In this post I talk about the song Blindfold, the title track off Descent Into Madness’ 2012 EP.


What's the song about?

This song is about people who follow leaders blindly. Leaders could be nation leaders, politicians, religious leaders, or even parents.

The idea that people keep making rules and bending rules to their own self-interest, and the masses following those rules blindly, without challenging assumptions, always bugs me, much like the idea that people believe a "God-fearing man" is a good person. When a person is afraid of something or someone, does it mean the person is good? Not necessarily, I don’t think.

Some believe that everybody has a "mind's eye", but leaders gather their flock, and collectively puts on a blindfold on the group's mind's eye. But it goes down all the way to the individual, when a father forces his children to follow him by means of fear, instead of respect.

The Writing Process

The song was written rather quickly, but it took the band a while to play it live, and even more so to record it. When we started playing it live, though, it immediately became the band’s favorite live tune.

Here’s one live execution of this song:


Here’s also a video of me writing the solo. I’ve changed it a bit when I finally recorded it, but most of it came out of this version:


Musical Influences

The intro to this song is mainly the core notes of the first riff, played on a keyboard and using some weird sounds. The influence for that intro came to me from Angra’s song Winds of Destination.

There’s also one riff in Blindfold that many years after I wrote I sort of figured what could have inspired me: the intro riff on Arch Enemy’s Dead Eyes See No Future.

Other than those two things, I can’t really think of any specific musical influences that inspired the creation of this song.

Writing the Vocals

In order to come up with the vocal lines, I recorded it my own way, and then we worked on figuring out who was going to sing what. Eventually the band decided the first verse should be a tread of lines between Alex and I. I ended up not doing the chorus backing vocals in the studio version (which I used to do live).

The Lyrics

Preaching for the mass
Your attitude lies beyond comprehension
Teaching for the dumb mass
You lie, beyond comprehension

Making the rules, bending the rules
The Ivory Tower crumbles
One can only hope
For a better future without you

God-fearing man, synonymous with good man
Scared minds are easy to control

Father… inflicted fear, I'm your tyrant
Father… you are free will deprived

Blind collective mind's eye
Shielded from what's real
Led to a one-way road...
Where does it lead?

Blind collective mind's eye
Shielded from what's real
Led to a one-way road...
Where will I be?

God-fearing man, synonymous with good man
Scared minds are easy to control

Father… inflicted fear, I'm your tyrant
Father… you're free will denied

Blind collective mind's eye
Shielded from what's real
Led to a one-way road...
Where does it lead?

Blind collective mind's eye
Shielded from what's real
Led to a one-way road...
Where will I be

I, ambush, lie
Land of the free
I, ambush, lie

Blind collective mind's eye
Shielded from what's real
Led to a one-way road...
Where does it lead?

Blind collective mind's eye
Shielded from what's real
Led to a one-way road...
Where will I be?

Preaching for the mass
Your attitude lies beyond comprehension
Teaching for the dumb mass
You lie, beyond comprehension

Making the rules, bending the rules
The Ivory Tower crumbles
One can only hope
For a better future without you