"Betray and Degrade" is a song by South African

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

Seether Seether are a South African rock band founded in 1999 in Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. The band originally performed under the name Saron Gas until 2002, when they moved to the United States and changed it to Seether to avoid confusion wit ...

. It is the second single off of their studio album ''

Poison the Parish ''Poison the Parish'' is the seventh studio album by South African rock band Seether. It was released on 12 May 2017. It is the band's first album to feature a new band logo on the cover. The first single, " Let You Down" was released on 23 Febru ...

''. It peaked at number two on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Mainstream Rock Songs chart in December 2017.

Background

The song was released as the second single, after " Let You Down", from the band's seventh studio album, ''

''. The song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was released on August 10, 2017. Its music video was noted for its change in direction from usual - while typically serious, the video was described as "comedic" and "carefree". The video features the band - vocalist and guitarist

Shaun Morgan Shaun Morgan Welgemoed (, born 21 December 1978) is a South African musician. He is the singer, songwriter, and guitarist for the rock band Seether. Early life Morgan spent most of his early life in South Africa.Bottomley, CSeether: South Afr ...

, bassist

Dale Stewart Dale William Stewart (born 30 November 1979) is a South African musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the South African rock band Seether. Equipment Stewart is sponsored by Schecter and has a signature model, the Dale Stewart Aveng ...

, touring guitarist Clint Lowery and drummer John Humphrey - performing in a lighthearted manner, with huge grins in peaceful backdrops like forests and beaches. As the song progresses, the scenery darkens, while the band members begin to look menacing, covered in dirt and blood, and

zombie A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...

-fied.

Themes and composition

The song was self-

produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

by Morgan. The song uses quiet-loud dynamics, going from "bouncy" vibes to heavier, more aggressive tones.

Reception

The song was generally well received by critics.

Loudwire ''Loudwire'' is an American online media magazine that covers news of hard rock and heavy metal artists. It is owned by media and entertainment business Townsquare Media. Since its launch in August of 2011, ''Loudwire'' has secured exclusive ...

named the song the 23rd best

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

song of 2017.

Personnel

– lead vocals, backing vocals, guitars *

– bass * John Humphrey – drums

Charts

References

2017 songs 2017 singles Seether songs Songs written by Shaun Morgan {{2010s-rock-song-stub