Their debut album "The Fading Ghosts Of Twilight" FOX CD 029, was released on independent label FOXTROT RECORDS in March 2009.
Album features drummers Pat Mastelotto (King Crimson,XTC,Mr Mister, Stickmen etc ) Zoltan Csörsz (TFK, Karmakanic) Jimmy Keegan (Santana, Spocks Beard) and the "Garbo of prog" , Biggo Zelfries (Walrus Farm) piano,violin & synths - rounding out the sub regions is TFK bassist Jonas Reingold who add some fretless bass sponge.
First edition was a LTD digipac with a full 77 minutes of music and a 20 pages beautiful book.
Silas Toball (www.silastoball.com) of Goblin design did the mysterious artwork, the album was mixed by Stolt at Cosmic Lodge as usual.
AGENTS OF MERCY played a premiere show at Loreley in July 2009 and it was perhaps not the best way to start a live history, with the usual festival mis-hap technicals of festivals , but the band was soon to team up with Karmakanic, for the tourpackage called "THE POWER OF TWO" - a duo who toured Europe and USA in Oct 2009.
The result was a fabulous live record called "The Power Of Two" Live in USA, released on Reingold Records where guest Nick D'Virgilio (Spocks Beard, Tears For Fears ) shine with some fearless & intricate drumming.
2010 shaped up as a busy year for guitarguru Roine Stolt who had a Transatlantic tour coming up culminating in triumphant headline gig at High Voltage in Victoria Park London in July, but before the tour Roine joined the rest of AOM tribe in cozy Varispeed studios,south of Sweden and recorded the 12 tracks for a new album - Dramarama.
"Plenty of symphonic rewards for the die-hard fans of TFK or Transatlantic style prog - closer to Retropolis than Rainmaker - but yet more scaled down happy-classic rock, glam & pop too". Borrows from theatrical rock - to "film noir" - from the oddity of young Bowie - to the scary energy of Mahavishnu Orchestra. The new album is a big leap towards a more complete classic (prog)rock band feel - where the 1st album stayed firmly in chamber prog and mellow contemplating but yet demanding modes. "DramaRama" is an independent release from Stolt's own label, designed to operate freely and adapt in this new dawn of recorded music - so buy it and support more new adventurous recordings from this team.
The band consist of:
Nad Sylvan (Unifaun) - VOCAL & KEYBOARDS
Roine Stolt (Transatlantic, Flowerkings) - GUITARS
Jonas Reingold (Flowerkings, Karmakanic) - BASS
Lalle Larsson ( Weaveworld, Karmakanic) - KEYBOARD
Walle Wahlgren - DRUMS
Official Bio from www.agentsofmercy.com
Journey
Agents of Mercy Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To places you have never seen before
They'll take you on and on a lifelong journey
The glorious long and everlasting dream
Thru lights and shadows we all go together
We're on the outside without looking in
If we can slow down time or even stop it
A man is waiting to take you down the river
He's here to tell you "there's no end in sight"
But all he offers is eternal silence
And you won't know he'll bind you with the light
A man is waiting to take you down the river
He's here to tell you there's no end in sight
But all he offers is eternal silence
And still you know he'll break you into light
The opening verse of Agents of Mercy's song "Journey" is all about new experiences and embarking on an adventure. The line "They've come to take you drifting down the river" creates a sense of someone else guiding or leading the listener towards something unknown. This could either be a physical journey, such as a boat ride down a river, or a metaphorical one, such as exploring new ideas or perspectives. The imagery used in the lyrics is very powerful, referencing "places you have never seen before" and describing the journey as "glorious" and "everlasting." It suggests that this journey will be life-changing and have a profound impact on the listener.
The second verse takes a more introspective turn, with the lyrics touching on the idea of being an outsider looking in. The lines "Thru lights and shadows we all go together" and "If we can slow down time or even stop it/ That's when our journey inside can begin" suggest that the journey mentioned in the first verse is not just a physical one, but an emotional and spiritual one as well. The idea of slowing down time or even stopping it to go inward is a common theme in mindfulness and meditation practices. The message seems to be that true personal growth and learning come from self-reflection and going beyond surface-level experiences.
The final two verses introduce the character of "a man" who is waiting to take the listener down the river. While the first mention of this man may seem positive, telling the listener "there's no end in sight," the later lines suggest that this man's intentions may not be so benevolent. The phrase "all he offers is eternal silence" could be interpreted as the man trying to silence the listener's inner voice or intuition. The final line "And still you know he'll break you into light" is open to interpretation, but could suggest a sense of transformation or rebirth. The song seems to be urging listeners to be mindful of the journeys they take and the people they follow, and to be aware of the potential consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
They've come to take you drifting down the river
A group of people have arrived to guide you on a new journey.
To places you have never seen before
These people will take you to explore unknown territories.
They'll take you on and on a lifelong journey
The journey they offer will be long-lasting.
The glorious long and everlasting dream
This journey will be wonderful and will never end.
Thru lights and shadows we all go together
We will experience both bright and dark moments, but we will face them together.
We're on the outside without looking in
Despite being present, we are not completely aware of everything that is happening.
If we can slow down time or even stop it
If we can manage to control time, we will be able to embark on an internal journey.
That's when our journey inside can begin
Only then can we start exploring our inner selves.
A man is waiting to take you down the river
Someone is waiting to lead you on this journey.
He's here to tell you "there's no end in sight"
He assures you that this journey will never come to an end.
But all he offers is eternal silence
However, what he offers instead is an eternal stillness.
And you won't know he'll bind you with the light
You won't realize that he will trap you in his version of enlightenment.
And still you know he'll break you into light
And yet, you are aware that he will free you and lead you towards enlightenment.
Contributed by Lily O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Class37Thrash2001
Epic track!!! I could hear a bit of Yes inspiration in there!
Kate Murphy
Class37Thrash2001 Oh, Yes, I just looked up at the ceiling to ask Chris if he could hear this music.
Michèl Hille
Roine and Nad. Brillant🎼🎼🎤🙏👍🎉
WhyNoWind
Prog meets jazz fusion. Very cool
Tony Maldonado
March 6th Washington DC 2020 we loved being with Nad and friends.....
Patrizia marly
:)