01. Descending Upon Us
02. LifeWar
03. Collapsing
04. This Is the Line
05. Driving Nails
06. The World Is a Thorn
07. Tie This Around Your Neck
08. Just Breathe
09. Shallow Water
10. Feel As Though You Could
11. Blood in the Tears
12. Desire the Pain
13. Driving Nails (String Mix)
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Oh...
This is our call – to see these idols fall.
Drag them out into the light – let fate devour whole.
This is your fault, you fool of faith untrue.
That we should face the grave with such a blackened view.
Oh... (this pain is true) we see the damage done
In the eyes of those turning away.
Save your plea for the day that we suffer the wake of this treason.
Rain like fire descending upon us in holy resolve, upon this ground.
Hollow name of five encircled frame.
Deception incarnate – receive my vow of hate.
Oh... (this pain is true) see how the blood will run
In the eyes of those turning away.
Save your plea for the day that we suffer the wake of this treason.
Rain like fire descending upon us in holy resolve, upon this ground.
Save your plea for the day that we suffer the wake of this treason.
Rain like fire descending upon us in holy resolve, upon this ground.
We see the damage done – resounding desecration.
We see the damage done – blackened insurrection.
Suppress the pain of mind as long as you can bear.
And feel the desperation clawing from within.
They say the truth is found when hell is at your doorstep.
You’d better pray to see that time come to pass.
Save your plea for the day that we suffer the wake of this treason.
Rain like fire descending upon us in holy resolve, upon this ground.
Save your plea for the day that we suffer the wake of this treason.
Rain like fire descending upon us in holy resolve, upon this ground.
This song is a battle cry for those that stand opposed to the Godless views and actions of modern society. It’s about taking a look around you, seeing the damage that sin has done in our lives and the lives of those that we care for, and having the discretion to understand just how low we’ve sunk. The chorus warns those that stand opposed to Christ – that they too will plea for forgiveness when judgment falls upon this earth.
"Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side." - Psalm 97:2-3
Born from the fire clean, crawling through the dirt like WAR.
5 years, my mother gave a voice for WAR.
10, I was dead, born again with eyes for WAR.
By 15, hate was the name of my WAR.
Wash me in the river, give me to the pain of LifeWar. LifeWar. Life...
20 years gone, and father told me life was like WAR.
Hands to the bone, 25 years of WAR.
30, I wake to the sound of souls at WAR.
I will pass through, buried with the flag of my WAR.
Wash me in the river, give me to the pain of LifeWar.
LifeWar. LifeWAR...War. LifeWar. LifeWar.... LifeWar....
LifeWar is essentially a very condensed version of my life story, 5 years at a time. Broken down by each line, it goes like this:
When we are born, though born into sin, we are in essence clean and innocent. We begin life crawling, and I liken this action to crawling in the dirt like a soldier at war.
When I was very young, my mother’s singing voice was engrained in me. She was always singing around the house and she has a beautiful singing voice. I attribute my singing talents to her.
When I was around 10 or 11, I began to take more of an interest in my faith. Soon after, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, and although I was very young at the time, I still look back on that as a defining moment for me.
When I was a teenager I found hardcore music – a genre that on one hand preaches acceptance, and on the other, can be very hate-fueled. For much of my teenage years, I found myself hating a lot of the things that I was seeing – drug and alcohol abuse, unholy sex-obsession. I didn’t feel like I hated the people, but more the sin itself.
My father is a great teacher, both in Biblical knowledge and that of being a mature, responsible man of God. Especially in my young adult years, I heeded his words regarding these things.
I spent most of my 20’s working very hard – long days, learning new things, etc. Sometimes I feel like I spent about 90% of my waking life working in my 20’s. But this was an extremely formative time for me. These were the years that really shaped me into the man I am today.
I recently turned 30, and in many ways I still see life as a continuous battle. In some ways I feel like I may have more figured out, but in many others, I’m still learning. Life can be a struggle, a war.
"It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze." - Psalm 18:32-34
(feat. guest vocals by Björn "Speed" Strid of Soilwork)
I... I see the weight of hollow death residing in you.
Take now your final breath – exhale the truth.
