Forward To Eden - War Still Rages... (A Retrospective in four Parts)

 BBMA142 - the first of four interrelated EPs by the prolific, militant vegan straight edge metalcore project Forward To Eden was released on November 3rd. On this record the solo project by Tim Rule (Castigator, The Rule, etc.) delivers their very own, unique version of the xvx classic "Still Believe in What Has Fallen Apart" by scene legends xMAROONx on one side and a new, exclusive track
in the renowned FTE Style, which is 90's Metalcore in the vein of bands like Caliban, Morning Again
or Poison The Well, on the other side.
Exclusive Video Stream + In-Depth Info via IDIOTEQ.com

You know how in every black metal artists life, there comes the point where they have to release an acoustic/neo-folk album? Not gonna happen with FTE, haha - I did record this one single though. 

I always loved recording cover songs, but there is always the danger of it getting boring if it's too close
to the original or just "worse"... so I decided to record some cover songs with "a twist". For this first one, it is in fact an acoustic/neo-folk version of a well known classic. I recorded more music, had more cover ideas and so this project soon became bigger. I also had some original tunes waiting to be born, so I came up with the concept of 4 interrelated EPs. Each with a cover (or two) on one side and a new, original song (or two) on the other side. Each with a new, fitting artwork as well and lots of background info - and to make it even more weird, released on custom 8" vinyl.

Still Believe in What Has Fallen Apart

Originally written by xMAROONx and released in 2002 on their legendary debut album Antagonist
(on Catalyst Records). Recorded completely DIY by Tim Rule during the first half of 2023.
Mixed and mastered at Slaughter Industries by Bernardo Rebelo.

As a vital part of the 2nd wave of metalcore in the late 90s/early 00s and on the forefront of vegan edge metal, Maroon started in '98/'99. Touring europe with merely a demo and an ep, they opened the stage for bands like Earth Crisis and Morning Again. After the release of a split EP with Absidia and a split Album with Self Conquest, they went to record said debut full-length, which is still an all-time classic. Unfortunately their sound gradually changed after this release and they began to sound a lot more modern... after a label-change - first to Alveran Records, then Century Media - and 4 more LPs,
they split up in 2011 (with a final goodbye tour in 2014).

The idea to make my own version of this song, but in a singer/songwriter acoustic campfire singalong style, was born in the spirit of trying to record a true vegan straight edge hymn - something xMAROONx have accomplished more than once. So i revisited records of my youth. Records that shaped and influenced me and therefore stand for what forward to eden has become. As a full acoustic track without any drums this may not be exemplarily for what FTE sounds like, but the lyrics are definitely on point! ...also i could never have done it any better than the original, so giving it a very special makeover was basically the only option here, haha

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War Still Rages...
Written and recorded completely DIY by Tim Rule during the first half of 2023.
Mixed and Mastered at Slaughter Industries by Bernardo Rebelo.

Manifest:
This revolution is to be founded upon the principles of maintaining and fighting for the equality of all innocent life along with it’s unhindered and autonomous continuation. This Movement is built upon the Unity of individuals from all walks of life who share a similar Ethic. While we have undoubtedly seen the fruits of our labor within our life, the end goal of this revolution lies down a road long and treacherous; one that has been treaded by many a sojourner before us and will be progressed by many after we have left. Our final victory may come too late for us to fully see and appreciate. As well, it may not help all who suffer today, in the present. Accordingly, though we should be prepared and continue to lay the foundation for a society based upon acceptance of the Divine rule of the natural Order. To make way for this, we must ourselves be free before we can bring true and lasting freedom to others. Maintaining the level of purity necessary to feel a true sense of self-liberation. Our primary goals should lie in educating potential allies, honing our bodies, minds and spirits to a razor’s edge - preparing for the battle that this modern Babylonian state has brought to the Earth and her inhabitants - thus producing a climate where true and lasting victory can be achieved and maintained. We will never have the numbers or resources to face the New World Order head on, so the time is now that we must disappear from their sight, ceasing to offer any outward alliances, to all but those who have proven their unwaivering Faith and devotion to what is right. We are invisible and omnipresent; existing out of the context of time, unhindered by the constraints of life, death, undeterred by oppressive political regimes and the like. While we introduce new and devout adherents to the new ethic, we simultaneously will raise our children in the ways of righteousness. Self-preservation and empowerment need not merely be our strivings. For we exist in the spirit of Truth, our ideological beliefs stem forth directly from the primordial law; the natural order. The Force with which we expel those who pillage and exploit all that is pure - for the sake of their imagined personal gain - is the same which emanates forth from us all. For this battle rages on until every last captive is freed, every soul liberated and every profiteer of suffering brought to justice. While preparing ourselves for the Inevitable and ongoing battle against the forces which have conspired to subjugate the Earth and its inhabitants to their exploitative will, we must ensure that we face these emissaries of suffering as prepared as conceivably possible. The WAY cannot change, yet, It is influx. It is eternal, timeless, yet only observable within the constraints of time. It has no name, yet every word, sound and potential reflects a glimpse of It. It is within all things however limited and segmented, yet at the same time It can never be fully realized within or by anything that limits It. For similarly, even though our Movement hold no singular name, and the banners beneath which our predecessors marched are no longer waved, our mission has not failed and our way, the WAY, has not changed. The Truth rarely lies alone in the letter of the law, rather Its essence is held in the Spirit of the same. The Truth is not contained simply in our outward message, rather it is held within the spirit of Truth that we carry on. With great certainty it can be said that in these latter days we will face many hardships and struggles. Thus, now is the time to purify ourselves and strengthen our bonds to one another. That in so doing we will emerge from the flames of chaos and rise from the ashes of this falling "civilization" like a renewed Pheonix.

