Metalhead Blog

Antimai | The Deer Hunter | Concept Explained

This is my personal explanation of the story behind The Deer Hunter’s 2022 album, Antimai.

This album explores the post-apocalyptic world and the dystopian society that has arisen from the end of the world. Antimai is the last city on earth and is organized in a series of 8 concentric circles. Outside of the 8 rings is nothing but desolation (or at least that’s what we’re told), so the citizens of Antimai are forced to survive in the city. Each track in the album goes explains what each ring is like.

Track 1) “Ring 8 – Poverty”

• We start with the farthest ring from the center. Ring 8 houses the destitute citizens living in on the outskirts. They are hardly even part of the city as they live just on the other side of the 7^th wall with nothing separating the slums from the desolate “deadzone” all around them. Here, every day is a struggle to survive.
• This is where Parser and Setv’k reside from the Cycle 8 prologue. Here the children are taken by the state at the age of 8 to serve in work camps until they are 20.
• Ring 8 is also where belief in the Indigo Child is strongest. The faith in a savior is all that keeps the people going day after day. So, they suffer quietly, waiting patiently for the Indigo Child to return and save them all.

Track 2)  “Ring 7 – Industry”

• My impression is this ring is it is full of factories and sweat shops where people are worked to death. It may or may not be where the kids from Ring 8 are taken after Retrieval when they turn 8, but my guess would be it is.
• The song focuses on ring 7 being a place of punishment for those who have fallen from grace in the other sectors. Fail to make it as part of the society in the upper rings, and you’ll be dragged into ring 7 where you’ll be forced to become a “Meka-nik”—basically a worker bee who thinks nothing outside of his/her role as a cog in the industrious machine of ring 7.
• However, life can still get worse. If you get in trouble in ring 7, there’s still the threat of being cast out to ring 8. At least in ring 7 you get food, water, and shelter which is never guaranteed in ring 8.
• The lyrics follow a new arrival in ring 7 being shown around by someone familiar with the territory who gives him the lay of the land and tells him to embrace his new life as there’s no going back.
• Now, what might earn you a demotion into ring 7? Failing to fit in with society and the expectations of the other rings, acting outside the law or even toeing the line of status quo, or being a “bio-pariah” which is anyone from the upper rings who refused to or is unable to marry and procreate.
  • I also have a theory that having faith in the Indigo Child will land you in ring 7 or 8. Faith in the child messiah is for those outside the influence of the god emperor XCV and any whisper of fealty toward the Child would be akin to treason and land you in one of the lower rings.

Track 3) “Ring 6 – LoTown”

• Ring 6 is responsible for growing all the food to feed the entire city. The problem is the walls separating them from ring 5 are so high, it barely allows any sunlight into the sector. Working the soil ruined by desolation is an impossible task in and of itself. But I think this goes beyond food, I think the people of ring 6 are also responsible for growing the population of workers (which making being a “bio-pariah” an ultimate sin). Because in a world where people are worked to death, there will always be a need for more slaves to fill the mouths of the rich and greedy in the upper rings.
• However difficult it may be living and working in ring 6, the people have accepted their fate and built a camaraderie between themselves and even somewhat glorified the impossible task of growing food in a barren and almost sun-less landscape. So they keep their heads down and go to work because—hey, it could always be worse! You could be in ring 7 or 8.

Track 4) “Ring 5 – Middle Class”

• Here is the first ring where the people are above living and working for survival. The sliver of freedom and flimsy happiness is enough to keep the middle class of ring 5 in line. They count their blessings and don’t dare question or think for themselves as doing so could risk what little they have.
• And this is the first ring, I think, that really holds faith in the god emperor XCV. I don’t think the Indigo Child is ever even heard of in this sector, much less whispered about.
• The people of ring 5 know they live in a world of injustice, but they don’t do anything about it because they are too busy keeping their heads above the water—just barely wealthy enough to have pride in what they have and an immense fear of where they would be without it. After all they can look down at the “refugees” in rings 6-8 and see everything they have to lose if they don’t do what is expected of them.
• Here the big focus is again on procreation. But of course, the more kids you have, the harder it is to provide for them so the further you become entrapped into the system of working with your head down and never stepping out of line.
• However, there are signs that the system is broken, there are riots and unrest, and despite the push to grow the population they are running out of space and resources. But it’s easy to ignore all this and focus on the here and now. The middle class hang on to the hope that their children might ascend through the rings through “marrying up” which seems like false promises offered to these people to keep them from straying from the path.

Track 5) “Ring 4 – Patrol”

• Love the mission impossible vibes we get on this one.
• Here we meet a patrolman—one of the law enforcers for the city. Back in the Indigo Child prologue we learned about Retrieval where children are taken from the outer rings and put into work camps. Here they also have a chance to be selected as a guard or patrolman. If you are deemed “worthy of guard” this elevates you into the fourth ring where you get to lord over all the other people in the rings below you.
• This song explores the power trip of going from being beaten down to being the one holding the whip so to speak. You can see how power corrupts as the patrolman whose POV we are seeing in this song doesn’t hesitate to enact brutality and how he feels he is so far above where he came from. It seems there is no limit to what a patrolman can do to others under the guise of “justice” and punishing the disobedient.
• But whatever power these patrolmen think they have obtained, they are still only pawns in the game. Should they refuse to do their job or become insubordinate they will be punished and/or killed.
• There is possibly a hint at the technology used in this world. Lyrics like “Well, it’s no bother, I can just forget“ if we’re taking this literally, it makes it seem like it’s possible for the patrolmen to get a memory wipe. Now this may have to do with the mysterious thing injected into Satv’k in the prologue. It seems it’s pretty routine to for this bright light symbiont-looking thing into children during Retrieval. I am so curious about what that was and if its more technological in nature or more alien-like. Hopefully the idea will be expanded up in in the next album release.

Track 6) “Ring 3 – Luxury”

• In ring 3 we see the gluttony and escapism espoused by the political and religious leaders of this ring. Like the title would suggest, they live a life of luxury and gladly step on the people propping up the world below them in order to maintain their status and lifestyle.
• The first half of the song “The Hall of the Guides” comes from the POV of the Guides who are supposed to be governing Antimai (one of whom we met in the Cycle 8 short film). During a meeting, a demagogue of the Guides gives a proud declaration of their corrupt ideas of justice.
• While part 2 “The Cream of the Crop” feels more like a drugged-out stupor of the rest of the upper class. We are seeing everything through an inebriated rose-colored lens which is how the people of this ring operate, not caring what goes on beyond the walls, only involved in the here and now and maintaining their lifestyle.
• And, okay, I have a thought. Now it’s probably not true, but I was thinking to myself how is it that these people are living in luxury and want for nothing when the city can barely produce any food at all—given that LoTown struggles to grown anything. There is a lack of food, but plenty of people. And you combine that with the push toward procreation in the lower rings and you get the answer to the question what are the people in ring three gorging themselves on? I believe their cannibals.
• Lyrics like “Sure, we’ll bring them in with a lie (Welcome!)
  We could always use another tithe”
• And “They’ve saved their whole lives so they can, someday
  Live a little like we do for one day”
• “We will pick his carcass clean”
• It makes it sound like the people in this sector bring in the “refugees” to live the life of luxury for one day before they are killed and eaten.
• Now, I ‘m probably not right about this, the lyrics I just quoted are more likely talking about people from lower rings coming to speak with their representatives in the Hall of the Guides and beg their help, but my mind jumped to cannibalism.

