Nr 11 by Art Out Magazine

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Victim of Ritual “Victim of ritual” we said. What does it mean? You have to read to find out. It sounds mystical and yet dangerous. It sounds like a threat, but one we cannot oppose. And yet it sounds like life itself. Once again, our theme bears the name of a song, this time having chosen TarjaTurunen’s Victim of Ritual. But this time we asked some of our editors to tell us what the song means, to explain the lyrics, to tell us what it means to them and what it means to us. Of course, we won’t forget what we want to express through this. Life is full of rituals, of superstitions. And the moment we don’t realize them is the moment we become their victim. It is more than important that we have the strength to detach ourselves ironically from our own existence, to escape determinism and “fate”. Menial job and thing, petty fights, smallest people and ideas will always be there to drag us down but we can move. We can be the “Colours in The Dark”, as the album is named.

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Black eyes, and hardly breathing When there’s no light You sacrifice A war amongst the living You lost the fight Before the fall How did you end up in hell? Hysterical, tragical Victim of ritual Cynical, critical Victim of ritual She’s a killer, killer She’s a killer, killer Cloacked eyes for every scene they try to hide in thin disguise tonight your soul from singing the darkest light The night you died How did you end up in hell?

How did you end up in hell? Hysterical, tragical Victim of ritual Cynical, critical Victim of ritual She’s a killer, killer She’s a killer, killer Anemona, where’s your heart from Anemona, where’s your heart from Hysterical, tragical Victim of ritual Cynical, critical Victim of ritual She’s a killer, killer She’s a killer, killer (Tarja Turunen- Victim of Ritual)

Simona Mihalca, Editor-in-chief

Teen Art Out nr 11 ISSN 2284 – 6549 ISSN–L = 2284 – 6549 Our editorial team Editor in chief: Editors:

Photo credits:

Cover design: Cover graphics: Design:

Simona Mihalca Raluca Pancu Andreea Albulescu Julia N. Hamermesz Brian Kelman Jessica Dawn Clingempeel Kasey Rae Mihnea Savulescu M. Lang Ioana M. Andreea Daniela Ene Claudia Cristea Cristina Nicolae Silviu Geangos Vanda Turturean Ruxandra Marin Silviu Geangos Ioana-Madalina Sterpu

We reserve the right to select the submissions received before publishing. Contact:

www.artout.ro redactie@artout.ro

SUMMARY

INTERVIEW Interview with Timo Somers

VICTIM OF RITUAL Cult of feelings, Mihnea Savulescu Ritual, fear or”real” make-believe, Raluca Pancu Pandemonium..., Julia N. Hamermesz Victims of ritual in the modern world, Brian Kelman Victim of ritual- the song, Jessica Dawn Clingempeel

12 13 16 18 26

TEEN EVENTS China treasures, Simona Mihalca

COOL STORY, BRO Poisoned ivy, Andreea Albulescu

IDEAS ON CELLULOID A rich experience, Kasey Rae

INTERVIEW

Timo Somers

Simona Mihalca: First things first: What can you tell us about yourself both as a member of Delain and outside of it? Timo Somers: I am Timo Somers, a 21 year old guitar player, singer and producer from the Netherlands. I have been playing guitar in Delain now for over 2 years, touring the world with them and recording albums. Next to Delain I am in several other bands and side 6

projects. I am the lead guitar player of the band Vengeance, singer, songwriter and guitar player of the bands Hardt and Arrow Haze and founder of my instrumental solo project Tri-Head. Next to that I do a lot of studio and session work. S.M: When was the moment you decided to give up â&#x20AC;&#x153;normal lifeâ&#x20AC;? and make music your occupation

INTERVIEW and life? What gave you that confidence? T.S: I started playing the guitar when I was 12 years old. By then I was a very good tennisplayer too, so it was kind of a choice between being a pro tenniser or guitarist. I chose the guitar because I was freaking addicted to it. I couldn’t stop playing it! I just played for hours and hours each day. When I realized I had talent and could be good enough to make a living out of it I didn’t hesitate for a second and went for it. I studied at the Rockacademy for a while, which is kind of like a modern Conservatory, so I even pointed my education to music. That was the point of no return. But I never really made a conscious decision like ‘ I want to be a fulltime musician now ‘. It all came naturally.

terial, Interlude. How has it been received? T.S: It has been received very well, I think. Especially considering it was just meant to be a fan release to fill the gap between We Are The Others and the next Studio Album. The songs turned out really well and I think you can really hear our power on the live tracks. For me it’s also nice to see the little tour documentaries and refresh some memories of the last 2 years.

