Nova Rockafeller‘s latest release “GENGHIS KHAN” is the brutal, honest marching song you need to trudge through the muck that your demons have left for you. With impressive visuals thanks in part due to the talented vision of Ted Newsome, “GENGHIS KHAN” constantly juxtaposes the forcefulness of life with the cleansing nature of it’s better half while acknowledging the consequences that exist in between. Water serves it’s purpose to drown you and to nourish you, and when your own mind is fighting against you, that feeling is all too familiar.
“Fuck it if I win today, try to listen to my heart but it’s voice has changed” is the perfect line to encapsulate that raw powerlessness one feels in the midst of oblivion; it doesn’t matter what you do when you feel uninvolved in the decision making process. But nevertheless, we go on, constantly trying to improve while every step forward is manipulated in a different direction, leading us right back to square one. The chorus begins,“I keep saying that I can change, but every day I wake up the same”.
But, as the chorus builds, you feel the driving bass and abrasive synth coalesce into a realization as Nova delivers the line, “And I don’t know if I wanna stay, but I will die before I run away.” While we may not have full control over our demons, our problems, or even our lives, we should always fight for it. Sometimes the battle seems unwinnable, but if you have a dream, it is worth a fight. Even if your light doesn’t prosper, you can garner solace from the fact that your fire burns bright even under the hardest rain.
Perhaps the line that hits the hardest is, “Everyday I get out of bed and go to war with the voice in my head”. For this reviewer, that completely encapsulates the battle one feels as one battles depression, battles anxiety, battles their demons. That’s because some days you do win the battle, but you never forget that it’s a war. It’s always in the back of your mind, throughout every minute of the day, and whether you like it or not, you’re right there on the front lines.
The last verse includes the line, “I’ll stand my ground until it’s where to lie.” No matter the outcome, the fight is always better than the surrender. The next time you’re really going through it, I hope you remember that. Stay alive.