Track 7) “Ring 2 – Nature”

• Here in the final ring before the tower, we find mother nature has reclaimed a portion of the land. The song is told from the POV of nature itself and speaks of watching the humans destroy everything while patiently waiting for them to die out before nature reclaims the planet once again.
• Now you might be wondering, why is this ring allowed to exist uninhabited? Because it acts as an impenetrable barrier of untamed wildness. The tower where the emperor god XCV resides is cut off from the rest of the rings with this treacherous jungle of ring 2.

Track 8) “Ring 1- Tower”

He seems to be plotting something, though what his end goal is we don’t know. He already had supreme power, so that leaves us with the question: what more can he be trying to achieve?

Told from the POV of the god emperor XCV and how he believes himself above all those below him.

There is one particular lyric that really intrigues me: “And there is nothing that compares to
How good it feels to be the one to push thе domino
What’s beneath it? What’s ahead?
No mattеr, the path won’t wrap around ’til long after I’m dead”

The Indigo Child | The Dear Hunter | Story Explaining

This is my explanation of the story behind The Dear Hunter’s 2021 album The Indigo Child. 

This album serves as an introduction to the dystopian science fiction world of Antimai. The album is comprised of two singles and the soundtrack to their short film: The Indigo Child: Prologue: Cycle 8

If you have not seen the short film, please watch it! You can find it here.

In the short film we get a glimpse of life in the slums of the city. As we meet a mother (Parser) and her child (Satv’k) on the day of his 8^th cycle (8^th birthday). The layout of Antimai is explained in their 2022 album. I assume this prologue takes place in ring eight—where the impoverished reside. But more on that when I cover the Antimai album.

The idea of “The Indigo Child” is introduced as a prophet or deity of sorts. This indigo child is promised to return to offer salvation to the people. However, it is unknown when the child will return. In the meantime, one must be faithful and devout. The mother warns of the risks of fighting against the system.

Just then, a droid rolls into their shanty, followed by the patrolmen of the emperor XCV. We learn it is customary for children in this sector to be taken on their 8^th birthday and enlisted in work service.

Track 1) “The Indigo Child”

• This track introduces the prophecy of the Indigo Child and how she is destined to save those who maintain faith to her once she returns (whenever that might be). The lyrics lead us to see faith in this prophesized savior is wavering. She had not given the people any signs of her presence or any indication of when she will return.
• We see the struggle of trying to believe in prophesies of salvation while living a life in a seemingly godless world. The Indigo Child’s believers are suffering and dying, as they have been for years and years.
• The message here is that the Indigo Child will arrive when she’s good and ready but, in the meantime, just keep suffering. I see this track as coming from the POV of a people who are beaten down to the point of feeling indignant about their Messiah’s refusal to return in their lifetime.
• The big question posed here is, “Why hasn’t she come yet?”

Track 2) “The Indigo Child (reprise)”

• This track seems to be told from the perspective of those who have not wavered in their belief in the Indigo Child.
• In answer to the question, “Why hasn’t she come yet?” We learn the people are not doing enough or acting in the correct way to warrant her return.
• While the previous song was a somber plea of salvation and a demand for justice, this song is a quiet insistence on patience and a devout request for salvation.

**The remainder of the tracks are used on The Indigo Child: Prologue: Cycle 8 short film.

Track 3) “To Your Cycle”

• This instrumental track is meant to convey the bittersweet arrival of a birthday—another year in Antimai. And if you’re unlucky enough to live in the outer rings of the city, your 8^th birthday is your Retrieval Day where you’re dragged off to essentially become a slave to the system.
• The prologue story opens with the mother, Parser, lighting a birthday candle for her very sad looking son, Satv’k, who is too upset to eat his cake.

Track 4) “Prayer | Uncle Boot | Breach”

• The “Prayer” section of the song takes place while Parser says a prayer to the Indigo Child.
• Parser then tells Satv’k a story about her brother, Satv’k’s “Uncle Boot.” She explains about how he rebelled against the system and tried to get his family to fight with him. It’s not clear exactly what happened, but we are led to believe their mother was killed while Boot was hauled off and never seen from again.
• Parser uses this as a warning to explain how the best way to serve the Indigo Child is to wait patiently and put all your faith in her—to stay quiet and subservient until she returns. Which, if you want my opinion, is the answer to the question posed in the reprise track. The lyrics, “You haven’t got a clue you’re not doin’ anything she wants you to do” is in reference to her followers not standing up to fight, just cowering and waiting to be saved. They need to make a stand. As soon as that happens, she will return but as long as people are content to accept their fate she will not return.
• Or another idea is that this “Indigo Child” is an invention of the god emperor XCV. Perhaps he invented this religion as a way to keep the people in line. If rebellion is akin to abandoning your god, then why ever rebel?
• The “Breach” section of the song is when this little round droid thing—which I think is a disruptor sphere—rolls in and scans the room. The patrolmen of the state then barge in and violently grab up the boy while restraining Parser. Satv’k is subdued and implanted with some type of symbiont-like thing.

Track 5) “A Guide to Retrievals”

• The patrolmen sit Parser and Satv’k down at the table. The boy has his mouth taped and is looking very drugged and out of it while the men apologize to Parser for the brutal treatment, saying they get a lot of “false retrievals” and they “never know what they’re walking into” which makes it seem like there is maybe a rebellion going on where traps are set to ambush the patrolmen.
• Anyway, the patrolmen let in this very creepy robotic-looking thing known as a “Retrieval Guide”. (By the way, the filmmakers in combination with the soundtrack do an excellent job of making this almost silly looking robot really freaking creepy!) The Guide begins explaining all the details of Retrieval—but in this awful guttural language until Parser explains she can’t understand it and the patrolman translates.

Track 6) “Your Reward is Not Tax Exempt”

• The Guide explains how her son is now “eligible for work service” and how they will be taking him “to the camps.” In exchange for her cooperation and the “lighting of your beacon”—which I don’t really know what that means. She is then gifted 50 Salarum.
• Parser is given a ticket to retrieve her son on his 20^th cycle if she so chooses. However, if she loses the ticket or if he is “deemed worthy for guard” Satv’k will be ineligible for “redemption” and “retired to service.”
• I’m not sure what all this means exactly but it makes me think these work camps are for the impoverished to work off a type of debt owed to the god emperor. Maybe they are seen as unclean and need to achieve “redemption” in order to ascend the rings of Antimai? Or maybe the slave work is part of their devotion to the Indigo Child.
• Lastly, the Guide reminds Parser the 50 Salarum is not tax exempt—because of course even in a sci-fi/ fantasy world death and taxes are inescapable.
• The Retrieval Guide leaves and the patrolmen throw Satv’k over their shoulder and haul him off. Before the last patrolman leaves, however, he seems to take pity on Parser who is weeping on the floor. He looks over his shoulder to make sure no one is there before he tells Parser, “Our darkness for her light” which is a prayer to the Indigo Child.
• Being that XCV is a god emperor all those working beneath him should believe in his holy power, right? That would make prayers to the Indigo Child blasphemous (if not treasonous). Therefore, I see this kind gesture as a bit of a rebellion on the part of the patrolman. I think he feels bad for Parser and is secretly letting her know he believes in the Indigo child when his faith should be entirely in the emperor XCV. Maybe there is a secret movement operating in the shadows here.