S.M: We’re 3 months after the release of your newest studio ma-

S.M: However, I think the event of the year will be My Masquerade,

S.M: How did you choose the songs you covered? T.S: I actually was not in the band yet when they were chosen and recorded, so I don’t know.

S.M: We’re getting closer and closer to Metal Female Voices Fest. The line-up is simply extraordiS.M: What is your favorite piece to nary. What are your expectations play (not necessarily yours)? about that? T.S: My favorite piece to play is T.S: I expect to be a big ass party The Loner by Gary Moore. That again! We played there last year song has such a huge soul and (my first time) and we really had it really tought me how to play a blast! This year the line-up is reguitar the way I do. These days I ally good, so I am looking forward like to play it as a tribute to Gary seeing the bands play and hit the Moore and my late father. afterparty again, haha.

INTERVIEW as it marks the end of the tour. How did the idea for it come? It has been a year of big concerts but this has something extremely original and mysterious. T.S: I think the idea started with Charlotte and Martijn wanting to do something different and special for our fans to end the great We Are The Others touring cycle. We are actually still brainstorming about idea’s to make it extra special. I can’t say much about it yet, but it definitely will be a big surprise and a blast, both for the band as for the crowd.

don’t worry about all the bullshit going on in the world too much.

S.M: Playing at festivals and recording the albums, you got the chance to meet a lot of other artists. Do you ever become a regular fan for other bands or artists? T.S: I usually don’t have much time at festivals and such to check other bands and artists. We are so busy preparing our show all day and then we (or better said: I) just want to chill out after the gig and not necessarily check out all the other bands that are playing. But sometimes when we have a S.M: Ending one tour, you will relaxed day and long change over jump on another one, supporting times I check out some bands I Kamelot and after that one with like and it’s ofcourse always great Within Temptation. Are you by to see them play. Most of the time now accustomed to being on tour I ‘discover’ bands trough the inso much? How do you do it? ternet and such tough and get T.S: Yeah you kind of get used to attached to their music, I rarely being on tour so much. It’s differ- discover them live. ent for everybody. I personally still find it hard sometimes to leave S.M: How much sightseeing do my family and friends behind for you get to do when on tour? a long period, but if the music is T.S: Zero to none. It depends on good and the vibe in the band the tour and where you are going, is good it’s totally worth it. After but most of the time you only see some days it becomes a blur any- the bus, the airplane, the venue way and you don’t know what day and the backstage area. We someit is or what city or even country times have a day off and can sight you are in. I like the fact that you see a bit, but those occasions are just enjoy each day as it is and very rare. If we are going to really 8

INTERVIEW special places (for example Japan or South America) we plan some days off after the shows and look around a bit, that’s always very nice.

be a healthy mixture of creative freedom, humour, strict but fair ‘policies’ (usually these are ‘unwritten rules’) and just being able to have a good time together, since you gotta at least like eachother a S.M: Many bands have started bit before going into a tourbus for campaigns to raise money for a month or longer. touring or recording, relying on their fans to cover the costs. What S.M: How much do people recogdo you think of that? Is it a valid nize you on the street when you option? are at home or just visiting a place T.S: I think it’s a very nice concept and not on tour? in these days since I think some- T.S: I get recognized quite a bit, thing has to change in the music but probably not as much as peoindustry. There’s a lot of money ple think. The bands I am in are going into ‘black holes’ normally, not all very mainstream, so the avand these new campaigns pro- erage people don’t recognize me vide the artist directly with the very often. I personally am howmoney from the fans. The down- ever known in the industry pretty side is that you already need some well (ofcourse for being in Delain, kind of fanbase and that you don’t but also as a freelance guitar playhave the power of a big corpora- er and songwriter) so if people are tion (/record label) to provide you in the Dutch music industry or so with all the promotion and tour- they’ll probably have heard about ing support, etc. If I could choose me. I’d still go for the record label, but I don’t know if it would be the best S.M: What are some of your hobchoice perse. bies? T.S: I like playing streetsoccer, tenS.M: What do you think is the nis, fitness, chilling in the nature, most important thing in keeping chilling with my friends and famthe unity and good atmosphere ily, unhealthy amounts of facewithin the band? booking, gaming (when I have T.S: That differs heavily in each the time, which is rare these days) band. For me, I think there should and writing a lot of music. 9

