Vegans get a lot of hate, don’t they? A lot of it comes down to the fact that people seem to erroneously think that vegans “force their views on other people”, yet if you look at the comments on any vegan group on Facebook, or any other social media platform, for that matter, you’ll find a whole bunch of vegans just minding their own business, while a ludicrous amount of angry meat eaters (who often ludicrously claim that human beings are ‘carnivores’) have gone out of their way to infiltrate said page, just to post inane crap like “but bacon“, or photos of meat, or, the most common current one, “bUt cRoP dEaThS tHoUgH“, played like a trump card “gotcha!“, blissfully unaware that, just by eating meat, they’re STILL killing more animals than vegans because almost 90% of crops are grown to feed the so-called ‘livestock’ that has been bred in unnatural numbers. Rizts are a vegan post-punk/hardcore band who are seeking to set the record straight. Perhaps fortunately for them, their debut album has found its way into the hands of a fellow vegan.
‘My Eyes‘ begins the album, gritty and unrelenting, with a guitar motif that recalls Tom Morello, and goes straight for the attack, calling out the dairy industry and its vile practices: “I dare you to see through my eyes / Creatures swarm our bodies like flies / There’s no such thing as a family / Our children are taken as soon as they breathe / I dare you to hear a mother’s cries” – it’s a hard listen, especially if you’re someone who wasn’t aware how brutal things have to get before you enjoy your milk and cheese. I’m not calling anyone, by the way – as a mere vegetarian, I was blissfully unaware myself for thirty odd years.
Given the amount of bad press vegans get, it’s a pretty brave move to release an entire album centring around this subject, especially as anyone who speaks out in defence of the defenceless often gets painted as an “extremist“, which is such a bizarre description, compared to those who are barbaric towards animals – all paid for by the consumer, of course, just so they can satisfy their tastebuds for a few minutes. The only thing extreme about this self-titled debut (in a good way) is the music, the trio having been compared to the likes of Gilla Band and black midi, (as well as Sandinista era The Clash) which gives you a good indication of how they sound. So when, on ‘Scratch‘, they ask “How could anyone treat me like you do? / Stripped naked and raped, when did I hurt you? / Screaming of blades cut against the flesh / Sealed in plastic packets to keep my taste fresh“, know that this is not Rizts being “extremist”, they are simply speaking the undeniable truth.
Most poignant is the closing track ‘The Monetisation Of Death‘, sung gently yet ominously: “We’re all destined for this bloodshed / When our children are born, they might as well be dead.” It’s an unflinching portrayal of what goes on in slaughterhouses and, indeed, on many dairy farms. The sad thing is, I’ll probably get lots of angry replies to this review, because people think we vegans are attacking them. We’re not. We just want everyone to be aware of the atrocities they’re paying for, and to give a voice to the voiceless.
Oh look, here comes an “Mmmm bacon” reply.