Track 7) “Disruptor Sphere | Sprawl | Antimai”

• We then see this beam of light pointing up at the sky from a pole in the ground outside the shanty where Parser and Satv’k live (which might be what the Guide was referring to about the “lighting of your beacon.”) Below the beacon we see that little disruptor sphere again. It seems to be interfacing with the beacon.
• It then rolls away and we get a little mission-impossible-esque music as we watch it roll along through the dark, barren landscape. We get the feeling this little bot is up to something.
• We zoom out to see what looks like some industrial mining operations going on before the camera settles on a ship powering up. The ship is piloted by someone who looks like it could be one of the patrolmen we met earlier.
• While the ship is powering up, in the reflection of the glass we see the outline of a person—I don’t know who or what it’s supposed to be (perhaps the Indigo Child) but before we can get a better glimpse, the ship takes off.
• All of this leaves us with the idea something big is coming.

Track 8) “Credits”

We then roll the credits with lyrics reprised from Track 2.

Act I: The Lake South, The River North | The Dear Hunter | Concept Explain

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This is my explanation of the story behind The Dear Hunter’s debut 2006 album Act I: The Lake South, The River North.  

** What follows is my personal interpretation of the story based on the lyrics along with the my research on the accompanying graphic novel (though I was unable to read the actual graphic novel, I read a summarny posted by a fan).

This album serves as a prologue and to the Acts storyline. Give a background and introduction to the protagonist “The Dear Hunter.”

Track 1) “Battesimo del Fuoco”

• Translates to “Baptism by Fire”
• Introduces the protagonist and alludes to the dark circumstances of his birth. Sets up for the themes explored such as how far a mother with go to sacrifice for her child.
• “The flame is gone the fire remains” shows how mother and child have temporarily escaped destruction however they will not remain safe for long. Their demons will catch up to them. This ominous tone sets our expectations for a ticking time bomb.
  • “The Flame” I believe represents the priest in this album, but I’ll get to that later.
  • In the graphic novel, Ms. Terri–the mother figure—sets fire to The Dime. (More on that in a sec)

Track 2) “The Lake South”

• Instrumental track serves as a thematic interlude. Not that the child has been introduced with a sword hanging over his head. Our interest is piqued with this quick little flashforward of track one. Now this track musically seems to say, “Now let’s go back in time” and from here on we get an explanation of how things came to be and why these characters are so doomed.

Track 3) “City Escape”

• We open to a scene of a woman escaping in the night. We learn her name is Ms. Terri. She is fleeing the city and her life as a prostitute.
• We learn she is running away because she is pregnant. And we get a glimpse of the act in which the child was conceived with lyrics like “…they tear at her skin…clawing at her throat with a smell of desperate and a lack of regret” it makes me think of a brutal assault in which she was abused by multiple men at once.
  • “Free, pardoned by the flame” I believe means these men may have acted outside the rules of the whorehouse Ms. Terri works at, however, the pimp (the Priest/ “The flame”) lets them get away with it as long as they pay.
  • Now, this is not the kind of place where the call girls would be able to have children. If the man in charge allows the girls to be abused, of course he’s the kind of guy to implement forced abortions.
• In the graphic novel, she sets fire to her room before she leaves and is chased through the streets before jumping into the river to make her escape.
• At the end of this track, we learn she has successfully escaped the city to the quiet, remote lake where she is able to birth her child in peace.

Track 4) “The Inquiry of Ms. Terri”

• Here we see the mother, Ms. Terri, returning to her old stomping grounds and approaching her old pimp to return working as a prostitute under his roof.
  • Now, you might be wondering what would drive her to return to this house of horrors where she was abused and mistreated at every turn? Well, her son is a young boy now (no longer a baby) and if you want my opinion, I think she returns because it is the only way she knows how to provide for him. She was probably able to scrape by for a while at the lake (maybe she left with a sizable savings) but now her options are limited.  Assuming she has no other skills, and maybe she even has a criminal record that keeps her from getting a regular job, of course she’s going to return to the world’s oldest profession. And why the Dime? Well, sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t.
  • Also, let’s not rule out the possibility the Priest tracked her down and threatened her son’s life unless she returned to her work.
• We learn the whorehouse she is from is called “The Dime.” Not mentioned in this track but from my research I learned it’s a church that secretly doubles as a brothel. Run by a corrupt priest I mentioned earlier who doubles as a pimp.
• As time passes, her son begins to grow and despite her attempts to shelter him from her work, he is beginning to learn just how ugly the world is.
  • “A boy who grows with knife in hand to fend for her becomes a man
    But she plays fake affection, and carefully lacks objection
    To her gentleman caller’s twisted desires”
  • And here I imagine Ms. Terri before having returned to the Dime, she would bring clients home. She tries her best to keep her deeds secret from her son but one day she is with a violent client. She is being abused, and the boy hears her screams and busts in to protect his mother. But she doesn’t want her son to get involved so she has to play it off, pretending she’s not hurt and is a willing participant in whatever depraved thing the client is doing to her.
  • And this is what leads to her decision to go back to do her work in the city instead of bringing the dangers home.
    • “We dance around the truth
      My dear, I lie for you
      But when I lie down
      I’m simply lying to them too”

Track 5) “1878”

• Perhaps after the scene described in the last track, Ms. Terri keeps the boy at the lake for his safety while she goes into the city to work. This means she is away from him for long periods of time, but it is yet another sacrifice she is willing to make for her son’s wellbeing.
  • Now I’ve heard the song title “1878” refers to the year the church (now brothel) was built. I’ve also heard it’s in reference to the time signature of the song. However, if you want my creative opinion, I think it could also refer to the number of minutes (or maybe even hours) until Ms. Terri gets to return to her son at the lake.
• This track depicts a parallel in the boy’s life at the lake and the mother’s life at the Dime. The boy’s life is one of ignorance as he battles with the wilderness around him while Ms. Terri’s life is filled with sin in which she battles against brutal men. Both are fighting for survival.
• In the graphic novel: When Ms. Terri leaves for the city, she tells the boy not to go anywhere beyond the tree that borders the lake. One day he is out hunting and accidentally falls into a hole (his bear trap he had set up) and is unable to get out. He thinks he might die there as no one is coming for him.

Track 6) “The Pimp and the Priest”

• Here we get a good look at the Priest/Pimp who runs the Dime.
• The imagery of the lyrics evokes this impression of the Priest/Pimp as a predator who not only takes advantage of those already under his roof but actively hunts down people who are vulnerable and manipulates them into pawns for his own gain.
  • Just imagine: You’re confessing your sins to the priest, perhaps admitting to thoughts of lust or infidelity. And instead of the priest telling you to say five hail Mary’s, he leads you to the back where you can indulge in your base desires—all the while he absolves you of your sins!
  • No wonder he has such great business. What he’s offering is not only sex but SIN FREE!
  • So the priest preys on the pious for clients and preys on the vulnerable women whom I imagine he takes under his wing and slowly starts grooming them into prostitutes.
• We have a reoccurring theme of water in this track in the form of “river” and “lake.” I think this is a play on the waters used for baptism.
  • “Faster, save me (Take me to the river)
    How the sins remain hostage
    Harder, I can’t breathe (Take me to the river)”
    • Evokes this idea that getting the whore to cum is your baptism. Your sins are absolved when you wash in the river between her legs.
  • “Sing softly, sing ’em to the lake
    Sing softly, bring ’em to the lake”
    • Evokes the idea of a choir singing and ushering clients into the brothel from the chapel. The word “lake” here is represented as peace and tranquility in the form 1) the Lake south where Ms. Terri’s son is. And is juxtaposed by 2) the Lake or water of corrupt baptism as mentioned earlier in reference to the “river” (i.e. the lake is where you find your peace. For Ms. Terri it’s the Lake South. For her clients it’s the release that comes after sex.)