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BBMA143 - the second of four interrelated EPs by the prolific, militant vegan straight edge metalcore project Forward To Eden was released on January 5th. This time multi-instrumentalist Tim Rule (Castigator, The Rule, etc.) takes us back down memory lane to his own beginnings with re-imagined versions of songs from his previous projects. "Will I Ever Understand" was originally written by Approaching Rage in 2006/07 and "Almost Hollow" was originally written by blueskiesburning (project name) in 2015. For further info check this recent in-depth interview with Tim:

https://hardcorepunk.wiki/qa-with-tim-ruhl/
"Pilgrimage of the Soul", while being a new FTE original, was also already written in early 2021
for another project, which though never came to life.

Will I Ever Understand
Originally written by Approaching Rage in 2006/07.
Recorded completely DIY by Tim Rule during the first half of 2023.
Mixed and Mastered at Slaughter Industries by Bernardo Rebelo.

Approaching Rage was my first real band from 2006 - 2010/11. Just some friends playing Metalcore.
We recorded some live demos and played a handfull shows, but that's it. Most of it has long since fallen into oblivion. I always regrettet not having recorded at least an actual EP. Our guitarist and mastermind behind the band, Andy, was really a virtuoso despite his young age. The last thing I remember about him is that he travelled to spain to learn actual fucking flamenco guitar from some grand master! Unfortunately I'm barely in touch with the others either, but I certainly haven't learned any instrument professionally, nor did I take a single singing lesson since! So, yeah, me doing this solo might not be the best idea, but here you go - I tried to do it as original to the source as possible... except for the lyrics. I HAD to change at least some of them. 14 year old me was TERRIBLE at writing english lyrics, haha The lyrics are to be seen from the eyes of a cattle. Originally they were personal (14 yo me just had a first heartache and was listening too much The Used, From First To Last and Silverstein), I didn't touch the refrain though. Just altered the verses a bit to make it fit. You might actually be able to find a live version from back then on youtube...

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Almost Hollow
Originally written by blueskiesburning (project name) in 2015
Recorded completely DIY by Tim Rule during the first half of 2023.
Mixed and Mastered at Slaughter Industries by Bernardo Rebelo.

blueskiesburning (project name) was another short-lived project of mine. Lots of things we were at odds with, not just the band name. I wanted to play Poison the Well, the Drummer boysetsfire and the Guitarist Architects. eventually I moved to Hamburg in 2016 and left the band completely.
We never did any actual recordings besides some rehersal room demos and also never played outside of said room... However, I also tried to re-record this as original to the source as possible (including the vocal style) and I really would like to see where this project would've went. Lyrics are quite personal. I started this project right after a break-up, which left me in a bad place emotionally for a while. You might still be able to find the bsb version (with a cheesy anime video) on youtube...

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Pilgrimage of the Soul
Originally written and recorded in early 2021 for an unnamed project, which never came to life.
Re-recorded and slightly altered completely DIY by Tim Rule during the first half of 2023.
Mixed and Mastered at Slaughter Industries by Bernardo Rebelo.

Manifest:
The War outside manifests from the War within. The Eternal Jihad. The struggle for a return to a more harmonious state of existence is the most daunting and difficult battle ever waged by human beings,
for it is waged across numerous planes of existence - psychological, physical and spiritual. As the mental facilities justify an essentially warped spiritual perspective, the physical element manifests and maintains the material consequences that result. To truly overcome this system of inequality, violence and exploitation, all elements of life must coalesce in revolt, spiritual equality manifesting in physical reality. In these latter days we stand before the gates of the so-called "New Paradigm" - the Superior Eden - of the very Era of the Final Truth. Those who seek to directly actuate the coming of this final Era must thus transcend the limitations of the paths that have refined the human acknowledgement of the Divine Truth, and yet completely include all of them.

