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The Valley of the Shadow

by Brimstøne

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1.
The same hands that led Jesus to the cross Are at work today They terrorize us They are the darkness In this Valley of death And they demand our fear The cross casts its shadow On the new crucified people The ones who have their lives Taken away By the hands of the state. The ones that we have cast aside And then in turn just left behind The innocents and the broken The ones we don't want to care for It's all an illusion The idea that they're here to protect us But who will protect us From them? This is all a charade A consolidation of power They only want to stay on top And keep us under their boot God’s hands give life While we worship those who take it Idolize the ones who profit Off the suffering they created And we crave the spectacle We need the illusion Of our protection Our neighbors struggle and die While were fed the lie That we’re better off without them. They put on a show To let all of us know That as long as we’re in line We won’t suffer by their hands If we keep playing our parts If we sit quiet and complacent If we sell to them our hearts Pledge allegiance to their flag March along, follow their plans Don't speak up as people die Or you'll be next Masquerading as the solution You can never be something you're not Bludgeoning communities Putting bullets in the vulnerable. They are death And though we walk through the Valley Of their shadow We must not fear them For God is with us.
2.
The New Rome 04:14
A nation of violence Abundance of indifference Spreading our prosperity Increasing death globally. Pulling the strings On puppet regimes Engaging in proxy wars Destroying everything People of the church I beg of you Abandon the empire you've pledged your allegiance to. It's fallen so far short of the kingdom of God And the vision he has for us. Bleeding it's people dry So we can go to war. Sending the bled to die Acquire more and more. Herald ourselves as the cornerstone of morality. When all we really are Is the world's guillotine. A nation birthed out of blood shed And genocide. Reckless abandon for those that we colonize. We have become the Rome that saw Jesus crucified. Have we forgotten the reason he died? Fighting for dominion Not the dominated Fighting for wealth And not the poor Fighting for power And not the powerless They're taking us all down with them in their unholy war
3.
Normalcy 05:13
Another headline Another senseless loss of life Another outpouring Of thoughts and prayers Of hollow sympathy. As long as we've been praying People have been killing each other This is either the answers to our prayers, Or Gods asking more of us And I don't think he's abandoned us, I just don't think we've been listening. I think it's time we started listening Cause I am just so tired of the normalcy Of every tragedy I see on tv I am just so tired of the apathy Of feeling like i can't do anything In a culture of self centeredness A call for societal reflection Gets dismissed over personal interests. And the freedom of the privileged. Who will just pray it all away. I believe in God that's constantly pulling me Tirelessly pulling all of us. In the direction of his good will, But we're all marching in lock step To the tunes sung by our leaders To children crying out for their mothers To the cadence of the gunfire Heard across the nation and the voices telling us There's nothing to be done Yeah i am just so tired- Lord your will be done On earth as in heaven Those words lose all their meaning If we don't see them as an invitation. Those words mean everything to me What do they say to you? Have we grown too complacent? Is the kingdom of God not Worth striving for? Are we to just allow creation To undo itself? Why do we pray at all? You're thoughts and prayers Don't mean a thing. When there's no action To be seen When your only true concern Is that normal doesn't hit close to home Well I'm so--
4.
Human Debris 04:11
Shavings swept under the the rug Produced by the mill that's slowly turning. Destroying everything good we could be. Souls lost as exhaust Bodies turned into dust It breathes in It breathes out And we let just let them fall Bodies lost Dust on concrete And asphalt All signs that everythings Not fine Human debris litters the street All we do is make them harder to see Until the numbers get out of hand, Lock up the ones We've already abandoned. Souls lost Dust on concrete And asphalt When thats all it is It can be dealt with Push it out of sight Keep it out of mind We ignore the question Who's next in line? Desperation breeds violence They’re in the business of desperation. Violence leads to incarceration They’re in the business of building prisons. What we do for the sufferer What we do for the hungry What we do for the sick, the lonely We do for Christ our Lord. What we've done to those suffering What we've done to the hungry What we've done to the sick and lonely We've done to Christ our Lord. God didn't abandon us We've abandoned him Left him on the side of the street Crucified him all over again
5.
They don't want you to sleep. The only options Are incarcerate or kill There is no other place to send you Because they don't want you They don't want you to be seen You've fallen off their ledger And left you in the street Where your existence is illegal Unless you stay outside the peripheral We are not meant to see The by products of this Violent machine So when the evidence Is on display And the suffering can be seen The victims are the ones That we choose to blame So they're locked up Or crucified And turned into a warning That we are disposable It's easy to be knocked to the bottom Where you must flee to the shadows Or else risk your life They are the architects of suffering All you're allowed is your shame And they don't want you to sleep
