Welcome! This is the section where you will find the lyrics and commentary for the "Call Of The Night" compilation release. To keep production cheap, the CD insert was only one page, so I wasn't even going to try cramming some of the lyrics onto it. Instead you can view them here along with full commentary on each track.
I cry out from the depths of this terror
My soul has been frozen by the winds of time
The darkness cold and empty once beckoned me
Now I see these ways lead only to the path of death
These spiritual wastelands are adorned with the bones
Of the many others trapped under the spell of apathy
Frozen wastelands of the soul
Frozen wastelands of the soul
Frozen wastelands of the soul
Frozen wastelands of the soul
The icy gaze of the man lost within the curse
Reveals to us his mistakes of self-control
The cold stare of the prisoner and his wasted life
Unravel mystery to the nature and core of the soul
A lesson to the wise who may heed the words
A servant who serves neither master will surely die
Wrapped up in himself until he is all consumed
Lost eternally beneath the cold of ice
Frozen wastelands of the soul
Frozen wastelands of the soul
Frozen wastelands of the soul
Frozen wastelands of the soul
Frozen wastelands of the soul
COMMENTARY: "Frozen Wastelands Of The Soul" was originally going to be the title-track for the debut when I was planning to record an album with the guitars all tuned down to A. The song is about becoming complacent in our spiritual lives to the point that we no longer produce fruit and start to wither and eventually end up in a desolate prison of our own making.
Hear the cries, see the signs
The time is drawing near
Coming dawn, the dark is gone
Souls will shake with fear
Kings will cower, death has no power
When comes the rising hour
Flames burn abroad, expose every fraud
Hour of the vengeance of God
Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess
The unbelieving eyes shall see His righteousness
The hour all of history has been waiting for
Destruction of the lies and glory to the Lord
Hear the cries, see the signs
The time is drawing near
Coming dawn, the dark is gone
Souls will shake with fear
Kings will cower, death has no power
When comes the rising hour
Flames burn abroad, expose every fraud
Hour of the vengeance of God
Hour of the vengeance of God
COMMENTARY: I've always wanted to do a song that sort of explains what the band name is about, but I was ultimately unhappy with the way this one turned out. There will be a song titled "Rising Hour" on a future album, but probably not at all like this early version. The meaning is pretty self-explanatory. Another track that was originally planned for the debut when it was going to be in the low A tuning.
When the day fades into night
And hope drains from your sight
Who will be left?
When the castle shall fall
And defeat stands up tall
What then is left?
History shows failures engraved eternally on the tombs of the past
Seek out a constant truth, the total absolute that will always last
When the memories die
And for years you cry
Who there is left?
When abandoned you are
And death is not far
What will be left?
When you pass beyond this life
And face the sacrifice
What will be left to you?
After all things and people end with the coming of age
Who is left to restore your soul and open your cage?
Who then remains?
Questions of real significance, for they hold the keys to your fate
Ignorant bliss is momentary, but still will eternal regret await...
COMMENTARY: I had a lot of positive feedback about this track when I posted it on MySpace, so I've left it up since then, even if it's only on this compilation. I actually wrote the lyrics to "Then Who Remains" several years ago and ran across them while looking through folders of music in my room. This is the first track I recorded that would've been on the debut if I'd decided to go with the all A-tuning plan. Again, the meaning is right there in the words.
I hear the whisper in the back of my mind
Telling me the key to the peace I hope to find
I am alone in the darkness of the night
Tracing the steps of my being within sight
Seduced into the shadows
Summoned by mystery
In isolation, the Creator is calling me
What is it about the dark that mystifies our hearts?
That terrifies our souls, comforts, or controls?
Because as we stand alone in the deep, silent night
We have nowhere to look but deep down inside
Revealing our identities, simplify complexities
Realizing ourselves, within an inch of Hell
As the nocturnal ambience drowns out my breath
I recognize our innate fears of dark and death
For when the cold, black surrounds us for all to see
We realize our hearts are just the same in misery
Then the dawn shatters the illusion
Breaking the depressive spell of confusion
Bringing the darkness to non-existence
And resurrecting the clarity of vision
COMMENTARY: "Call Of The Night" was the very first Rising Hour tune I ever recorded, and this version is off the 2005 demo, which was the first material ever put together on CD. I let some of my friends hear the track online and they encouraged me to make a demo, and it was also the one song on the demo that the 5 labels I sent copies to seemed to like the most. The lyrics are about the seduction of the darkness to us and the paradox of how sometimes we must confront our fears and plunge into the darkness or the unknown before we recognize the truth of the light.
