ reflects the zeitgeist of the digital world. The song is taken from the album Hegemony, and since its release, it manages to even more accurately describe the world we live in. We do not make predictions, we only make observations.” 

Samael is also selling the limited edition “Dictate of Transparency” 7” single here. It is available in red transparent and there are 500 copies available worldwide.