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Generally Russia's Christianization is usually depicted in heavy music as a brave foray of great Slavs, which are strangely dressed as Vikings and battle some devious foes with axes. In the basis of "We Are Not Alone" track there are harsh facts of these cruel times of Povolzhye region people Christianization and internal missionary work in Russia. The track is far from metal community fantasies based on popular neopaganism ideas and based on real facts of the past, which closely intertwine with classic horror literature ideas.
Starting from XVI century there were orthodox churches built on territories inhabited by Mordva (indigenous finno-ugoric people) and tsar rule willingly assigned them farming, forestry and water resources and also assigned unchristianized villages to certain churches. One of the main goals of the clergy in this region was to baptize Mordva people. And there were numerous violent clashes between pagans and official and clergy rule, namely in 1656 - murder of Ryazan Archbishop, which sparked a new cycle of violence and served a reason for instatement of "Section of Newly Baptized Affairs", which was brought up for a purpose of speeding up baptizing of Kazan, Nizhegorodsk, Voronezh and Astrakhan regions. Later this section utilized an idea of monetary and item reimbursement for people, who willingly decided to baptize. Though pagans found this idea quite offensive.
Later in 1744 prominent Mordva elders wrote a letter to Empress Anna asking to stop forceful baptizing and remove the bishop from the area, who promoted violent acts. But that didn't help and response was to severely punish Mordva, who undersigned the letter to Empress, to make sure nobody follows their example - and that's where the track starts its story:
Some missionary is sent to Mordva to finally resolve the situation with clear instruction to use whatever means, no matter how violent. Later when missionary arrives, pagans are secretly performing their rituals, which he doesn't take notice of. But the prayers were heard and materialized into a winged monstrosity that attacked the missionary during the nights. Missionary hides in the church and prays to find salvation from the winged terror and claiming that "We're not alone" to the God.
This is where the track ends. As for the story: as you might have guessed, first Mordva people to baptize were nobles and state-affiliated people, who were trying to secure their privileges and status. Peasants were ready to go as far as relocate, riot, self-immolate, but to avoid baptizing, seeing new religion as another mean of oppression. And that's the idea: no axe-wielding Viking and factual history mixed with classical horror literature: lyrics are referring similar ideas with two literary pieces: Vii by N. Gogol and The Shadow over Innsmouth by H.P. Lovecraft.
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Kill, grab by the head
And shove into the ice-hole
Do not dwell on it
If there they rest in peace
What else to do
If they are conjuring from the outside
And but demons know what is happening
On the prairies in the dark
You don't believe yet, but you will
A century won't measure life
It's not an illusion, not a bad dream
Kissing a cross won't grant salvation
From human thoughts and flesh
Please god save our souls
I'm sure we're not alone
The spell grows stronger
If thousands whisper
The more people join the curse
The stronger beast becomes
And haven't lost their tales
And literacy's useless
Still horrifies, it
And crosses puts across
The wings flapped in the distance
What unspeakable horror
God, please save our souls
Seen it myself: we're not alone in this world
Убивай, окунай
В прорубь прямо головой
Не печалься, если кто
Обретёт в ней покой
Ну а как быть еще?
Коли ворожат извне
И творится черти что
Во степи, в ночной тьме
Ты не веришь, но поверишь.
Сотней лет жизнь не измерить
Это не наваждение и не дурные сны
Крест целуя не спасешься
От человечьей мысли плоти
Господи помилуй, спаси и сохрани…
Я уверен: мы не одни.
Заклинание крепчает
Если шепчут тысячи
Чем клянёт больше людей
Тем сильней чудовище
И не скинули хвосты,
Не велик грамоты толк
Всё равно корёжит, сука
Кресты ставит поперёк!
Крылья хлопали вдали,
Какой ужас, боже мой
Господи помилуй, спаси и сохрани…
Видел сам: мы в этом мире не одни.
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2. |
Black Lines
04:35
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Vasiliy Kandinsky is a great artist, a man that have turned understanding of art upside down and has rightfully imprinted his name in the world history of art. His pictures can be found in museums all around the world and his artistic heritage is sold on auction for millions of dollars. However, this is all in vain compared where Kandinsky was drawing his inspiration.
Some historic details: Kandinsky was from family of Nerch merchants, descendants of prisoners. His great-grandmother was a Tungus queen Gantimurova and his father was of old Kandinsky family, which were thought to be descendants of Mansi kingdom – a union of Finno-Ugric tribes of Mansi people. Vasiliy was not another rich man, trying to find his place in society; he was more interested about his place in the nature of things. He always believed that artist was a shaman, a “spiritual healer”, which was completely misunderstood by the cultured society; they could not believe that an heir of such a prestigious family would be interested in such things. Kandinsky was also conducting scientific work in scope of peasant laws in Komi-Zir (yet again Finno-Ugric people) and their traditional beliefs which led him to conclusion that tribal shamans were keepers of common laws, traditions and rituals (basically legal power). Moreover, another scientist confirmed his conclusions 30 years after.