The sea of flames
Calls out your name
Join in the legion
Commit with devotion
The everlasting flame
Burns deep within our veins
The everlasting flame
Of the Immortal One who reigns
The world will die
The body will decay
To Him, not I
And I must obey
The everlasting flame
Burns deep within our veins
The everlasting flame
Of the Immortal One who reigns
Hold firm the truth
Close to your soul
Bend for no man
Give God control
The everlasting flame
Burns deep within our veins
The everlasting flame
Of the Immortal One who reigns
Where there is light
There is also heat
Burn strong and bright
For all to see
The sea of flames
Calls out your name
Join in the legion
Commit with devotion
The world will die
The body will decay
To Him, not I
And I must obey
Hold firm the truth
Close to your soul
Bend for no man
Give God control
The everlasting flame
Burns deep within our veins
The everlasting flame
Of the Immortal One who reigns
COMMENTARY: Another one of the 2005 demo tracks. Not much to say about this one. The song is about staying true to Christ and the everlasting flame, which is symbolic for the Holy Spirit.
Forgive me not, for who I am, for why I am
I - I always try, to do what's right, to live my life
You - you judge me, by what you see, not reality
They - they always speak, before they think, forget the link
You know I do my best to live a life of diligence
But I ignore the rest and walk my way without your "help"
Spirit - transcend me, beyond my dreams, to eternity
Spirit - release me, free this soul, unto thee
This world of lies traps the soul in vice
Yet claims to believe in morality
I will not stand by as so many go to die
I don't care what all the world may think of me
COMMENTARY: This is probably the least black metal styled song of the demo. You even get to hear me use my normal singing voice on this track, which I somewhat regret now, heh. "Confessions" is about the judgement that other believers pass on we who are different in appearance. It's about following your true calling in spite of the venomous words from "wolves in sheep's clothing".
Warriors of God mount up with strength
Weaken the darkness to take it by storm
Ride beneath the air nocturnal, living free
We will never be defeated
In Christ's name we win victory
Warriors of God gather your strength
Mount the offense on evil, the weak
Warriors of God stand strong and proud
We will never fall, beneath the sign of the cross
Ride beneath the air nocturnal, living free
We will never be defeated
Stand under Christ's name in victory
COMMENTARY: The final track off the 2005 demo. I love the Bathory sound that this song has to it, but I've never been too pleased with the lyrics, mainly because I sort of made them up on the spot while recording.
Who do you think that you are?
Speaking words without knowledge
You like to think you're a god
But all you are is a fraud
Explain away all your fears
Convince yourself in the years
Fools to shame the wise
Weak to shame the strong
Torn down off your throne
By what you think is wrong
It may seem ignorant to you
You will dismiss it as a lie
Yet it doesn't change the truth
Will you regret it when you die?
Where is the wise man?
Where is the scholar?
Philosopher of this age?
The wisdom of the world
Reduces to ignorance
In arrogant shame
"The wisdom of man is less than even the foolishness of God."
COMMENTARY: This is the track I contributed to the "US White Metal Assault" compilation that was released in July 2005. It received a harsh review from The Whipping Post, mainly due to the drum-machine, but in retrospect, I can admit it's not one of my better songs. The lyrics are an indictment on pseudo-intellectuals who mock the Word of God and think they know what true wisdom is. The quote at the end of the lyrics sums it up perfectly.
Ride with me upon the storms of tribulation
Ride upon the sea of temptations
Persevere in strength over the storm
COMMENTARY: "Storms Of Tribulation" was an exclusive tune I recorded for download from this website and MySpace. It has the shortest lyrics I've ever written, and yet the song is nearly 5 minutes long. I almost considered making it entirely instrumental, but I didn't want an exclusive track to have no vocals. I wanted it to be a fair sample of what Rising Hour sounds like. The lyrics are about being strong through trials and tribulations that come our way. Sometimes God is testing us, so we have to step up and brave the storms.
