A Four-Part Epic

This hate inside me
It is constantly growing
Years of hollow lies
Made pagan hatred rise

They came with their troops
Destroying land and roots
Abominations under the sun
They and their poisoned truth

One by one my people fell
Under their deceptive spell
How many sons of the
North had to fall?

Before our eyes could see
This isn’t how it should be!

“Under the Northern star

We shed our blood
With the call of a battle horn
We raise our swords

Behind the fields of blood
There’s a haven for us
Deep in the woods of the North
Rises the Heathen Throne”

Under the Northern star

We shed our blood
With the call of a battle horn
We raise our swords

“Under the Northern star

We shed our blood
With the call of a battle horn
We raise our swords

Behind the fields of blood
There’s a haven for us
Deep in the woods of the North
Rises the Heathen Throne”

Upholder of the skies
For too long has your name been despised
Give us your strength and courage
When we meet our nemesis
On the shores that used to be
The place we called home

Our land and faith are raped
Somehow they’re going to pay

Grant us your revenge
We are not afraid of death
Let none of them ever more, ever more
Lay a hopeful gaze upon the sky…upon the sky!

“Under the Northern star

We shed our blood
With the call of a battle horn
We raise our swords

Behind the fields of blood
There’s a haven for us
Deep in the woods of the North
Rises the Heathen Throne”

Yllä harmaan korven korpit laulaa
Hurme tämän kansan roudan sulattaa
Katso kuinka hohkaa kansi taivaan
Kutsuu se meitä Tumman Virran Taa
Heikot vaipuu kuohuun sysimustaan
Sankarit kun astuu joen rantaan
Halki iäisyyden laulu raikaa
Kutsuu se veljiä Tumman Virran Taa

Could my ruin have come
My day of trouble have arrived
In these tuonele cabins

These abodes of the dead land?

Far beyond the dark stream pagan souls will

Roam those cold lands wild and free
Wait for the sign; a blood red sky
Then beyond the dark stream we will ride

The path of mortals
So narrow and brutal
Only bravest of them all

Will find true valor

Decaying souls of men
Who trust in false omens
Will drown in the stream

With their untrue beliefs

He’s been drifting

For so long
Searching for the land
Where heroes roam

In the horizon
The last ray of light
A breeze from the other side
Before he dies

Dividing walls of stone
Eternal Heathen Throne
Beneath the cold starlight
Revealed for the purest sight

Through constant affliction

Towards alleviations
When a searing star is near
Carry on, you’re almost here

Far beyond the dark stream we’ll meet again

Across the wilderness and we will be home
Gather your strength, don’t be afraid
Far beyond the dark stream, we’ll meet again

The Longest Journey of them all
Has to be made all alone

A flame in the skyline reaching the stars

Guiding the seeker through the night!

Far beyond the dark stream we’ll meet again

Across the wilderness and we will be home
Gather your strength, don’t be afraid
Far beyond the dark stream, we’ll meet again

Not just for victory,
not just to crush your enemy

Not just for heir to be,
but for this moment and to fight the injustice…

It was written long ago

This is what I’ve been told
An army came across the sea
To conquer this low land

They lured with their lies

Shouting “Peasants, kneel or die!”

Outnumbered, undaunted
War cry rose to the skies

On the homeland of the raven
Where the eagles scream at daybreak
And the clang and clash of armies
Beautiful the strife for conquest

Rain…came over to the north
Flood of lies…to drown the old gods
A storm rose…within the hearts of enslaved
Ode…for My Ancestors’ Blood

The seer foresaw
The curse from above
Like a roar of approaching giant horde
In the moors and in the marshes
On the borders of the woodlands
They marched like approaching giant horde

When I yield my life forever

Bravely will I fall in battle

Fall upon the field of glory

Beautiful to die in armor

Rain…came over to the north
Flood of lies…to drown the old gods
A storm rose…within the hearts of enslaved
Ode…for My Ancestors’ Blood

…

The darkest hour, the hopeless time

Is always before the rise of the dawn

Find your courage to stand against a stream

The fairest they speak when the falsest they think

When mouths of men speak the words of gods
The truth will never be enough for anyone

When you reach the peak of the highest mountain

Proudly plant the flag of the heathen Defiance

Wielded lashes, pyres flame, gloomy gallows

Tormented ones, brave and free

Screams echo in time

Not one unjust deed goes unpunished

No blood is shed in vain under the reborn thunder sign

I know we will

Claim the throne and kill

They asked for war so we will give them one
The one to end it all

Reckoning with blood

Stop the madness that’s gone on for centuries

From the ashes of the ancient blood and wisdom

The children of thunder will rise again

In a storm of obloquy, my sons stand strong

Marshall the forces, gather up weapons for the last war to come

Who is so righteous, un-corrupted, to condemn and Dominate

With truth and not with illusions

Not driven by the greed to be enthroned and rule?

