Deathconsciousness

by Have a Nice Life

"I am base, and I am lever; I push the Earth into the water. Whosoever lives, so shall they die; and may they die a drowning death, with all of Life inside their mouths, and naught but stones inside their lungs, like David with the skull, dwelling upon it in every second, the impossible trials of ceasing, stopping, ending..."

Have a Nice Life's album Deathconsciousness is accompanied by a 75-page booklet detailing the dark and forgotten history of the Antiochean cult. Blurring the lines between novella, liner notes, and academic text, the zine itself presents an engrossing narrative.

- This is Deathconsciousness -
and it begs the question - "What is the point?"

Genres: Music, Fiction, Philosophy, Religion, Poetry, Art, Horror

75 pages, Booklet

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book if you hate urself which i do.

[Belinera · Rating 5 out of 5]

arrowheads

[David Bjelland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every incorrect usage of "it's" here - and there are 39 of them, by the way, with zero *correct* usages - was like a papercut directly into my eyeballs, but this is the flagellating initiation rite demanded of all true Have a Nice Life acolytes, and who am I to question the ancient wisdom?

Clearly, this is an unabashed troll move on the author's part, since it's otherwise a fairly impressive pastiche of academic historical writing for being written by A Dude In A Band and not a professor or professional fiction writer. The text is at its best when it serves as a framing device for a style of poetry more literary than Dan (sorry, not gonna pretend anyone actually thinks this is an anonymous Amherst professor) allows himself on record, showing he has the rare talent to render the bleak, pseudo-academic dialect of black metal-ese in a way that's actually affecting rather than just pompous.

Ultimately though, like the similar device employed in House of Leaves (which I'm assuming the author read and was inspired by), this booklet can't help but betray that it's more in love with its own darkness and edginess than it is interested in exercising the restraint necessary to credibly impersonate its chosen genre.

Anyway, now back to listening to "Bloodhail" on repeat while looking blankly out the window at moonlight refracting through heavy rain

[Fran · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When a historian looks back, what he sees is Death. It is everywhere, the universal constant informing every act. Only the Historian is aware of how we are blind to the amount of history pushing into our backs - blind to time and our place in it. We are ignorant of history and ignorant of Death, and only the Historian sees it for what it is."

[Ross Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

its. its. its.

[Adam Goddard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arrowheads moment

[Owen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is like my bible
I don’t know what that means actually but I really like this

[malik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite everything being entirely made up, it was an interesting read. Perfectly fits the atmosphere of the record. Loved it.

(It’s so funny because if the book & cult were real, it would definitely NOT be forgotten and everybody would know about it because pretentious dark academia mfs would call it their bible and go on their knees for Shelly.)

[John H · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The only tragedy,” he said, “is life, and that is more than enough.”

Deathconsciousness is a historical fiction novella that accompanies the album of the same title by the band Have a Nice Life. For those not familiar with the album, nor band, Deathconsciousness is an album of myriad genres, mainly Post-Punk and Shoegaze. Without going on a long rant on how amazing the album is suffice to say it's one of the greatest albums of either genre, and mandatory listening for for fans of dark music. With that said I'd also say for fans of the album this novella is highly recommended.

The novella itself follows Antiochus as he begins his cult, his subsequent demise, and how his belief system evolved and persisted until modern times. The writing itself isn't anything special but the topic is something that has always caught my eye. In lieu of describing more I'll quote a section of a sermon he gives after being asked "What happens when we die?" by a young boy:

the universe is dark around us
a mass of stars and air
but as thick as the wood of the trees
and it is into it that we go
when our bodies are killed
and we are only killed
only killed
killed by time and killed by life
i promise you, i promise you this!
that there is no such thing as a natural death
and being born is a sentence of death
and giving birth is an act of murder
every one of you have murdered your sons
you have murdered all of them.
and that is what being human means
and it is the physical shock of this
being born as what you are
the unbearable trauma
that forces the soul from its shell
as a man who clings desperately
to the edge of a cliff
may be made to release his hands
by a fierce wind.
There have been many that have said
that death is like a deep sleep
but it is not peaceful and it is not restful
and the ones that have told you this
seek only to make themselves feel better
better about what life is

And concludes with "Death is Truth
and Truth is Death."

[Gracie Ann Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outside of my wheelhouse compared to what I normally read- but what a breath of fresh (?) air. I loved getting lost in this dark pseudo-anthology. Also, this record absolutely slaps. Bands with lore are the best.

