Sir Proscriptor McGovern - Lead vocals, Drums, Percussion, Analog synthesizers
Shaftiel - Guitar, Acoustic guitar, Bass, Vocals
Equitant Ifernain - Bass
David Harbour - Keyboards, Piano
Sir Vincent Rossi - Acoustic guitar, Mandolin
Masthema Mazzaqim - Backing vocals
Ashmedi - Backing vocals
Ronnie Trent (10 Kingdoms) - Backing vocals
Sir Don Shannon - bagpipes |
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Produced by Kol Marshall and Absu.
Recorded by Kol Marshall between September-December 2000 at Nomad Recording
Studios, Carrollton, Texas.
All music composed and written by Shaftiel excluding "Tara" and "Tara (Recapitulation)", written and performed by Sir Don Shannon.
All arrangements by Proscriptor.
All lyrics by Proscriptor and Equitant. |
As one and three will stand as one;
Their swords blemish with crimson clots.
That's a great honor, killing one by one, and
"A GREAT INCENTIVE," according to them.
If they go to where the king is killed, then
They will compose (he shall decompose)-
They will compile a final victory for his fortitude
Posed within his mind.
2.Pillars of Mercy
I (still) admire the flow of echoing horns.
Mimicking blows so boldly, I hear...
I stand visibly, high, on this splendid bastion,
To remember a High King, a tyrant of no fear
I am the first son: a commander without a father,
"Fortuitous doom," the last of his predictions.
I'll take advantage by igniting the balusters...
Preparing enraged flames with sweltering speed.
(THESE ARE THE) PILLARS OF MERCY!
Today, I am callous...
Tomorrow, I am king -
Immortal, strong, exultant, and conquering!
PILLARS OF MERCY!
My song and my word are iniquitous -
Gathering assemblies in days gone by!
(FIRE BURNS WITH THE) PILLARS OF MERCY!
My chariot races through saw-toothed hills,
And hurls through every valley and mere!
PILLARS OF MERCY!
Watchtowers collapse before the lift of the twilight,
I am swift in battle-
My voice is heard!
PILLARS OF MERCY!
Frost, fire, and wind are pelting all the columns...
There is no dilution for them to fight again!
Only three chariots are seen on the charred plains -
Through all the throngs and clusters, lambs and stallions!
"If you should speak to me now,
Then I will chamber Tara's pinnacle.
Why my father? Another damning scuffle?
I (still) admire the sound of echoing horns!"
(THOSE WERE THE) PILLARS OF MERCY!
Frenzied vultures gnawed the necks of dead men,
As the sturdy, gilded columns had seethed!
PILLARS OF MERCY!
Enemies' blood spurted like volley sprigs-
The blustery fight was planned, then fought!
(FLAMES FLAYED ON THE) PILLARS OF MERCY!
Their vapid minds were troubled and sides were pierced-
And warlike deeds had been fulfilled!
PILLARS OF MERCY!
We saluted chieftains on the regal Tara -
We hailed the tyrants that governed our waters!
PILLARS OF MERCY!
STRIKE!
There shall be no lack of dignity,
For those who oppose them.
"THERE WILL BE PILLARS OF MERCY!"
3.A Shield With An Iron Face
A Cairn warrior dressed in his harness feeling fury and frenzy.
His silky top had blood stained gauze stretched across his pecks.
His tartan had lines of symmetry running east and west.
An embellished shield with an iron face was embraced in his left hand.
"I welcome thee, o' victorious, I'm skirmishing...at the lift!"
"I welcome thee, o' victorious, I'm skirmishing...by the dark!"
He rushed to feed the fire,
As honor gained him a home -
He veered beyond the pyres,
The Son of Cairn sat enthroned.
An iron shield gaped toward the sky,
With oak wood and leather backing;
Reprisal lead the way to his mind,
And so it did.
"C bhfuilimid ag dul amarach?" ("Where are we marching tomorrow?")
A shield with an iron face gapes towards the sky,
The death of a man is never going to die.
A resolute falcon gawks back at the armor -
On the wing, yet on the lifting hour.
4.Manannan
I am a wave: on the rapt Cythr ul
I am a flood: across the croggy plain
I am a wind: of seven gales
I am a tear: the Sun lets fall
I am
Manannan
Mac Lir
Noble warrior of lycanthropy
I am
Fachtna
High King
To shake thy cloak shall bring outbreak
I am a tide: that drags to engulfment
I am a current: a compass towards Visnech
I am a tempest: the onslaught of outburst
I am a zephyr: theirs is second pain
I am Manannan
Mac Lir
Avatar from sail to sea
Thy horse
Aonbharr
Grand Steed
Chariots forever lead
I am an ocean's womb: of all abysms
I am a blaze: for every burning bathym
I am a lure: of the plumbless benthos
I am a breaker: bottomlessness doom
I am
Manannan
Mac Lir
Shape-changer; Lar of deep
Thy sword
Fragarch
"The Answerer..."