I see the fear of nothing left – dead fragments of youth.
You hold it in yourself – I feel it too.
I mourn your blindness – I die along...and swallow darkness. In misery is where I belong.
Collapsing in on yourself – I don’t know why...I try (I try)
Collapsing in on yourself – I don’t know why...you deny
I... I know the light is burning dim and dying in you.
I know the pain that lies within – I feel it too.
I mourn your blindness. I die along...and swallow darkness. In misery is where I belong.
Collapsing in on yourself – I don’t know why...I try (I try)
Collapsing in on yourself – I don’t know why...you deny
No vow of silence. No remission of truth.
Collapsing in on yourself – I don’t know why...I try (I try)
Collapsing in on yourself – I don’t know why...you deny
Collapsing in on yourself – I don’t know why...I try (I try)
Collapsing in on yourself – I don’t know why...you deny
"When you get to a certain age, it seems like all of your peers have made up their minds regarding most issues of faith, and sometimes relaying the truth of Christ to these people may seem like a lost cause. This song is about never giving up that fight to reach these people. Even if their hearts have been hardened to the truth, it’s important for us, as believers, to continue to fight for these lost souls. The lyrics of the bridge are "No vow of silence, no remission of truth." This should be our stance in regard to sharing our faith with others."
"Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble." - 1 John 2:10
Fire surround – in cleansing repose, letting the filth, like venom it flows.
Scar, the mark, remind us the pain – breaking the bones that will reach out again.
And now we will rise to conquer them all. Many will challenge, many will fall.
Bring us your vile, malicious of mind. We will bring their neck to the line.
Scum of the earth. Power of air. You wanted the world? We’ll bury you there.
This is a battle. We Are The Blade. And this is the line, this is the line.
All that they build we will break. This is the line... This is the line.
And though you will fight, you will not return – for when in the fields, your temples we burned.
And scattered the ash upon every grave – to honor the ones that you had betrayed.
Scum of the earth. Power of air. You wanted the world? We’ll bury you there.
This is a battle. We Are The Blade. And this is the line, this is the line.
All that they build we will break. This is the line... This is the line.
This is a battle. We Are The Blade. And this is the line, this is the line.
All that they build we will break. This is the line... This is the line...
Oh.... You wanted the world? We’ll bury you there.
This is a battle. We Are The Blade. And this is the line, this is the line.
All that they build we will break. This is the line... This is the line.
This is a battle. We Are The Blade. And this is the line, this is the line.
All that they build we will break. This is the line... This is the line.
Whose side are you on?
Continuing the theme of battle, This Is The Line is essentially a metaphor for drawing a line in the sand, and taking your stance in adversity to those that threaten the way of the Christian life and our values. The lyrics encourage the listener to be strong in their faith and stand against the powers that endanger our Godly world-view.
"A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away, till you are left like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill." - Isaiah 30:17
I was the light, I was the quiet heart. I was the place we used to dwell.
And when the cold would tear your life apart, I was the warmth that you had felt.
(What have I become?) What have I become?
Thoughts like shadows swelling through my mind.
What have I become? Something else inside...
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something inside...
I was the blood inside your broken heart. I was the stone that you had held.
(What have I become?) What have I become?
Thoughts like shadows swelling through my mind.
What have I become? Something else inside...
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something else inside...
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something inside...
I close my eyes... Search for you... Retracing every step.
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something inside...
Nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something else inside...
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something else inside...
This song is a realization of our sinful nature. It deals with the feeling that, despite our attempts to attain a truly pure life, there is always a sinful nature that aims to push us back down. The lyrics recognize that something within us is at war with our faith, but in those moments of clarity, we can close our eyes and retrace our steps back to the Lord, where in His grace we are seen as holy and pure.
"Thanks be to God - through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin."- Romans 7:25
The gavel has fallen, along with the rest. Are we expected to settle for this?
Bring us the plague, lead us away. Blacken tomorrow with ash of today.
Can’t you see the fabric of our standards wearing thin?
See your world in its grave – at the hands of the enslaved.
Won’t bow to man. Won’t bow to government.
Won’t trust in a failed system of self-fulfilling lust.
