1. |
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2. |
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In times of roaring engines
In times when steam has hidden rays of Sun
As iron ore is melting
More often seen is people’s stone-cold frown
Black Death took lives of workers
And those who’re left wanted their pockets full
One thought struck the employers
To let machines among the living rule
But there are those who are never affected
Those whose resources can never run low
From the chaos of the streets they’re protected
The noblemen are the ones who stand tall
But even there in the lush royal chambers
Peace is a thing that is only dreamt of
Struggles and intrigues call for blood-spilling
And Seth for this reason is serving the court
Seth is assassin
And gentry pays him
To chop some heads off
Of the unloyal
Words of the monarch
For him are sacred
By them inspired
He feasts on corpses
Step inside
Of Seth’s precautious mind
And let us be your guide
Through horrors of the night
To vagueness of the end
Watch the hero’s fate
Unroll before your eyes
And take the shadow path
Through city soaked in lies
Back to Seth
He’s adapted
To the flow of
Lonehill Town
Raised unbound
Fearless warrior
Who has looked
Into abyss
When the night has fallen
On the streets of Lonehill
Carriage has set out towards our hero’s lodging
With a private order
Regent yearns to see him
“Matter cannot wait long
Let’s get to our business”
Seth has left the regent
In a hasty manner
With a new-born burden
And a bag of money
Took his blood-forged sword and
Moved out for his mission
Gather around, my friends
And let the story begin
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3. |
Descent
06:04
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Shadow’s step fell on the dusty rooftop
Angelic ease with demon’s fierceness
Hunter leaves his prey without any hope
And no one has ever escaped his clutches
Hero spots the target’s house
And leaps to balcony beside
The window’s locked, he breaks inside
Shuttered glass cuts air like a bullet’s flight
No signs of prey around the house
It seemed abandoned at first glance
Nothing caught the hero’s eye
Except for bookshelf plunged in dust
All books seemed untouched apart from just one
Its spine was rubbed with cracks on both sides
Mystic symbol was engraved on one part
Thorny “R” was casting glitter in the darkness
Seth reached out to soiled shelf
And, when touched, book moved itself
A secret passage was unveiled
That to morose staircase led
No second thought, no hesitation
Hero stepped in the unknown
One fears not the violation
Whose thoughts from violence are drawn
Ghostly shadows lurked in darkness
Unbroken, Seth moved on
And soon he saw the clearance,
A glimpse of light
From the open door
Seth walked in on someone
Who was conjuring
And performing
Some sort of ritual
Figure turned its head
And stared right into Seth’s soul
As if he had known
That wolf would come to raze swine’s little home
Seth pulled out his sword
Performing deadly swings, but
His foe dodged attacks
And knocked sword out of his hand
Seth has lost his stance
Rival’s iron claws locked tight around his neck
Tight grip pierced like poisoned lance
But not yielding
Seth grabbed ashtray and cracked his skull
Scarlet blood splashed out on curtains
Like artist’s paint bizarre
Seth rose and looked around him
Observing this grim sight
That ritual he witnessed
Raised questions in his mind
He gave himself a promise
To solve the riddle dire
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4. |
Enigma in Flames
04:43
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Cultus corvus semper vigilantes
Seth was yearning
For explaining this macabre sight
Unknown substances boiling
And other gear that shone with spite
For cues he started scouring
And noticed a sign
A seal on bloodstained letter
Damned thorny “R”!
The envelope he opened
And read the message out
To ball in House of Orchids
He now possessed an invite
“Come to the ball, Sir Warren,
And wear a blood-red mask
When clock strikes twelve, you’ll find him…
In shades of midnight’s dreary dusk”
All of a sudden, the cultist, still alive,
To destroy all evidence a simple plan contrived
He reached out to the tablecloth dragging it down
To make a lantern slip from desk and burn house to the ground
As the famished flames rose higher
Seth grabbed cultist’s books and ran out
As first rays graced town still sleeping
Silence burst with anguished shrilling
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5. |
House of Orchids
03:56
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Scarlet moonlight’s shining
Through the old house’s stained glass.