6.
You'll be dead Before you'll get to see Your corruption Bring about our destruction. So you don't care. We have no hands On the ship that you have Steered right to it's end. I cry out for children who will Inherit your wasteland. You've abandoned us for profit Led so many believe That saving god's creation Just isn't necessary. You exploit and abuse us Hoard the fruits of our labor You leave us under a burning sky Scorched by your plunder. If there's a place for you in heaven I hope its hell for you to get there. I hope that you experience The hell you've left for us. I pray That when you pray You hear nothing at all. And if you do I at least hope you're hearing The pleas of those you're killing. Of all those who will die. And the blood that will be in your hands When you stand before our God. How will you explain yourself? Will you be able to at all?
7.
The Meek 02:36
The Meek shall inherit the earth Destined to inherit a desolate wasteland We continue to allow the abuse of mother earth Reckless with the charge given by God at creation. Our children will reap what has been sewn. Their children will inherit an uninhabitable planet We do nothing to prevent future suffering. Short sightedness will be the end of what we know. The Meek are many The powerful are few The Meek should reclaim their inheritance Create a place worth living For our sons and for our daughters. The future they receive Is the future we create The future they receive Is the future that we fight for. Bring them down from their thrones Send them away empty Their plot for us is nothing less So send them away Send them away The Meek are many But the powerful are few Bring them down from their thrones
8.
White Jesus 04:21
Too many people Worshiping Jesus But not following Any of his teachings You always see yourself As the Samaritan. But you look past All the hurt in this world. You've sanitized our history And rewrote it in your favor To preserve a narrative Where you're worthy Of everything that you have taken Created in the image of God Now you've created your own out of porcelain. Lacking humility you looked in the mirror and you started chiseling. Now you worship something that looks a lot more like you. Now you worship something that wants the same things you do. Now you worship something that leads you to war You're worshiping yourself Reduce our savior To superficial teachings on love Strip him of his critique Set back the tables he turned. Hard to identify With someone who identifies Them self with those you wish to exclude And is there nothing to be done? About the hurt and suffering in this world? Follow messiah only to the extent That you don’t have to dirty yourself With the poor You looked in the mirror And you started chiseling Created an abomination And now you bow at its feet Death to your white Jesus Your idolized reflection
9.
Oh God why Do we find delight In that which is not of you? Why God why Have you just left us here to die? Do you sit up in your heaven And wonder why? Do we deserve more grace Than what's been given? When we’ve squandered your love? I’ve seen you placed on a pedestal They joyfully want you to watch As they destroy everything thats beautiful. I’ve seen lives taken Seen people beaten The harm that they’ve endured Justified by your word. Why did you command us to love When you could have commanded us to kill Your will would be done with every drop of blood spilled in your good name Then maybe you could delight in your creation As it rips itself apart. But instead you mourn. If you suffer with us Do we not kill you every day? If we are not abandoned Have we been sentenced to death by free will? Our passion is annihilation We kill each other And we kill ourselves slow It's all that we want All that we seem to be Is violence
10.
Maybe when you're old enough To understand these words Maybe we'll have Sort of saved the earth. They say my generation Is the last that can do anything Substantial So I guess I'm the in between Of you and something better. Maybe when your old enough To be in school I won't have to pray Every day that you come home Things have only gotten worse Our trajectory seems to not be changing There is still so much to tear down Between you and something better I want you to know a world of justice A world free from our prejudice I want you to have air to breath And soil to seed I've asked myself if it was selfish Knowing the condition That we are in. If it was right to bring you Into this world. The light that you are to me Shines so bright through the dark You are the little bit of hope That I have left in me. And I am so sorry If what I do was not enough If you don't get something better Because that's what you deserve You deserve so much more Than this desecrated creation You deserve so much more Than what we've made for you I want you to be So much more Than what we've become But it starts with me I'm the in between
11.
The Gray 05:27