Track 7) “His Hands Matched his Tongue”

• Here the boy is feeling lost—the growing pains that come with maturity and discovering the world is an unforgivable place. He knows his mother loves him, but he misses her while she’s away. He has been very sheltered at the cabin on the Lake and doesn’t know much outside of it, yet he understands his mother isn’t telling him the full truth. There are secrets he needs to uncover through he’s somewhat afraid to know the answers. An instinctual part of him knows once he learns the truth there will be no going back to his carefree days of blissful ignorance.
• This is foreshadowing the inevitable discovery of his mother’s profession. As of yet, he doesn’t know what she does (maybe she’s made up a lie). He also is curious about his father, feeling that he can’t quite know himself until he knows who sired him. Yet, he is still unsure if he’s ready to know everything.
• At the same time life in the wilderness is tough. He’s starting to think maybe he should leave the Lake. He knows his mother will not be around forever (maybe he even has a sixth sense about her impending demise) and he’s at the age where he’s wanting to gain independence.
  • We have a reprise of the lyrics from the previous track:
    • “Sing softly, bring me to the lake
      Sing softly, sing me to the lake
      (We’ll still have a song to sing) (Oh, someday she’ll be gone)”
    • To me this is the inevitability of his discovery of all the things his mother has been trying to shelter him from.
    • The need to know the truth is beckoning him.
  • The title “His hands matched his tongue” I believe is in reference to the boy not being able to ask his mother for the truth as well as not being able to take the leap in leaving the comfort and familiarity of the Lake. Both his hands hand his tongue are stalled in indecision.
    • And again, this also has a parallel to the work his mother does. The title has both an innocent meaning (the Boy) and a sexual one (Ms. Terri).
  • Now, in the graphic novel: The boy is lying in a hole thinking he’s going to die there when a mysterious man shows up with blood on his hands. He helps the boy out tells him one day his mother will be gone and to tell her she is beautiful. He then vanishes into the woods.

Track 8) “The River North”

Instrumental track that leads into the next album. The song title implies a journey north toward the city—perhaps symbolizing the Boy’s plan to travel north to find the answers he seeks.

Silent Waters | Amorphis | Concept Explained

The story behind Amorphis’ 2007 album Silent Waters is based on Finnish folklore and mythology. Many of Amorphis’ albums play out scenes and characters from Kalevala (a compilation of epic poetry).

** What follows is my personal interpretation of the story based on the lyrics along with the my research on Finnish mythology.

This album follows a shaman hero from Kalevala named Lemminkäinen.

I must admit, I did not read the entirety of Kalevala. As with most epic poems, it’s extremely long! However, I did read sections of it and compared the poems with the lyrics to create the story explanation for this album. If you have extensive knowledge on this mythos or any pertinent fun fact about Finnish mythology, I encourage you to leave those down in the comments!

Track 1) “Weaving the Incantation”

This is a scene about our hero getting ready to go into battle—one which he knows he will die. He is preparing for his death in this scene and has bitterly accepted his fate as we see him combing and braiding his hair into war braids using his father’s brush.

The brush in this song is mentioned in the poem of Rune 14 “Death of Lemminkäinen” from Kalevala where Lemminkäinen’s mother learns of his death when his hairbrush begins bleeding.

Track 2) “A Servant”

This is the one track I found very difficult to figure out how it relates to Lemminkäinen’s story. My best guess would be it involves a scene where Lemminkäinen is given snake beer in Rune 27 “The Unwelcome Guest” from Kalevala.

Lemminkäinen crashes a wedding he was not invited to. He watches everyone leaving for the party while he’s out tending the fields. He decides to crash the party despite his mother warning him not to go. He goes anyway. The road to Pohjola is wrought with danger but he overcomes all the obstacles and goes on to the wedding. He arrives demanding food and drink and he is given a beer with live snakes in it. He kills the snakes, drinks the beer, and then enters into a swordfight where he kills the host, the master of Pohjola.

Track 3) “Silent Waters”

Lemminkäinen’s mother comes to his rescue in Rune 14 “Lemminkäinen’s Restoration.” This track follows Lemminkäinen’s mother. Upon her finding out her son is in trouble, she entreats the god Ilmarinen to construct a magical iron rake to use to rescue her son from the river. She then asks the sun god to light her way in the underworld and hold back the monsters of Tuoni while she searches for her son.

However, Lemminkäinen is dead. She finds his dismembered body in the river.

Track 4) “Towards and Against”

Here we back up a little and learn of the events leading to Lemminkäinen’s death. Our hero is quite boastful, overly proud, reckless, and complacent. This song shows his confidence not only in battle but in completing any task set before him.

In Rune 14 “Death of Lemminkäinen” we follow our hero in his pursuit if the Maiden of the North. To earn her hand, he must complete three tasks: capture the Hiisi moose, tame a fiery gelding, and shoot the black swan of Tuonela.

Lemminkäinen is feeling confident after successfully completing the first two tasks. He goes on to Tuonela (the underworld) to seek out the swan. He sings to the gods on his way in the hope they will grant him safe passage.

Track 5) “I of Crimson Blood”

In this track we back up even further before his death. In Rune 12 “Kyllikki’s Broken Vow” from Kalevala, we learn of our hero’s desire for Kyllikki—a maiden who has vowed to never marry him. However, Lemminkäinen is persistent and uses magic to make her marry him. They are wed, but Kyllikki soon grows bored with domestic life and goes to a village dance. This throws her husband into a rage and leads to him leaving on another quest to seek a new bride.

Track 6) “Her Alone”

In Rune 13 “Lemminkäinen’s Second Wooing” Our hero returns to the land of Pohyola to the north and entreats his host for a new maiden.  

The “her” in track could be seen as the maiden–Louhi’s daughter– whom he seeks to win over. OR it might also refer to his mother. She is a constant throughout these tales. Her love for her son defies all bounds. She is always warning him of what can come from his actions and running to his aid when he doesn’t listen. Although he loves his mother, he is intent on defying her at every turn.

Track 7) “Enigma”

Here we see Louhi giving Lemminkäinen his three tasks to complete. Lemminkäinen completes his first two tasks, capturing the evil moose and taming the fire-breathing horse. He has once task left: to shoot and kill the swan on the river of death. 

Track 8) “Shaman”

We flashforward again to after Lemminkäinen’s death. His mother transforms into a bird to search for her son. She collects all the pieces of his body using the iron rake forged from the gods. She then uses her magic in combination with divine honey and her unending love to stitch him back together and bring him back to life.

Track 9) “The White Swan”

We now finally see Lemminkäinen’s death play out. He arrives at the river of death in Tuoni and finds the swan. However, a blind and crippled shepherd named Nasshut guards the river and sits in waiting for Lemminkäinen’s arrival. Lemminkäinen has the swan lined up in his sights as he pulls back his bow. He is about to shoot it when Nasshut shoots a serpent like an arrow from a bow. The snake pierces Lemminkäinen through the chest. He falls into the river. As he dies, he wishes he had heeded his mother’s warning.

Track 10) “Black River”

Lemminkäinen returns from the dead to see the error if his ways. He travels home and sees the world with a new perspective on life. He now has new-found wisdom and sees how arrogant and selfish he has been.

The Turning | Bask | Concept Explained

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The concept behind the Spaghetti Western / Sci-Fi opus that is Bask’s 2025 album, The Turning. 

** What follows is my personal interpretation of the story based on the lyrics along with the brief story description from the album’s press kit. 