INTERVIEW and pretend I am working hard. S.M: What is your favorite dessert? But seriously, when I am on a T.S: Chocolate Mouse! I can eat computer my facebook and such myself to death with that stuff. are almost always on. It is to chat with fans but also because a lot S.M: Do you have any “guilty plea- of producers and musicians and sures”? such I am working with are on T.S: You should ask my girlfriend, facebook, and it’s much faster to haha. drop them a facebook message than to e-mail or skype them or S.M: Have you heard of Tumblr? whatever. It’s a social networking website, the place where people descend S.M: What is the most repetitive slowly into fandoms (losing some and, maybe, quite annoying quesof their sanity in the process). Any tion you get asked? thoughts on that? T.S: I don’t find questions anT.S: I heard of it, but I haven’t re- noying very easily actually. This ally checked it out yet. I am pretty question definitely isn’t one of much all over these social network the most repetitive ones, haha. I things, but I mainly concentrate think the ‘how are you’ in America on Facebook and Youtube cause is pretty annoying, cause it’s more I feel those are the most effective like a greeting instead of a sincere for promotion and such. I should question, opposed to Holland check Tumblr out though. where it’s only asked if someone really wants to know how you’re S.M: Speaking on social network- doing. ing, you are one of the most involved artists and so very close to S.M: Thank you very much and your fans. How do you manage to hope to see you again in Romania do that at all time? really soon. T.S: Since I am always writing mu- T.S: You are very welcome and sic or producing music or record- I hope I can visit your beautiful ing music or whatever there’s al- country again soon! most always a computer involved. So when I am doing one of those Photo credits: Claudiu Horeanu things I secretly open facebook 10

INTERVIEW

VICTIM OF RITUAL 11

C u l t of Feelings It’s a feeling that grows a hold Concerning a person, it is bold And that person looks like a dove Is this the cult of love? When you cannot bear to see To walk, to run, to be When you cannot come back from ashes That, my friend, is the cult of sadness And yet, there is a way Something seen every day When your feelings are like a gate That is, a cult of hate And when all that is done You still don’t feel won You still feel something in the rear And such is a cult of fear Even so, it’s not all ready Nothing is going steady And you begin to wonder why, what andwhere Those are the feelings of a cult of despair But what about the good, you ask? For in the light you want to bask This is but an illness For there is no cult of happiness And in the end We are all condemned To the same result Victims of a cult Mihnea Savulescu 12

VICTIM OF RITUAL

R i t u a l

fear or

“r e a l ” make-believe For some of us, rituals are unwritten books, read out through the minds of others. At the same time, rituals appear as traditions, folklore inspiration that give material substance for ceremonies and other common activities, yet with a special meaning. And of course,there are the other categories of ritual,which simply define the trends people must to hold on to in order to fit the majority circle” of trust”, or at least, to feel like they are a part of the whole, not the “bullied” section. In our present society, rituals are viewed and pronounced superficially and considered to be less important, but still, better to be followed, than ignored , for example , the ceremonies given at the church and the whole process of getting married, and so on. You know what I am aiming at. But hasn’t been always like this. In the

past, and still today, in some parts of the world, rituals are respected as rules and maybe, as real regulations(countries in Africa) from which you cannot deflect. Rituals used to govern and they continue to do that, for some people. It depends on how well you manage it and how much you believe in its power. Therefore, we activate certain rituals because it assumes the shortest way to receive an answer or to get done any kind of problem. Romania has faced publicly, a few years ago, the case of a ritual exorcism, where a nun ended up dead, because of a priest who considered she was possessed. In this case, the whole process of ritual had no limits and was followed without any deviation, and this proves that humanity hasn’t evolved so much, as it had been said. Ritual was given as an only 13

VICTIM OF RITUAL solution to this nun’s problem and no other investigation was to be made. The fact that she had an erratic and creepy behavior made her in the view of others, “guilty”. We can see how ritual is more than a custom way of handling things, is deeper than our thoughts and believable in so many ways, only because our ancestors have done it in the same manner. So, ritual is heavily connected to the past, to the events that occurred so long ago, but even so, they find a way of stepping back into our lives. Therefore, the ritual is more present than ever, as people tend to follow not only its cover, but also its content, even if the situation and the period of time are different. No matter what, we can see how people have remained at the same page. Their way of thinking follows a constant track, which brings us back to rituals. So, my question is: how much has it changed in the last few decades? Why people do certain things, just to feel included, if they don’t believe in it and worst, don’t think in the same direction? Why people tend to pronounce the word ritual and affirm they experience it, if they feel out of their comfort zone? Why the word plac14