Blueblood’s waltzing
As the worker’s bones gather dust
Wearing a red mask
Hero stepped inside
Of a chamber lush
Crammed with royal pride
Seven rooms aligned
Each of its own kind
From the last one, black,
A clock midnight struck
Clock’s overwhelming sound burst through the hallway
Stunned ensemble for a second stopped to play, still deafened by its roar
Seth was approached by an odd-looking stranger
Wolf-masked he warned him of a looming danger
And led the way to talk behind closed doors
Foreign in this house of laughter
Seth was following the man
By the pitch-black chamber’s entry
Into Edgar Poe he ran
This acquaintance raised some questions
But there was no time to waste
Tormented by his stark impatience
Stranger shut the door in haste
“So, you’ve got the letter, surely?”
And Seth answered with a nod
“For your life we’re afraid truly
To kill you lord-regent plots
Power-hungry mind of his
Has set up a wicked scheme
What would truly bring him bliss
Is the monarch’s final scream
Your death would give an impulse to the feud
Of Raven Cult and monarch guarded by our will
So, if I were you I certainly would
Lay low in Blackwood, outside of Lonehill
We are short of time
Make your way out”
“Omnes una manet nox”
Cultist said to him,
But Seth didn't know what it should mean
“You’re not sir Warren, aren’t you?”
Were last words of his
Right before Seth slit his throat and
And through the open window he fled
And when the body was found and the feast was inevitably spoiled
And panic and fear were spread as a plague
Poe declared: “Darkness and decay and the red death held illimitable dominion over all”
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6. |
Fateful Encounter
05:57
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Seth was escaping through backstreets
Thinking about what has just happened to him this night
Eyes open wide to lord regent’s deceit
His filthy scheme to frame him now stood out in plain sight
Once Seth approached a turn to main street
Patrol of guards rushed past him scouring the place like hounds
And for a moment his heart skipped a beat
Yet he remained unnoticed in shade making no sound
While our hero made his way out
Lord regent got informed about the gruesome crimes
News in him planted seeds of doubt
Why didn’t Seth report back to him after all this time?
He hitched up the horses to pay
A visit to our royal assassin’s lodging
Meanwhile Seth’s not far away
And sure, he’ll be back home in no time without getting caught
Seth gets in his
Room goes straight to
Bed after the nights
He hasn’t slept
Right as he fell into Morpheus’ realm
Clutter of hooves approached where our hero dwells
Regent set foot on the cobblestone paving
Hungry for answers the truth he was craving
Silence was broken by four loud knocks
Regent was now standing in front of our hero’s door
Seth now awake stood up to greet unexpected guest
They walked inside stepping on tiles of the creaky floor
Sat on the two dusty chairs both visibly distressed
Regent was informed by Seth about completed task
“Have you heard about what happened at the ball that vile night?”
Even before Seth answered his gaze fell on a mask
Scarlett as blood on Seth’s sleeve caught by lord’s seeking sight
Suspicion rose
Lord Regent rashly decided to end the discourse
He shook Seth’s hand
And said that he’s got some business that he has to attend to
When regent left
Seth went to bed not suspecting that he’d just been caught
He dreamt in peace
Not knowing that his serene expectations of life were to end
Horses are hitched
Carriage moves
To abattoir
Owned by a gang
Cleavers - their name
Infamous mob
Feared by the folks
From all around
Lord’s special task
The gangsters await
The jangling of coins
They’re eager to hear
They will teach him
How to obey
And not to pry
In other’s affairs
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7. |
Watershed
10:44
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One sunny day Seth’s precious sister
Came to Lonehill to see him
God only knew how much he’d missed her
The pain endured within
Amuse me
Please soothe me
Like you always do
In this moment
troubles seemed to fade away
And joy volant
Was hiding bleakness of the day
The hand of fate divided them
Back in the day when they were young
In search of fortune
Seth left parents warm nest
Moved to Lonehill
Royal service was his quest
But Irene
With parents stayed
Indulged in rural life serene
When asked about life back home
Irene turned pale as a mourning ghost
Seth we’re left on our own now
Fight with blue death our kin had lost
In shared grief a couple hours passed
Through the thickening clouds the mystic moonlight glanced
Somnolence salved from the torment of sorrow
Seth’s sister exhausted by the lengthy road
Yet he’s given up hopes of sleep till the morrow
He hearkened to silence in his somber abode
With tear-dimmed eyes he gazed at Irene
Her curls of red hair hanging down from the bed
Her sweet slender face froze in grimace of dread
She must have dreamt of the horrors she’d seen
Guilt penetrated Seth’s heart to the core
How could he leave all the dear ones behind?
