Page 26 - Black Velvet Magazine Issue 107

BV107 pg22-27 Alissa White-Gluz Interview.qxp_BV107 pg26 30/11/2022 20:35 Page 5

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wrong with it. And I get that, and that’s not with animal testing footage and the text that had it on one computer at school or some-
their fault, but that doesn’t mean that it’s comes up saying that ‘Over 100 million an- thing, it wasn’t the resource that it now is.
not commendable to not recognise that it’s imals are being killed in labs worldwide per But I knew animal testing was a thing, be-
wrong now and change now. And so, I year was so powerful. Everyone needs to cause, even in high school, they basically
think, unfortunately, there are a lot of peo- see that video. Since you weren’t in the have a frog for us to dissect, which I re-
ple that do mean to cause pain and sorrow band back then, what were your thoughts fused to do. There was just me and one
to other humans, to themselves, to animals, when you saw that video? other person in one class that refused to do
and they do that by contributing to the food Alissa: Yeah, I was already friends with An- the dissection and I said, ‘It’s not ethical
industries that kill animals or by fishing or gela at that point and she’s vegan as well. and it’s not necessary. As a 15-year-old in
by hunting. They have all sorts of green- She’s very aware of what goes on with ani- high school, what am I gaining by doing
washing excuses up their sleeves to make mals. I thought it was great. I was really this?’ And, even though technology wasn’t
it seem like they’re not doing it for any in- happy to see that. I love the song title. as advanced then as it is now, there were
tentionally-damaging way. But, at the end We’ve never played that one live, but we’ve already digital simulations on computer
of the day, the excuse that they use, ‘Oh, jammed it at rehearsal and it’s just so much that we could do, and I found one and I
we’re the top of the food chain,’ OK, yeah, fun to play that song, because I connect said, ‘I’m doing this one instead, I’m not
we’re the most advanced species when it with it so much. The video is very shocking. killing a frog for this. I’m not contributing to
comes to technology and we now have the Again, we know this is happening, but peo- this,’ and we didn’t do it. And yeah, I just be-
technology to not need to eat any animal ple should look at it. If you want to con- came aware of how animals are just
products. We don’t need to hunt. We don’t tribute to industries like that, you should straight-up commodities for so many peo-
need to fish. We don’t need to do that. watch it. I just applauded it. I was just so ple, for so many industries, and did a little
We’re advanced. We’re smart. We’re be- happy to see the results. bit of a deep dive into how animals are used
yond this now. We’ve evolved past this. in cosmetic testing, medical testing. Again,
And I think it’s just time that everybody ac- Black Velvet: In ‘Spreading Black Wings’ I understand that this was the best option a
cepts that and we just move away from you sing, ‘Can I be set free, be the real me? few decades ago, but, as we all know, often
using animals in anything. It’s completely I can’t breathe, I can’t see, I can’t touch, I the results that they get from testing on an-
unnecessary. can’t feel’. Obviously, with animal testing, imals do not translate to humans anyway,
animals are caged in laboratories and because, even though we share a lot of
Black Velvet: One of Arch Enemy’s earlier abused in the name of science. When did DNA with mice or with dogs or with chimps
songs was ‘Cruelty Without Beauty’, which you become aware about animal testing? or with cats, we have different anatomies,
was the first song and video that awakened Alissa: I think I became aware of it around we are different species and it doesn’t al-
us to Arch Enemy. Lyrics such as, ‘Look in the same time I went vegan, so in the late ways work the same way. Just the same
their eyes, does it still make sense? A plas- 90s. We didn’t really have the internet the way that a human can enjoy a chocolate bar
tic bag their burial gown’ alongside a video same way we do now back then. I think we that would kill a dog, so we’re different

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