Track 1) “Chasm” 

Instrumental track setting the scene and the tone. This story takes place on another planet in another time and place lost to history. It’s a planet resembling the old west with extraterrestrial outlaws.  

Track 2) “In the Heat of the Dying Sun” 

Here we meet our heroine known as The Rider. We see her riding across the endless desert as the sun sinks down into the sky. She is an outlaw on the run, trying to escape her inevitable capture. 

Track 3) “The Traveler”

Here we meet out next character: The Traveler. He is an ageless outlaw (and being a fantasy and science fiction writer, I have imagined a magic system for this world that’s half technology half witchcraft. I’d like to think this Traveler character is a bit of a psionic—but more on that later). 

Just like our Rider, the Traveler is galloping on his horse across the wasteland in an effort to evade capture. He speaks of his time on this planet—the longest he has been able to stay in one place running his con until he was eventually run out of town following the betrayal of his old partner. I imagine him having left bodies in his wake after the shoot out that took place during his escape. Now things have caught up with him, and he needs to get off planet quick.

As he rides out of town, he happens upon the Rider. He tells her he is a weary traveler and has lost his way. He explains that he can get them both out of their dire situation. He has a device called the “Turning” but it requires two people to operate. 

The riders agrees and together they open a portal through time and space and fall through.

Track 4) “The Cloth”

The Traveler and the Rider tumble through the portal but instead of it taking them to another planet, they enter a strange sort of purgatory. It’s the same old west time period and the same endless dry desert where they just opened the portal, but things are different—the sky is illuminated in the eerie rust-colored glow of sunset. It’s as if they are trapped in perpetual dusk yet time continues to tick on at an alarming rate. The hot summer weather fades and fall sets in. The winters in this part of the world are harsh. If they are caught in the elements without proper shelter, they will die. 

So they mount their horses and ride toward the sunset as they try to outrun the changing of the seasons, hoping to find the portal at the end of the road. 

Meanwhile, the Traveler wonders what the hell happened. As a psionic, he has used the Turning successfully many times before. Why have things suddenly gone awry? He looks to the woman beside him and wonders…

The Rider isn’t sure what to make of this purgatory they are in. She is afraid, yet beyond her fear is curiosity. Both the Traveler and the Rider have had their faces covered by bandanas to keep from breathing in dust while they ride. Neither have seen each other’s face. But there’s something familiar about the Traveler’s eyes. When they take a break to rest their horses, the Rider yanks down the cloth covering the Traveler’s face. 

****If you’re enjoying the story behind this western sci-fi story, here is where I do a shameless plug for my book. My dark fantasy novel, Trials for the Haunted, which is about a girl on a quest for redemption—set in an old west inspired fantasy world. If you want to hear a story involving human sacrifice, steampunk weapons, and a deadly competition—this is the book for you. 

It’s available in hardback, paperback, ebook, and audiobook! 

The Turning fits the vibe and setting of my Barrelslinger world to a T! I’ll definitely be using this album when I create my book playlist for the sequel. ****

Okay, back to the album…

Track 5) “Dig my Heels”  

Here we get a little backstory on both our characters. The Rider gapes at the Traveler’s face. She recognizes him for he wears the face of the man she once loved—a man who is dead. 

At the same time, the Traveler yanks down her bandana and finds she very closely resembles a woman from his past—someone he left behind when he was running from the law. A woman he has never forgotten about and his been pining after for years and years. She too is definitely dead from old age as this happened long, long ago.  Our Traveler has an extended life because of his psionic abilities. 

The Rider became an outlaw after her lover was killed in a shootout, and she went on a killing spree taking out every man responsible for her lover’s death. 

In walks the Traveler around the same time and place. Being an intergalactic sorcerer (AKA Space Cowboy), when he arrives on a new planet, he can take on the face of whomever he wishes—and of course why not be a young attractive man. He molds himself after the Rider’s dead lover before riding off into the sunset, never expecting to run into anyone who might recognize him. 

In this track I imagine the two falling in love with each other, though it’s a love based on the people the other resembles and not who they truly are. The Traveler doesn’t reveal he is not the man she thinks he is. 

Track 6) “Unwound”

I think of this track as a montage of the two’s travels through this endless purgatory. Time stretches and rebounds, forcing the two to endure decades in a single ride while sometimes passing through a month in a matter of minutes as they try to outrun the cold and the dark constantly on their tail. 

At long last, by the end of the track the two finally reach the end of their road when they arrive at the portal at the edge of the wasteland. They are finally about to get off planet and escape death. 

But here is where the Rider finds out the Traveler is not her lover back from the dead. She feels betrayed and sickened by the deception They arrive at the portal, and she rides on ahead but just as she’s about to cross, a deadly storm catches up with them. They get caught in a hurricane. 

Track 7) “Long Lost Light”

In the wake of the hurricane, our Rider wakes up alone in an unfamiliar land. Where‘s the desert and the orange sky? She realizes she is on another planet, having been sucked through the portal during the deadly storm. But where is the Traveler? She can only assume he is dead. Unless he left her behind like he left the woman before her…

Track 8) “The Turning” 

The Rider picks herself up and presses onward. She secures herself a new horse –or this word’s version of a horse—and rides on. But she can’t stop thinking about the Traveler. She’s wearing his duster and in it smells like him. Despite the Traveler not being the man he looks like on the outside, she still fell in love with him. 

Eventually, she finds she doesn’t want to go on without him. But just as she’s about to despair, she reaches into the pocket of his duster and finds the Turning device. Only a Psionic can activate it, but when she touches it, it lights up. She smiles; it’s the first time she’s felt hopeful since she arrived on this planet. 

This is where the story ends—on a bit of cliffhanger, though we are led to assume she plans to return through another portal in search of the Traveler. 

The Joke: Al the Killer’s Story Explained

Let’s talk about Coheed and Cambria’s 2024 single “The Joke.” It’s a song that was originally planned to be part of the newest Vaxis album, The Window of the Waking Mind. However, for reasons unknown the band decided to withhold it from the album and release it as a single alongside the remaster of the song “Deranged.”  Of course I was stoked about this two-song release. “Deranged” is one of my favorite Coheed songs (it made my top 20 list). It was written for the video game Arkham Asylum back in 2011 and it explores the similarities between the Joker and Batman.  The song “The Joke” came as such a wonderful surprise. I was immediately hit with plenty of you Freaks and Children of the Fence asking for my opinion on the music video so let’s talk about it! “The Joke” Story Explained: The music video for “The Joke” might just be one of the most visually well-done videos Coheed has put out. (It you haven’t seen it yet, click here NOW!) I was pleasantly surprised to see the resurrection of an old character, Al the Killer, starring in this video. And the way they portrayed Al in the video looks like he walked straight out of The Second Stage Turbine Blade comics. I was immediately intrigued by the presence of a female Joker character, and I decided I needed to dig my teeth (knife?) into this story behind this song. So here we go… (*Disclaimer: as always, this is just my personal interpretation of the lyrics and the accompanying video. I welcome you to comment with your own theories!) Let’s begin with some background on Al the Killer. Without summarizing the entirety of the story behind SSTB, here’s what you need to know: Al is a serial killer who likes drugging, murdering, and mutilating women. He pilots the ship called the Camper Velourium which contains a big ole freezer where he keeps the dead bodies of his victims. The women he murders are surrogates for the woman he actually wants to kill: his ex-girlfriend Luci.  One way to interpret the music video for “The Joke” is the depiction of the relationship beteem Al’s rational mind and his dark subconscious that drives him to kill. Another way to interpret the song/video is it’s a love song for a Joker-dressed version of his old lover Luci. Personally, I think it’s a combination of both. The lyrics alone appear to be a straight up love song for Luci. Phrases like “If you ever need to break somebody, I’ll be here to star in that comedy” and “Holding your umbrella under a falling sky” certainly paints the picture of someone who is hopelessly in love. If this is Al singing about Luci, it’s clear there is nothing he wouldn’t do for her. And their breakup can be seen as the impetus behind Al’s descent from crazy, abusive boyfriend to cold-blooded killer.  Adding in the video aspect we see throughout the video Al is haunted by the ghost of Luci/Joker. With her picture on his dashboard, I think it’s clear he’s not over her. He loves her, he hates her. She laughs in his face, taunting him. She is the embodiment of his shame. This shame, this rejection, is the fuel to his rage-driven insanity. She is the dark side of Al, the part of him that makes him kill. We get the sense that he feels if he could only kill her, he’d be able to move on from his pain.  However, if we’re talking Jungian terms, she is his “shadow self.” And the funny part is, the only way to heal your shadow self is through acceptance. (Not by stabbing it in the gut.) By taking out his rage on women who resemble Luci, he is actually trying to kill the part of him that feels this pain. And the act of murder only perpetuates this cycle of inner turmoil. I think that’s why Luci appears in the Joker regalia. It’s a poetic way to point out this juxtaposition.  And because Al continues to go about freeing himself from his inner demons the wrong way (i.e. murder) we have the Luci-Joker “winning” in the end. The irony is that because of Al’s attempts to kill the object of his pain, we can expect him to stay in this state of perpetual pain and shame as the butt of the joke—a joke where he’s the only one who doesn’t get the punch line.

