The style of Adversus is hard to describe. The music contains elements of Folk, Darkwave, Neopop, Gothic, Metal and orchestral music.
"Adversus" are:
- Aysel (Vocals)
- Lestaria (Violin)
- Carsten "Bassmeister" Hundt (Bass)
- Paul Jöst (Guitar)
- Tanja Frisch (Clarinet, Keyboard)
- Thomas Eifert (Drums)
- Torsten "Rosendorn" Schneyer (Vocals, song-writing, Lyrics, Artwork)
former Members:
- Susanne Sitz (Vocals)
- Sabeth (Violin)
- Thomas Steuer (Guitar)
Guest musicians:
- Thomas Zöller (Qntal), (Bagpipe)
- Voland (Paimon), (Vocals)
- Alexander-Frank Spreng (ASP), (Vocals)
- Max Testory (Chamber), (Vocals)
Releases:
(2001) Ein erster Funke (Demo-CD)
(2003) Winter, so unsagbar Winter... (Full-length)
(2005) Einer Nacht gewesenes (Full-length)
(2007) Laya oder die Ballade vom Schwarzen Stein (EP)
Auftakt
Adversus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Umschließt dieses Land
Verwittert und kalt
Und deckt meine Seele zu
Mit Schneedaunen weiß
Zu eisiger Ruh'
Doch tief unter Raureif und Stein
Ganz winzig und klein
Ein Seelenkeim, reif um zu streben
So höret, wie's war
In jenem Leben
The lyrics of Adversus's "Auftakt" depict a desolate winter landscape that seems to mirror the singer's inner life. The coldness and decay of the world around him also affect his soul and cover it with a layer of frozen stillness. The use of the metaphor of snowflakes hushing his spirit, combined with the image of a tiny seed sleeping underneath the ice, creates a sense of suspended animation, of life waiting to bloom again. The last two lines of the verse, "So höret, wie's war/ In jenem Leben" (Listen, how it was/In that life), suggest that the singer remembers a past existence that was different, warmer, and fuller of meaning. The song thus becomes a meditation on the cyclical nature of existence, on the constant transformation between life and death, and the hope that the dormant flame within us will one day reignite.
Line by Line Meaning
Ein Winter, so unsagbar kalt
A season of extreme coldness that cannot be put into words
Umschließt dieses Land
Envelops this land
Verwittert und kalt
Weathered and cold
Und deckt meine Seele zu
And covers my soul
Mit Schneedaunen weiß
With white snowflakes
Zu eisiger Ruh'
To icy stillness
Doch tief unter Raureif und Stein
But deep beneath frost and stone
Und Eisblumen schläft
And ice flowers sleep
Ganz winzig und klein
Very tiny and small
Ein Seelenkeim, reif um zu streben
A germ of the soul, ready to strive
So höret, wie's war
So hear how it was
In jenem Leben
In that life
Contributed by Ian F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.