Chthonica, by Gardarika

Chthonica

by Gardarika

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1.	Hive Mind 04:30	lyrics	buy track
Oh, what a sudden miraculous escape Right from Mouth of Madness Directly from the brink We are saved You have to cast away Your personality Which enslaves And you will be saved No more fear, and no more liability The Hive knows everything The Hive will never die Unlike you But the Hive can share The immortality With a few (Maybe you?) Just work with precision Don't make your own decisions And you will be free, Ah, how comfortable, isn't it? Here comes the new reality The triumph of hive mind Escape from the individuality New possession of mankind There is no longer the strong and the weak Just society That lives in harmony With itself The drones and the queen bee. Crown the hierarchy Hoarding wealth And you just do your bit Be in line with your breed You will get what you need And don't get it into your head Here comes the new reality The triumph of hive mind Escape from the individuality New possession of mankind You're no longer a single worm All together we're the swarm Don't rebel now, just accept The ancient wisdom of insects. Here comes the new reality The triumph of hive mind Escape from the individuality New possession of mankind Witness of the new reality Exile in this throng It's so rotten, so pathetic to Live in hope that I am wrong
2.	Chthonica 05:56	lyrics	buy track
We grew up full of boldness Unaware of our own ignorance We kept in mind our goal To live for something more But how were we to know That we are betrayed by our lords The ancient gods of chaos Persuaded them to sell us The lords are dull and greedy The gods are sly and perfidious And they deserve each other Sharing the feast of suffering Their toadies keep inspiring The shameful tale disarming We are the chosen ones Let's turn our blood to dung It's honorable they say This fate is best for mortals Prepare to give yourself To make the ground more fertile Chthonica... Chthonica... Enchained and sentenced I'm lying defenseless And gazing at the uncaring sky How proud should we be If our destiny is Eternal self-sacrifice The sky plays dead The stone turns red The ground will bring our daily bread Alliance with the ether Was gainless and dissolved The depths became our patron In trade for blood and souls So then began the new age Of fear and outrage The self-sustaining system Perverted pride of victims The deity of soil As ugly as amazing Is growing from below The hecatomb is rising Chthonica... Chthonica... Enchained and sentenced I'm lying defenseless And gazing at the uncaring sky How proud should we be If our destiny is Eternal self-sacrifice The sky plays dead The stone turns red The ground will bring our daily bread We grew up full of boldness Unaware of our own ignorance We kept in mind our goal To live for something more But how were we to know That we are betrayed by our lords The ancient gods of chaos Persuaded them to enslave us Enchained and sentenced I'm lying defenseless And gazing at the uncaring sky No grumble, no hope No way to elope And throughout is the eternal chthonica
3.	The Night and Unbending Intent 08:49	lyrics	buy track
Sunset's burning down Cold streets are deserted Tardy passersby are Hurrying to their quarters Only a little matchboy standing tired against the wall He didn't sell anything He has nothing to bring home tonight On this Christmas Eve Outer world is frozen Consciousness just fades Mind becomes so drowsy Suddenly he sees a lady's face in this reverie Oh, it seems so unreal Can you hear, she's appealing To you So listen to the whisper of Queen of the Night Her celebration's started and you are invited so She is calling She is calling The moment is right, take your fate in your hand - You need just the night and unbending intent. Let's make the fireworks Of the wood and sulphur Sequence of flashbacks Time when you didn't suffer Feel the warmth again, the serenity of a child Spread your wings and aspire You are free while the match Is on fire Strike another match Catch the new dream vision Feel the freedom's touch And then make a decision Do you really want to return inhospitable home To your hated stepparents You're a sponger apparent For them So listen to the whisper of Queen of the Night Her Majesty Requests, don't be impolite - listen She’s calling She’s calling The moment is right, take your fate in your hand - You need just the night and unbending intent. Decide now! What you're searching for in this place? Everyone you loved and knew now’s gone yeah Decide now! Your attempts are weak and senseless Oh, who cares if your work left undone yeah Decide now! Lonely bird rush to the ether Night can not go on forever ah Night can not go on forever ah Have no fear! You have nothing more to lose there But your way becomes increasingly narrow Shed no tears It's always a little sad to leave your home, even if this place is vale of sorrow Don't worry It can heal thy pain and fever but Night can not go on forever ah Night can not go on forever ah Beware, I can no more guard you Now freezing is getting harder Just a step towards me and I'll take you away
4.	Nevertheless 08:25	lyrics	buy track
Endless rails Empty space The train is hurtling through the night and I'm alone in empty coach Light spots run away, then new ones approach from the dark From the dark So it was I was heading to the strange city of the midnight sun Can I leave my inner hell, or it is just aimless run? But for now just the road exists Plains that covered with mist And the rattle of tireless wheels And no more me Heil the nordic city I'm right here in front of you The old emperor Peter Accept my challenge, assuage my throe But these bold words left untold And the city was so cold And beyond expression beautiful But there is no place for the exile Roaming in the maze of Narrow streets and well courtyards I was waiting for a sign How to calm my weary heart But the world around was quiet And my cry left unrequited All the things were passing me by Who can ever hear the silent cry? Afternoon I saw my death Arrogant and confident Strolling leisurely in the crowd on the far side of the street Crimson patterns in my eyes And the chill from the other side went down the spine At the sunset I went down Almost ready to give up But salvation came from an orchestra which was playing in the park Half-forgotten retro tune Caught me with the lulling croon And it blew my soul beyond the horizon Still alive In the deep of night I find myself still alive I don't know why Is this a second chance of just unkind jibe? An opportunity To fix everything that someone granted to me Could it be? Or just wanton prolongation of the agony? Though my soul was torn apart And my ego's skin is sloughed I left there a piece of heart But it does not matter now For now just the road exists Uncertain future in the mist And the wrath of hunted beast But not pain Wonders that I have to see 'til I meet my destiny No more me but nevertheless Here I am
