Acquired Taste

Really struggling to piece together the meaning of this song ... I do think this is one of their best vocals on a track. Very powerful, clear and strong voice.

My line of thought is going down the line of someone confused / lost in this world, not sure of themselves, who they are, who they should be, what live is all about etc. It is about finding yourself in the end.

Or it could be about finding / losing God?

Could this be a subtle recognition to Gentle Giant? (A 70's prog rock group that released an album called 'Acquiring the Taste')

I know Haken are fans of Gentle Giant, and Haken and Leprous have shared the stage. So 6 degrees??

Not a native English speaker but the lyrics to me shows Leprous' struggles in their process of producing progressive music and surviving in the music industry.

Progressive rock/metal has been described to be an art of acquired taste. There are many reasons general public find this kind of music hard to digest: complex rhythm, unconventional song structure, and unique instrumental/vocal tones just to name a few.

As a songwriter of this genre of music, I can really relate to some of the lyrics myself. The first few lines:

"Dive deep into the Subconscious layers Be careful not to sink

Stay out, be free Don't enter this abyss That's where I go to think"

Songwriters of this genre think differently from those who write Top 40 pop songs. There are so many audio "layers" to consider. It can be overwhelming and songwriters need to be careful "not to sink". It can also take a long time to sculpt the rough idea of a song into a final product. At the same time, songwriters cannot have total control of the creative process. It is the nature of the creative process.

Then, it comes to the most beautiful thing about this song in my opinion. The lyricist (Tor as I remember) correlates their struggles surviving the music industry to the genre itself. Basically, the rest of the lyrics are describing several facets of their struggles.

"Enjoy the restrictions Be glad you can feel the sting Silent compassion Won't lead to anything

Out of the dark Nowhere to start Tainted words Pieces apart Acquired taste

In control of it all What were you thinking? As if you can put an end to this"

1. The intrinsic core value of progressive music is to take music to a new level, to make progress. It takes time for people to accept new things and even longer for a large audience to consume them. I guess that labels or investors can set "restrictions" on what kind of music they make in order to profit. It's a nightmare for innovative ideas of course. As fans, other musicians, or people surrounding them, our "compassion" won't lead to anything really helpful to them. It's our journey as working musicians and our duties to piece the puzzles of music business together. We always have to find the balance between creativity and sales.

"Rest now, tomorrow You can make it all OK Prepare a day you will not miss"

2. Sometimes we just have to go with it. Take a break and call it a day and keep practicing. At least, these are what we can control as musicians.

"Bring forth your gift Made from pure belief Be sure no one finds out Be sure no one finds out why"

3. We may encounter some awkward situations. We play music based on our progressive tastes. We know we have to keep playing because that's what we love to do. But at the same time, we think if we go mainstream, our uniqueness is ruined.

"Stay in the cold You will see Someone else will leave your mark

To be sold So you're free You'll be drawn out of the dark"

4. Accepting the harsh truth, there are two ways we can go in the music business. One way is to stay underground (stay in the cold). Then, someone else will make it. The other way is to lean toward the market. Then, we might be financially free but simultaneously we are away from the dark abyss of beautiful creativity.

Bilateral is an excellent album. It spans a huge spectrum of music. To me, it seems Leprous was searching the sounds they wanted to concentrate on. It settled on Coal and solidified on The Congregation. Acquired Taste gives us some hint on what they were trying to achieve.