Some days I wish the world Would go back To black and white. But God is in the gray He works where I was once blind. The faith of my childhood Was so much simpler But now I'm skeptical Of everything But I found certainty In Jesus name Now it's only forward I'm never going back Love your enemy But who's my enemy? Why have I always Looked for an answer? Do I still need one? To fulfill God's intentions for me? I put the sword away To be a better neighbor Dove into the gray To understand their struggles How do i love those that create conditions That destroy creation Those made in her image. I wish this was easy The faith of my childhood Was so much simpler But now I'm skeptical Of everything But I found certainty In Jesus name Now it's only forward I'm never going back I found where my heart needs to be The issue my eyes need to see Where my feet need to take me Where our work is needed I wish that with confidence I could still believe in hell Eternal suffering For those who do destroy It sounds like justice to me But God isn't like us God loves those whom we despise The perfect example Of a love that could change the world Life used to be so much simpler Some days I miss The black and white But that perspective is useless Does nothing for the kingdom of God
12.
How can you Continue To tell your lies When your truths have been revealed? How do you Still hold the ears of your flock How do they take you seriously From your mouth Comes words of evil Words of hate and lies, lies, lies And you say That you speak for God? And still pray in Jesus's name? Hypocrites Evil ones Quit gnashing your teeth Bite your tongues You've led Too many astray Keep God's name Out of your mouth Do you not see You've not aligned yourself With our savior Executed on the cross You've aligned yourself With Caesar Become the pharisees That sought Jesus death You are far from where Jesus is When you sit up in your mansions Using your power and influence To spread hate and fear From your pulpits How long until people see You only give false prophecy Quit gnashing your teeth Bite your tongues You are not the way, the truth Or the light Your priorities are grossly misaligned You have your followers Idolizing Power and wealth You've filled them with lies. Quit gnashing your teeth Bite your tongue
13.
Fear Monger 02:52
Join the cult of personality You only have to stop thinking for yourself. Elimination of the enemy Is the only cure To your sleepless anxiety. You already have these feelings inside you. And what I want is for my words to steep in your brain. Once I've got you hooked and hollowed. I'll feed your terror Till it's all that you know. You'll hear it from pulpit. You'll hear it from the television You'll see it every where you scroll I want you scared so you're Easily controlled. I'll be your blinders through the storm. I want your focus on the enemy. Ignore my own corruption, Allow me to pull your strings. You'll seek me out And I'll confirm your suspicions. They're out to get you They want to destroy the nation. I know just what to say, To increase your heart rate, I'll teach you how to behave, I'll keep you enraged. You know you love it. I've got what you want to hear. I give you purpose And everything to fear. I don't want blood on my hands. But yours look willing and able. I'll keep you in your place, I'll keep your mind unstable. Fear Monger. Open your ears to me
14.
Your cries for modesty Your lack of self control And you never take Responsibility For your thoughts and actions You objectify And dehumanize To convince yourself That you can take what you want And it's never your fault You're just a victim Of temptation You should gouge out your eyes Gouge out your eyes Alpha male complex Think that you're hot shit? Think all the women want you They just don't know it. You got a problem with women not knowing their place You got a problem keeping your hands to yourself I've got a problem with your worldview I think I know what you should do You should gouge out your eyes Gouge out your eyes Cut off your hands If they cause you to sin ***Insert Ginger's lyrics when I get them***
15.
Another headline Another senseless loss of life Another outpouring Of thoughts and prayers Of hollow sympathy. As long as we've been praying People have been killing each other This is either the answers to our prayers, Or Gods asking more of us And I don't think he's abandoned us, I just don't think we've been listening. I think it's time we started listening Cause I am just so tired of the normalcy Of every tragedy I see on tv I am just so tired of the apathy Of feeling like i can't do anything In a culture of self centeredness A call for societal reflection Gets dismissed over personal interests. And the freedom of the privileged. Who will just pray it all away. I believe in God that's constantly pulling me Tirelessly pulling all of us. In the direction of his good will, But we're all marching in lock step To the tunes sung by our leaders To children crying out for their mothers To the cadence of the gunfire Heard across the nation and the voices telling us There's nothing to be done Yeah i am just so tired- Lord your will be done On earth as in heaven Those words lose all their meaning If we don't see them as an invitation. Those words mean everything to me What do they say to you? Have we grown too complacent? Is the kingdom of God not Worth striving for? Are we to just allow creation To undo itself? Why do we pray at all? You're thoughts and prayers Don't mean a thing. When there's no action To be seen When your only true concern Is that normal doesn't hit close to home Well I'm so--

about

The Valley of the Shadow explores the concept of America as the valley (Psalm 23:4). It is critical of American politics, capitalism and the Christian church.

The band camp extended cut includes 5 extra songs that are not on the wide release.

All proceeds from this album will go to benefit Hope House out of Taylorsville NC.

www.facebook.com/houseshowsforhope

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released November 18, 2022

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Brimstøne Huntersville, North Carolina

Christian leftist hardcore/ metal/ punk solo project or of North Carolina

Mark 12: 28-31
Micah 6: 8

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