es itself only among the positive range, and why so many people tend to discriminate or unfairly classify by the way followers bring the ritual to live and assure its proceedings? In pretty much all of the cases, rituals bring out a religious dimension, more than a social one: how certain berths at the church develop, how the wedding or the baptism are organized, all of this are rituals covered in ceremonies that many of us follow up, but don’t understand, all the time, why and don’t believe in its substance or worthiness. In the end, ritual is accomplished and we are pleased to see our work or decision being made in the way of others. Even if, in some of the cases, we aren’t talking about Christians, about people who truly believe or have a certain religion. We see how ritual implies obedience and playing by the same rules. As mentioned above, ritual have also a social dimension, an invalid prospect that must be checked, in order to ensure that you will keep track with the “latest” moves in society, what is right and what is wrong these days. We will look at some examples and debate it separately. So, we wake up in the

VICTIM OF RITUAL morning, drink our coffee and read the newspaper, or after we come home, we make ourselves a good meal and drink a glass of red wine, and we watch a movie or a talk show. These are two examples of our daily routine basis, a set of fixed actions (as the ritual is being half explained in the dictionary). But also, when we prepare ourselves for the great moment, to say the least, when we think at it, we tend to follow the same mental ritual planning: we imagine ourselves walking down the aisle, holding our father’s hand or we picture ourselves wearing the perfect dress, this and that as we have been told it would be, not as we thought we will be able to imagine it. We aren’t, we are just making a story frame with the help of others. Then, when the moment has come, we tend not the overleap anything and each detail is put together as the ritual demands: the way we express our vows, the program of the ceremony and the party and so on. The problem interferes when we don’t understand why we have to “dance” by the music of others,why we have to wear a white dress, for example. Moreover, the problem occurs at the moment when we do something,

just because we are being forced by the circumstances to do it, without any intention of doing it, simply because, we don’t believe in it. Even so, we follow the same path and offer the same advice, as the one given to us: “is better to do this, in case you don’t want to bring bad luck”. Which part we can call it pure tradition and which part is barely a context followed by unwritten instructions? We don’t know that, as humanity hasn’t found the answers at all of its questions. What we sure do know is that ritual can turn out to be irrational, boring, but only if we look at it with our eyes closed. Blindness is fatal, but the herd spirit turns us into a victim of ritual, and the worst part, is that many of us don’t even notice it. Rituals aren’t to be followed, but to be understood and carried away with same amount of vivacious faith and moral appreciation. Raluca Pancu

VICTIM OF RITUAL

…

Rituals are anywhere, everywhere, and part of everyone’s life. From the most complex religious ones to waking up and doing that thing you do every day in the same way no matter what (and that can be from cooking your breakfast to looking at that special pic-

ture in your bedside-table for five minutes before going to work), big or small, we all have our rituals (or rather, rrrituals). But don’t mistake your routine for rituals. Rituals are connected to emotions, feelings, or memories, and most likely have the objective to make us feel better about ourselves or our actions, reason why we commonly associate rituals to spiritual and religious processes. A routine, on the other hand, is just the order of things you normally do on your daily life, sometimes more for necessity than for an inner reason. And however interesting rituals may sound, Tarja makes a point of reminding us in her new song how rituals can (sometimes) 16

cause more damage than otherwise, and that, to some level, we are all victims of our own rituals (and therefore of our own emotions and memories). There are good and bad rituals and it’s not for me to say which are which, but we should all look at our owns and try to decide whether old thoughts and feels are caging us, like the painter of the video that for some reason would only paint black pictures. Don’t get me wrong here: emotions are what make us human, and rituals are a part of it, but clinging to the past does not make a better future, and rituals are very much full of past. Some of them, I know, you’re not ready to let go. And some you never will.

VICTIM OF RITUAL

Some, of course, do no harm – they can actually be good – but we should keep our eyes open anyhow. Forgetting to innovate and to try new things is ultimately forgetting to live. Don’t let a ritual keep you from trying new things, things that you may even eventually love.

When humanity is driven by the past and not for the future, we have chaos. We should, yes, all learn from our mistakes, but more than that, we have to keep on learning, and for that, we have to keep on making mistakes. Life is the process of constantly making decisions, and the only way to make the right ones is by knowing which are wrong – and you don’t learn that if you don’t take the wrong road sometimes. I’d like to insert a quote I like a lot here: It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not lived at all. In which case, you’ve failed by default. (JK Rowling). Don’t let rituals make you fail by default.

