We Are The Cleansing

Overview

We Are The Cleansing or @wearethecleansing is a TikTok page made to promote the metal band Plagues and their January 2023 album "PLEDGE." The page features videos of their lead singer Osorio wearing a demonic costume and speaking in a distorted voice, often in the woods or at an altar. We Are The Cleansing is mostly known for his TikTok Live streams, where he sits on a throne and writes in a large book. In January 2023, a Facebook post warning parents about the page for its satanic imagery went viral.

History

The singer for the metal band Plagues, known as Osorio, is known to portray himself as a cultist and wears a costume that includes, a horned skull mask, a black robe, chains and a staff. He began posting photos in the costume to his Instagram^[1] page voiceofplagues on May 7th, 2022 (examples shown below).

The band's first available TikTok^[2] post on the @wearethecleansing page was uploaded on December 24th, although the page appears to have been active before this. The first post features dark, ambient footage over text reading, "You have a great power within you. I have been waiting to meet you. Only you can comment on this video. Try it," garnering over 133,000 views in a week. Prior to this in early December, videos from @wearethecleansing's TikTok Live streams, showing him sitting on a throne writing in a book, started going viral through reposts on TikTok (examples shown below). Some of the videos are Duets expressing confusion about the page

Controversy / Facebook Warning Post to Parents

On December 30th, 2022, Facebook^[3] user JayCaliAlaniz posted two screenshots from one of @wearethecleansing's TikTok Live streams warning parents who have kids on TikTok about the page (shown below). In the post, she writes, "I Was scrolling through my feed and this live popped up and when I tell you I got CHILLS! The devil isn’t hiding anymore y’all! Guard your hearts! Guard your minds and souls! Stay prayed up! The devil is out like a roaring lion! Be safe y’all! 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼" The post gained over 36,000 shares and 8,100 reactions in three days.

The post spread over the following days, inspiring reactions and others to accuse the account of beind inappropriate for kids due to its Satanic imagery. For example, on December 1st, TikToker^[4] @tyronhenton posted a video expressing shock that kids are seeing this, garneringover 3,800 views in under 24 hours (shown below).

Search Interest

External References