He’d give away fortune to return days of yore
And alter the misdeeds that his life defined
Carried away by this train of thought
Seth plunged into silence immersing to sleep
But then back to senses our hero was brought
By the sound of a broken door with danger fraught
“Stay here”, - he told Irene
Then took his sword and slowly walked out
His fiends remained unseen
But someone’s inside - there is no doubt
Downstairs our hero moved
To find the source of the alarming sound
But there in moonlit room
Silence greeted him in its domain profound
Seth’s eyes in darkness stared
Cautious of the threat he stayed on his guard
Sword’s blade in his hand glared
It’s gleam splendor of night scarred
Time flow seemed to have stopped
Is it the calm before the storm?
The answer was not long in coming
Seth heard approaching steps
He turned around casting the fatal blow
Corpse hit the ground but it was not his final foe
Like rats that from the burrows crawl
More rivals soon appeared for carnage vile
Will hero fall or will he feast on corpses’ pile?
Seth’s trained movements resembled a grim waltz
His swift sword - wind’s raging blow
Pierced by anguish were his rivals’ last thoughts
To the vanquished their woe
By his hand fell all but one
Upon his scarred face like vulture Seth looked down
“By whose order you came here?”
And in response Seth heard “Of you I have no fear!”
Seth raised his fist to teach him some manners
But was stopped by a sudden hit
Lonehill Cleaver took care of the matter
Avenged his mates by Seth’s sword slit
When our hero came back to senses
He rushed upstairs to his own drear
They took his sister, frail and defenseless
All that he held dear
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8. |
From the Ashes
04:38
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Empty room greeted him
With deep cold gloom of loss
Where once laid his Irene
Now a sealed letter was
Impatiently he ripped
The envelope apart
From inside a note slipped
That’s yet to break his heart
“Seth, I see right through you
I know what you have found out
Now that you have met my crew
About your sister you’re in doubt
I will ensure you
She’s in a safe place now
Don’t investigate the Raven Cult
If you want to see your sister still alive
Now I will tell you how
It will all go down if you obey
You’ll put hand to the plow
And to my orders loyal stay
If you defy me
Your sister will have to die
Thus, the only precious thing
That you still possess will burn before your eyes”
Omnes una manet nox
Seth has lost control
Wiped all the books
Off his old desk in rage
He swore out loud
Broke into scream
Threw his chair aside
Regent sure will pay
For what he’s done
He’ll get what he deserves
The only thoughts
Circling Seth’s head
Were of a bloody revenge
But soon despair
Captured his mind
In pain he tumbled on ground
What should he do?
Where to begin?