Won’t love a world where my God is mocked. I defy.
Oh, a kiss on the serpent’s head.
We walk in the line of deceit, the walking dead.
Can’t you feel the ground of our discretion giving way?
Refusal of hope, solution demise – bury the truth in a mountain of lies.
Won’t bow to man. Won’t bow to government.
Won’t trust in a failed system of self-fulfilling lust.
Won’t love a world where my God is mocked. I defy.
This is what you try to sell me? Subjective nothingness?
Pull your sickness from my throat – let me breathe the truth. Let me breathe the truth.
Won’t bow to man. Won’t bow to government. Won’t bow to greed. Won’t bow to false hope.
Won’t bow to self. Won’t bow to modern code. Won’t sell my soul to a dead world. I defy.
This is another song that follows the theme of battle and adversity. Specifically, The World Is A Thorn is about the things that we are not, and that which we refuse to be. We know our enemy. We will not bow to man or government. We won’t give in to the corrupted ways of the world. Our faith lies in Christ alone.
"For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens." - 1 Chronicles 16:25-26
This is the age of the dead. The generation of pagan and self-led.
You can feel the bones shatter beneath our feet. The blood of lust staining our teeth.
We feed on pain (pain), disorder (disorder), delusion (delusion).
The filth of the modern plague. And in this reign of Godlessness, the heathens will say...
Tie this around your neck. Tie this around your neck.
Tie this around your neck. Tie this around your neck. Fool.
Save your breath, my son, just carry on home. Time will prey on you, and take you through hell.
I’ve heard every empty line, every curse, every word that you redefine.
I will turn my back on the coming storm. Won’t lie in the grave – I will be reborn. They say...
Tie this around your neck. Tie this around your neck.
Tie this around your neck. Tie this around your neck. Fool.
Save your breath, my son, just carry on home. Time will prey on you, and take you through hell.
Confusion reigns, pride of the hopeless herd – blind to the will, blind to the word.
They will drown in the rule of man – helpless and alone.
Save your breath, my son, just carry on home. Time will prey on you, and take you through hell.
They say…
Tie this around your neck. Tie this around your neck. Fool.
Tie this around your neck. Tie this around your neck. Fool... Fool... Fool.
"The world will tell you to lead yourself. This song is the antithesis of that ideal. We [Demon Hunter] believe that we [humanity] are a flawed people, and that man, given unto his own will, will fail. Therefore, using our flesh as a compass in life is a path that leads only to destruction. The burden of relying only on yourself is like a weight around your neck, and when the people and forces of the world encourage us to live this way, we tell them to ’save their breath’"
"The upright see and rejoice, but all the wicked shut their mouths." - Psalm 107:42
8. Just Breathe
(feat. guest vocals by Christian Älvestam of Miseration, ex-Scar Symmetry)
So now you try, but the blade is primed to just cut you down again.
To no avail, this fix divine was wrought to do you in.
Seemingly endless, beckoning debt...beckoning debt. Vacant and nameless – where is the end?
Aching just to endure again – sweet loss (sweet loss). Able again to feel. This is real.
Just breathe, suffer again (suffer again). Look Back. Stand in the wake and breathe.
Wait for the end (wait for the end). Fight Back. This isn’t over.
One single touch will further crush your corrupted state of mind.
You carve the way for regret to take you further down the line.
Seemingly endless, beckoning debt...beckoning debt. Vacant and nameless – where is the end?
Aching just to endure again – sweet loss (sweet loss). Able again to feel. This is real.
Just breathe, suffer again (suffer again). Look Back. Stand in the wake and breathe.
Wait for the end (wait for the end). Fight Back. This isn’t over.
Suffer again (suffer again). Look Back. Stand in the wake and breathe.
Wait for the end (wait for the end). Fight Back. This isn’t over... Cut....
Just breathe, suffer again (suffer again). Look Back. Stand in the wake and breathe.
Wait for the end (wait for the end). Fight Back. This isn’t over.
Suffer again (suffer again). Look Back. Stand in the wake and breathe.
Wait for the end (wait for the end). Fight Back. This isn’t over.
