Trivium’s “Beyond Oblivion” Lyrics Meaning
“Beyond Oblivion” is meant to be relayed from the perspective of a scientist who has helped pioneer artificial-intelligence. The implication is that he did so despite knowing that it could lead to global cataclysm. And indeed, the “beyond oblivion” which the narrator is referring to is both a place and time, signifying an era in which human life, as a result of the above-mentioned science, has more or less become extinct.
But it isn’t so much that the scientist has actually witnessed this catastrophe as it is that he has finally come to realize just how dangerous it potentially is. He is basically imagining a world in which a violent AI has effectively taken over.
But on a grander scale this song is meant to callback to earlier technologies, such as the atomic bomb, which are also immensely powerful yet were developed under a spirit of naïveté, if you will.
Conclusion
So in a roundabout way, “Beyond Oblivion” can be interpreted as a song which supports increased regulations – something which many scientists have been calling for – in the development of artificial intelligence.
Facts about “Beyond Oblivion”
This song was written by Trivium members. Thus we have the following as its official writers:
- Alex Bent
- Corey Beaulieu
- Matt Heafy
- Paolo Gregoletto
It is Gregoletto who is recognized as the primary songwriter. And his two major inspirations in composing the tune were as follows:
- A television listing/guide (where he derived the title)
- Podcasts centered on the subject of artificial intelligence
“Beyond Oblivion” was produced by J. Wilbur.
Roadrunner Records released “Beyond Oblivion” on 20 October 2017. The tune came out as part of Trivium’s album entitled “The Sin and the Sentence”.
Did Trivium release this track as a single?
No. The band officially released only four tracks as singles from the aforementioned album. Below are the singles in question:
- “Endless Night”
- “Betrayer”
- “The Heart from Your Hate”
- “The Sin and the Sentence“