Havoc no more

The reign of men

From the ashes of the ancient blood and wisdom

The children of thunder will rise again

When mouths of men speak the words of gods
The truth will never be enough for anyone

When you reach the peak of the highest mountain

Proudly plant the flag of the heathen Defiance

Ensiferum – Heathen Throne Suite

Vikings!

The wise woman said
“Once you’re hardened in battle
There’s no coming back”
Fight or fall!

And before the attack
Feel your blood starts to boil
In your veins as you charge
Hundreds fallen!

As the fire inside is ignited by bloodshed

In berserkers from north
Could it be as was said
Will the serpent be woken?

Fenrir howls

Swedish Pagans, marching to shore
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor
Out from Asgard, our viking ship sails
Never to turn back again

Where brothers have past
Is where we’ll be proven
The ground they begun
Standing tall!

And we know if we fall
Our comrades awaits
In Valhall
Odin’s calling!

As the fire inside is ignited by bloodshed

In berserkers from north
Could it be as was said
Will the serpent be woken?

Fenrir howls

Swedish Pagans, marching to shore
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor
Out from Asgard, our viking ship sails
Never to turn back again

First to the battle, first to the feast
Destiny waiting, no retreat, retreat…

Swedish Pagans, marching to shore
Forged in Valhalla by the hammer of Thor
Out from Asgard, our viking ship sails
Never to turn back again

Sabaton – Swedish Pagans

Drum Solo, then…

Faster than a bullet
Terrifying scream
Enraged and full of anger
He’s half-man and half-machine

Rides the Metal Monster
Breathing smoke and fire
Closing in with vengeance
Soaring high

He…is…the Painkiller
This…is…the Painkiller

Planets devastated
Mankind’s on its knees
A savior comes from out the skies
In answer to their pleas

Through boiling clouds of thunder
Blasting bolts of steel
Evil’s going under
Deadly wheels

He…is…the Painkiller
This…is…the Painkiller

Faster than a laser bullet
Louder than an atom bomb
Chromium plated boiling metal
Brighter than a thousand suns

Flying high on rapture
Stronger, free and brave
Nevermore en-captured
They’ve been brought back from the grave

With mankind resurrected
Forever to survive
Returns from Armageddon
To the skies

He…is…the Painkiller
This…is…the Painkiller
Wings…of…steel Painkiller
Deadly…wheels Painkiller

He…is…the Painkiller
This…is…the Painkiller

Pain…pain…
Killer..killer…
Pain…pain…
Killer..killer!

Can’t stop the Painkiller… …pain!

Judas Priest – Painkiller

(i know this song is about the Swiss Guards, but i get strong Crusader feels upon listening to this little epic)

In the heart of the Holy See
In the home of Christianity
The seat of power is in danger
There’s a foe of a thousand swords
They’ve been abandoned by their lords
Their fall from grace will pave their path
To damnation

Then the 189
In the service of Heaven
They’re protecting the Holy line
It was 1527
Gave their lives on the steps to Heaven
Thy will be done

For the grace, for the might of our LORD
For the home of the Holy
For the faith, for the way of the sword
Gave their lives so boldly

For the grace, for the might of our LORD
In the name of His glory
For the faith, for the way of the sword
Come and tell their story again

Under guard of forty-two
Along a secret avenue
Castel Saint Angelo is waiting
They’re the guards of the Holy See
They’re the guards of Christianity
Their path through history is paved
With salvation

Then the 189
In the service of Heaven
They’re protecting the Holy line
It was 1527
Gave their lives on the steps to Heaven
Thy will be done

For the grace, for the might of our LORD
For the home of the Holy
For the faith, for the way of the sword
Gave their lives so boldly

For the grace, for the might of our LORD
In the name of His glory
For the faith, for the way of the sword
Come and tell their story again

Dying for salvation
With dedication
No capitulation
Annihilation
Papal commendation
Reincarnation
Heaven is their destination

In the name of God!