[Ryleigh Dorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have a Nice Life’s Deathconciousness is, without a doubt, one of my favorite albums I’ve ever heard. It is beautifully melodic and unbearably cruel. There’s a magical beauty to some tracks, while others build a crushing picture of our damning reality.

The supplementary book however is one of the most dismal things I’ve ever read. This isn’t really a review tbh, as having just finished it I fear that my entire life has been uprooted and arguably ruined. I’m sitting at my desk shifting in my seat, faced with an unapologetically dismal portrait of our world that interweaves horrific fiction with the reality that inspired it. Maybe everyone won’t be as affected as I was, but I would really advise approaching this album and booklet with caution.

On a more literary note, the decision to present the story as a fictional anthropological analysis of a death-cult and the translations of their work is done really well. The stories feel like myths, and the people supposedly translating them are developed characters in and of themselves. As an exercise in storytelling, it is really successful.

[Zahraa Hisham · Rating 5 out of 5]

the universe is dark around us
a mass of stars and air
but as thick as the wood of the trees
and it is into it that we go
when our bodies are killed
and we are only killed
only killed
killed by time and killed by life
i promise you, i promise you this!
that there is no such thing as a natural death
and being born is a sentence of death
and giving birth is an act of murder
every one of you have murdered your sons
you have murdered all of them.
and that is what being human means
and it is the physical shock of this
being born as what you are
the unbearable trauma
that forces the soul from its shell

[Salt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Besides providing background for the album it's an incredible work on its own. Don't need to be familiar with both the album and booklet to enjoy each individually.

[Jack Caulfield · Rating 1 out of 5]

Cool concept but they could have proofread it or done enough historical research to realise the Western Roman Empire didn't exist into the 1200s.

Great album though.

[Qasim Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

Antiochus was a mad lad of a prophet.

[Luke Kruegel]

At its best when going fully poetic, such as Antiochus' description of what happens after death. It's long and it's heavy and features such evocative language. The story of the Hunter I found really fascinating, too. It loses a bit of steam towards the end describing William Shelley and Carlyle, although the booklet is short enough this isn't really a major problem.

The only other criticism I can give is that the nihilism and dark tone can border on feeling like edgelord shit. I've listened to a lot of Have a Nice Life, so a good amount of bleakness was to be expected, but claiming John Christie was a member of your super-cool, super-dark, fucked-up fake religion in an attempt to make it seem even more super-cool, super-dark, and fucked-up just left me with a bad taste in my mouth. (Admittedly, this is a very uncharitable read of that section, which makes up only a very small portion of the text. Still didn't like it though.)

Overall, I'd say this is worth reading if you're already a fan of Have A Nice Life because of how Deathconsciousness the booklet and Deathconsciousness the album enrich each other, or if you have an interest in bleak religion stuff. I think I came across too negative in this review, I really enjoyed the read.

[bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

GODDD the deathconsciousness book on goodreads??? i love
anyways i first read the book when i first discovered the album, back in 2021, and it CHANGED my life; i mean that in the most serious way possible. when i tell you that not a day goes by without me thinking of this book and its contents i mean it. truly. what deathconsciousness means to me i simply can't put into words. and this book played a significant role in understanding the album and, ultimately, beginning to understand the world (i was 13).
for the last month i've been working on an essay which consisted in me revisiting and rereading the book. i now see it and understand it in a whole new way, and this made me appreciate it so much more. the amount of effort and SOUL that went into the creation of deathconsciousness - the concept - is seen so clearly in this piece of literature.
i'm sure i'm not the only one with the same experience, and that says a lot; have a nice life speaks to so many people even a decade later, and deathconsciouness will stand the test of time.

[Hampus Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

"And at the very top,
where he was alone, but not alone
he pulled back his string
and he tightened his bow
and said nothing at all
just breathed
and held it, a moment, and then
let everything go
no troubles
no fears
no people
no forests
no animals
no earth
no space
no souls
no nothing
no anything
and there were arrowheads
arrowheads
arrowheads
everywhere.

And one
only one
stuck fast into the throat of God.
And God fell, limp and dead, straight into the Earth
with every bone broken
and that arrow was driven straight out of the back God’s neck by the solid
earth
and silhouetted against the sunlight
like the only tree standing in a burned out wood
Like a hunted animal, dead on the ground
God bled out slow until his heart stopped.
Like a stuck pig.
Like a dog on a spit.

And the hand that steered the ship
the plow that broke the plains
broke into a thousand jagged pieces."

