MAKING OF ...
ALCHEMY ...
Aether (equivalent exchange) is the third full-length (released in two versions, the standard one and "Crown' session") of the italian Heavy Metal band Last Frontier. The main intention behind this work is to take the audience on an alchemic journey made of words and music. As you know, every alchemic operation has to be cryptic, but some key to partially understand the conceptual effort behind it is needed in this case because - you know - all in all it's Music, not true Alchemy. So here I am (the lyricist) to offer you some detail. First of all, this journey has 9 stages, the last of whom has 7 sub-stages. Every song is related to an alchemic symbol, with its own category and manifestation. You will start with a Metal and Planet (Magnesium), and will end with a Planet and Metal (Gold), passing through 4 elements (Earth; Water; Fire; Air) and 3 principles (Mercury; Salt; Sulfur). Every song is first and foremost related to a symbol but, for everything in this world is basically related to every other thing, you will find links to other symbols/categories/manifestations. And now let's proceed song by song, unfolding what can be unfold, and concealing what has to be concealed.
Toward the last frontier
symbol: magnesium
category: metal and planet
manifestation: eternity.
To a seeker it has been told where to find the one who will tell the stories of the album, the one who reigns on the last frontier.
"Walk ...", he said, "till the ocean dries becoming sand.
Then over, where all sands into the desert converge.
Well, he lives there, and to the ones who can listen he has many tales to tell.
Full of knowledge without peer, there he reigns on the Last Frontier."
Cults of cargo
symbol: earth
category: element
manifestation: physical sensations and movements.
During prehistoric times an alien aircraft lost a piece of metal, with the Last Frontier symbol on it. This piece fell into a forest and the hominids who dwelled it began to venerate it as the Metal Lord. Since then until modern times human adepts have continued to go to that forest to worship the Metal Lord.
In the jungle where we stayed before we knew our destiny;
in the jungle where remains the stock of human seed;
in the jungle where we preyed like still do the chimpanzees;
in the jungle where we bend, we sing and we praise you;
in the jungle where you await me.
And I see you standing Metal Lord, Metal Lord.
And I see you standing Metal Lord, Metal Lord.
And I see you standing Metal Lord, Metal Lord.
And I don’t want you to leave me.
Here we kneel
in the darkness where you reign, surrounded by the leafy trees;
in the darkness where you fell from a rumbling beast;
in the darkness where you rest, defying thousand centuries;
in the darkness shines your steel.
And I see you standing Metal Lord, Metal Lord.
And I see you standing Metal Lord, Metal Lord.
And I see you standing Metal Lord, Metal Lord.
And I don’t want you to leave me.
And I see you standing Metal Lord, Metal Lord.
And I see you standing Metal Lord, Metal Lord.
And I see you standing Metal Lord, Metal Lord.
And I don’t want you to leave me.
Fields of Thetis
symbol: water
category: element
manifestation: cold; feminine; intuition.
Thetis was the nymph who dominated the seas of antiquity, therefore her fields are the boundless oceans. A brave crew sets sail for the open sea and meets the mermaids, who tempt mariners to lead them to death, because with too much arrogance and complacency they violated the kingdom of their lady.
Fast take the wind the great sails to the oceans,
faster the hearts beat for joy mixed with fear.
We will survive all the traps of the big blue.
Hear the voices of the mermaids, they are calling.
Hear the voices of the mermaids.
Hear the voices of the mermaids, they are calling.
We’ll defy our destiny.
Man, come with me.
Hear me.
Man, stay with me.
Hear me.
Hear the voices of the mermaids
calling from the deep.
I've got something for you.
Hear the voices of the mermaids
calling from the deep.
I've got something for you.
Dark is the night and rocks in the distance
darker the creatures that lie on the rocks
the rudder turns in the hands of the helmsman.
Hear the voices of the mermaids, they are calling.
Hear the voices of the mermaids.
Hear the voices of the mermaids, they are calling
you.
Man, come with me.
Hear me.
Man, stay with me.
Hear me.
Hear the voices of the mermaids
calling from the deep.
I've got something for you.
Hear the voices of the mermaids
calling from the deep.
I've got something for you.
Flames of Moloch
symbol: fire
category: element
manifestation: passion; love; hatred; craving; anger.
Moloch is the Canaanite god who requires small children, killed and burned in his name, because the smell of burnt fat inebriates him. The place to carry out the burnt offerings is the valley of the son of Hinnom, later known as Gehenna which, once conquered by the Israelites, will become the place where waste is burned, a place therefore where the flames have burned imperishable for centuries, for various reasons. Lord Moloch proposes to a man to sacrifice his son in exchange for the satisfaction of an unidentified desire that burns inside that man with the vigor of the flames.
