The Sin and the Sentence

Album: The Sin and the Sentence (2017)
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Songfacts®:

  • Frontman Matt Heafy told Kerrang the song's lyrics are about modern day witch hunts. He explained:

    "In our Society when there's someone that does something wrong, maybe an off the cuff remark, people will pile on top of them. That happens a lot on social media. Are the sins appropriate to the sentencing? It's the same idea as witch hunts, where the mob determined your fate."
  • Trivium bass guitarist Paolo Gregoletto expanded on the song's meaning during a track by track interview with TeamRock:

    "I was really interested in the culture online of people piling on people. I was trying to think of the culture we're in now, but using the metaphor of the witch hunts, with the line: 'Beware those who speaks in tongues for they may call your name'. Meaning, beware being a part of this culture, because it could be you on the receiving end of that at some point. You're one tweet away from changing your life.

    Coming up with the title, The Sin And The Sentence, I had to riff, and I was on a plane, listening to it over and over and over again, and that phrase came into my head. It fit perfectly."

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