[ניקאָלע · Rating 5 out of 5]

As others have said: Mean albeit witty joke on behalf of the band that this is fiction masqueraded as niche academic legend. I’m absolutely biased on account of this is one of my favorite albums ever, but much of the magic of this little zine resides in its being almost a remnant from record-collecting eras past. That the band put this much energy into their audience’s experience listening to the record is admirable and speaks to Have a Nice Life’s unique, home-brewed charm that is all too absent in much of big-label music/vinyl culture.

Not to mention the zine’s content itself: incredibly moving in a pleasantly non–ivory tower way. Reminiscent of Unamuno’s “Tragic Sense of Life”.

Despite all the cosmetic errors here (e.g. “it’s”), it’s the thought that counts. And this text is moving in a morbid, anxiety-inducing, incredibly unique way.

[Pietor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cool thing to include for an album. Almost immediately it had me looking things up only to realize that the entire work is fiction, which is impressive. Not just the way that it's written, as a scholarly overview of history and historians (all made up) but even the details they thought to include to make it seem more believable.

Definitely dark and depressing stuff. Allegedly it's part of the influences that shaped the narrative of the first season of True Detective, and one can definitely see the similarity in tone. A short a interesting read to add to anyone's interest in philosophical pessimism.

Some of the verses can get a little tedious, but I think that's more of a personal preference. I'm not much of a poetry reader.

If you want the full effect, read it while playing the associated album. It definitely adds something.

[Michael Y. · Rating 4 out of 5]

threw me into existential winter depression so i suppose that at least gives the book some credit. the underlying concepts behind the historical backgrounds were what pushed the book and the audience, i believe. it was nihilism constantly paired with death idealization, if not just suicide. it’s a very interesting take and a very interesting perspective, but one with many flaws and possible discussions that are not spoken of in the book. absurdism can counteract the ideas of this book, but a lack of rebuttal gives this book the desolate and disconsolate feelings it evokes.

never finished the book, too nihilistic and depressing. although i can’t tell if the book is just too depressing or if i’m scared if it being true

[silke · Rating 5 out of 5]

no nothing
no anything
and there were arrowheads
arrowheads
arrowheads
everywhere.

call me based but this work left me sitting in a dark room reconsidering everything and analysing Deathconsciousness in relation to Antiochus. ignoring the grammatical mistakes (although Tim is an English teacher?), I find this a fascinating but dark storyline that is introduced and explained really well, even though it is entirely fictional.

I love the way the book gives the album a deeper layer, especially considering Bloodhail and Hunter but also The Big Gloom. anytime even the smallest lyric was mentioned in the text I would freak out.

I will definitely be reading this again.

Death is Truth
and Truth is Death.

[Luka Pajković · Rating 4 out of 5]

Booklet koji ide uz ploču, jednako depresivan kao ploča, what's there not to like. Radi se o kratkoj fiktivnoj povijesnoj noveli koja kratko prepričava povijest jednog kulta. Malo je fors edgy na trenutke, al ima nekoliko fora misli i vizualnih situacija kao i poneki okej spjev da knjiga može funkcionirat neovisno o albumu, al budimo realni, ovo se čita za dobit dublji uvid u neke motive prisutne na albumu i sa te strane knjiga je must read za svakog fana. Artwork unutar knjige je simpatičan, ima i liriksa na kraju, štaš više

3.5 -4 /5

[Leah Goodman · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is so much to comment on here. I like this book much more when I think of it as a zine rather than a book. The concept is awesome, and paired with the album it’s really just amazing. The writing itself is beautiful, very profound, and also makes me want to die and hate myself and everything (this is a compliment for literature). There are too many historical gaps to give this five stars, it’s just not quite thought out enough. Still recommend, as long as you can remind yourself that this book is not a sign to kill yourself.

[caleb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clearly inspired by House of Leaves, this little booklet could have used more work.

It took the band five years to finalise the album, and they made a masterpiece — it could have taken them six, and focused on proofreading, fact checking and world building for this booklet.

Overall, a nice read to accompany an incredible album

[nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never began to think the music, my one of the most favorite albums was based or at least meant to deliver awareness of such ancient belief. Such an interesting topic, it’s a shame that it’s so short. If you already suicidal then this might be the final straw, but oh well. Death is truth, and truth is death.

[crystal ﾒ𝟶 · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was good but VERY depressing. i wouldn’t recommend reading this before bed or don’t like graphic depictions of death. i would def recommend if you like the band have a nice life or listened to their album deathconciousness. 🫶🏻

[Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed the faked nature of the work, but didn't find it to have a clear lesson in mind. Did not seem to inspire me with enough dread.

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5

[Christian Molenaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sucks that Amherst never taught this guy the difference between “its” and “it’s”