8.1.2014 THE WORLD'S ON FIRE

shattered vision by orsenio orteza, world magazine, 8.9.2014, p34

'the world's on fire' recounts a patriot losing his ideals.

concept albums are a blessing and a curse.
they give thinking songwriters room to develop ideas,
but they also often expose how shallow and confused those ideas tend to be.

'the world's on fire', the latest album by the vermont band Over Orange Heights,
is an exception.
composed by the group's leader,
the 41 year old lawyer and former marine intelligence officer, adrian otterman,
it addresses a growing sense on the Right that the 'war on terror'
may have morphed into a War on Freedom.

'due to concerns regarding government reprisals,
reads the mock disclaimer on the back cover,
'including politically motivated IRS audits,
ongoing active internet/social media monitoring,
indefinite detention without due process
and/or assassination  by the FBI or CIA
pursuant to the USA Patriot act and the national Defence Authorization Acts of 2013,
those involved in the recording of this album hereby publicly state
that the views contained herein are not necessarily their views'.

'i was always proud of my nation, says otterman,
but perhaps simplistic in my views of good versus evil'.

the World's On Fire reflects otterman's de-simplification.
'the realization that one's closely held beliefs may be wrong
or that one's understanding of the world has been manipulated
is painful, he admits.
'this album is the art that followed that pain.

united by otterman's yearning lead vocals
and lyrics that challenge military-industrial complexities,
the 11 songs flow together with an ominous folk-rock, progressive-rock calm.
given otterman's background and christian faith,
the questioning -  rhetorical and otherwise
-feels sharper than it might coming from a leftist or anyone else
whose default setting is 'might makes wrong'.

'a nation without a foe can't be saved,  he sings sarcastically in 'false flag',
concluding that 'it's just history repeated. ...

lest anyone miss the point, "the world's on fire reprise' finds otterman reciting the following:
'we have been conditioned
through the use of entertainment, war, pharmaceutical products and advertising
to believe that we are 'free' when in fact, we are all slaves of the rising marxist oligarchy.
the watered down notion of freedom to which we cling
is actually tyranny in disguise....

'people instinctively know that they cannot trust
their media, their universities, their scientists or even their government, otterman says,
but they can't quite find the words to express their frustration.
i hope that this album gives them some words.

note: the growing loss of freedom always tracks with the growing loss of
Jesus, the living Word of God, and the bible, the written word of God.
we find the ongoing dismantling and destruction of america by looking within not without.
as the old negro spiritual illustrates:
IT'S ME, IT'S ME,  IT'S ME Oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer,
not my brother or my sister but it's me Oh Lord standing in the need of prayer.