Rolling Stone India Premiere: SystemHouse33 Call Out Gender-Based Violence on “Lift This Plague”

Systemhouse33 live in Germany in December 2015. Photo: Mariel Diella

SystemHouse33 may be concentrating on taking their music to a global audience, but the thrash metallers still believe in addressing atrocities rooted in the Indian psyche. While their previous single “Detestable Idolatry” called out blind religious worship, the latest lyric video “Lift The Plague” brings to gender-based violence and discrimination across the country. Says vocalist-guitarist Samron Jude, “’Lift This Plague’ focuses on the atrocities faced by women in India, both in the rural as well as urban regions. Though the nation is progressing in different fields, the laws aimed at empowering women are put on the back burner due to corruption, lawlessness and poor execution on the part of the authorities.”

The three-minute lyric video employs news footage of female foeticide and infanticide reports, skewed sex ratios in India and even protests from the 2012 Delhi gang rape. “Lift This Plague” is the latest groove-laden rager off the band’s fifth album Regression that released in January.

SystemHouse33 hit the road last year to perform alongside death metallers Six Feet Under for their annual 10-date Xmas in Hell Tour, and are now already in the U.S. for a string of international gigs, which includes supporting American death metal giants Dying Fetus for a month-long tour, and performances at Nevada’s Spring Metal Fest and Californian Mother’s Day Metal Fest.

Listen to ”˜Lift This Plague’ below.