For the grace, for the might of our LORD
For the home of the Holy
For the faith, for the way of the sword
Gave their lives so boldly

For the grace, for the might of our LORD
In the name of His glory
For the faith, for the way of the sword
Come and tell their story

Gave their lives so boldly
Come and tell the Swiss Guard story again

Sabaton – The Last Stand

New Favorite Heidevolk Song?

Onze macht staat ten dienste van het rijk
De prijs van ’t verbond wordt betaald met het zwaard
Als de tol wordt geheven door het rijk
Dan komt mijn tijd en zeg ik mijn land vaarwel

Over ons land kijk ik dan nog een keer uit
Ik adem de lucht en aanvaard dan de reis
Naar een kust waar de zege op ons wacht
Want mijn volk brengt de dood uit het oosten

Voordat de plicht roept
Keer ik mij nog eenmaal om
Om het land te zien liggen
Waar mijn leven begon

Dwars door de stromen
Moordend voor Rome
Dood uit het oosten
Wapenbroeders

Over de zee naar een kust ver van hier
Met mijn volk zaai ik dood en verderf
Ik voer een oorlog over zee voor vrede voor mijn volk
Vechtend vol vuur voor de glorie van Rome

Heidevolk – Wapenbroeders

music inspiration

great song by a band from Croatia

The Songwriting Process

So I started getting back into the process of making music. I have a dozen or more ideas as it is, but I also feel the need to go beyond that, as well as building onto old ideas that I’ve made. As a result, I’m thinking about making another pendulous swing in musical direction. I had a moment of musical inspiration that doesn’t fit into the ‘viking metal’ cliche, but closer to the ‘epic doom metal’ of early Candlemass.

Here is a look at how I come up with song-ideas. Of course I’m not the typical artist, but it might be interesting to see how songs are formed. This happened in a more random environment, and over a longer period of time, with Return to Valhalla.

So I’ve been reading the New Testament, specifically the Pauline Epistles. This is because I have no problem with the Four Gospels and Revelation, but have never fully read those. Having finished Paul’s letters, I moved on to Hebrews and James, then Peter’s two letters. In the second chapter of Peter’s first letter, the Apostle describes how the Christian should live like Christ. At the end of the chapter, my eyes caught this verse (KJV):

For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

One can debate for hours on which precise Greek word Simeon used in his letter, and whether Tyndale or King James’ translators were closer to that word. However, the word “bishop” has two very different meanings based on subtext. The Greek word means ‘overseer’ or ‘guardian’, which makes sense in the context of the verse. However, to a modern audience, or even a 17th century audience, the word ‘bishop’ could refer to the ruling class of the Papal clergy, which brings a decisively negative spin on the phrase ‘bishop of [your] souls’. In my head, I got this mental image of an even more demonic version of Papa Emeritus, leading souls astray into the bondage of Rome. This was the birth of “Bishop of Souls.”

“Groundskeeper” came more from personal experience. Between 2000 and 2004, the trailer where we lived was within a short walk from a cemetery. Even now, when going to the house of a friend from my church, there is a cemetery along the way. One cold winter’s day in 2015, I decided to visit the latter cemetery. If you can recall, I took some pictures of the gothic-looking crypts there-at: truly grandiose places of rest. But while I was there, I spent some time looking at the names and dates. When I got it into my head that I might do an ‘epic doom metal’ EP, this came back into my mind as a kind of story of a cemetery groundskeeper. He’s an elderly man who takes care of the cemetery, and during his time, he reads the names and dates on the tomb-stones, wondering about the lives that they lived, and musing about his own mortality. A grim song, to be sure, but beautiful in a way.

