COMBICHRIST – The Evil In Me (2014)

“The Evil in Me” is a Jungian theme. The song is a harsh critique of angelism, namely the tendency to consider oneself “pure” as an angel, thus incapable of doing any evil whatsoever. The “pure ones” are always those who do the greater evil (in the name of pretexts such as “Good”, “God”, “the nation” and whatnot).

“The Evil In Me” is a meditation on the inherent potential evil of any human being, for the fact of being human, and an invitation to shadow working. Jung’s “shadow work” focuses on integrating the unconscious aspects of the self—what he termed the “shadow.” The shadow consists of traits, impulses, and desires we repress or deny because they conflict with our conscious self-image or societal expectations. These can include anger, selfishness, envy, or even creative potential and strength. Combichrist’s lyrics function as a stark reminder that denying one’s darker impulses or capacity for wrongdoing is both unrealistic and dangerous. By acknowledging the “evil” within, the song highlights the importance of self-awareness and embracing the full spectrum of human nature.

Since for you there is no ultimate criterion nor irrevocable principle, and no god, what keeps you from committing any and every crime? “I find in myself as much evil as in anyone, but detesting action—mother of all the vices—1 am the cause of no one’s suffering. Harmless, without greed, and without enough energy or indecency to affront others, I leave the world as I found it. To take revenge presupposes a constant vigilance and a systematic mind, a costly continuity, whereas the indifference of forgiveness and contempt renders the hours pleasantly empty. All ethics represent a danger for goodness; only negligence rescues it. Having chosen the phlegm of the imbecile and the apathy of the angel, I have excluded myself from actions and, since goodness is incompatible with life, I have decomposed myself in order to be good.”

Emil Cioran, “Theory of Goodness”

Ole Anders Olsen, known musically by his moniker Andy LaPlegua, is a Norwegian singer and musician, the founder and lead vocalist of Combichrist and Icon of Coil. He comes from the same country as neo-Nazi mass murderer Anders Behring, sentenced to (only!) 21 years in prison for killing 69 people in 2011, on the Norwegian island of Utøya. Behring thinks he is “pure” and knows nothing about shadow work.

We welcome you to the city of hate Where we’re blind

We clash in the streets You’ll hear the sound of broken bones And we say it’s alright

Nothing really matters here We’re dying by default You’re searching for serenity You’re too late cause there is nothing left In the nether world another world is rising And we’re doomed to face our faith

The evil in me is already there No use to fuel the fire Don’t guide to me to a throne There is nothing left to admire The evil in me is already there

We’re not defined By your action in this world only words

We take from those in need And stuff it down their throats it all might Seem a little crazy But we done it all before Repeat till there’s nothing left

We say that we are sorry But we’re really not We are blinded by a pile of gold With hands in blood

The evil in me is already there No use to fuel the fire Don’t guide to me to a throne There is nothing left to admire The evil in me is already there

The evil in me is already there