This isn’t over... This isn’t over...
Addiction can be a killer – to our spiritual lives, emotional lives, mental wellbeing, relationships, and our physical lives as well. This song is meant as an encouraging word for people under the burden of addiction, whether that be drugs, alcohol, pornography, or just a habitual misuse of free will. The song offers an alternative to giving up and letting the addiction take over. The lyrics urge the afflicted to fight back, even when you feel like you’re already too far-gone.
"You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry…" - Psalm 10:17
9. Shallow Water
Remember the threat from which it was said "You will reap every seed that you sow."
And the tomb where you lay is the bed that you made – be still in the pain that you wrote.
See now (see now) – every scar is a choice you make (you make),
Every choice is a vow you take (you take). Take pity upon your fate. You coward.
Sleepwalk through Heaven’s call – no forest for the trees.
Unlearn every step you take – it’ll bring you to your knees.
Tread...shallow water – safe from the weight, the burden of sacrifice...
Sons and daughters – pray for the rain, may it redeem their eyes.
And now we have seen what complacency brings as the blind are assuming the lead.
Dig deep in the hole where you buried your soul – in the river from where it bleeds.
See now (see now) – every scar is a choice you make (you make),
Every choice is a vow you take (you take). Take pity upon your fate. You coward.
Sleepwalk through Heaven’s call – no forest for the trees.
Unlearn every step you take – it’ll bring you to your knees.
Tread...shallow water – safe from the weight, the burden of sacrifice...
Sons and daughters – pray for the rain, may it redeem their eyes.
Shallow water – safe from the weight, the burden of sacrifice...
Sons and daughters – pray for the rain, may it redeem their eyes.
May it redeem their eyes. Take now your eternal stand – before it pulls you in.
Shallow water – safe from the weight, the burden of sacrifice...
Sons and daughters – pray for the rain, may it redeem their eyes.
Shallow water – safe from the weight, the burden of sacrifice...
Sons and daughters – pray for the rain, may it redeem their eyes....
I think we as humans have an overwhelming tendency to live shallow lives, never giving thought to the “bigger picture” or things of an eternal nature. We live day-to-day, too busy or preoccupied to take a moment and really assess our purpose in life, and how that reflects on things like our mortality. Those that ignore the deeper spiritual elements of life may feel like they’re living free of burden, but they’re also living free of necessary sacrifices that we need to make in our lives in order to truly see God’s will. The sacrifices that we make as Christians are not seen as oppression, but as a means to a more fruitful, purposeful life.
"But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand." - Matthew 7:26
10. Feel As Though You Could
(feat. guest vocals by Dave Peters of Throwdown)
Rebellion... Oh cheap thrills and vacant youth. Carry out your own will.
Shovel deep and bury truth. Social stain, punk wreck, mother’s own defect.
Sing that song you know so well – sing it one foot in hell.
Eyes wide black – turn your back.
Oh how the foolish will see...how every man he does bleed.
The vultures circle, halo of the dead.
Another vicious cycle, swallow what you’re fed.
And now the vultures circle, halo of the dead.
Another vicious cycle, be true to your dissent...
Somehow...feel, feel as though you could.
Somehow... in all your petty suffering (suffering) – burn this down.
Rejection... of weak trends and fake hate.
This is what you’re fighting for – some fool’s mistake.
I will devour you, I’ll overpower you. Rise from the ashes, screaming eternity.
Vultures circle, halo of the dead.
Another vicious cycle, swallow what you’re fed.
And now the vultures circle, halo of the dead.
Another vicious cycle, be true to your dissent...
Somehow...feel... feel as though you could.
Somehow... in all your petty suffering (suffering). Go...
Oh... Ignite (ignite) upon (upon) these words (these words) – and breathe defeat.
Your shallow deeds make hell for wood and stone, flesh and bone – this alone.
Somehow...feel... feel as though you could.
Somehow... in all your petty suffering (suffering) – burn this down.
Burn this down. Burn this down. Burn this down. Burn this down.
Burn this down. Burn this down. Burn this down. Burn this down.