Kandinsky’s last name appearance might be connected with the name of one of the Mansi indigenous populations: Kondinsk Mansi, name of the one of the main trade cities on River Ob’ was Kondinsk (and some maps have it as Kandinsk), which is also known for its monastery, which got its name due to river Konda, which falls into Ob’. The area around this monastery used to hold special meaning to the local population and as it usually occurred monastery might have been built over the ancient pagan grounds.
Moving on to the track, it is fully constructed from elements of poetry, descriptions of artist’s works and also tells about “Ort” conception. “Ort” (which means soul in Zir people language) conception was a research conducted by Kandinsky, which was his scientific achievement. He states, that these peoples’ understanding
of “Ort” is different from Judeo-Christian “immortal and incorporeal” understanding, reminding more of a “doppelganger” (which can be seen and felt at certain times), which is more characteristic of shamanistic beliefs and detailed in Carlos Castaneda books.
It is speculated that Kandinsky might have taken part in a pagan ritual and he was also ware of ritualistic uses of hallucinogenic mushrooms - toad stools (in Russian called “Poganka”, bearing similarity with adjective “Pogany”, which can be interpreted as pagan) to understand the messages of the universe.
Seeing such a deep meaning of this particular song and having three artists and one Finno-Ugric heritage enthusiast in the band it was a sign: all we had to do is come up with the most primal, melodic and repetitive song with an emphasis on the drum rhythm patterns in the beginning and before refrains to reflect shamanistic drumbeats.
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Bear hunt is a task for real men
Brave enough to challenge such a formidable beast
Several men are needed, one will never succeed
Telepathy is a gift from gods and mother nature
The forest is growing thicker, the leaves - heavier
Close your eyes and the branches come alive, the air grows darker
With the aid of foreign gods through ice on Vychegda a tear flows
The water element changes its bed, time for me to open my eyes.
A magic impulse midst traditional forms:
Fleece, shamans and the rhythm of creation
The source of thought can be determined
Only if depths of consciousness are fathomed
Repeat one phrase: scars heals
So hard to keep going through thorns and not looking back
Imagine this though: paints come alive
So dreadfully cold
Create, never hesitate
Yet the forest is growing thicker and the leaves - ever so heavy
Close your eyes and the branches come alive, the air grows darker
With the aid of foreign gods through ice on Vychegda a tear flows
The water element changes its bed, time for me to open my eyes.
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3. |
Home
06:04
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Old pagan gods of many religions are similar with humans in nature; they were not absolute of any polarity: good, evil, chastity or lust, but they combined all the qualities.
In this song, we take away all the unnecessary from traditional pagan gods, meaning good, evil and chastity, leaving only lust. Good and evil are too relative and chastity is useless, so that leaves us with lust.
This song is different from the rest on this release: it is sensual and fully fantasy based around the idea that pagan gods are still alive. Lyrics have a clear sexual undertone and an “animalistic” hint on where to find these gods. It is oozing with the atmosphere of enchanting terror and it has no otherworldly and gothic romance. Highway, depths of the forest and a far away cabin. The rest unravels in the story.
The art for this track turned out to be more difficult. If gloom is easy to find, but we were looking for a certain person to depict the goddess, which would fit the concept of the track and we have finally came across Miranda Wipperfurth photos. Her works are inspired by almost the same as our songs and perfectly fit the concept. The song is catchy and easy to listen: Gleb vocals fully show that even a ballad can be heavy music.
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4. |
From Outer Space
03:17
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Men shall not live without rumors of old, strange secrets, and wonders that planets tell planets alone in the night
H.P. Lovecraft “The Strange High House in the Mist”
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5. |
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6. |
The Owls
07:02
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There are not many of our songs that are based on grim events, which are not widely knows. “The Owls” is a long ballad that reflects on mix of modern darker heavy music trends and real life events that took place hundred years ago.
Before the Great Revolution in 1917, Tambov region was one of the advanced regions of Russian Empire, one of its main resources was bread, which is quite a pressing mater for Volga region. However, after 1917 everything has changed and Bolsheviks decided to deprive Tambov people of any political and economic rights and banned them from trade and started to take it for themselves by force. After three years of struggle, a massive riot broke out called “Antonovshina” and it was so huge, that government was ready to deploy chemical weaponry against rioters, which is confirmed by declassified excerpts.
Violence and oppression was made the only ruling power in Tambov region, which include terror against region inhabitants, taking hostages, eradication of settlements and villages, creation of concentration camps and mass shootings.
