-On Playing in Blood Axis-

We who live on the edge of the Earth
and are the last bulwark of freedom
have to this day been protected by our remoteness
and by the fear and mystery created by our name...

For those of you unfamiliar with the name Calgacus, he was "... the most distinguished for birth and valour among the chieftains," of Caledonia according to Tacitus. For those of you unfamiliar with Tacitus I suggest indulging in a little historical study; for it is by the study of history that one may seek to avoid the unnecessary repetition of hard-won lessons. The full speech of Calgacus is unusual in that it has been preserved for posterity in spite of the truth that history is written by the victors. Calgacus and the Caledonians suffered a great defeat at the battle of Mons Graupius in what is now the Scottish Highlands. The Romans lost a mere 360 soldiers and slaughtered a full 10,000 Caledonians. Back in Rome it was soon announced that Agricola "...had finally subdued the tribes of Britain," despite the fact that the Roman scouts never found the 20,000 Caledonian warriors who fled in the aftermath of the battle.

What does this have to do with Michael Moynihan's infamous Blood Axis?

Everything. One of my favorite songs in the Blood Axis repertoire is "The March of Brian Boru," which is also the name of the traditional Irish tune which follows a spoken excerpt from the speech of Calgacus. It will be noted by the astute student of history that Brian Boru was the Irish chieftain responsible for ousting the Vikings at the Battle of Clontarf, though heroically losing his life in the process. The theme of the tune then, in addition to the quotation from Calgacus, is one of fighting for freedom... this in some ways contrasts with the song "Lord of Ages," which is a hymn to Mithras, commonly a God of the Roman soldier... you know, the kind that would have slaughtered 10,000 Caledonians for the sake of Empire. "The March of Brian Boru," and "Lord of Ages," both seek to examine the mindset of those whose actions and beliefs have created the world we live in today; actions and beliefs that spilled great volumes of blood, and turned the tides of history. Examining the work of Blood Axis will reveal many more nuanced explorations of how the past has shaped the present, absent the abstract prejudice of "Good," and "Evil". The world is not black and white; it is not even best perceived in shades of grey. Open your eyes, and you will see a world conceived in a rainbow of light. Duality is the tool of the oppressor; the enemy of free thought who would shout you down and dispense with open dialogue.

If you haven't been to Washington D.C. I recommend a trip, especially if you're American. There is an abundance of Roman art & architecture. It is plain to anyone who bothers to look that the Republic of Rome was no small inspiration in the founding of the United States of America. The comparisons are apt... Rome was founded on noble ideals, inspired by Greek democracy and philosophical inquiry. Rome flourished until greed and decadence rotted her from within; she fell to despotic rule, petty domestic politics and the follies of Empire. Remember those 20,000 Caledonians the Romans failed to account for while proclaiming victory over the tribes of Britain? I believe the modern phrase would be "Mission accomplished." History, it seems, is doomed to repeat itself as its lessons are lost on those too feeble to tackle them. It was Benito Mussolini who said that "Fascism should more properly be called corporatism, for it is the merging of state and corporate power." I shall leave it up to the reader to decide how prevalent 'corporatism,' is in contemporary America, whose 'culture,' is evermore fixated upon mere bread and circus while her leaders openly proselytise the Pax Americana.

-J.Arthur Loose