Remember me, thou art all wind
And back with gusts thou shalt return
I'm the hawk: above this cliff, behind the waves
I'm the thorn: exude this rose, yet fleece the sky
...FLEECE THE SKY
I'm the hill: where poets walk and Tara lies
I'm the throne: from a tantalizing glimpse
...FROM A TANTALIZING GLIMPSE
Hear the thunder roll
I am
Manannan,
And fear the sky shall fall [x5]
5.The Cognate House of Courtly Witches Lies West of County Meath
I am the one to seek the courtly witch -
She is the one to find me.
I am the one to yearn the dazzling bitch -
She is the one to bind me.
So I say, the spell has begun!
"The darkness is starting and control is done..."
Stones of power inside this sphere
are stark stones of magick -
I am joining the mystic ring,
with this woman, as we implore.
We do implore.
I am aiding the mystic writ;
I am gifted knowledge from deep wells!
Candle of fire, candle of might,
Create my desires here on this night -
This candles stream is suddenly flaming higher!
Bring to me my heart's desire,
My words of strength are suddenly hung,
So I proudly state this spell has begun!
Stones of power within ire
are strong stones of cabal.
I am joined int he magick round,
with this bitch, as we implore.
We shall explore.
With Paralda by my side,
I am granted sylphs and zephyrs!
Show me the rings of your cosmic fire,
Make my pathway carved and clear.
Give me a code that's no will of mine,
To show me your presence is here!
Courtly witch of the beast -
Courtly bitch of the daring arm,
I am your tyro, yet never alarmed!
A dash of thistle, and in my dreams -
Give me the silver-gilt key,
That will unlock the spell...
Courtly witch, assist me!
6.She Cries the Quiet Lake
Stones of power
Stillness of her spawn
Gems of symbols
Re-illuminating
Dawn
She cries the quiet lake
Weeping waters
Taciturnity
Found
She cries the quiet lake
Dripping ruptures
Immortality
Bound
Enduring: death is mine to keep
Timelessness: unborn in timely shape
Balancing: between stone and sky
Promulgate: lamentations
Continually: she wails and she whines
Nonetheless: linking stone to sky
Leveling: the tarns to the tides
Circulate: limpid-forming tears
"The darkness is starting and control is done:
The cosmic light is fading, as the shadow's won."
It's the lake of your liquid, glass heart
It's bringing your writ; it's bringing you tears
It's filling your thirst and never with fears
It's the tears of my liquid, glass heart
7.Yrp Lluyddawc
"With warriors like these, he won victories wherever he went...the heroes of a legend never really die, and a hundred years was neither here nor there for the Celts. Their champions remained unfettered by logic and could even be reborn through the transmigration of souls."
---Jean Markale---
8.From Ancient Times (Starless Skies Burn to Ash)
Blazing to their pikes
Turning to dust
Gusting with the wind
They (still) dream of an older delusion
Reigning, raining
Dampening the empire
Their excursion burns with the ashes
Calm lakes mirrored
Glistening everywhere
They rove through the waters and fires
Silent seas paused
Enlightening low light
Their visions for imperishability
The weakened flesh
Expecting downfall
Their ashes spread through lightless, starless skies
The Eminence
Not expecting wind
They (now) think of a newer illusion
PRAISE - The ancient times
AS EARTH - Equates their end
COMMAND - The ancient times
LIKE TARA - Shall never pretend
DIES - Irae, dies illa
QUIDQUID - Latet adparebit
NIL - Inultum remanebit
DEPOSE - Towards ancient times
9.Four Crossed Wands (Spell 181)
I'm the Knight of Wands-
Yodh is in the name
I'm swift and violent:
TRANSIENT!
The fiery part of Fire-
I'm a lightning flash
Between the symbol,
And the natal force.
She's the Queen of Wands-
H is in the name
She's fermenting, yet
TRANSMITTING!
The watery part of Fire-
She's quick to receive
Between the surface,
And the process of (pro) creation.
Kan! King!
51st Hexagram
A warrior in complete armor
With wand in the left hand and torch in the right. (181)
Su ! Queen!
17th Hexagram
Her crown is topped with a winged sphere,
And rayed with flames. (181)
He's the Prince of Wands-
Vau is in the name
He's manifesting, but
TRANSCENDING!
The airy part of Fire-
He's the "Dying God!"
Between the virtue,
And the Leader of his caste.
Y King! Y King!
42nd Hexagram
A shrouded warrior in full-scale armour-
On his chest, he bears the sigil "TO MEGA QHRION."
FOUR CROSSED WANDS!
+ Queen! + Queen!
27th Hexagram
Her crown is surged with a disque of the Sun
And once again, rayed with fire.
"They observe no regular rule in the ordering of their hearts."
She's the Princess of Wands-
H is in the name
She's crystallizing, yet
TRANSPOSING!
The earthy part of Fire-
She's absorbing
Between the Silence,
And the 10th of May.
10.Vorago (Spell 182)
I am not limited to this Underworld.
I am settled in this Barrenness.
