“11 Days” is both a music album and a statement of protest against the policies of the European Union regarding refugees and migrants. Over 25,954 people have drowned in the Mediterranean Waters between 2014 and 2022 Missing Migrants Project, trying to save themselves from war and famine or just hoping for a better future, and many of these deaths happened as a direct result of practices such as illegal push-backs, violence, intimidation and refusal or delay of rescue (which in turn cause refugees and migrants to take increasingly dangerous routes to avoid repression), policies themselves fueled by anti-immigrant ideology based in xenophobic sentiments and nationalism, that hides beneath the progressive and humanist rhetoric of leading European parties. The album has four songs.

“Moloch” is first. The opening tones are steadily heavy and desolate sounding, and the main riff plods away underneath harsh vocals that have both a horrid and hopeless feeling. The horror grows as they song moves along, with varied drum beats as well is some other elements thrown into the stew, which is becoming rich with flavor. “Fortitude/Sunrise” begins with a lot of tension…so thick it hangs in the air and the listener is enthralled in the music, albeit fairly quiet. Atmosphere is one of the things that the band does best on the album so far. It transports you to a totally different place…a place that seems to exist outside of your memories. Deja-vu…have I ever been here before?

“Adro Onzi” is close to 14 minutes long and roars out of the gate with a wall of guitars and the steady flacking of drums. At times, the drums fire so fast, it’s like being on the receiving end of machine gun fire at over 100 rounds a second. Around the half-way mark, the sound settles to desolate and depressing tones, and it crawls forward until the harrowing sound returns once more. From there, a chaotic sound takes over. “Tremor/Kalunga Line” closes the album. More heavy tension builds with a lot of background ambiance. Suddenly, the message hits you hard…are these kind of xenophobic policies where we want to be as a human race? The answer is so obvious…but why can’t we reach out an embrace it? What keeps someone from doing what is morally right?

This was one of those albums that blends the message with the music so well. As I was listening to it, it began to put a fire under my feet, lifted me up, and carried me to the place where so many people died. The images were almost too much to bear, so I returned to the safety of my home. Apathy is a much easier pill to swallow than action.