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Of Erthe and Axen Act II (2017)

by Xanthochroid

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1.
Instrumental
2.
Twenty years I've wished To know my place A hunt for peace An endless war Still I ran toward The throes of death 'Til I felt the warmth Of her chest I heave and sigh And reach and writhe ’Til at last I’m home And can see her Dancing She looks at me with Screaming eyes Twirling Calming motions Gentle sighs (I am lost), lost Lost in untold pleasures (In secret worlds) Where once we dwelt Flaming Enveloped in her fire Scorching I no longer feel the pain (Here I’ll stay) Swaddled in her blazing fire (I shall remain) Swinging, swaying Where she is Dancing in the darkness Tempted by her touch Screams impale the silence Running carelessly into the fray Who can make the willful stay? Can you tell me, what did she say? That she’d give her life away? And though I know Days are dark and filled of woe May your countenance never show What the child inside you knows O ageless fount of youth The heavens for you sigh Reveal thy shape, O formless one For ages have I wandered For aeons have I cried: Walk with me, O Winged Mother Dancing She looks at me with Screaming eyes Twirling Calming motions Gentle sighs (I am lost), lost Lost in untold pleasures (In secret worlds) Where once we dwelt Flaming Enveloped in her fire Scorching I no longer feel the pain (Here I’ll stay) Swaddled in her blazing fire (I shall remain) Swinging, swaying Where she is Twenty years I've wished To know my place A hunt for peace Decades of war Still searching for a soul I hope you know I hope you’re there Where dreams at last prevail Where fear is met with laughter Where promise cannot fail I hope you know My heart is there In the damp and misty air Where still the scent of morning Hangs softly in your hair I hope you know My heart is yours My angel of repose My only fleeting solace Of this aching, empty pain
3.
Come, Release your hate. Revile your pain Lay down the weight Crushing your soul Oh, the well lit halls of my home Painted by polyphony May I find some peace; Solace In this harmony Built from broken, nameless sound Hear, Colors unseen Cast from their mouths Halls once well lit Dampened and dim Have you grasped the infinite? Can you feel the weight of eternity? Mocking, mangling, Smothering you with hands that never shake Reveal to me Those glorious wanton days At last I feel The truth is gripping me I can scarcely draw my breath My soul is drifting toward The valley deep within Melt my heart O music. Let flow your stream, Resonant chambers of rage, contentment, passion or fear. Life to ever-sleep. Melt my heart O music. Let flow your stream, Resonant chambers of rage, contentment, passion or fear. Life to ever-sleep. For only you can strike us with your magic.
4.
Redeem thy misspent time that is past And live this day as if thy last Do you remember the forest before dawn? When you and I were impetuous and strong Forming worlds and making legends with our thoughts Dreaming boldly with a strength that can’t be taught Leave this place You are not welcome here In light of what you’ve done Oh, my tainted son How welcoming Just like the Father who Resented me from birth I am not your son The strength you seek Is buried ‘neath a reeking corpse The death wrought by your dreams I beheld the great Stone city Bastions of marble rose gleaming above the clouds I only seek to restore what wisdom was lost; To champion those who must remain… Erthwile You think me mad My mind twisted and cruel I admit, my sins belie my goals But the madness is your own The power is limitless... Don't you know? We could bring her back! One day I know you will let me soar And then you shall watch in excited horror As you see all of the terrible things that I do And you realize, it is only you I, as well, Longed for that wistful gaze (I was never meant to know) O, to know A father’s warm embrace I, as well, Longed for the fresh sea air (All those years I never thought) I had thought Somehow I'd make you care Within me A bestial entity Is in control Destiny no longer belongs to me Corruption takes its toll
5.
Warm drops of petrichor Stream from the trees To the forest floor Try to find me In the morning mist Neath the canopy Where once we kissed Where I am held by evergreens Silently With their oaken eaves I am where The scent hangs in the air Where I drank the dew And met your stare Where you can sleep amongst the leaves Peacefully Dream of simple things I should have followed you O, the warm, warm forest floor... Where I'll dream no more I felt the outstretched arms of Death Reaching 'tward my heaving chest But in the Orchard I was kept Safe within that thorny crest Though through the mist the Reaper crept Row by row, ’til none were left There I slept amongst (the leaves) Held silently by evergreens With giant, arching, oaken eaves I slept and dreamt of simple things, so trifling Of wishes whispered silently Of when I saw her through the trees O dreams are real until we wake Beneath this curtain’s heavy weight The chains of sleep I cannot (shake) Skies may thunder, Erthe may quake But never could they from me take Her tender spirit, the one for whom I ache
6.
What a friend What a friend Has Torment Found in me My chest, my chest A cavern Wherein he may dwell My eyes But shadows My mind, my mind A void Unable to escape This vile, vile Carcass I shall remain Purposeless, purposeless Without thoughts But what a friend, What a friend Has Torment found in me
7.
So, it must be true Few are worthy of its weight Few are meant to know What the ancients knew And fewer, still Dare to test their will Few possess the strength Timid and tame, but I I would return this race to its former glory! I have seen the crumbling face of our gilded past; Wind-worn monuments , of a more glorious age Mock us with their unchang’d stare How can we know what wonders came before us? I long to feel that power which lies dormant in our blood As they assembled, this gleaming precipice Reaching high, above the clouds How many lifetimes would I waste Trying to reach its top Clutching its edges, higher still Grasping at the hair-like roots That grow out from the cracks Only to swipe through the open air And fall again and again What sort of creature am I? So I bear this burden I suffer and I grow I grow in vision and in fortitude (I grow with the fire that is my soul) With the fire that is my soul I’ll teach the world to speak in truer tongues To ever strive for better days I’ll let the visage of this mangled form (I'll teach the world to strive for better days) Teach me the value of each day To spend the full force of our energies Advancing towards a new and glorious morning— The genuine life full of vibrancy and meaning— This shall be our aim. Let us marshall our motivations To align with such a high and worthy cause. Let us set new declarations And discipline in our lives. Let the value of freedom Run through every crevice in our minds, Through every thought and every action that we choose, Through every monument we erect Through the long days and long marches That lead to our highest selves and (highest) contributions, Through all the hopeful dreams Born from a liberated soul.
8.
O, the biting pulse of my memories Gnawing the roots of my pain O, the icy tendrils of the past Striking my heart with a cold, whipping chill O, the mountains’ moan, The cackling of the crows Singing the forest’s refrain Winds whistling through My deep and wooded home But I am deaf to the sound The sound which has no name An Ode to the Feral Heart The wild one who roams Without shame or guilt or fear God and Man at once The king without a throne His spirit strikes you with wonder His words are thick with truth Like heavy drops of amber That cloak the oaken bark He is the one who came before In whom all powers lie Flowing from his fingertips Those warm and gentle streams The current running ceaselessly Through trees forever dark And when you see him standing tall He speaks her words into your heart: “I know the place Where memory sleeps And secrets hide It is not far Or hard to find Or too ancient to recall” Heaving my chest Gripping my throat Sleepless, senseless I cannot speak But the tears stream Warm, and heavy With the weight of What I must do O, my Brother, what have you done? What have you and I become? Can you count the links, one by one? Of the chain that you've begun Chains of hate for each man you've wronged Chains that hold forever strong They will follow you where you go As their weight forever grows Open the gates, O forest keeper To lost and ancient gardens To higher climes where few might stand To souls distant and dreaming In deep and wooded forests of my youth The sound of hunger rises The sound of a glinting blade The sound which has no name Reveal thy shape, O formless one Of aching, empty pain Of gods bereft of grace Of strength, and the lust for power Walk with me, O winged mother Through caverns old and yawning Through chains that drag us downward Toward truth and reconciliation