The strength of your desire
consumes you like a fire
and in the end the heart
will show the way to me.
There is a pyre burning
into the Hinnom Valley,
throw there your firstborn offspring
and I will grant your wish.
Let the fire burn.
Burn him, burn him
Let the fire burn.
Burn him, burn him
Let the fire burn.
Offer your child to me.
Let the fire burn:
this is the way.
The price to pay to praise me
and gain my precious goodwill
is sacrificing on the altar
your first child.
There is a pyre burning
into the Hinnom Valley,
throw there your firstborn offspring
and I will grant your wish.
Let the fire burn.
Burn him, burn him
Let the fire burn.
Burn him, burn him
Let the fire burn.
Offer your child to me.
Let the fire burn:
this is the way.
Let the fire burn.
Burn him, burn him
Let the fire burn.
Burn him, burn him
Let the fire burn.
Offer your child to me.
Let the fire burn:
this is the way.
Wings of stone
symbol: air
category: element
manifestation: the sacred spirit; the forces of life.
Once devoted crusaders, because of their strength and faith in defeating the "infidels", through the black magic of men, they were turned into gargoyles and placed to guard a prestigious cathedral. During the day stuck because of the sun in the form of a stone, at night they break free ... one of them falls in love with a girl who spies during the night while she sleeps.
For centuries and centuries
we've spent our days stuck 'cause of the sun
doomed by a gloomy sorcery
now monsters, once were soldiers of god.
Then the moon shines on
the shells of stone,
crumbling them.
Free we go.
Your heart spills rain
I cannot drain.
It pierces the stone.
I'll watch you sleep
until dawn.
Far memories, dark memories:
the war against the infidel ones,
and in reward for victory
gargoyles became the victorious ones.
Then the moon shines on
the shells of stone,
crumbling them.
Free we go.
Your heart spills rain
I cannot drain.
It pierces the stone.
I'll watch you sleep
until dawn.
The willow
symbol: mercury
category: principle
manifestation: what changes appearance while maintaining its essence.
A man, loved by a witch, wanted to leave to see the world but she didn't want him to go away. Thanks to a powerful magic, she turned him into a tree outside, with feelings and human blood inside. When the night comes and the creatures of the woods crowd around this being half human and half plant, the witch returns to her beloved to embrace him, while in him the human desires and impulses suffer for not being able to vent, trapped in a body of bark.
When the moon is high in the sky
and the creatures start to dance around me.
When my branches feel its light
and like fingers try to caress the wind.
When the spirits come into sight
and the forest imitates the way I deeply feel
then she comes and holds me tight
and my heart of flesh can no more stop beating
The edge of desire is burning like fire
the edge of desire I cannot restrain
the edge of desire is burning like fire
the edge of desire I cannot restrain
When the dark birds of the night
sing their creepy laments among the trees.
When the humans stop to fight
have a rest and slip into the sleep that I still wish
then she comes and holds me tight
and my heart of flesh can no more stay
still, although she cursed me
for she didn’t want me to go away.
The edge of desire is burning like fire
the edge of desire I cannot restrain
the edge of desire is burning like fire
the edge of desire I cannot restrain
The blood that's flowing through my veins,
I cannot restrain.
The blood that's flowing through my veins,
I cannot restrain.
The blood that's flowing through my veins,
I cannot restrain.
The blood that's flowing through my veins,
brings my pain.
The river
symbol: salt
category: principle
manifestation: the symbol of the things of nature; condensation.
A quiet forest, a quiet clearing in the sweet spring, disturbed by a handful of men chasing a girl accused of being a witch. Once reached for a stream, before throwing herself in the water in search of salvation, the girl reveals her power, by making fall asleep all men except one - their leader - who turns into a Faun, so that the others, once awake , will drive him out, and he will be forced to live hunted. Nature, life, go on anyway ... and eventually the night comes and then the quiet will return.
Fresh was the season,
gentle the rain
in the wild fields
many species of flowers.
Lush was the forest
of creatures and fruits
the air was filled
by the scent of the pollens.
Beware of the beast with no claws
Beware of the beast.
Suddenly fear
came in the glade
great was the smell
and the noise of the screaming.
Ten angry men
chasing a maid
one yelled at her: "Witch,
you cannot deceive me!"
Falls
the rain on the stone,
the ax on the log,
the sun from the sky,
to let come the night,
that falls on this world,
relentless and bold,
like death with its scythe:
the magic of life.
With great effort
the girl reached for the stream
hence turned her face
to stare them for a moment
just for her look
all but one fell asleep:
he became Pan
while she jumped in the water.
