Ancient Bards is an Italian symphonic power metal band, formed in January 2… Read Full Bio ↴Ancient Bards is an Italian symphonic power metal band, formed in January 2006 by keyboard player Daniele Mazza.

The project, originated in the mind of Daniele Mazza, started to materialize in 2006 after Daniele met with bass player Martino Garattoni. The first stable line up was completed in 2007, with Sara Squadrani as singer, Alessandro Carichini as drummer, and Claudio Pietronik and Fabio Balducci as guitarists.

In September 2010, Alessandro left the band, to be replaced by a new drummer Federico Gatti. The latest line-up change occurred in the end of 2013 after recording the third album A New Dawn Ending, when Balducci left the band for personal reasons. Permanent replacement for Fabio has not been announced yet, but for live shows in 2014 the band has been joined by Simone Bertozzi as a guest second guitarist.

Albums
The style and concept of their 2010 debut album, The Alliance of the Kings, has been seen as inspired by fellow Italian band Rhapsody of Fire. The album is the first part of The Black Crystal Sword Saga with each song making up a single "episode"

The Italian and German editions of Metal Hammer commented on the "sophisticated songwriting" in this release. The latter magazine also found similarities to Anette Olzon in singer Sara Squadrani's voice.

The band's second album, Soulless Child, was released in 2011. It continues The Black Crystal Sword Saga introduced in the previous album. The reviewers of Metal Hammer Germany and Rock Hard agreed that the album had a tendency towards kitsch. While Metal Hammer found several positive remarks about individual tracks, Rock Hard criticised a lack of original hooks.

In April 2014, a third album, A New Dawn Ending, was released. This concluded the first part of The Black Crystal Sword Saga, making that section a complete trilogy.

Ancient Bards announced their fourth album in June 2018 entitled Origine - The Black Crystal Sword Saga Part 2. It is the beginning the second part of The Black Crystal Sword Saga and was released on 25 January 2019. They also announced on their Facebook page that touring guitarist Simone Bartozzi had been made a permanent band member after touring with them since 2014.

Across This Life
Ancient Bards Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Ego fero densum malum
primae noctis leti mei

Look down don't raise your head,
just stay there where you are.
What is the quickest way
to take away that sneer?
Don't fight, don't mess with me,

don't tell me you despise me
cause I don't care at all,
my heart knows no regret.

You will perish
in the attempt to
try and stop me
just like your father

You took all the blame,
you grew up in pain,
all of this time you never knew
it wasn't your fault,
the whole thing was staged.

How about now?
Where is your rage
that kept you alive,
throughout these lands, across this life
when I'm the one that made him go home,
pick up a rope and hang himself?

You will perish
in the attempt to
try and stop me
just like your father

You took all the blame,
you grew up in pain,
all of this time you never knew
it wasn't your fault,
the whole thing was staged.
How about now?
Where is your rage
that kept you alive,
throughout these lands, across this life
when I'm the one that made him go home,
pick up a rope and hang himself?

You took all the blame,
you grew up in pain,
all of this time you never knew
it wasn't your fault,
the whole thing was staged.
How about now?
Where is your rage
that kept you alive,
throughout these lands, across this life
possessed by me
he stepped on the chair and put
the rope around his neck?

Ego fero densum malum
atri leti mei

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ancient Bards's song "Across This Life" depict a character who is unremorseful and detached from the pain and suffering he has caused. The first verse describes him as asking how to wipe off the "sneer" of his victim without any emotional investment in the situation. He then goes on to taunt his victim, telling him that he will meet the same fate as his father who committed suicide upon being pushed by this character. The second verse reveals an important twist that while the victim believed himself to be guilty all along, the whole scheme was staged, and he was not responsible for the tragedy. The character now challenges the victim to confront him and express the rage that once kept him alive. The song closes with the words "Ego fero densum malum, atrai leti mei," which translates to "I bear the dark evil of my black death."

The lyrics of "Across This Life" explore the theme of guilt, manipulation, and emotional detachment. The song portrays a complex character who revels in the control he has over others and does not seem to care about the consequences of his actions. Some potential interpretations of the song could be that it is a commentary on the abuse of power or a critique of the lack of empathy in contemporary society.

Line by Line Meaning

Ego fero densum malum
I carry a heavy burden

primae noctis leti mei
from the first night of my death

Look down don't raise your head,
Submit to me

just stay there where you are.
Don't resist

What is the quickest way
How can I defeat you quickly?

to take away that sneer?
How can I wipe that smile off your face?

Don't fight, don't mess with me,
Don't even try to fight me

don't tell me you despise me
Don't insult me

cause I don't care at all,
I am indifferent

my heart knows no regret.
I have no remorse

You will perish
You will die