5.	They Live 05:12	lyrics	buy track
Not a single voice Only croaking of hired toadies So you have no choice Just to listen to endless eulogies "You should be grateful" they say "For our charity, We we've brought you these happy days Of prosperity, And if you know any disgruntled Just say the names, The ungrateful will be punished!" Do you feel this weight? Jeer is bending you to the ground And implicit hate is Gnawing you and all around. "We can't breathe! Don't bring it to grief!" Can you hear the insulated cries of desperation In the rare times of calm? "We can't breathe! Don't bring it to grief" Do you share this cruel irresistible temptation? What about to crash it all! Do you smell the blood? Do you smell the blood yeah Of your brothers who died in ignorance of what goes on Now they bleed The unnameable gods, The unnameable gods yeah Hold your mind captive in the weakening drowse For their needs If you're sick and tired of this somnolence Will you find a comfort in violence And bitter revenge? Cast away their sops, break out form the stall, Form the battle line, time to crash them all A perfect exchange Have you ever thought, Have you ever thought yeah Can the creatures like that ones exist on the earth But they live If they feel a threat, If they feel a threat yeah They will promise anything you want to pay off Don't believe. See the palace of the black sorcerers Guarded by the legions of murderers They're eager to fight Brothers, are you willing to pit your skill 'gainst the impudents, who were coached to kill The unholy might Sudden impact when We almost won This is not blood, Just splashes of the Sun Victory was near But we met a defeat We held out against the power and cruelty Not against the guile They will make you suffer But they still need you As a vampire needs a victim's blood for his life They won't let you die So go back again to your prison cell Hide into the sleep from the morbid spell Until the next time.
6.	Sleepwish 06:04	lyrics	buy track
There's no reason to remain here There is nothing left to wonder But the cage has only one exit To the sweet home six feet under If there's no more world outside and Your perception is deceiving The only way to spend your time is Ah! Immersion in a dreaming And when we fall asleep Our personal demons leave us for a while There's no more narrow cage There's no more impotent rage And we can afford a luxury of ingenuous smile Is your remembrance real Or it's just a slice of dream? Wild riding through the plains Within a frenzied stream But since your cage is locked You can not run away So never awaken! When you wake up dull your senses Your life belongs to someone else Who plays with you like with a puppet And your role is less than nothing Hide away your tears and anguish Hide away your righteous anger Pray that nobody gets to know You still can represent a danger So guess what's wrong with you How did you trap yourself? Did you agree to live Inside this silent hell But since your cage is locked You can not run away So never awaken! And when we fall asleep Our personal demons leave us for a while There's no more narrow cage There's no more impotent rage And we can afford a luxury of ingenuous smile Is your remembrance real Or it's just a slice of dream? Wild riding through the plains Within a frenzied stream This sleep will waste your life Must be another way Oh, so can you wake up? Now crush the hated doors If you are still untamed Do take the life that's yours And live it 'till the end And even if you fail It would be worthy try So wake up for the last time.
7.	Of Pigs and Men 05:09	lyrics	buy track
I am collecting a strange puzzle of vision Fragments of facts, scraps of insights I am afraid to put the final pieces The figure obtained is destroying my mind I am amazed by what I am able to see Astonishment turns to disgust then to horror The shelter of innocence no longer exists I am not sure whether we'll see tomorrow They say we are rabid Сan’t be tolerated but No, we did not start this war No justice, no law No, we can't bear anymore Nothing remains obscured and unexplained Our role is clear I can not deny it Everything that happens fits into the simple scheme We're just the livestock devoured alive Puzzle is collected, I have read your message You think we are your prey, why should we agree? Now I discerned you, I have no more questions The inhuman creatures consumed with greed Hey, nameless swineherd who helps us to gain weight Leave your sugary tales, now it's sour Instead of pork you will taste our hate Beware, the sweet piglets grew up to wild boars Yes, we didn't start it But we can stop it What a surprise, we are not your pets The era of vain expectations is over Now we will rise, our lives will be our only bet Don't you think it's a great imposture Shall we trust our self-styled masters? Swineherds's faces turn to snouts Real pigs they are, you know it Lie is broken, masks are torn off That's all of pigs and men
8.	My Veiled Kingdom 05:01	lyrics	buy track
The wounds are bleeding and in need of treatment And we need a respite now Damn it!... We've lost this battle but not the war We are not broken yet Meanwhile I'm going into my veiled kingdom The boundary between the worlds Where the wind is summoning flocks of my ships of hate The roar of the surf below the cliffs will heal my soul And the echoes from the distant stars will answer to my call I'm not alone For now I need to stop and breathe this otherworldly air The last delight for the one who was buried in the mute despair And the strength will return And my life will go on And my soul will be reborn One day we will restore our Earth empire So let it rise like phoenix This is the only goal of our existence The passion, the desire But now I'm going into my veiled kingdom The boundary between the worlds Where the wind's raising burning banners over my ships of fire Three abysses meet here The sea, the time and the endless sky Their voices sound within me and they hear the words of mine I'm not alone For now I need to stop and breathe this otherworldly air The last delight for the one who was buried in the mute despair And the strength will return And my life will go on And my soul will be reborn