Beware of the beast with no claws
Beware of the beast
Dark was the sky,
cold was the rain
in the wild fields
all asleep were the flowers.
Silent the forest
creatures and ghosts
the air was filled
by the scent of the pollens.
Falls
the rain on the stone,
the ax on the log,
the sun from the sky,
to let come the night,
that falls on this world,
relentless and bold,
like death with its scythe:
the magic of life.
The brier
symbol: sulfur
category: principle
manifestation: the masculine; the heat; dissolution; the devil.
A witch loves a country gentleman, who deceives her and then betrays her. The witch, in front of a brier, performs a ritual and invokes the Pale Lord - a kind of demon - who gets paid with her soul to make him die and burn his house. However, love is stronger and she repents, but in order for him to come back to life, in addition to the soul already sold, she must also pay with her own flesh and thus sacrifice herself. The Pale Lord, however, is a deceiver, therefore he restores the life to the gentleman, but transforms him into a kind of immortal monster, who sings in the refrain of the long awaited quiet that will never come.
Because of her desire
the mansion went on fire
a home became a pyre
a pyre for its lord.
She danced before the brier
and prayed against the liar
the master of the mansion
who swore eternal love.
The scene was truly dire
she had more than required:
the smoke was getting higher
more than the clouds above.
From flames arose her Sire
pale of face and attire
come to exact his payment
the payment for his work.
Waiting for the
Peaceful silence
Never coming
Fate has trampled me.
Waiting for the
Peaceful silence
Never coming:
cursed to live eternally.
Repented for her action
she asked for his salvation
salvation for her lover,
to pay with flesh and soul
When the white Lord comes,
to share the secrets he knows with us
his obscure acolytes
we carefully listen.
The white lord of deception
agreed with her intention
The witch fell in the brier
from flames the man arose.
But once conjured our god
two things we have to remember:
everything has its price
and he is a deceiver.
Waiting for the
Peaceful silence
Never coming
Fate has trampled me.
Waiting for the
Peaceful silence
Never coming:
cursed to live eternally.
Waiting for the
Peaceful silence
Never coming
Fate has trampled me.
Waiting for the
Peaceful silence
Never coming:
cursed to live, eternal.
Shahar*
symbol: gold
category: planet and metal
manifestation: the sun; gold; the spiritual perfection of man.
An alchemist and diviner, gripped by prophetic nightmares, undergoes the visit of some spirits from the higher planes of existence, who tell him about the alien and non-supernatural origin of what humans call "Gods". To him and to humanity, to whom the secret will be revealed through his mouth, the duty / commitment / possibility of "awakening the sun" of knowledge, against religious obscurantism and the deception of creatures that are not ethereal at all.
[Chapter 1: Sunset]
Audire videtur:
lemures loquentur.
Aeterna nox, fumus,
hostes nos circumveniunt.
Aeterna nox, fumus,
hostes nos circumveniunt.**
[Chapter 2: Necromancer]
Like bolts that set the thatched roofs on fire
and break in Fall the branches of the trees,
or the mysterious weight that bends the willows
and makes the teenage lovers pledge and kneel.
This way a restless force, a ghost, a shadow,
who hungry always was and so will be
has pushed me to tell at day the nightmares
that night, without compassion, sent to me.
Spirits, come to me.
In nightmares talk to me.
[Chapter 3: Spirits]
We’re calling from Heavens
above your false deities.
We’re calling from Heavens
above their dead stars.
[Chapter 4: Present]
In their fortress of black stone
from the mountains of dead stars
they are laughing at your tears
they are laughing at your fears.
In their fortress your lords
plain your conquests and defeats
thanks to their technology.
[Chapter 5: Past]
There was a kingdom where your gods reigned
in a world far away
but of two factions just one prevailed:
two couldn't stay.
Toward new worlds the great losers sailed,
they settled on Earth to remain,
but for their servant too hard was the work:
they needed slaves.
With all their knowledge they still needed food
so they made Human race,
and since that day you have praised 'em all
while bent in chains.
[Chapter 6: Dawn]
These nightmares come
as gift to thee.
The nightmares are
more blessed than dreams.
A new dawn comes
awaking thee;
the newborn dawn,
awaking thee.
Aeterna nox, fumus,
hostes nos circumveniunt.
Aeterna nox, fumus,
hostes nos circumveniunt.
Awake the sun.
[Chapter 7: Future]
(instrumental)
*= both the name of the ugaritic god of the dawn and the word for "dawn".
**= It seems to hear: the spirits are going to talk. A night eternal, smoke, enemies surround us.
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