Tarja is telling us how happy she is in finally getting out of her box of rules as an artist, and that’s very clear on the video. The painter no longer paints only black paintings, the oboe player no longer plays the same notes over and over again, and the man who worked doing the same thing repeatedly is finally doing what he likes: dancing. And that’s what I think we should all expect of her from now on: changes. She’s breaking standards and going towards what she loves. She’s experimenting. And maybe we should all follow her lead this time. Julia N. Hamermesz

VICTIM OF RITUAL

Victims of R Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m normally too literal-minded to understand the symbolism of a music video. I have little in the way of an aesthetic sense. It would seem, however, that Victim of Ritual has made an impression that transcends my usual limitations. I interpreted Victim of Ritual as symbolic of modernrites of intensification, whereas for Tarja it symbolizes rites of passage. Before that analysis it is important to know the meaning of the word ritual. As a noun, a ritual is the performance of a detailed

i t u a l method of procedure faithfully or regularly observed in a prescribed form; or a state or condition characterized by the presence of established agenda or routine. As an adjective it is being part of an established routine. What is the purpose ofrituals? Anthropologists tend to focus on positive sacred rituals that reinforce social bonds within the group and make crises less socially disruptive.Theyhave classified several different types of rituals, and among them arerites of passage and rites of intensification.

VICTIM OF RITUAL

in the moder n wor ld Rites of passage mark important stages in the lives of individuals, such as birth, puberty, marriage, parenthood, social advancement, occupational specialization and death.Rites of intensificationserve to bind individuals together and mark important stages and crises of the social group as a whole. For anthropologists, they can include funerary ceremonies as well as celebrating thesummer and winter Solstice and the Equinox of autumn and spring.An example of a spring ritual is the Hindu Festival of Holi.

Although we may not immediately recognize them as such, rituals are an important part of the mundanemodern world, too. For rites of intensification, an event steeped in ritual, both modern and ancient, that has meaning for whole world, is the relay of the Olympic Flame from Greece to the host country (introduced in 1936) to the ceremonial lighting of the Olympic Torch in the host stadium (reintroduced in 1928; its origins lie in ancient Greece where a fire was kept burning throughout the celebration of the ancient Olym-

VICTIM OF RITUAL pics to commemorate the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus). Staying on the same theme, let us not forget the pregame ‘rituals’ that rabid sports fans conduct to make sure that their favourite team will prevail in that day’s match. For rites of passage, the standardized means of getting a drivers licence at the age of sixteen takes on the form of ritual. The process by which Tarja warms up before her passage to the stage for a performance can be one of ritual, too.I, too, have a ritual or routine that I follow on work days. Doing the same things in the same order ensures that I don’t forget anything and that I get there on time. Rituals, then, are not confined to religion or to ancient and primitive cultures; theyare all around us in the modern world. Can we become a Victim of Ritual in the modern world? In a word, “Yes.” The setting for Victim of Ritual epitomizes like no other the ritual victimization of humanity through the repetitive, monotonous, controlling industrial process that permeates all of society. It is symbolic of the attempts by certain vested interests in society to subjugateindividuals to the mind numbing, soul crushing, 20

life robbing, manipulating rituals that try to control our actions, thoughts, and feelings. Modern rituals differin that they attempt to reinforce/break/create social bonds and make crises less/more socially disruptive depending on the agenda espoused by the competing interests involved. These forces can be the variouselements of society, be it a society based on communism, socialism or a liberal democracy, for example, and include as some of its agents the entertainment, advertising and news media; the government and its bureaucracy; the boss at work; and lastly, ourselves, because we can get used to our familiar, safe, secure rut. Tarja’s song/video Victim of Ritual is well chosen both visually and lyrically to illustrate the breaking free of modern ritual and the establishment of new ones created on our terms in an emotionally powerful way. Visually, Victim of Ritual begins with an absence of colour, or the colours severely washed out. The exceptionsare the controlling safety tape on the floor and pipes of the factory and Tarja, as an agent of change, is framed by light.The painter, the musician, the assembly line worker are all monotonously and unthinking-

VICTIM OF RITUAL ly working with black on white. Black takes all colours and reflects none; white gives byreflecting all colours. Eyes are symbols of perception and perspective; threshold to the heart; window on the soul…. Black eyes and hardly breathing When there’s no light You sacrifice Alone, a monster living You lost the fight before the fall How did you end up in hell? “Black eyes…” as dark as a Finnish Winter describe of the plight of the victims of ritual. The light that illuminates the heart and soul has been taken away and extinguished; life slowly strangled and suffocated as they sacrifice theirself for another’s benefit. It is truly a descent into a living hell of lethargy, monotony, routine, and resignation to a life not of their making. Cold eyes, for every seeing They try to hide, in thin disguise Denied your soul from singing The darkest night, the night you died How did you end up in hell?