Lyrics tell the story from three perspectives, but there are only two characters in the song. First part tells the story of rebels, second one is about a stranger, who encountered their ghosts in the dark of the night. Single version of the track does not have this second part and it ends on a cliffhanger. To fully reflect on the gloom and eternal haunting of the ghosts and to make the song more authentic, part of the original Tambov rebels’ song was made into “The Owls” refrain.
This song has no aggression, it is more atmospheric and calm rather than emotional. Art was made by Oleg Zelenkevich in his usual style: owl’s silhouette with forest and rebels.
Now you’re free to roam the track for more hidden secrets we have left behind: maybe it is the owl cry I have emulated with guitar pedal before the refrain or maybe Tambov Rebels’ song played in the dark steppes or maybe some details in Gleb’s vocals or slow motion of Fyodor’s playing. You have to see for yourself.
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7. |
New World Order
04:23
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8. |
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Even an art for this song makes one shiver, which is quite unusual for the modern culture that constantly polishes all the edges to make sure that heavy music fan is not stressed and visits the long awaited gig of N band that plays, for example – Death Metal.
Yet here we see a scary woman. The art is crudely drawn. It is scary.
The track is intertwined with many things, but one of them is feelings from your childhood. Child fears are always the strongest: once, when I was little I went to the countryside with my parents. I liked it and there were many different books to read. One of them was “Uncle Fyodor, Dog and Cat”. Just like every kid back in the 90s I knew this cartoon and the expectations for the book were high. But when I opened the book, my gaze was captivated by this image that you see in the beginning and on the art for this track. It came clear how it turned out to be mixed with child books later: Eduard Uspenskiy (the author) wrote many child stories in soviet Union, but he also wrote a lot of other things, and this art and the other one, that you can see on a cover to We Are Not Alone, were among “other things” he wrote.
The other thing that was basis for “To Live” is cinema art. Two movies that made significant impact on social themed lyrics and dramatic music were “To Live” by Yuriy Bykov and Vasiliy Sigarev.
And the third thing is a personal experience, which is summarized in last 9 lines of the lyrics.
Curious fact for those, who like this track the most: we were planning to feature guest vocals – first 8 lines were supposed to be sung by David from Psychonaut 4 (because of two last more socially themed on our album and artistic proximity to psychic disease themed art P4 are doing). I was introduced to P4 by Max (bass player of the band) and when I was composing “To Live”, I remember about P4 the same instant. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out – David went touring and in the end Gleb performed the whole song.
I’d like to note some black metal bands as an influence to this song, I remember that it was being composed during sleepless nights and lots of coffee. Spotify was on pop music and Billy Idol.
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When attempting to live,
Accept the anguish
Tearing and hitting
Abrading your hands raw
Throw out the memories
Before it's too late
Eyes on horizon
Where shines the second to sun
And let the sleeper awaken
Sun greeting him with a smile
Touching him with a bright claw
You'll miss it all
Wake up, don't sleep!
Sharp claw spends days
Gnawing on the spiral of life as best it can
Sentry of own fate
Don't bear the cross
Throw it off your back
Unable to write, giving the order
To sew a million people together
Having fucked control, forcing it in the noose
Jerking the vagina with a steel machine-gun
Having fucked a sister, drinking some ethanol
Unable to write, teaching how to live
Destroying a stranger's life for a career
That's what it is to live.
Стараясь жить
Готовься к муке
Рвать и бить
Стирать свои руки
По волчьи выть
Вставать и падать
Делать шаг вперед
В капкан загадок
Выбрось память прочь
Пока не поздно
Взор на небосклон
Ко второй от Солнца
Пусть же спящий проснется
Солнце ему улыбнется
Ярким когтем коснется
Ты все проспишь, проспишь, очнись!
Острый коготь как может
Днями спираль судьбы гложет
Своей участи сторож
Крест не неси, со спины сними!
Не умея писать давать приказ
Шить миллион людей на заказ
Выебав контроль в петлю усадить
Стальным пулеметом вагину дрочить
Трахнув сестру, этанола попить
Не умея читать жизни учить
Чужую судьбу ради карьеры сгубить
Вот, что такое жить!
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9. |
We Are Alone
03:19
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We Are Alone track is based on a gloomy tune, which I have composed after my father passed away. I don’t remember how old I was, but those enchanting guitar strums would have sure found place in my music sooner or later.
5 years ago at my father’s grave I have recorded cemetery sounds and “silence of graves” on my phone’s recorder and it later was used to make an impulse file, it’s used to drive the room effect that you hear in this song.
That is basically it. This song does not have an art. Track name, melody and this text fully explain it. It is also last one on the album, because it’s the most logical place for it to be.
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