Dawn Ray’d is a UK anarchist black metal band that draws from the folk traditions of rebel music. On their latest album “To Know The Light,” the trio conveys a rousing anti-fascist message that balances the bleakness that black metal is known for with a sense of optimism.

The band released a video for one of the album’s tracks called “Go As Free Companions”. According to vocalist and violinist Simon Barr, the song is an “exploration of anarcho-nihilism, and ‘Go As Free Companions’ is our conclusion.”

“We have chosen not to despair in the face of overwhelming odds, but to live while time allows it. If the future is canceled, if the present is all we have, then each minute must be revolutionary; every moment counts, so live these ideas in every moment.”

“It is easy to know what we are against, but we must not forget what we are for,” Barr added. “Whilst there is joy, love, empathy, kindness, people in need of your help; we cannot give up. You may sometimes feel like it, but you are not alone and you are not powerless, there are huge numbers of us, let’s find each other! Though acrid black clouds race across the horizon we must not forget: today, the sun still shines.”

The song’s potent message is summed up in the lyrics:

If you make food for those without,
And if you pour sugar in to their machines,
If you help those stolen by jail
Or fight for your neighbours basic needs,
You the still unafraid to love
demand for the end of demands!
The sun still shines,
And it would be a waste
To not only lose tomorrow
But also lose today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM9XjdDIV3s