about

Following the success of their epic debut full-length "Blessed He With Boils," the masters of Cinematic Black Metal are back with their massive double album "Of Erthe and Axen."

Released in two Acts (Act I August 22, 2017, Act II October 17, 2017), "Of Erthe and Axen" is a prequel to the tales woven throughout Xanthochroid's earlier releases. In the world of Etymos, older brother Sindr (better known as Ereptor) returns to the island nation of Axen seven years after he left to join the ranks of the Erthen military. What follows is a tale of love, jealousy, magic, war, and deceit as younger brother Thanos learns of his brother's true motivations.

This new release takes Xanthochroid's theatrical concepts to a higher level, evoking the grandeur, bombast, and vulnerability of a live stage performance. More extreme, yet more delicate; more vast, yet more intimate; Xanthochroid's "Of Erthe and Axen" attempts to further broaden the horizons established in their acclaimed debut.

Not only has Xanthochroid chosen to remain an independent band, the group is highly involved in the marketing and promotion of their various efforts. Following the success of their cover of Wintersun's "Land of Snow and Sorrow", amassing over 750,000 views, Xanthochroid is hailed as an innovator in the world of extreme metal. As such, the band has launched an ambitious project called "The Xanthochroid Global Ambassador Program" (XGAP) which empowers fans to hold their own album release/listening parties in their local cities. Already a massive success, fans are planning events in over 20 coutries all over the world.

credits

released October 17, 2017

Sam Meador - Vocals, Choir, Piano, Orchestra, Acoustic Guitars, Bass

Matthew Carl Earl - Vocals, Choir, Drums, Orchestra, Flute, Percussion

Brent Vallefuoco - Choirs, Guitars

Ali Meador - Vocals, Choirs

with

Bryan Huizenga - Live Guitars

Cover Artwork and Booklet Artwork by Jana Heidersdorf

Booklet design by Sam Meador

"Of Erthe and Axen" logo by Sam Meador

Recorded by Matthew Carl Earl, Sam Meador, and Brent Vallefuoco

Engineered, Mixed, and Produced by Matthew Carl Earl

Mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios

Created by Sam Meador

Photography by Nathan Brookes

Thanks to:

Harrison Reese - Extreme Vocals and lyrical excerpt on "Of Strength and the Lust for Power" and "Through Chains That Drag Us Downward"

Sayer Ferrell - Choir Vocals on "Toward Truth and Reconciliation"

Members of the fan-choir on "Through Caverns Old and Yawning":
Catey Meador, Alma von Creutlein, Jacqui Vanderhoorn, Jonathan Vanderhoorn, James Peterson, Connor Rosoman, Scott Noble, and Brennen Walsh

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Xanthochroid Lake Forest, California

Woven throughout the intricate and vast soundscapes of Xanthochroid's music are tales of another world, strange names and foreign lands are characters and places in the world of Etymos. The story of two brothers; Thanos and Sindr (better known as Ereptor) forms the cornerstone upon which Xanthochroid builds their cinematic metal universe. ... more

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