Questions flooded him
Stunned he clutched his head
When suddenly
His glance fell on the books
And in that pile
Laid volumes from
Cultist’s secret room
Knowledge imprisoned on pages
Could be the way out of this maze
Hastily Seth opened cultist’s
Cryptic grimoire drenched in dust
What he found inside made his blood
Run cold, but it was his last hope
To save his sister
From the impending storm
That would, no doubt, crush them all
Seth could not believe the spells that these pages held
Rituals and potions were described in detail
Some pages were spoiled, but amid them Seth has found
Something that he thought might be of use to him now
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9. |
Test of Will
06:54
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Leafing through the grimoire’s pages Seth discovered an eldritch ritual
“And thou whose will is strong enough to cast this wicked spell
Thy deepest wish shall be fulfilled in full, yet thou will be compelled
To sacrifice what has a value tantamount
To yond of thy desire”
“Raven’s sigil
Thou shall inscribe
Shed thy blood in
Smoke of a pipe”
By this guidance
Seth did abide
Opium eased
His restless mind
Reality began to
Fade and he found himself
On the edge of a cliff
Right before he fell in the void
Weight of his body slowly vanished
Seth’s whole essence has transcended
All human traits of his have perished
Now as a raven he descended
Thunder struck in thickening clouds
No land in sight
He’s trapped inside this direful shroud
Imbued with blight
In the distance emerged a silhouette
Of his lodging
Ghostly floating in clouds in front of Seth
Inwards him luring
He approached it
Seeking answers
The closer he
Got the more his
Heart sunk sensing
Some sort of an
Evil presence
Inside
He sat on the open window’s sill
In an instance recognized the room
It was his flat that he was in
Succumbed to his instincts he entered the gloom
And noticed that on the floor
A corpse lay with its face down
Suddenly the walls closed in
Nowhere to run, all the paths were cut off
Seth recognized his sister’s singing
She opened wide a door for him
Saving her kin
He flew towards his only escape
But the joyful reunion didn’t last long
He found himself in a room full of light
Irene’s not there, he was alone
In his own home
Right before Seth came back to senses he heard a voice of an ethereal entity
“You have passed the test of will. With the first rays of sun get into the carriage outside your house, and your wish shall be fulfilled”.
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10. |
Blackwood
04:28
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Heir to nocturnal visions
The Sun and its first rays
Led Seth to his new mission
With mystic aura graced
Prophetic words of the voice
Have proven to be true
The carriage with two horses
Was equipped for a long route
Seth craved to begin his journey
In no time he climbed onboard
His own life did not concern him
As much as Irene’s, whom he has adored
They passed through the gates
To the outskirts of town
Where life was at stake
In the shade of the crown
The further they rode the thicker the woods
Abandoned constructions amid the trees stood
Like shrapnel the rain pierced through the dense fog
Despite the fatigue Seth was wide-awake
As long hours passed the coachman was asked
By Seth about their destination at last
Rather abrupt was companion’s reply
“Blackwood”, he mumbled and shuttered the blind
This word sent shivers down our hero’s spine
About this site he heard since he was a child
Peasants believed this place to be cursed
Ridden with plague in death it immersed
It seemed like this ride wouldn’t come to an end
Poignant thoughts he could no more contend
On the way out of October’s bleak woods
They reached the hill where the village stood
Seth stepped outside
Glorious light
Broke through the clouds
Blinding his sight
Our hero moved
Towards Blackwood
That stately stood
Under the sky
To the village Seth ascended
Solemn mansion caught his eye
Barely has he even entered
To stop him the guards have tried
Deftly Seth pulled out his famed sword
Ready for a ruthless fight
Suddenly the quarrel was stopped
By an order outright
Hooded person has descended
Without doubt he was in charge
In a moment he defended
Guards from a defeat foretold
He approached our hero swiftly
As if Seth was known to him
“About you I had a vision
I’ll help you to save your kin”
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11. |
Confrontation
08:59
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“I’ve had a vision”, - he told me
“And in that vision, I have seen
The situation you are in right now
I should have killed you for my men
Who’ll never see day’s light again
But fate has got another plan for you”
“And may I ask what plan that is?
In this peculiar life’s twist
Why should I trust a man I do not know?”
