Italian Progressive Metal band Tetracluster premiere new single “Masters of Mankind” via PRJ with exclusive Q&A. The track will be released on July 30, 2026.
Stream “Masters of Mankind” via the YouTube player below:
Below are the 3 exclusive Q&As with the band to dive deep into the new track:
“Masters of Mankind” is narrated from the perspective of the power elites. What led you to adopt this “disturbing viewpoint” to denounce modern techno-feudalism?
Every time I see these techno-oligarchs, or figures like Trump or Netanyahu, making increasingly disturbing and inhumane statements, I find myself wondering what they really think, how they see the world, what the hell is going on in their insane minds, and how they justify to themselves the atrocities they commit or their utter contempt for humanity. This is where the idea for these lyrics comes from: trying to put myself in their shoes and sing as if I was one of them, portraying disturbing voices that shout, arrogant and proud, that we are all their puppets, that they have “wasted our world,” that they play God with the limited resources of our planet, pursuing nothing but profit, power, and perversion in total impunity and complete absence of empathy.
Musically, the track shifts between aggressive riffs and Dark passages. How did you translate themes like surveillance and AI into this oppressive atmosphere?
This is certainly an interesting question. It must be said that for “Masters of Mankind” it was the instrumental with its dynamics that inspired the theme of the lyrics. The dissonant harshness of the riffs convey a grim, dystopian atmosphere, and it was fitting to have aggressive, screamy vocals from the point of view of the Masters, who take pleasure in controlling us all and making our lives miserable. In the middle section, the slow, gloomy guitar arpeggio may evoke a quieter scene in which drones and AI have taken control and, from up above, the new rulers proclaim the fundamental principles that underpin this new technocratic regime of surveillance. Afterwards, the fast riffs and solos evoke a battle atmosphere, a war between human rebels and the regime, culminating in the cinematic finale – which prompted us to record a full string arrangement – that may represent a glimmer of hope for all of us to resist.
Returning after a two-year hiatus, why is this specific track the right “act of protest” to awaken listener consciousness right now?
I’ll tell you this: “Masters of Mankind” is the first song we ever wrote as Tetracluster, when we formed almost four years ago. It became even more relevant in recent years, since the world has been getting drastically worse at the mercy of ruthless narcissist: we have multibillionaires holding the power to control every corner of the planet through AI and data centers; a war in Ukraine, another against Iran, an ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people, and the release of the Epstein files which exposed a glimpse of what may happen behind closed doors when the “Masters of the world” gather to decide the fate of those they see as mere pawns – namely, us. So, in our opinion there was no better moment to release this song as a cry of protest, in the hope that people and movements across the world will rise up and oppose this technofascism before it’s too late.
Tetracluster, after a 2-year hiatus, will return with 2 more singles, the first one of them, “Masters of Mankind,” out on July 30, 2026.
Inspired by a well-known book by Noam Chomsky, “Masters of Mankind” is a fierce denunciation of billionaires and power elites who rule the world from the shadows, acting with impunity in the destruction and ruthless exploitation of the planet’s resources.
The song is narrated from the perspective of these “masters of the world,” who arrogantly proclaim their supremacy over a humanity reduced to a mere instrument. Through this disturbing viewpoint, the track emerges as both a powerful indictment and a call for reflection and action. Musically, it shifts between aggressive riffs and Dark, decaying instrumental passages, creating a tense and oppressive atmosphere.
In an era where emerging techno-feudalism threatens to drag us into a dystopia dominated by pervasive surveillance, drones, and artificial intelligence, the band uses its music as an act of protest. The aim is to awaken consciousness before reality begins to resemble the darkest cyberpunk novels or an episode of Black Mirror.
Pre-Save/Pre-Add “Masters of Mankind” here: https://artists.landr.com/991048414648