Without Judgement

This song is about the destructive property of human kind, judging every other individual. People rate other persons although they don't know them. They don't even want to know. ("We condemn your soul and fate, Nevermind the possibilities").

The 2nd paragraph gives the explanation: "Where complex turns to simplicity". This means, that people act that way, because it's much easier (more detail in chorus). If people would know, how destructive such judgements are for others, they would stop it. That's the only way to get rid of this "addiction".("When pain is acknowledged, Frivolous calculations will be abolished")

The Chorus is most important. Cuck says, people judge others to forget their own weakness. If we could not judge others any more, we would see all of our own flaws ("We would be forced to look at ourselves") and how this kind of life made us weak ("emerged in lost time"). It would be a neverending source of perception and wisdom, if we stopped looking at things in such a limited way ("Without judgement perception would increase a million times").

The melodic part after the chorus (no lyrics) sounds very beautfiful and harmonic. This melody describes the utopian world, where judgement does not exist. As the song is called "without judgement", this part can be called the main part.

Suddenly we're back in the old evil death metal riff. It becomes clear, that such a world does not exist. Chuck describes the addictive effect of judging others. The wonderful world within ourselves, where the hated ones are always the bad ones ("the imagination[...] where life will crush those who defy"), is so easy for us ("That experiments with ease"), that we cannot stop entering it ("If you could taste it, it might be addictive").

That's the detailed version ;)

“I’ve seen horrors… horrors that you’ve seen. But you have no right to call me a murderer. You have a right to kill me. You have a right to do that… but you have no right to judge me. It’s impossible for words to describe what is necessary to those who do not know what horror means. Horror. Horror has a face… and you must make a friend of horror. Horror and moral terror are your friends. If they are not then they are enemies to be feared. They are truly enemies. I remember when I was with Special Forces. Seems a thousand centuries ago. We went into a camp to inoculate the children. We left the camp after we had inoculated the children for Polio, and this old man came running after us and he was crying. He couldn’t see. We went back there and they had come and hacked off every inoculated arm. There they were in a pile. A pile of little arms. And I remember… I… I… I cried. I wept like some grandmother. I wanted to tear my teeth out. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. And I want to remember it. I never want to forget it. I never want to forget. And then I realized… like I was shot… like I was shot with a diamond… a diamond bullet right through my forehead. And I thought: My God… the genius of that. The genius. The will to do that. Perfect, genuine, complete, crystalline, pure. And then I realized they were stronger than we. Because they could stand that these were not monsters. These were men… trained cadres. These men who fought with their hearts, who had families, who had children, who were filled with love… but they had the strength… the strength… to do that. If I had ten divisions of those men our troubles here would be over very quickly. You have to have men who are moral… and at the same time who are able to utilize their primordial instincts to kill without feeling… without passion… without judgment… without judgment. Because it’s judgment that defeats us.” - Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando) - Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

I think this song is about people who are intolerant, always needing to judge people when they themselves are no better. It's saying that if everyone stopped judging one another, we'd see ourselves more clearly and be able to improve our own qualities.

R.I.P Chuck

Strongly agree with Matikun, even more, I could add that judgment is one of big human flaws. Without it world would be... huhu. I can now see how I judge and I am trying to correct my self. That is why I really like this song. My personal best, not just from Death but from all the songs a heard. \m/

you guys got it right on. the beginning of this song gives me chills

Everyone here is right. Its about how we should stop judging others

I think the meaning of the song is pretty obvious. Most of Death's(Chuck's) music is really straightforward in lyrical content. I almost agree with the comment made way back in '08.

The song is about the simplified version of others that we choose to perceive based on preconceived judgements based on something as simple as aesthetic or lifestyle. The thought that the only reason to judge is to distract yourself from your own faults, but acknowledging the pain that all suffer through instead of selfishly focusing on your own, and through this, achieving a degree of lucidity within your perception, instead of the flat, 2d world we choose to see.

As far as the chorus goes, I feel it's more about the sort of "madness" that would come from such an increase in willingness to give yourself to something or some one simply because they are. "Emerged in lost time" to me is more about time wasted idly passing judgement rather than using the human mind and social structure to it's full potential "Perception...".

The solo is a solo, take it as you wish.

The last verse before the pre chorus and chorus is perhaps the most intricate lyrical work in the song. Without judgement, the mind would be far more prone to imagination, fantasy, and fluid thought, "Distracted by imagination..." This is utterly impossible to attain though, as the current structure of the world is the antithesis of this pattern of thought, therefore causing it to be little more than a dream, "Where life would crush those who defy."

Judgement limits potential, but to attain a judgement free world, it would take the effort of the whole.

Look at it your way, look at it my way, just know that Chuck Schuldiner was among the first pebbles to start an avalanche in this world. An avalanche that may ultimately lead to the "For you, for me, cause we're all one in the same," mindset. For the greater good of the human race, though we're all dirty, shameful, judgmental pigs, we salute you Chuck.

There is a lot more depth to this song than what has been explained here at present.

Yes, the song illustrates how judgement can be cruel, shortsighted and flawed. People may suffer from the judgement of others. It is also about law and how it fails to recognize human suffering and motivation. Our justice system often sacrifices human well-being for less important (often financial, but also pride and other) aspects of life.

"When pain is acknowledged Frivolous calculations will be abolished"

Pain should be at the heart of decision-making. Everything else is inferior. (In other words, ethics outweigh material factors.)

Chuck however does NOT say that judgement is a bad thing per se. It is a necessary aspect of decision-making.

"Without judgement what would we do? We would be forced to look At ourselves emerged in lost time Assuming what may be without judgement Perception would increase a million times"

Without judgement, one cannot make decisions and consequently not perform actions. All one can do is passively observe life as it passes by. Time is lost and all developments one goes through are due to circumstance and fate. One can make assumptions, but never conclude about reality.

This state of reflection and inaction may go on eternally, since Chuck believes in the Eastern philosophy of karma and reincarnation. While widening your perception may essentially be a good thing, it also implies perceiving more pain. Also, in this state of non-judgement, one is "forced to look at oneself", while one may wish to change the self or even be free from it.

This is not a song against judgement. It is about how we all judge while we cannot possibly have seen the whole picture. The song explains how this often results in misery and beautifully contrasts it with non-judgement.