Clandestine’s ‘Philistine’ Explores ‘Failure of One’s Belief System’ — Song Premiere

Noisecreep is premiering 'Philistine' from Clandestine's new album, 'The Invalid,' and it's raw, female-fronted hard rock with a brain. Vocalist June Park offered up some serious insight into the song and broke down the lyrical narrative, telling Noisecreep, "'Philistine' is about a failure of one's belief system and the emotion and attitude caused by the loss of guidance. It means the start of isolation and the birth of a nihilist. When the old faith and outlook toward the world crumbles, one's mind falls into chaos and doubt."

The song is dense with meaning, thunderous beats, somewhat progressive guitars and unusual vocals -- provided by Park herself, who sings in a breathy style before barking herself hoarse.

Listen to 'Philistine'

Park continued to elaborate about 'Philistine,' saying, "The sense of belonging holds people together so that they can have collaborative lifestyles. A group will set its value, and whoever agrees with it can join the team. As long as you act within the system, your life is supposed to be on the right track.

"However, what happens one day when you disagree with what the majority says? What if you must question the validity of your faith despite the fury of others? When many others disagree with you, the isolation follows. At that point, the estranged members of the society have nothing left to trust than their own distorted views. These people may seem confident to hold strong positions about everything, but in fact they may be just afraid of hearing what others think against their thoughts."

Furthermore, Park opened up about the song's protagonist. "In the song, the nihilist cries out for God's ignorance of his existence," she revealed. "He lost the significance in his being as nobody accepts his view. He doesn't belong anywhere on Earth and hates everything that goes on around him.

"The sarcasm for everything is his only joy while thinking of the day the world comes down. While waiting for the total destruction of everyone's belief, the life in this world is an inescapable confinement."

Park said that 'Philistine' is bassist Mark Valencia's personal favorite in the album and that it is "the heaviest and fastest song on 'The Invalid.'" Clandestine tried "to balance an intense part and a soft, contemplating part to express the dynamics within the nihilistic emotion. When performing this song, I especially enjoy the bridge section. Following the raging metal riffs and pounding rhythms, the distant echoing call is the voice of a fallen angel trapped in a world it doesn't belong. It's the most vulnerable, secret moment of the antagonist.

"Hence the name of the band, this kind of approach is what Clandestine often likes to utilize, and we would like to continue to expand this direction further to the point where it can be our signature sound. We would show you the external expression and then the internal emotion lying behind the angry face."