I am kept in this Emptiness.
I am not restricted to this Underworld. (182)
I travel Earth in the train of You.
I offer Earth to reach the field of You.
I walk Earth to see the mark of You.
I proffer Earth to feel the lure of You. (182) (FOREKNOWLEDGE)
Hail to you, prime mover of the Deep.
Sun of the heart: possessor of Voids.
The awe of whom created This.
The thirst of this revered Abyss. (182) (ADAEOT)
BEINGS, BY-COMINGS, THOUGHTS...
MONADS, ATOMS, WAVES...
APERTURES, GULFS, CHASMS...
RESULTS AMONGST RESULTS!
I have made, for myself, a space within Time.
I mutely descend to the cavity of my Cell.
I am the furtive seeker ensnared Underneath.
Vorago!
My gray wand is your Bout.
Your grandeur is my Time.
My sunray si your Beam.
Your splendor is my Turn.
My circlet is your Crown.
Your allure is my Shape.
My pattern is your Kind.
Your extent is my Scope.
My seat is your Center.
Your merit is my Dint.
My throne is your Rule.
Your misdeed is my Sin.
My void is your Stone.
Your retort is my Key.
My stone is Yourself.
Your result is my Fate.
VORAGO! [x4]
SEEING THROUGH ILLUSIONS!
NAUGHT = MANY = TWO!
SEEING THROUGH ILLUSIONS!
ONE = ALL = EIGHT!
"O' you abyssic essence who is before me and who follows after my heart,
usher me in at your usherings,
for you are the one who guides me,
who escorts my anima under the Earth,
as I am a soul who is stark in Vorago."
11.Bron (Of the Waves)
"Son of Lir and chief of the Tuatha de Danan; this name comes from the ancient Celtic word "bronnos," which is defined as a "crow" or "raven." It was quite instinctive that the Welsh should have changed the name Bron, whom Irish legend had given them as the brother of Manannán, into Bran, that they might canonize him."
(Manannán mac Lir, Études Celtiques, VI, p.253)
---Proscriptor McGovern---
12.Stone of Destiny (...for Magh Slecht and Ard Righ)
We are three high kings in honor.
We are the midst of Dagda's spell -
We are three armored forces, and
We are the gold-torqued leaders.
Three wild horsemen:
Three fearless in combat -
Three gold-crowned conjurers of clash, yet
Three clannish chiefs from the Kingdom of Midhe...
The leading, foremost tyrant -
The subsequent tormentor, and
The past intimidator of Cythr ul
Are impending.
"Has there ever been a better idol than Dagda?
Will there ever be a better icon than myself?"
"In the yes of myself, I fervently speak."
The trio goes out at dawn.
Fiercely, we plan to fight our assailants:
Three of us versus three thousand: complete.
"In the eyes of myself, I adroitly scream!"
"WE WILL ARRIVE AT THE STONE OF DESTINY." (Tara)
"WE WILL REACH THE PERDITION OF IBID." (Cythr ul)
INVINCIBLE: we are to their spears!
INTREPIDLY: we occupy our posts!
A FORECAST OF DESTINY!
INVISIBLE: they are to their hands!
INSOLENTLY: they amuse their own pride!
INTERCHANGEABILITY: INNERCHANGEABILITY!
"With the sway of myself, weather means disaster.
I affirm each day for the men of the brave."
As our swords of steel, their mead, and courage are fused.
Is it not the throne for our Master of the Gulch?
On its trim are rings of pearls, polished.
One seat remains near the jaded citadel.
"The plains of adoration do lie somewhere below Tara, way below Tara, as a
matter of fact.
Sometimes give as Moyslaught and as always, Crom Cruach is welcomed."
"With the sway of myself, weather means disaster.
I affirm each day for the men of the brave."
"The notorious Klan stands by the ramparts at Tara where all enemies are
approaching.
Being bound by a geis, the three have no choice but to stand against the
feeble units.
Enveloping in an opaque mist, they suddenly find themselves in a magical
place where they are
received by the deity Manann n and a courtly witch. Finally, they begin to
walk up the steep
grassland of Tara, with wand and sword, which enables them to distinguish
the truth from the lies."
It is the chair for our Master of the Tor.
It is embellished with bullion: marked.
It remains on top of the lofty mound.
It streams gray and silver lining.
It will be an accolade given to us.
That is, by the third of the last king.
13.Tara (Recapitulation)
The Cythraul Klan's Inherited Perception in Decisive Tense;
We are not the ones who will sing without any hesitation.
Of our crusade, altough we are almighty;
We will sing of a battle from the hill,
Paying homage to the first two leaders: Dagda and Manannán.
We are guardians of the swiftest gales-
Masters of many lands and seas are in attendance.
The waters are like unexpected tears that fall from the sky-
That is, to the depths of the supreme Cythraul.
On the heights of Tara, in County Meath,
We are now signs of intention,
We are vipers in quiet lakes,
We are merciful pillars, yet
We are significance of a legend-
We are masters of the Hall.