‘The Tragedy of Being Human’ EP describes the human journey from creation to eternity. It emphasises a dark side where humans live a life of confusion and distress to end in a chaotic endless white for a greater, unknown purpose. It’s a three-single release and accompanied by three videos, completed by the respective EP. The front cover is a real painting by Maria Kalantzi and played a key role for the concept of the EP. While it seems to represent an upper and a lower world that are pivotal to our ‘balanced’ existence in the form of an ‘hourglass’ shape, the lyricist attempts to interpret it into the wandering of life. A melancholic sound, yet dynamic, with prominent clean vocals and expressive screams. The EP will be released in Digital format and limited to 100 vinyl style CDs in a card wallet with lyrics and notes.
‘The Tragedy of Being Human’ EP follows a more melodic path with influences from the Scandinavian scene with bands like Katatonia, Opeth, Sentenced or bands from the wider metal scene like Loathe and Gojira. Few words for each of the songs:
The Firmament: It’s the beginning of life but in a bitter way, where ‘one breath’s enough to liberate the pain’. The place that we live in is just a passage, and our existence is short like the sound of a whistle. We are here to decompress, evolve or fail. Sarcastically, the chorus says ‘that even if I fail, I will ask for more.’ A human drama kind of thing. The title is taken from the biblical cosmology, where ‘the firmament’ is the vast solid dome created by God during the Genesis. It divides the sea into upper and lower portions so that the dry land could appear. The song is mid-tempo with some Katatonia and doom vibes, also influenced by a great new Finnish band, The Abbey.
Hyacinth: Hyacinth is a short-lived flower; it blooms in spring and probably lasts only three to four years. It’s the short path of life, the narrow middle part of the hourglass where the sand passes through before it settles. A more up-tempo song with a blackened/death approach on guitar riffing but melodic vocals as a lead. Couple of Opeth references with clean guitars at parts and a catchy chorus to accompany it. Timeless Time: A monologue or possibly a discussion with someone you love before it all ends. You are aware of what’s coming but you see the chaos with a sense of humour. Can you have a countable infinity? Probably not. The timeless time of eternity is the epilogue or just another beginning. Influences by the band Sentenced, lyrically and musically, some Gojira riffing and rhythm experimentation towards the end.
This week Dave Griffiths sat down for a chat with the band about their new album.