(Psalm 12:1, 13:1-3)
"Help Lord, for the godly are no more
The faithful have vanished from among men
How long, O Lord, will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
and every day have sorrow in my heart?
How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, O Lord my God.
Give light to my eyes, or I shall sleep in death."
COMMENTARY: The last remaining tracks are all part of an EP that would've been released in Oct. 2005 by SneeuwStorm Records, if it had not closed up. Now I'm kinda glad the EP was never released, because I think it was a different direction than what I wanted to take with Rising Hour, especially with the keyboards in some tracks. "From The Depths Of Despair" is a basically just an introduction.
COMMENTARY: This is a slightly different version than the original that appeared on the 2005 demo. The guitars had a few EQ changes, the drummachine obviously had new samples chosen for it, and the vocals have a distortion effect to them. I don't really like the vocal effect at all, but I wanted the EP to have a "mechanical" feel to it that I felt the distortion helped. Another reason I'm glad the EP was never officially released.
Summoning the Holocaust
Purifying winds of judgement
Apocalypse, burning times
Cleansing darkness from inside
Final hour, fate is sealed
Life emerges from death
Summoning Armageddon
Humbling flames of truth
Holocaust, drawing near
Clarity through awakening
Battle call, trumpets roar
Illuminating vision of He
He is Lord, the One who is
Summoning the Holocaust
COMMENTARY: This was going to be the title-track of the EP, and it is a slightly different version from the one that wound up on the "Nocturnal Worship" EP. This version has less of a distortion effect and also has a short segment left in that was clipped out for the second edit. This tune is about the apocalypse and the holocaust or "spiritual cleansing" that God will bring about at the end.
To the pantheon, I bestow my will
Under the veil of the ancient world
To my enemies, I shall indoctrinate
I am the one who has come to devastate
To the pantheon, I hold many names
Under the lies of the ancient ones
To my tyranny, you never see it come
Trapped yourself with nowhere to run
To the pantheon, I consume them all
Under the faces of the ancient gods...
There is no escape, from my kingdom of rage
As I sit upon the throne of the pantheon
For I am the lord of lies, I am the deceiver
To the idol gods, vanity supreme
Distractive forces from the unseen
Filled with empty lies, can they hear your cries?
Lucifer awaits for his hour
To the pantheon drenched in blood
To the pantheon, truth shall overcome
Destroy the sickness of blasphemy
To the One I Am, victory always Yours
Upon the throne He sits forevermore
COMMENTARY: "To The Pantheon" is a song about the many faces of the devil. Pantheistic beliefs, witchcraft, necromancy - they are all opportunities for darkness to take hold of the mind and spread lies.
We spit on the emblems of Satan
We desecrate his unholy lies
This is the name given to us in your mockery
But it holds power to set the blind ones free
We burn the image of the goat
We shatter the ignorant pentagram
The antichrist will fall again
Back down with the damned
We break down the inverted cross
We hold up truth strong and high
This is the name given to us in your mockery
But true and forthright shall it ever be
HOLY UNBLACK METAL
COMMENTARY: This is basically a re-working of "Warriors Of God" from the 2005 demo. New lyrics, new vocals, and different drum-machine samples. This was originally intended to be sort of an anthem for Rising Hour, but I'm not so sure of it anymore. The appeal of the unblack terminology has come and gone for me too many times to count now. The bold, war-like stance in the lyrics is still very much a part of Rising Hour, but the "unblack" label is still something I'm a bit hesitant to endorse. Let this be a lesson. Don't record material unless you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you won't regret it, haha.
COMMENTARY: This is an instrumental outro to the EP that I recorded on a keyboard with a piano and synth-string effect on it. I fool around often on the piano and come up with ideas that sometimes make it into Rising Hour songs, and this piece was something I'd been playing for a long time before I finally decided to record it. I think it turned out well, as an appropriate closer for the rest of the music. One day I'd like to re-do it on a real piano for some future release.
This concludes the commentary and lyrics for the "Call Of The Night" release. Thank you for reading this page and for supporting Rising Hour!