“Cold eyes…”as frigid as a Finnish Winterbelong to the masked characters representing the forces identified above and in whose interest ‘deniedyour soul from singing’. These parasites revel in absorbing the light of our souls and hearts for their own enrichment and your impoverishment. As long as they can keep useful pawnsin the ‘cold dark’, their reign is unchallenged and your place in a living hell is secured. They have taken away your freedomand determine your life on their terms. Hysterical, tragical Victim of ritual Cynical, critical Victim of ritual In the chorus, the victims of ritual are the visual focus for ‘hysterical’ and ‘tragical’. The musician, painter and assembly worker are hysterical. Not in the Freudian sense, but rather in the modern sense: a psychological disorder that involves a dissociation or interruption in aspects of consciousness, including identity. The reduction of individuals to an unthinking ‘sameness’ is a tragicalwaste of the creative spirit that has infused humanity throughout 21

VICTIM OF RITUAL the ages. The masked characters are the visual focus for ‘cynical’ and ‘critical’. A philosophy of contemptuous manipulation and treatment of the victims of ritualiscynical to the core. To prevent people from overcoming these psychological spells placed upon them and following their hearts, be super critical of them. Most will wilt under the constant flow of negativity and be manipulated into accepting their place as being the only one for them. She’s a killer, killer She’s a killer, killer Tarja is a catalyst and introduces something different— something colourful—to ‘kill’ the cynical spell that has been placed on them.Light and some glare areassociated visually with the victims as the controlling spell of the ‘industrial’ ritual is being broken. But breaking out of their mind numbing hysteria and defeating those that need to control them is a hard fought battle requiring the active assistance of a strong support group at a critical time so as to avoid a tragic return to the past. It can often involve inner turmoil, doubt and pandemonium. 22

Have you the strength to resist society’s pressure to conform for their benefit, not your own? If you encounter resistance or a setback, do you have within your heart the strength to see it through? Pandemonium, where’s your heart from? Pandemonium, where’s your heart from? The choice of enacting this scene with Holi Powder is again well chosen. The Holi Festival celebrates the beginning of the new spring season. Spring refers also to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, and growth. Like the transition to spring from the dark Finnish Winter into the full light of summer, Tarja’s resurrection of the self symbolizes the individual’s and group’s new found renaissance. The group’s final victory is reflected in the change of their clothing to white and the introduction of more light and glare in the background.The man dancing reflects his dream of being a dancer and his new found freedom from his former daily ritual. The painter paints and the musician plays according to their terms. The story of Victim of Ritual

VICTIM OF RITUAL is an inspirational one of breaking free and minimizing the expectations and the control of those identified above. By following our hearts, surrounding ourselves with supportive people and having the heart and conviction to see it through no matter the hardship the reward is the freedom to create new positive rituals in order to liveand work on our own terms within and in spite of the restrictive ritual expectations that society places upon us.Not all modern rituals are sinister. There are people worth following because of their inspirational nature. TarjaTurunen is one of those people. I’m hesitant to presume to know what the meaning that Victim of Ritualhas for Tarja. If asked, no doubt she’d smile secretively with a knowing twinkle in her eye and suggest that the meaning the individual listener/viewer derives from the song/video is what counts. Now that’s an artist’s answer! Since ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’, I am now left to hypothesize, theorize, or take my best guess. It is easy to equate Tarja’s struggles with her former band, in her solo career, with critics and an indifferent record label to

scenes inVictim of Ritual. Many will consider the video, and especially the fight scene against four adversaries, to symbolize her struggles with Nightwish and her eventual firing. The subsequent resurrection scene symbolizes the beginning of her solo career with the support of her loyal fans and the aid of some very talented musicians. Tarja approached her solo career, though, with hesitant steps and relied on the advice of others that compromised in some ways her musical ‘vision’. Some critics have been especially ‘cold’ in their evaluations of her music. I recall one in particular that reviewed What Lies Beneath unfavourably because it wasn’tNightwish. To judge something solely in terms of what it is not is to me intellectually bankrupt. It is amazing how many people can’t comprehend nor separate the fact that she was pushed to the forefront to be voice and face of the band to vocally interpret a musical formula not her own. The final days with Universal must have seemed frustratingly bleak indeed when What Lies Beneath was not given the same support that My Winter Storm received. Victim of Ritual ultimately reflectsTarja having the ‘heart’ 23