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Interlude
(continuation of the Manifest)
This global empire has waged war upon those who serve the higher power through ideology and action and now is the time for us to declare Jihad against that same system of Dajjal. This is not Jihad in the sense of random and indiscriminant acts of violence against the innocent, that Babylon would have you see it as. Rather it is waging the Greatest Jihad of Truth, Justice, Wisdom and Faith, against the lies perpetuated by the minions of the Adversary, the Imposter who keep our Brothers and Sisters shackled within the chains of ignorance. In this battle there can be no compromise with the Anti-Christ system which we fight; the prostitute of the world, MYSTERY BABYLON THE GREAT.
Those who stand to profit from the continuation of the status quo will not relent, nor will they forfeit their power and control. As the very foundation of that deviant culture is unstable, token change cannot repair our alienation or stave off damages that have been and will continue to be wrought against this once pristine Eden. We must rise above our fears and build anew. This is the goal of this Movement, of those who follow the Straight Path. To re-establish our connection with the Divine and awaken mankind from the illusory dream of "self," of "me" and "you;" in order to foster liberation for all that have been shackled, exploited and destroyed by the modern way of life. Our goal is peaceful co-existence with that which sustains us, harmoniously living with, rather than against, the Primordial Law. An end to the violent oppression of others for human benefit. To re-establish a way of life, THE Way of Life; stressing harmony, love, respect and community to the fullest, most dynamic extent.

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BBMA144 - the third of four interrelated EPs by the prolific, militant vegan straight edge metalcore project Forward To Eden. Featuring 2 covers from lesser known representatives of the early 90s Hardline scene - Silent Vote, which was written by HEALING (a polish band with members that later went on to form Pain Runs Deep) and Moloch by the infamous Ecorage (Germany). The third track, Final Declaration, is an FTE original and continues the new Manifest.

Silent Vote

originally written by HEALING in 1995.

recorded completely diy by tim rule during the first half of 2023. 

mixed and mastered at slaughter industries by bernardo rebelo.

Healing was a short-lived hardline xvx band from poland with a militant (pro-life) message.

While Healing was their first actual band, the members went on to play in many scene-famous groups and some of them still are! Adam Malik, their singer and founder of The Essence Records, which I am a huge fan of, also did Life Defense Communications from '95 - '98. It's last Release was the Pain Runs Deep Demo Tape, which is still one of my favorite xvx 90s Metalcore records and shares 3/4 members of Healing. While their bass player continued to play in Counterweight, later Sunrise and more recently Iron to Gold, their drummer went on to play in Deathmatch, Cries Of The Tormented and then also Iron to Gold; until in 2014 he teamed up with Adam Malik again to form the (short-lived) super group Insider. Adam later also sang in Afraid Of That Day and Inherit. Anyways, back to Healing. While definitely having that "first-demo" character (and also sound-quality), I for one think that it has some really catchy tunes as well and I always wondered what it would sound like with a more modern production... well, here we are.

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Moloch

originally written by Ecorage in 1995

recorded completely diy by tim rule during the first half of 2023. 

mixed and mastered at slaughter industries by bernardo rebelo.

Ecorage was an infamous, yet short-lifed and obscure vegan edge metal band from my home-area in Germany. They only released one demo tape, played a handfull of shows (of which one is available on youtube) and then broke up, before they were able to record and release the already announced debut 10" on Alveran Records. While I always really liked these songs and the message they convey, I don't really know anything about the band/the members. There is an Interview up diyconspiracy.net - thats pretty much the only thing you can find about them online. Here is my take on one of their immortal tunes...

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Final Declaration

written and recorded completely diy by tim rule during the first half of 2023. 

mixed and mastered at slaughter industries by bernardo rebelo.

Manifest:

A movement, born from Babylon, nursed on her bitter milk, raised on her hatred, malice, and cold-hearted cruelty - we lashed out with a rage that only living in a world of utter hatred can produce.