Are Pop Stars are Stealing from the Metal Scene?

Maybe I’ve spent too much time scrolling though social media these days, but I keep seeing people talk about how pop stars have suddenly become … dun-dun-duh… Satanic! *Que gasps of terror* 

Now this may just be my Instagram algorithms knowing how much I love a good conspiracy theory, but I can’t deny it knows me well. In case you’re not privy to the whole popstars-looking-questionably-satanic-these-days, I’ll fill you in: fans of artists like Taylor Swift are up in arms about some very ritual-like stuff going down during their concerts. People in black hoods with candles, flames, chanting, and flashes of demonic imagery on the jumbotron does seem a little out of place in the middle of “Shake It” or whatever song T Swift is singing these days. 

Then there’s Sam Smith’s flames and horned hat performance that caused an upstir during the Grammy’s. They’re not alone. Artist like Doja Cat (whoever that is), Demi Lovato, Madonna, and Justin Timberlake have joined in on the devilish aesthetic in their music videos and live performances. I’m sure there are others as well.

Now me as a metalhead, when I see “normies” losing their heads over a bit of flames and pitchforks, I have to laugh. (That’s a Tuesday night at our local rundown music venue.) 

It seems we have a new wave of Satanic Panic on our hands! A few decades back, all the pop stars were competing in a weirdness competition (but no one quite nailed it like Lady Gaga). Being overtly sexual has always been a requirement for mainstream fame and who could get the nastiest was also a contest (Niki Minaj takes the cake for me with her “Anaconda” song, but that’s just my opinion). These days, it appears scaring the shit out of your fans is now in vogue. 

Not to dog on pop artists, there are a few I like and even respect, but it’s kinda sad, really. Having to jump on the what-will-get-people-talking-the-most train just to stay relevant must be exhausting. And this whole Satan-is-cool thing is so unauthentic, it makes a metalhead like me roll my eyes. Now, unless you buy into the conspiracy theory that these pop stars are trying to control our minds and turn people against the Christian God with this not-so-subliminal messaging, we can see this for what it really is: a way to sell.

Now, you may say that rockstars did this exact same thing back in the 70’s and 80’s—they used Satan to sell records and get people talking. This is absolutely true. But over the years Satanic imagery has come to mean so much more than just a cheap sale for metal bands and their fans. 

When you compare this new pop star fad to the Satanic imagery espoused by rock and metal, you can see the difference. The Satanic imagery in the metal scene is not the Satan of the bible. Most metalhead’s don’t even believe in the devil. And only a teeny-tiny percentage of metalheads are practicing Satanists. And I don’t mean to offend any of you who are religious. I just ask you to bear with me for a moment and consider what Satan means to most rock and metal enthusiasts. 

For us, Satan is a mascot. 

Upside down crosses, pentagrams, songs about the antichrist, Lucifer, witchcraft, and pagan practices are not at all about selling our souls to the devil. It’s about being proud of being the outcast. It’s about staring society expectations in the face and saying, “No, thanks.” Metalheads do not follow the status quo. We are not weighed down by dogma (unless it’s dogma within the metal community, but that’s a whole other conversation). Metalheads are not sheep. We will not be herded into traditional ideals without question. Metalheads follow their own path. We aren’t afraid to be our authentic selves, and we don’t care what other people think. 

And that’s why, to me, seeing more and more of this theft of Satanic imagery by pop artists annoys me just a little. They are using our mascot to get people to do the exact opposite: to look and think just like everyone else; to follow the trends and not think for themselves. If you feel this is a stretch, just remember pop music literally means Popular music. It’s music for the masses. Now if the masses of Swifties begin looking like metalheads, that’s fine. But I can then see Satan no longer representing a community of outcasts and free thinkers. And we could always find a new mascot to represent the us freaks, but I kinda like the dark satanic stuff. It’s fun and—hey! it was ours first! 

At the end of the day, however, I have to admit that what pop artist do can’t truly have much of an impact on the metal scene. This trend will end and, in a year or two, pop stars will be chasing the next money-making craze, and our mascot will belong to us alone once more (well… us and the practicing Satanists). 

Heavy metal music has endured and remained relevant for over 50 years because we are the most dedicated fanbase around. I get there are some hardcore Justin Beiber fans, but I cannot see the same girls who cried at his concert falling over themselves in 50 years to see him live. Nor do I see them introducing their children to the Beibs and passing the baton on like metal fans do. 

If you’ve made it this far into this blog post, you’ve seen me go from laughing at the new satanic panic, to rolling my eyes, to finally shrugging with a “who gives a damn?” I apologize for using this platform as my personal journal/ Ted-talk drafting table. But I thought some of you might have similar feelings on the topic. Feel free to comment with your alternate point of view. I’m curious to see what sort of impact you think this might have on the metal scene, society as a whole, or even the collective consciousness! Hit me with your conspiracy theories. 

Thanks for reading!

Cheers, 

JJ

P.S. I truly don’t mean to offend anyone’s religious beliefs with this post. I personally see “Satan” as a mascot and therefore it doesn’t bother me to talk candidly about Satanic imagery. I understand my opinion does not reflect the entirety of the metal community (though I do think a large majority would agree).

The Cult of Kariba | Carach Angren | Concept Explained

Here is my interpretation of the story behind Carach Angren’s 2025 EP, The Cult of Kariba. 

** What follows is my personal interpretation of the story based on the lyrics. 

Track 1) “A Malevolent Force Stirs” 

                  Introduces a man wandering through the dark mist, holding a lantern and calling the Cult of Kariba to gather. I Interpreted this scene as taking place in the same Dutch village of Schinveld from the 2008 album. 

Track 2) “Draw Blood”

                  I man wakes up confused in the middle of the haunted woods. Suddenly, seven cloaked figures converge on him. The cultists preform their ritual, using the man’s innocent blood as the sacrifice to seal their spell. He realizes he’s been the instrument to their witchcraft as he slowly bleeds to death. 