VICTIM OF RITUAL and conviction to overcome the obstacles before her, to achieve a renaissance in her musical career several times over. First, she had the brilliance to surround herself with talented musicians who have confidence in her and her musical direction. Tarja has recently commented that the critics are finally coming to an understanding of her musical vision. They may finally be realizing their folly of expectingTarja to be something she isn’t.We shall see, but it is a promising revelation. Her new label, EarMusic, is totallysupportive of Tarja’s classical and rock/metal projects and in this new atmosphere she is ‘coming out of her box’ from a creative stand point. Finally, Victim of Ritual shows that Tarja will continue to deeply touch the lives of her listeners in an inspirational way. Tarja Turunen has been on the cutting edge of musical innovation from the day she said “Yes” to join a certain ‘mood music project’ at the end of 1996. Victim of Ritual in sound, arrangement, and message proclaims to the world

that this will continue. WithVictim of Ritual leading off the album and presumably setting the stage for the remaining tracks, I expect that Colours In The Dark will push back the limits of her musical vision of the fusion of classical and rock/metal music. It will symbolize Tarja’s freedom from the restrictive formula or ritual of the past and reflect her growing confidence in herself and her music. ForColours In The Dark, Tarja the familiar will be well represented too.The many years of musical study in some of the finest musical academies in Europe and learning the practical side of the music business through recording and performing with Nightwish and as a solo artist have left an indelible imprint upon Tarja into the present. If Victim of Ritual is used as a guide, Colours In The Darkwill be a welcome addition in the evolution of an artist who continues to mature in a positive direction—both personally and professionally. Brian Kelman

VICTIM OF RITUAL

Victim of ritual the song As the song begins playing you instantly feel as if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re heading to war with the beating of the drums. About mid-way through the intro you begin to get a Middle Eastern feel into the style of music. Not even a full minute into the song and you are already being taken on a journey. It is amazing what only an intro can do to you.

Then the siren herself begins singing and the song gets hard. It is hard to really interpret what she is feeling or thinking in this song. So many thoughts come to mind when listening to the lyrics. Who exactly is the victim here and what are they a victim of? The lyrics are dark, yet powerful. So much emotion was poured into this song. The jour25

VICTIM OF RITUAL ney is everlasting and even when the song ends you still want more and need more. Maybe we get more of that story with the rest of the album. There is not one negative thing I can say about Victim of Ritual. Some may say I am biased because Tarja is my favorite singer, but that isn’t it at all. There is really not one bad thing about this song. It took more than one listen to fully appreciate it as Tarja does play around with her voice some. The song instantly reminded me a lot of Anteroom of Death from her previous album, What Lies Beneath. Everything is flawless; from the lyrics, to Tarja’s voice to the instruments. Once again rock and classical styles are mixed well together. I would also like to point out that this single has three other tracks in addition to Victim of Ritual. A demo version of Victim of Ritual, which to me is as perfect as the final version and two live tracks, “I Walk Alone” and “Underneath”, both recorded at Luna Park. Both performances are flawless; in fact my favorites as far as live recordings go which I usually do not listen to very often, of any band. Jessica Dawn Clingempeel 26

teen events

treasures

TEEN EVENTS

China's A few days ago I was surfing the internet, wondering where to go or what to do and a friend told me that it was the last day to see the exhibition ”China’s treasures” at the National History Museum. I had heard of it, of course. Who doesn’t want to see terracotta soldiers? Truth be told, I hadn’t gone earlier because I thought it was too expensive but apparently I had my facts wrong. So this is how it went. We got there close to the exit hour 28

because, of course, we had to avoid the heat wave. Surprisingly enough for me, it was so crowded. Well, not crowded but there were certainly a lot of people. Needless to say, China indeed has a great and vast culture of which most of us know close to nothing. The exhibition was greatly organized. Following the signs it would take you chronologically through all the dynasties. I was surprised to see so many wine

TEEN EVENTS

vessels. Going on, we saw some mirrors that…didn’t mirror anything. Maybe thousands of years ago they were polished and beautiful, I don’t know. I couldn’t help but marvel at the wonder of their culture. They had instruments to boil food and burn spices and it was all so evolved. And the details on all of their objects were magnificent. As we went on and on through history, we got to see statues and bricks, even representations of Buddha, ceramics of cows and chickens, pots and vases. Finally, we reached more “modern” times when we got to see … China. And by that I mean plates and ceramics. It really makes you understand why they call it China.