The heavy metal scene is a culture steeped in pointless, juvenile rebellion. In some extreme cases, some delusional metal heads have murdered and raped for what they see as a rebellious or “true metal” lifestyle. More specifically, there are a number of church burning occurrences that led me to write this song. I understand that these burnings were committed in an attempt to regain some supposed pagan landscape, however, I would also assume that the real goal is to destroy Christianity, and not just a building. With logic now introduced in the scenario, I offer the concept that you cannot physically burn down something existing in a spiritual realm, therefore attempts at destroying something that dwells within our souls are futile.
"But the temple he had spoken of was his body." - John 2:21
Lead vocalist Ryan Clark in the 4th iTunes Album Podcast Episode: "The lyrics of the song are specifically about youthful rebellion, more particularly in the metal scene itself. I think that alot of fans take the subversive nature of metal a little bit too far and bring it into their own lives. And the way that manifests itself alot of the time is through sometimes violent rebellion or just mindless rebellion. This song to me just points out those aspects of the scene that are immature and disrespectful. These things are a common byproduct in the metal scene. I think people like to be subversive for the sake of being subversive, but to me it’s just a sign of immaturity."
11. Blood in the Tears
Don’t come on quietly when you draw near. Don’t go on lightly, don’t leave me here.
I wither quickly in winter’s cold – but carry onward like I was told. And I wait for a sign...
Like blood in the tears of all my enemies (so they will see)
Knowing the pain the way they should.
Blood in the tears of all my enemies (given to me)
Leaving a trail to where You stood.
And when it’s quiet, when you can hear – I beg you take me away from here.
And I wait for a sign...
Like blood in the tears of all my enemies (so they will see)
Knowing the pain the way they should.
Blood in the tears of all my enemies (given to me)
Leaving a trail to where You stood.
Cleansing red. Wake the dead.
Like blood in the tears of all my enemies...
Knowing the pain the way they should.
Blood in the tears of all my enemies (given to me)
Leaving a trail to where You stood.
Like blood in the tears of all my enemies (so they will see)
Knowing the pain the way they should.
Blood in the tears of all my enemies (given to me)
Leaving a trail to where You stood.
Sometimes we yearn for a physical sign, proving God’s existence, or his will in our lives. And a purely faith-based belief can be difficult to relay to those that refuse to believe. This song is a communication of that yearning to behold something of a physical nature. Essentially, the lyrics ask God to present himself to non-believers – that the tears of his enemies be drops of blood, bringing forth a Godly fear in those that have not believed, and that these tears be used as a “trail” leading to Christ.
"In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the point of death. He prayed to the Lord, who answered him and gave him a miraculous sign." - 2 Chronicles 32:24
12. Desire the Pain [Bonus Track]
This is your dying will. Forced to feed – and over again. Flies to filth, greed, wealth.
And we take what they give – every piece that we can hold.
Is it all that we are? Is it all we seek to be?
Soiled hands will meet us there. Choking the light from our souls.
I desire the pain. I desire the weight. And I will face my grave.
Draining the life from our veins – into a curse that we despise.
What a sickening way to spend our lives.
Soiled hands will meet us there. Choking the light from our souls.
I desire the pain. I desire the weight. And I will face my grave.
I desire remorse. I desire release. And I will chase this away... Away....
I desire the pain. I desire the weight. And I will face my grave.
I desire remorse. I desire release. And I will chase this away...
I desire the pain. I desire the weight. And I will face my grave.
I desire remorse. I desire release. And I will chase this away. I desire the pain...
13. Driving Nails (String Mix) [Bonus Track]
I was the light, I was the quiet heart. I was the place we used to dwell.
And when the cold would tear your life apart, I was the warmth that you had felt.
What have I become? What have I become?
Thoughts like shadows swelling through my mind.
What have I become? Something else inside...
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something inside...
I was the blood inside your broken heart. I was the stone that you had held.
What have I become? What have I become?
Thoughts like shadows swelling through my mind.
What have I become? Something else inside...
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something else inside...
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something inside...
I close my eyes... Search for you... Retracing every step.
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something inside...
Nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something else inside...
It’s driving nails into my soul,(and) angels from my door.
Driving nails into my soul. Something else inside...
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