Amberian Dawn is musically lead by keyboardist/guitarist Tuomas Seppälä, who exclusively composes all music for AD.
All members of the band have some form of extended history with music and have played in many different bands. Tuomas Seppälä, Heikki Saari(drums), Peter James Goodman (vocals), and Tommi Kuri played in a band called Virtuocity. As Virtuocity disbanded, they started working on songs composed by Tuomas. He started playing guitar, which he mastered as well as playing keyboards. Sampo Seppälä (guitars) and Tom Sagar (keyboards) joined to establish Atheme One.
It was in the summer of 2006 that Tuomas and Tommi decided to start looking for a female classical singer. Tuomas had composed dozens of songs that were not suitable for the voice of Atheme One's vocalist, Peter James Goodman. They didn't want to waste the songs, so they began searching for suitable singer.
After a few weeks search, almost at the same time, they found the same advertisement - a classical soprano singer Heidi Parviainen (from the band Iconofear). They listened to her sample and decided to organize a demo session. They were pleased with the demo and thought that Heidi would be a perfect match and they liked the fact that Heidi can write lyrics too.
Their first studio session was in fall 2006 in which they recorded two songs (River of Tuoni and Evil Inside Me) at the Rockstar Productions studio in Hyvinkää, Finland. Soon after, Heikki Saari moved to a band called Norther, being replaced by Joonas Pykälä-Aho (from the band Thaurorod and Lathspell).
After a while Sampo Seppälä decided to leave the band due to personal reasons. On August 1, 2007 the band introduced Kasperi Heikkinen (previously in Guardians of Mankind, Merging Flare, and Iconofear) as the new guitarist.
Amberian Dawn signed a record deal with Finnish label KHY Suomen Musiikki. Their debut album, River of Tuoni, was released in Finland on January 30, 2008 and hit the charts right after release in Finland.
In the summer and Autumn of 2008, they were the main support for Epica's European tour. In late 2008, they recorded their second album The Clouds of Northland Thunder which was released in June of 2009.
Third album End of Eden was released in October 2010 on Spinefarm Records
Their fourth album Circus Black was released in February 2012.
In late 2012, the band lost three members, vocalist Heidi Parviainen, drummer Heikki Saari and guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen. Parviainen made an announcement on Facebook, saying that "Early this year we noticed that we had reached the point where we didn't have much to offer to each other any more, and my own ambitions and Amberian Dawn's goals weren't coinciding any longer." Former members Joonas Pykälä-aho (drums) and Emil "Emppu" Pohjalainen (guitar) were announced to be rejoining to replace the two departing instrumentalists.
On December 21, 2012, the new singer was revealed to be Päivi "Capri" Virkkunen, and that she would participate in the creation of a compilation album. In the announcement, Tuomas Seppälä said: "Finding Capri and getting her to join AD is like a big dream coming true to me. Capri shares the same taste in music as I and that's why is obvious that our new partnership is like “match made in heaven”. She really makes my compositions to shine like never before and I'm so impressed about her every way. I'm as excited as back then, when I found our original singer Heidi. Now my main focus is to make the whole world to hear about Capri and start composing new songs for her. But first, we're all concentrating on recording this compilation album with Capri and then I'll start working with new material for the new studio album".
Their compliation album "Re-Evolution" was released on June 14, 2013 (Finland) and June 17, 2013 (Europe, USA, Japan, Asia & Australia). It features songs previously sung by Heidi Parviainen, but interpreted by Capri.
Official site: http://www.amberiandawn.com
Lullaby
Amberian Dawn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Deep in the earth lies a new born baby boy… the dead are welcoming their king!
Hush, o precious child! Among the dead you rest in peace.
Hush, o infant king! The dead salute the son of darkness!
Ruler of dead sleep on the breast of the beast……… the corps are ready and awake!
Doom shall face earth upon your ascension……..the corps are ready and awake!
Hush, o precious child! Among the dead you rest in peace
Hush, o infant king! The dead salute the son of darkness!
You black-souled son of mine you'll reign the mighty kingdom of the dead
You'll make your mother proud, so sleep and dream until comes Night!
Hush, o precious child! Among the dead you rest in peace
Hush, o infant king! The dead salute the son of darkness!
The lyrics of Amberian Dawn's "Lullaby" send chills down the spine, as it talks about a new born baby boy being welcomed as the king by the dead. The song paints a gruesome yet intriguing image of a land of dead, with corpses ready and awake for the infant king's ascension. The child, who is referred to as the son of darkness, is supposed to rule the mighty kingdom of the dead.
The song's haunting melody and lyrics dip into the themes of death, darkness, and the supernatural, challenging our thoughts and beliefs about the afterlife. The lyrics suggest that the infant king is secure and peaceful among the dead, and his reign is inevitable. As his kingdom is prepared, Earth will face doom.
The imagery in the song is dark and thought-provoking and raises many questions - is the child supposed to be evil? Is the concept of the afterlife being portrayed as a frightful place? Does the song suggest that death is not our enemy, but rather a welcome friend? It's all left up to interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
Deep in the earth land of dead... the dead are welcoming their king!
In the underworld realm where the dead reside, they are celebrating the arrival of their new ruler.
Hush, o precious child! Among the dead you rest in peace.
Be silent, my cherished child! You are lying with the departed in tranquil serenity.
Ruler of dead sleep on the breast of the beast... the corps are ready and awake!
Leader of the deceased, lay upon the chest of the monster... the corpses are primed and alert!
Doom shall face earth upon your ascension...the corps are ready and awake!
Disaster shall arise on earth when you take the throne...the corpses are prepared and attentive!
You black-souled son of mine you'll reign the mighty kingdom of the dead
You, my offspring of dark essence, shall rule the powerful realm of the deceased.
You'll make your mother proud, so sleep and dream until comes Night!
You will bring honor to me, your mother, so slumber and envision until Nightfall arrives!
Hush, o precious child! Among the dead you rest in peace
Be silent, my cherished child! You are lying with the departed in tranquil serenity.
Hush, o infant king! The dead salute the son of darkness!
Be silent, my young monarch! The deceased pay homage to the child of darkness!
Contributed by Christian W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.