It was all so wonderfully done. In the end, we got to see a wall full of a parallel between Romania and China numismatically, political, cultural. It was interesting to see the first mentions of that far-away country in our writings and geography papers. But the culminating end of the exhibition was of course seeing the terracotta statues. The exact replicas, knowing they are so many out there, with their armor and horses. Even if we only had few, it was worth it. That right there is a piece of history and of culture and I don’t know how many other chances we have of seeing that again. Simona Mihalca 29

VICTIM OF RITUAL

cool story, bro

COOL STORY, BRO

There she was, all alone, lying on the cold ground, staring in wonder at the starless night sky. She couldn’t think if she was hungry or just bored. In fact, she couldn’t think of anything but how small and insignificant she really was. Each raindrop that touched her skin felt like tiny knives, slowly cutting through her skin, right into her soul. As she was going numb, she couldn’t help but let the spiders of her imagination weave webs of eternal sleep upon her eyes, sending her to the world of nothingness. The poisoned ivy was now all swirling and twirling around her arms, legs, waist and

ivy

Po i s o n e d

chest, pinning her down. Even though she could still fight for her freedom, she chose not to. Not because she was physically unable of doing that, but because her mind was slowly decomposing, meaning that the poison was now running through her blood. The poor being was now hallucinating. The night was filled with the desperate sound of her heartbeat, which was slowly fading. She had no one who’d miss her after she was gone. Actually, she was so aware of that that she volunteered to become the Victim of Ritual. She was so sick of being hopeless and alone. The ivy was now tighter, ready to rip her body

COOL STORY, BRO

and soul until there’d be nothing left. Through the last sites of life, she saw a hand coming closer. This is it. It’s over!’ she whispered. The person said something she could not hear, but then she felt her body being pulled away from the cage of death. She gasped for air and opened her eyes. Was she gone? No. Was she safe? Yes. She was curled up in the arms of her savior, where she was brave again, where she found hope, gazing in amazement at the dawn. To others, that might be just another ordinary dawn,

but to her, it was the sparkle of love and hope she was desperate for. The ivy was dead, the rain has stopped, and the grass was wet and soft again. All her pain has been replaced with the love of her savior, who risked their life to save the one she was ready to give up on. She then realized that she never walked alone. She had someone to care for her when everybody else tossed her in the ashes of loneliness. She was just too blind to see how close happiness was. Now, she was happy again. Glad to be alive, happy in the arms of her savior. Andreea Albulescu

IDEAS ON CELLULOID

ideas on celluloid

IDEAS ON CELLULOID

A Rich Exp

A Rich Ex Experience A Rich Experience A Rich Experience By Kasey Rae

Every

filmmaker strives to have their message heard, or rather, have their message seen. Filmmakers creating big budget productions, however, have more of an obligation to bring in an audience, hence bringing in ticket sales to pay off their big budget debt to whatever company they are working for. This means having to give up some of their own vision and create what the majority will want to see, where as Independent filmmakers have more freedom in their choices because they don’t have to please a large audience and can stay completely true to their own vision. Following the same logic, my biggest annoyance in big budget films that they all seem the same, because they all have to follow the same formula and employ the same ‘big name’ actors. As Chuck Palahniuk so wisely wrote “Everything is a copy of a copy of a copy”. 38

A Rich

It’s the independent films that break the rules and have the power to make us feel a wider spectrum of emotions. A great example of a successful independent film is “The Dreamers”. Filmed in Paris, France in 2003 it is a film about an American student who travels to Paris and befriends a brother and sister in 1968 during dangerous student riots. This movie is shocking as life itself, completed with human habits usually preformed behind closed doors and many scenes with complete nudity and sex. It shows us what is natural, and what we shouldn’t be afraid of. The filmmaker refuses to hide anything from the audience, making this film not only a work of art, but also a work of bravery. In bigger budget films the most natural (some have learned to call ‘raciest’) thing one can hope to see is a woman’s breast, and even that is frowned upon. This makes the film seem like a betrayal to what life and art really

perience

IDEAS ON CELLULOID

xperience

h Experience

is, and turns something as innocent as a bare body into a taboo. A movie should be unruly and disturbing, and that is where the audience finds comfort. Using the words of Banksy â&#x20AC;&#x153;Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortableâ&#x20AC;?. Some Independent films turn into surprise cult classics. Films such as; The Blair Witch Project (1999), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), City of God (2002), Donnie Darko (2001), and Reservoir Dogs (1992). All of which have gained a huge following, a following of people who were changed by a film that dared to break the rules and actually teach us something. Filmmaking is becoming less of an art and more of a business transaction. When companies pile money onto the production then somewhere in all that cash transaction, its easy for the artistic meaning to get lost.