about

"Chthonica" – review by Rhonda Readence

Gardarika is a metal band out of Moscow, Russia boasting Alex Izgarny on vocals, Ivan Aleshin on guitar, Serge Kuryavin on bass, Nikita Anulov on drums, and special guest guitarist Eugene Orlov. Chthonica is their 8-song album full of ear-bleeding metal, grinding chords and hard-hitting rhythms. Elements of heavy metal combine with progressive rock to give metal-heads of the world something to consider and legions of fans will delight in this dark offering.

"Hive Mind" kicks hard from the opening notes to the closing ones. Izgarny's vocals are strong and this piece contains elements of classic heavy metal in the vein of Iron Maiden. Instrumentally, it is evident from the start that this band is tight, most particularly the blazing guitar solo. The title track, "Chthonika," is energetic and more along the lines of progressive metal. There is some excellent vocal harmonizing within this piece, and the vocals overall are extremely strong. Izgarny hits some truly fantastic notes. This is an amazing piece with killer instrumentation and an exceptional sound.

"The Night and Unbending Intent" takes a slower approach and the melodic guitar work is haunting. There is a darker essence to this piece that is made even more so by the eerie lyrics and the slower, deeper delivery. Make no mistake - this track hits hard too, but it is good to know that Gardarika has the capacity to slow it down a notch and play more melodic metal. There are many variations within this piece and they do a great job making the transitions seamless and graceful. "Nevertheless" is a more dramatic and theatrical offering, rife with distinct vocals and precise musicianship. As in all the songs on the album, the guitar work is simply phenomenal, as is the rhythm section. This is one of the tightest bands in the music world today.

Chthonika continues its journey with "They Live," which opens with a slick bass line and strong percussion work. The vocals in this piece are quite diverse, showcasing the talent of Izgarny as he traverses various ranges and deliveries. "Sleepwish" is perhaps the most lyrically sound piece on the album as well as one of the most instrumentally intricate and will likely become a fan favorite. "Of Pigs and Men" is what we've come to know and love about Gardarika; heavy-hitting music with diverse musicianship and solid vocals. This piece does a wonderful job of traversing tempos and rhythms and these artists do it perfectly, with what seems like little to no effort. The talent within this band is stellar.

The album closes with "My Veiled Kingdom," which has a fast tempo and highlights Izgarny's ability to sing not only in key but with a fast delivery. All of the songs on Chthonika are intricate, well-composed and well-written. They are likewise performed with unbridled skill from each of the artists who make up this powerhouse of screaming guitar licks and hard-hitting vocals. The percussion work and bass lines are consistently performed with perfection and the sound quality is fantastic as well. Gardarika has a winner with Chthonika and this album is a must-have for serious lovers of progressive metal.