Title: Ascension To Abyss
Artist: The Enlightened
Release Date: March 29th 2014
Producer: Bill Owens
Genre: Symphonic Extreme Metal
Length: 9:36
Label: Starr Records
Formats: CD, Digital Download, Vynil
Ascension To Abyss is the second single from Swedish Metal band
The Enlightened, it's taken from the band's first album,
The Arcanum Cirlce, to be released this 2014. The single is availalbe through Starr Records in four formats: CD, Limited-Edition Digipack CD, Digital Download and Limited-Edition 7" Picture Vynil. The phyisical formats include an alternate orchestral version of the track.
The song was written by Tom Orgsen and was recorded at the Rever Studios (London) this last January. It was produced by the british producer, musician and artists,
Bill Owens.
This single is the second official release of
The Enlightened, after the release of their debut single in early March,
Shadows.
"We all wanted to release 'Shadows' as our debut single, it's our catchiest and easiest-listening song so it was the best option, but for the second single I wanted something very different. We're releasing 'Ascension...' as our new single, it's a fucking epic 9-minutes-long song with a lot of orchestral and symphonic elements, it's very, very dark. I love it really...its atmosphere is fucking heavy. It's based on Lovecraft's 'Dream Cycle', more specifically about the Ngranek mountain, it's the landmark of the Isle Of Oriab, a fictional location in HPL's dreamlands. As you may know, I'm a huge fan of Lovecraft and his works and I really love 'The Dreamlands' a totally alternate dimension that he created, which can only be entered via dreams. It's epic, very heavy and dark. One of the best songs I've written so far...With the physical release you will get a bonus track: a complete orchestral version of the song, without electric guitars or drums, it's something I like so much...Probably, if we were not signed with Starr Records and we were with another company, they won't ever let us release this song as a single, I was waiting for a 'are you fucking crazy? An almost 10-minutes single??!!!' but it was not like that, the people at Starr said 'great! Let's do it', I'm fucking happy!!!!"
"I think it's one of the most-ambitious tracks I ever written...It's based on H. P. Lovecraft's Dream Cycle, they are a serie of stories that concern themselves with "The Dreamlands," a vast, alternate dimension that can be entered via dreams. The dreamlands are divided in four regions: West, South, East and North. This song is specifically written about the South Region, home of the isle of Oriab and the areas known as the Fantastic Realms. There is where the Ngranek is. The Ngranek is a towering, extinct volcano, a real Abyss...The song itself is divided in two parts: "The Madness Of A Man" is the introduction to the story, it's about somebody planning to reach the Mount Ngranek, and the second part "The Ascent" is about the Ascent itself. And about the music? It goes from slow to mid-tempo, an epic piece of orchestral metal music. We used a lot of samplers, effects and a lot of different instruments, like the piano which was played by a famous swedish pianist...We're so bad that he didn't want to appear with his name in the credits haha!"
Lyrics:Part I: The Madness Of A Man
The desire to reach the uncharted lands
Wanting to escape the laws of this world
The madness of a man prevail over reason
Such toughts that attracts a man to undefinable limits
Legends and tales have been written
On a faraway land wonderful and impassable
Whose travelers hazarded themselves
Were never reported...
The extraterrestrial place is described
On a sharp, rocky mountain with thousand caves
Gaping mouths creating abyssal mazes
Who knows what nefarious creatures hiding there
On his hidden side was carved a strange face
Gigantic and horrifying, human and inhuman
The few people who've reached this monument
Deduce a portrait of those who live on the peak.
Part II: The Ascent
The ascent itself can be terrible
Sharpened stone fields of any size
Walking and climbing for miles and days
Blown by a cold and furious wind
Tiredness and pain outweighs your body
The orb of fire ends its cycle
Shadows and darkness swallow to light
You're trapped here for worrying hours
At the moment when your mind passes away
In the abyss of agitated dreams and torments
When a deathly silence hangs over the mountain
Two arms, cold and smooth, raises your body up
It take you away into the starlit night sky
-Both afraid of the creature that takes you
And the place where you are heading-
Your upset mind slips and fall into a second tortured sleep...
Credits:Tom Orgsen - Lead Vocals & Guitars
Andreas Nedland - Bass & Backing Vocals
Fredrik Hedlund - Drums & Percussion
Lyrics and Music written by Tom Orgsen.
Produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Bill Owens.
Recorded and Mastered at Rever Music Studios, London.
Chart Performance:Digital Downloads Position: #11
Airplay Position: #23
Streaming Position: #11
Sales: 585,000+
Certifications: Gold
Sounds Like:
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