Text written by WikiBrother Gabriel Brandino , from @moshinhell
Thrash metal isn't just about heavy music , and we'll prove that with the ballad "Return to Serenity" by the American band Testament .
In my opinion, this song has one of the most beautiful melodies in metal, and it talks about the importance of freeing ourselves a little from our mental utopia and returning to serenity.
Testament is a band with many reflective and quite profound lyrics, and this is one of the best examples.
"I'm going to take you
to a place far away from here.
No one will see us.
Pay attention to how the pain disappears."
The place the character wants to take this other person to is not a physical location, but rather a state of mind.
It could be through thoughts, meditation, or even the use of some hallucinogen; this is not clear.
"No time for anger,
no time for despair.
Please let me take you.
I'm already there."
He has already reached this place, which is the feeling of peace of mind and perhaps, according to what the clip suggests, he has regained the serenity of a child.
In the video, you can see some toys, like a spinning top and a toy airplane.
"I am so alone.
My head is my home.
I will return to serenity."
He then returns to serenity, which may be the highest level of satisfaction in life, because according to the French philosopher Luc Ferry , happiness does not exist, only serenity.
"Now that I've taken you
to a place far from here,
I really must go back.
Close your eyes and we'll disappear."
He eventually manages to take the person to this place, or he may also be talking to himself; it's up to your interpretation.
And it's a place he must return to, always closing his eyes, so I believe it might be some kind of meditation.
There is a practice in Native American shamanic culture that leads people through a guided meditation involving a state of light trance.
There, you create a virtual world within your subconscious, with the goal of escaping all the normal stresses one deals with, in order to be able to think more clearly and find peace of mind, or that "serenity."
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