Virtualman Fear Itself Virtual review... 10 out of 0 to 10 04/04/09 A wild conglomeration of overwhelming media pours forth, then fades to leave a snythetic melody. Fear Itself, the one thing that stops us from making a crucial move, the one thing we run away from, fear of ourselves and what we might be capable of, fear of the unknown capacity, fear of the world and all its darkness. That darkness epitomising fear itself. We put it into a variety of forms, of which I could wax lyrical, devils and demons, maybe even in its right, awe-inpiring place, God. The fear of being good, the fear of doing right, the fear of doing without, the fear of being with. The fear of fear itself. Fear of doing good, fear of doing bad, fear of what we've got and things we've never had. Even the endeavour to comprehend the Grand Design inculcates fear, the world is full of it. So, what is the Grand Design. It sounds almost purgatorial, like a vision of hell and all its anguish, torture and obscenity. We are a part of something we cannot understand, something much larger than all our lifetimes put together. Something we might not realise until we get there, by which time it will be too late. Having said that, some ontologists amongst us feel that they know what this design is and what part they play in it. That can be miniscule and humble, that can be grandiose and egotistical. Either way, a grand encapsulation of an even grander concept. All seven minutes and twenty four seconds, just a small cog, referring to the whole set of which it is not only a part, but an element of a whole larger than the sum of its parts. That's pretty grand indeed and deserving of musical creativity. I like the progression of the track, like a realisation dawning on you that you will never get to the bottom of it. A glimmering of synthetic activity, and equal portions of silence. Then the voices start to emerge from the mists of understanding and comprehension. The logic of fighting with fighting. Terrorism to counter terrorism. Threats to bargain with the threatening. Moving to another planet and believing our delving into outer space will reveal a utopian planet where all is heavenly. Moving to another perception and believing our delving into inner space will reveal a peace unto ourselves where all is serence and peaceful. Let us turn it around and think of something else, to avoid the real issues. Look you've got no job and no money, keep yourself busy worrying about where your next fix of drugs or alcohol is coming from, rather than the needless deaths of innocent people and oppression of the masses with the crunch of credit. Zero inflation equals zero credibility. Zero plus zero is zero. Get the picture? Even if you reverse it, it amounts to the same. Who knows what logic is anyway. Like I said above, we know we are in deep and yearn for escapism. A New Life. Some persuasive technique that convinces us that the grass will be greener on the other side, the distraction that there is an alternative. But the point is that it isn't. There is no end to it, it all just depends on how you spend your time getting there. Will it just be another subjective objectivity of the realisation of the real. Reverse that logic and it still amounts to nothing. A placid, poignant track, that puts hope in its real conjunction of time and space, and where you are is the place. The only one that really matters, and what do we find but fear itself, looking us right in the eye, through the mirrors of our soul. Unbearable is it not, but that's all we've got. A brave new life. Home. Is it a place or a state of mind? Some say that it is where the heart is, but if we are so filled with fear, what kind of home is that. One made of mud and bricks, one made of rubble. A place, a space, a disgrace. Misplaced ontology again, figures that what you believe in is what is real and therefo