“Your options, I’m afraid, are scarce
From you I would expect no less
Than to put the regent’s soul to rest
You see, our interests aligned
This bastard’s death’s been on our mind
Since he decided to frame both of us
We’ll save your sister from the claws
Of Lonehill Cleavers, and of course
You’ll meet her when the righteous deed
Is done”
With a plan defined
Cult was on its way
Revenge captured Seth’s mind
Like hunter’s thirst for his prey
They split in two crews
Heading to Lonehill Town
When the morning dew
Gleamed from untrampled ground
Cultists rode to the street
Where the gang was settled
Butchers will turn to meat
And treated like their cattle
Meanwhile Seth rode forth
To the regent’s palace
To show what he’s worth
With his new-found allies
When Seth arrived
By the gates he faced
Two guards who let him through
Freely he
Reached regent’s suite
Knocked four times
Not hesitating
Unwary
Regent let
Him enter
What a grave mistake
Smugly, he
Asked Seth if
He had come
To bow down before him
To give up his yearning
To what Seth replied: “No”
Vulture-eyed lord regent
Spit out spiteful curses
“Have you lost your reason?
Obey and beg for mercy
One more hasty move can
Get Irene flayed alive”
“No more threats, you sick man
You stirred up the beehive
Cleavers are dead
Beheaded by my allies
Raven Cult”
Staring back in utter fear
Regent called out for his guards
“Scream all you want, they won’t hear
You from the realms of hell
Your hounds were foolish enough
To let me inside
Their final seconds were rough
To fight two cultists they tried
It was then he realized
That he lost this game of chess
In last try to save his skin
His surroundings he assessed
Then reached out towards his gun
But this move has been foreseen
Deftly Seth cut off his arm
Time has come to pay for sins
Regent tried
To crawl away
But Seth’s
Kick stopped him at once
Our hero grasped
Victim’s neck
Regent
Coughed up blood on his face
“I should have
Killed you back
Then” viciously
He grunted at him
Scornfully
Seth looked at
Him one last
Time before he pushed him
Out the open window
And noble blood soaked the earth
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12. |
Omnes Una Manet Nox
07:54
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Uncertainty of what’s to come
Overwhelmed our hero
His part of the deal was done
Will the fate bestow him?
Will the story have a happy end?
Seth arrived to the appointed spot where
Raven Cult brought Irene for them to reunite
Scars on her beautiful face made him aware
Of the Cleavers’ deranged brutality towards her in the night
Her oddly cold greeting surprised our hero
She evaded brother’s embrace, in tears, speechless took the carriage
Seth followed her to the cab
His confusion was tearing him up
“I’m so glad that you are alive”
“And I wish you’d have left me to die
What I’ve been through in that place
A mortal soul should never endure
But the worst torment of all
Was to learn who you truly are”
“All these years I’ve looked up to you
With you as my crutch and my hero I grew up
The idol you’ve once been to me is no more
Where is the person I’ve used to have trust in?
You have spared no one, all of those lives
Were taken by you without hesitation
Brother, the difference is slight in my eyes
Between yours and Cleavers’ deeds and intentions
Unaware of the path you have chosen
My heart was broken, my soul - ripped apart
I’ve had enough, I’m saying goodbye
The time has come for me back home to depart”
Irene has left him by his house
And rode forth into the crimson sunset
Grief-stricken Seth stood by the roadside
Faltering he moved upstairs in cold sweat
One month passed, and pain still persisted
He’s hidden away in his lodging forlorn
Bottle’s enticement he never resisted
From behind the curtains he glanced full of scorn
As a mad poet he searched for the words
To explain himself to his sister beloved
Yet nothing seemed right, all his thoughts were interred
In the endless letters to the ceiling piled up
One sleepless night our hero, still restless,
Was pacing around with a bottle in hand
Another held one of his countless letters
Will it put his craving to a desired end?
Seth suddenly noticed the
Raven that sat on the sill staring back into his soul
Is anything left there at all
Visions came back to his mind
Our hero fell on the ground with the letter
That turned out to be his last one
Curtains fall, lights out
And so, thy blood by your own hands was spilt
The prophecy is now fulfilled
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RAVENTHORN Moscow, Russia
Previously called Loud'N'Proud, Raventhorn has released a demo album "The Stand" and "From the Ashes..." EP. In 2018 the band has changed its name and genre. 2018 our first concept album "Nightmare in Eden" was released.
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