Track 3) “The Resurrection of Kariba” 

                  This track follows a cult leader as he descends beneath the church to the secret lair where the cult gathers to perform their witchcraft. There the Cult of Kariba performs a spell to awaken Kariba. The cult learned of her past and how she went crazy and slaughtered half her village. The villagers then accused her of being a witch and made her watch as they hung her children. 

Ok, so it’s not officially stated that Kariba is the White Lady from the Lammendam album. BUT if you want my opinion, I think the two can be seen as one in the same or in the very least the audience is meant to draw parallels to the two characters. 

Lyrics from the Lammendam album didn’t make mention of the White Lady being a witch, but I believe it’s possible she was. How else did she have a secret castle in the woods all to herself? Not to mention she bewitched two men into falling madly in love with her (which of course ended up being her downfall). 

Also, I believe the storied past of Kariba killing half her village night be due to the fact it has been over 200 years since her death and the myths surrounding her have become twisted and embellished over the years. 

But of course, we can see Kariba as her own separate character—one who is an even older entity. She was known to be a poisoner and a sorceress with a past entirely different and arguably far more tragic than the white lady. 

Anyway, either way you look at it—whether that be as the two characters being sperate or the same the cult accomplished getting Kariba/the White Lady reborn … in a very macabre and visceral way (if your curious, just watch the end of the music video for “Ik Kom Uit Het Graf” or that one scene in the 1986 movie The Fly). 

So, the resurrection of the white lady is a success but something else followed her into this realm…

Track 4) “Ik Kom Uit Het Graf” –> (“I Come From the Grave”)

                  This track is all in Dutch. I translated it to find the story is about a man who died 250 years ago and we learn he is one of Kariba’s ex-lovers. He is back from the grave, having clawed his way out of Hell to seek vengeance against the witch. What did she do to him? 

Well, if you’re subscribing to my theory that Kariba is the White Lady from Lammendam, we know the White Lady had two lovers. The man in this song must be one of the two (Let’s say its Ian). She made him fall in love with her only to cheat on him. And then after her death she returned as a ghost to murder him. 

However, another way to interpret it is man is a whole new character. One who was poisoned by Kariba and is seeking out the woman he once loved but who was unfaithful to him. 

And now that his soul has been rotting in Hell for the last 250 years, he is all wrath and evil. Having made a deal with the devil he snuck him essence back to the earthly realm during the cult ritual that resurrected Kariba. He is now inhabiting a new body as he seeks to destroy the object of his hatred. He eventually finds her. He quickly kills the man she is with then rapes and strangles her to death.  

However, if we’re going with the theory that he is Kariba’s ex-lover, he did not accomplish his goal of killing Kariba. I think returning to Earth 250 years later in a new body and a new time was so disorienting for him—not to mention having just clawed his way out of Hell where he his soul has been twisted and tortured. I think the witch tricked him and he just found someone who looked like Kariba and decided it was her.  So he effectively just killed a random woman and her boyfriend. 

Track 5) “Venomous 1666”

                  This song shows Kariba’s return to power. She performs a spell and brews a potion, summoning all the creatures of the night as she seeks vengeance against the town who hated and condemned her. She casts her curse for six nights raising hordes of rats who attack the villagers. She then vows to cast all into darkness and bring everything she touches back into death with her—including the cultists who wakened her!

Lammendam | Carach Angren | Concept Explained

Here is my interpretation of the story behind Carach Angren’s 2008 album, Lammendam. 

** What follows is my personal interpretation of the story based on the lyrics. 

The concept for this story was inspired by a real Dutch myth about the woman in white who haunts a ruined castle and the surrounding forest in the village of Schinveld located in the Dutch providence of Limburg. 

Track 1) “Het spook van de Leiffartshof”

            Translates to “The ghost of Leiffartshof.” This is an instrumental track to set the scene and mood. 

Track 2) “A Strange Presence Near the Woods”

            This track opens the story with a man running through the woods of Schinveld. As he flees from the ghost following him, he gets lost and stumbles upon the remains of a burned-out castle. He seeks refuge in the castle as the sun sets, and the full moon rises. Before he knows who has happened, he is dead—his body floating in what remains of the cattle moat, his soul trapped there forever. 

Track 3) “Haunting Echoes from the Seventeenth Century” 

            Here we go back to the 17^th century to see why the land is haunted. We learn of a white ghost who appears in the town on Schinveld on nights when the moon is full. The ghost is a woman who once lived in the castle there. She had two lovers—one from Högenbusch named Ian Mansfred, another from Heeringhof whose name we don’t know. The woman carried on her affairs until the day she was caught. Though it’s not mentioned in this album, we come to know through the second installment of the story that the woman’s name is Kariba and she is rumored to be a witch.

Track 4) “Phobic Shadows and Moonlit Meadows” 

            The next scene we find the woman’s castle burning and her tortured screams are heard from the village. We don’t know exactly how it happened, but we come to understand her two lovers were thrown into a rage when then found out about each other and burned her alive. 

Track 5) “Hexed Melting Flesh” 

            On the night the woman perished, the full moon cast a yellowish light and wind and rain fell with the sound of weeping and crying. And here we get a glimpse of her powers as a witch. 

Track 6) “The Carriage Wheel Murder”

            The next morning one of her lovers was found dead. His body cut up and broken in a horrendous way. The Second lover—Ian—knows it was the ghost of his mistress that murdered him. He is now in fear of her wrath. He rides his carriage through the woods when her ghost appears. She shoved his head between the spokes of the carriage wheels and cracked his head open, yet he survived and was able to escape with his life.  

Track 7) “Corpse in a Nebulous Creek” 

            We jump to one year later. Ian is sicked with fear as the anniversary of his mistress approaches. We learn her body was never recovered from the castle and she therefor had no proper burial. Ian has fallen into depression and then into psychosis. He Keeps seeing her everywhere, her corpse dressed in white just like on the night of her death. He is considering suicide. One night he goes out riding, and she finds him. She pushes him off his horse and he falls and breaks his neck. Now he’s dead!

Track 8) “Invisible Psychic Entity” 

            Instrumental track about ghostly power. 

Track 9) “Heretic Poltergeist Phenomena” 

            This song is an ode to all the ghosts out there and how they refuse—for one reason or another—to pass on to the other side. 

Track 10) “La Malédiction de la Dame Blanche”

                  (The Curse of the White Lady) Dives into the folklore that inspired this concept. The narrator urges people to be in bed before the moon lights the night as that is when the forest comes alive. French farmers who fled to the Netherlands during the Frech Revolution named the ghost “La Madame Blanche” after peasants began disappearing if they stayed out working the fields too late. The Dutch church then transformed the French name of the ghost to “De Lammendam” and the cursed town became known for its haunted woods and the ghost of the lady in white. 

And that’s where we leave off with this album. The story picks up in their upcoming EP Cult of Kariba. I’ll be covering that story here in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! 

Now on to the bonus tracks. 

Track 11) “There Was No Light”  (Bonus track)

                  The lyrics are “And when she finally reached heaven, there was no light” followed by screams and what sounds like a body being pulverized. If we’re talking about Kariba, or any ghost for that matter this can be interpreted a number of ways. One: that heaven rejected her for her sins. Two: she never reached heaven, only thought she did but her despair dragged her soul back to earth. Three: she actually arrived at Hell and/or purgatory. Or four: there is no heaven or afterlife to go to. 