Any Seventh-Day Adventist growing up in the vicinity of Collegedale Tennessee can tell you about SonRise. Around Easter-Time, the campus of the church and Southern Adventist University are decked out as 1st Century Jerusalem in a kind of Seventh-Day Adventist version of the “Stations of the Cross.” This ends in the auditorium with a rousing dramatization of the Resurrection set to NewSong’s “Arise My Love.” My family and I had gone twice, and had even taken part it in once. When I made the decision to go to church on my own, I went there once by myself and again, in the days leading up to our move to California, with a friend. That was the day after the Motionless in White concert I attended with my brother (irony). But, all irony aside, the Crucifixion was always personally moving for me (especially after having seen Mel Gibson’s The Passion). Being a grim and depressed person that I am, I decided to do an alternate take on the Crucifixion. Pretty much every metal band you can think of presents this grim scene as a time of defiant celebration (Vader’s “Helleluyah”, Dimmu Borgir’s “The Sacreligious Scorn”, Tyr’s “By the Light of the Northern Star”, among others). With “31 AD”, I wanted to bring back traditional view of this event as a time of sorrow and loss: after all, everyone, religious or not, can appreciate the feeling of losing a beloved friend, mentor, and father figure.

In Memory Still Live On

When I pass from this world to the next
When I am laid and my soul is put to rest
My legacy will be there for all to see
For how long after I am gone will my deeds outlive me?

The apostle says we must all appear before our Christ
To judge my place in the world, the way I framed my life
‘Tis a fearful thing to fall into God’s hands
Only he who repents shall pass into the Heavenly lands

When all the deeds of my life are played before my eyes
Will what I see come as a great surprise?
Life is short the hour of death uncertain
I must confess my sins before they draw the final curtain

Will I be remembered for my victories small and great
The glory of the Christian name I sought to disseminate?

Let Legend Mark Me as the King
Of whom future generations will sing
Cast me not in my old age
When my will and strength doth fail
Forsake me not till I show forth Thy Arm
To all the ages that are yet to come!

All in time shall be revealed
When all is done my fate is sealed
In manus Tuas, Domine
Et anima mea quam redemisti

And will the Golden Age of Charlemagne
Glow more brightly long after my reign?
When all the battles have been lost and won

Will this warrior king in memory still live on…
Live on…live on…live on?

It was with the sword I overcame my assailants
Those heathen hordes for whom menaces, gifts and presence
Seemed to speak louder than arguments and reason
I did what I had to, to spread the true religion

Was the terror of extreme punishment as a means
To enforce observance of the doctrines of peace?
There were of course moments I desired to surrender!

My crown, robes, royal hoard and my holy scepter
Sometimes I wondered why I could not retire from this world
To the peace of a monastic cell or a pilgrim to the road

All in time shall be revealed
When all is done my fate is sealed
In manus Tuas, Domine
Et anima mea quam redemisti

And will the Golden Age of Charlemagne
Glow more brightly long after my reign?
When all the battles have been lost and won

Will this warrior king in memory still live on…
Live on…live on…live on?

Still live on…live on…live on…LIVE ON!!!

Christopher Lee – Let Legend Mark Me as the King

The sound of the groaning frost
Enforce the waves of blinding winters
Days of reaping, the nights of aghast
Seasons aligned, under the wintry sign

Sign…under the wintry sign

The groaning, moaning sound of this frost
A blinding eternal blizzard
Seasons aligned and now under the sign
Of crisp eternal winter

Nature…eternal winter…

I’ve wandered the skies
Throughout the starry neck of nowhere
I’ve swarmed the horizon
Throughout eternal fields of everywhere
Time and time again
From shore to shore, star to star
Deep bloodlines of the earth as seen from afar

Upon the ground of rumbling ruins
History shattered, moments withering
Raving forces of the inevitable

Nature…

I’ve wandered the skies
Throughout the starry neck of nowhere!
I’ve swarmed the horizon
Throughout eternal fields of everywhere
Time and time again
From shore to shore, star to star
Deep bloodlines of the earth as seen from afar

Nature, cast of the future
Upon the ground of rumbling ruins
History shattered, moments withering
Raving forces of the inevitable
Reigning union of nature!
The regaining cast of the future
From shore to shore, from star to star
The deep bloodlines of the earth as seen from afar

Horizons that hosts no scenery
Starless, unending skies
Wakes the beastly void
Winter Thrice

Horizons that hosts no scenery
Starless, unending skies
And wakes the beastly void
Starless, unending skies
The dance of stardust stills
Drapes the mountains
Winter Thrice

Borknagar – Winter Thrice