There have been many conceptions of this movement and its goals and while many have failed, we journeyed the Middle Way, walked the Straight Path and Ascended that same Central Column across the Abyss. We now stand upon dry land, only seeking to guide others safely across – forward to the Eden that will be - and to work upon sustaining a more efficient revolutionary vessel. Thus, it is not of our concern whether we receive approval or not from the masses - beyond the obvious acknowledgment that all of our solidarity will lend itself to the furtherance of tangible revolution and the global salvation. We sought to bring about an Order that could be - one that still can and will be. A world free of oppression, slavery and murder; one where ALL life is viewed as sacred and Divine Justice rules supreme. Those within our ranks are the revolutionary Vanguard of this Holy War. We are on the frontlines of the Jihad against Dajjal. Not just a "Holy War" as the West commonly assumes this word to mean -  but rather, a sacred striving to purify ourselves and the world around us from all corruption and sin. This final declaration represents not the last, but the first, step in the actualization of this vision. All of the Law has been revealed - all of the arguments have been made. There is truthfully nothing new under the Sun. This is the last real hope for this dying world - for a species plagued with pathology and inconsistency of living. While this hope may work and manifest through the means of external compromise and infiltration of other more forefront groups, such groups, in and of themselves, will ultimately effect very little lasting change. Underlying it all, there must be the fundamental recognition that was, is and will remain cornerstone to this movement. All who have ever been involved with it have at one time accepted and lived this Truth; an Absolute and unchanging Truth that we embody and which will never die. The message of militancy lives on in the hearts and minds of activists everywhere - whether Hardline, Vegan Straight Edge or just vegan. One only has to look at the Animal Liberation movement today, as well as the underground music scene, to see the impact we had - and continue to have - on both. What was once considered fanatical and extremist in both circles is now common place due to the efforts and actions which Hardline and a whole new generation of revolutionaries have made. We have not come to argue which path is the most effective. Nor to condemn anyone who strives for justice. The world is under siege. It's time we face it head on. There may never be a utopian system. But each time someone strikes down the oppressor and lashes out for justice, a battle is won. Every animal that is liberated. Every acre of rainforest saved. Every bomb that blasts apart a factory of torture and murder. Every bullet that strikes down those devils, proves there is our Jihad.

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BBMA154 -  the fourth of four interrelated EPs by the prolific, militant vegan straight edge metalcore project Forward To Eden. A Cover from one of the most underrated/unknown 90's metalcore demos: "Never Again" (pre-Caliban), and a new FTE original, which completes the new manifest -
more info in the booklet.

https://boundxbyxmodernxage.bandcamp.com/album/iv-iv

Lie

originally written by Never Again in 1997.

recorded completely diy by tim rule during the first half of 2023. 

mixed and mastered at slaughter industries by bernardo rebelo.

Never Again formed in 1997 and quickly recorded a demo and played a bunch of shows in the Ruhr-Area. Just a year later they recorded a propper EP, signed to Lifeforce and re-named to Caliban. These Never Again songs though fell into oblivion and never were available digitally. Caliban was the first band I got obsessed with back then in the early 00's. It was the first metalcore band I ever heard and the first concert I went to at the age of 13. A couple years later, when I really got into collecting music and found out about this pre-Caliban demo, it became kind of my white whale. It took me a decade of research until finally in 2017 suddenly one of these tapes popped up online in some private distro from the US. You can find some additional info, as well as a download of a self-ripped version right here. However, I still think that this is a really great demo and nicely shows the spirit, but also the progression of the band. Here is my tribute to one of these timeless pieces...

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Another Day in Babylon

written and recorded completely diy by tim rule during the first half of 2023. 

mixed and mastered at slaughter industries by bernardo rebelo.

Another day in Babylon – waiting for salvation from oppression, poverty and exploitation.
Some praying to a white, bearded mystery God up in the sky, believing the lies of false prophets and preachers who argue that there’s redemption in suffering and death. Others, tricked by the illusion of Dajjal, having been sold defeat, moral decay and slavery as victory, advancement, and freedom – bow to the modern Idols of Politicians and Celebritys, believing the ballot box to be the new messiah. Another day, like every day that’s gone before. And still there’s no hope to be seen. The gears of their heartless machine continue to grind forward, as their wheels of destruction trample all life asunder.
And still we wait. Every day, victims of their tyranny. Living and dying under their blasphemy. 500 years in this land they’ve reigned. And even longer in the lands from where they came. Oh, how their wickedness has spread like the plague. So much death. So many graves. And even after all these years, the wounds still cut deep. From their unholy crusades, to this country’s so called "discovery."
Blood stains every page of their history. 500 nations wiped away. Victims of genocidal, racist policy. Torture, murder, rape. The cold routine of everyday. Meanwhile the earth – and all life upon it – takes the brunt of humanity’s trials and tribulations. Species are hunted to extinction. Forests clear cut. Oceans polluted. And every day, the butcher wields his knife, taking more and more life, as man devours all creation from off the earth. And through it all, still we wait. Praying for the intervention
of the divine, but doing nothing to change our lives.
Still believing in a Heaven up in the sky. Sealing our hearts to whats right in front of our eyes.
And just like those that came before – we’ll go to our graves, leaving our children to suffer the same.
For too many lives have passed away, thinking of being saved. It is in our hands to decide our fate.
To abandon paradise for this hell we made ourselves - to be free or to die as slaves.
So then Jihad we must wage, of self-purification, spiritual progression and edification.
Let us educate ourselves and liberate our minds. Free our hearts from evil and corruption we fight against. Then let us use the sword of Jihad to slash the veils from before our eyes and cut the wickedness – wake up and live! Have the strength – strike down this system of Dajjal

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Physical copies are available from: https://bbmarecords.com/shop/