This is where the story of the white lady ends, and we pick up with another ghost. Though is you ask me, this track could be seen as the white lady going into the void and emerging as another ghost or becoming one with all the lost spirits trapped within the veil. The crunch at the end of the song makes it sound like she is dying again, maybe trapped in a cycle of death. It also reminds me of a fall from heaven having been rejected. 

Track 12) “After Death Premises” (Bonus Track)

                  This track takes us to the year 1835. This song tells the true story of Colonel Loftus who reported sighting of the “Brown Lady” around Christmas time in 1835. Colonel Loftus was staying in “Townshend’s hall” which is known as Raynham Hall in Norfolk, England. After dark the Colonel began seeing glimpses of apparitions, hearing voices, and seeing things moving in the house. He then comes face to face with the ghost of a woman whose eyes are only empty sockets. 

In the real story of the “Brown Lady” the ghost is supposedly Dorothy Walpole who lived in the estate until her death. When her husband found out she had an affair with another man, he reportedly locked her in her rooms and didn’t let her leave even to see her children.

And I think that’s the connection between the two ghosts: women who have committed adultery and where then punished by their husband/lovers. This Brown Lady can be seen as an alternate version of the white lady. 

Track 13) “Yonder Realm Photography” 

                  Continuing with the Brown Lady ghost story we now go to modern times. This is based on true accounts of ghost sightings of the Brown Lady at Raynham Hall where photographers from Country Life magazine captured an image of the ghost residing in the hall.  The song follows the two photographers as they arrive at “the accursed hall” and feel a malevolent presence. They snap a picture of the stairs and there we have one of the most famous ghost photos. 

Franckensteina Strataemontanus | Carach Angren | Story Explained

Here is my interpretation of the story behind Carach Angren’s 2020 album, Franckensteina Strataemontanus.

** What follows is my personal interpretation of the concept based on the lyrics.  

The concept is inspired by Mary Shelly’s classic novel: Frankenstein, also known as The Modern Prometheus, (originally) written in 1818. If you haven’t read the book, it’s not exactly what you would expect—it’s more so a character study that focuses on the theme of what it means to play God and what makes a monster. I enjoyed it though, and I suggest you give it a read (it’s very short). In case you’re not familiar with the book, a few things to know is the monster in the story is not Frankenstein. Frankenstein is the name of the doctor who created the monster. The monster is referred to in the book as the daemon. 

The story of this concept album actually follows a fictionalized version of the real-life inspiration behind the book. Franckensteina-Strataemontanus refers to Johann Conrad Dippel whose experiments, eccentric behavior, and questionable belief in God led to plenty of rumors that continued long after his death. 

Track 1) “Here in German Woodland”

Prologue: A young boy is playing in the forest in Darmstadt, Germany, near Castle Frankenstein. However, when he gets home, he gets very sick and dies. 

Track 2) “Scourged Ghoul Undead”

The family has a funeral for the boy. As the family mourns his passing, they begin to have terrible nightmares about the boy. One stormy night, the boy awakes and digs himself from his grave to return home. Upon arrival, this zombified version of the son attacks the mother and begins eating her alive. 

Track 3) “Franckensteina Strataemontanus”

This track is about Johann Conrad Dippel—the real-life inspiration behind Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. He was a German man born in 1673 at Castel Frankenstein. He was exceedingly brilliant and studied philosophy, theology, alchemy, and anatomy. In his time he created a number of questionable concoctions and potions that could presumably—among other abilities—exorcise demons. 

Another example of this sort of mad scientist eccentricates is he claimed to have discovered the elixir of life. In his pursuit of science and alchemy, he spent plenty of time dissecting animals as part of his many experiments. These dissections, along with his unusual theories and philosophies, inspired many rumors—the most famous of which was that he dabbled in soul-transference where he attempted to transfer the soul from one dead body to another. He was also accused of consorting with the devil, grave robbing, and sorcery.  

In this song, we see Dr. Frankenstein (aka Johann Dippel) down in the depths of castle Frankenstein playing God by performing the famous scene of bringing a corpse to life.

Track 4) “The Necromancer”

Here we find Frankenstein preparing the corpse that he is to bring to life. The corpse of course being an amalgam of body parts from different dead bodies. The scene is more evil sorcery than science as we see Dippel has sold his soul to the devil to assure the success of this macabre experiment. 

In real life, Dippel was accused of selling his soul to the devil in exchange for discovery of the elixir of life. However, these claims were most likely due to the church amounting his loss of faith in God to satanic intervention. 

Track 5) “Sewn for Solitude”

This is from the perspective of the monster. I really think this song and the lyrics closely follow Mary Shelley’s character from the book where the monster is actually sort of a sympathetic character who loathes his existence. The isolation he experiences is what drives him to truly become a monster. The lyric, “Monster to many, friend to none” really exemplifies this character—this creation’s loathsome existence.

Track 6) “Operation Compass”

This song is about a battle against an army of zombies in Egypt. How does this relate to the concept? Well, Johann Dippel created what was known as “Dippel’s Oil” which is this nasty, smelly, black oil derived from animal bones. At the time of creation, Dippel claimed its use for many things including: tanning leather, “relieving the pregnancy pains,” insect repellant, for curing colds and fevers, and as a treatment for epilepsy. 

However, this oil was highly toxic and was later used by the British in WWII to poison wells to make the enemy’s water undrinkable. This little historical tidbit was expanded upon with a little fantastical twist where instead of just poisoning the enemy, the oil turned them into zombies. 

Track 7) “Monster”

At first listen, you may think this song is about Frankenstein’s monster. However, armed with the source material, a deeper analysis shows the real “monster” is Frankenstein himself. A deranged alchemist who sold his soul to the devil to create an abomination certainly fits the definition of a monster more than the undead creation. It also goes to show that while someone might look scary on the surface, in reality the most devious of monsters are normal looking people who you would never suspect. Much like how serial killers tend to be wolves in sheep’s clothing. 

Track 8) “Der Vampir von Nürnberg”

Here we flash forward a few centuries from the 17^th century to the 1970’s in Nuremberg, Germany where the writings of Johann Dippel inspired a young man by the name of Kuno Hofmann. Now Kuno Hofmann is a real person, whether he was influenced by Dippel is not based on any evidence, but the story of Kuno Hofmann is true: Deaf and dumb after being beaten by his father, he grew up a troubled child who did time for theft and eventually became obsessed with the occult. He would perform horrific rituals with dead bodies which included necrophilia, drinking the blood of the dead, gnawing on the corpses, and cutting off their heads. Later, in search of fresher blood to drink, he shot and murdered a couple in their car. Because of his blood drinking crimes, he was dubbed “the vampire of Nürnberg.” 

Track 9) “Skull with a Forked Tongue”

Here we go back to Frankenstein (or our fictionalized version of Dippel). We dive into his obsession with finding the elixir of life. Here he consults this “skull with a forked tongue” which is how he speaks to the dead—likely in the form of a demon who guides him to commit darker and darker crimes in search for a breakthrough. Until the day he finally finds the right concoction that successfully allows him to live forever! 

However, it comes at a price—as all things do. His body begins to rot and fall apart, but he does not die. Forced to live in this monstrous existence forever—unable to move or do anything as he rots away for all eternity.  

Track 10) “Like A Conscious Parasite I Roam”

Here Dippel—or the conscious form of him that still exists—comes to regret his dark ambitions that led him to become trapped in his decaying bones, slowly going mad. He begs for redemption—for a chance to do it over again. But unable to do anything, he waits for an opportunity for a new body to steal. 

And now we find ourselves back at track one where a young, innocent boy finds himself in German Woodland where the soul of Dippel possesses his body.