From a musical point of view, ‘Beyond Good and Evil’ is everything but minimalistic, characterized by rich
electronic arrangements and multiple textures of melodies and orchestrations. The retro-futuristic style
recalls many ‘80s pop icons, such as Ultravox, Depeche Mode, Simple Minds or Gary Numan, without
lacking more modern rock and industrial influences.
It was not born as a concept album, and probably it’s not such even if we look at the end result. However,
at some point in the working phase, we noticed the existence of a ‘leitmotif’, born spontaneously and
almost unconsciously; an underlying thread behind the scaffolding of the entire album, but at the same
time, organic to the latter.
It’s the concept of hypocrisy, effectively symbolized by the ‘veil’ (a metaphor borrowed from the
philosophy of Schopenhauer and, before him, from the eastern culture); something that is between the
observer and the real essence of things.
This is the intrinsic concept of BGaE; a trace of it can be spotted in each song, always from a different point
of view. The veil can be a metaphor for many forms of hypocrisy: the perversion of social patterns, the lack
of transparency and sincerity in relations between lovers or friends, the want of communication and
isolation barrier behind which some of us take shelter to protect ourselves from cruelty and the irrational
chaos of this world, the sterile materialism of a substantial part of our society, etc..
This is evident from the first song ‘The Veil of Maya’, which can be considered the manifesto of the entire
work; in it, it’s also obsessively present the exhortation which is the other thread of the album; It’s not
limited to single out the existential problems but it also offers a possible solution: the gash of the veil, the
abandonment of any illusory condition of human life; a difficult but essential process, desirable - mind you -no matter what you encounter on the other side of the wall (it is here that takes way the quote from
Nietzsche that gives the title track, although completely changed to the original direction), whether is
‘Good’ or ‘Bad’.
We must accept the truth of our existence for what it is; if necessary, fight to change it. However, too often
humans mutilate themselves in a voluntary state of minority, afraid to face reality. Changes are possible,
anyhow, if each one realizes this simple thing.
‘Beyond Good and Evil’ is essentially this: a humanist work, which criticizes the human race for human
race’s sake. The great hope hidden behind the veil of pessimism.