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.
All That Is True
Ancient Bards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing by the window
two shadows are getting closer
tight in a warm embrace
Swayin' under the moonlight
caressing each others hands
with such a peaceful grace
Gently she leans now
her head on his chest
feeling his heartbeat
she lets her hair down
[Woman]
My love I can't do this
we knew it from the start
I just can't be with you
You're not from around here,
you're not one of my kind,
this love's against the law
[Storyteller]
He kisses her forehead
then shifts to her neck
she starts breathing faster
the passion's too strong
[Man and Woman]
To my heart you're all that is true (I feel you)
and I won't give up on you
loving you is all I can do (I know)
you're all that's worth living for
[Man]
My love let me love you
for nothing can come between us
not even your cruel laws
Together we can make it
and I'll be yours forever,
untill death do us part
[Storyteller]
He kisses her forehead
then shifts to her neck
she starts brathing faster
the passion's too strong
[Man and Woman]
To my heart you're all that is true (I feel you)
and I won't give up on you
loving you is all I can do (I know)
you're all that's worth living for
To me you're my air
you're all that I see
my angel of love
loving you is all I can do (I know)
you're all that I need
[Man]
After this union a baby is born
we'll secretly raise him until he's ready
to prove to the world our love
is true and we'll be free
[Man and Woman]
To my heart you're all that is true (I feel you)
and I won't give up on you
loving you is all I can do (I know)
you're all that's worth living for
[Storyteller]
The new family were happy, peace reigned among them, they lived united in the hope that some day they could share their joy with the world, but sadly the baby became sick and died. They never recovered from their loss and eventually this shock led them to insanity.
[Man and Woman]
To my heart you're all that's true and I know
I won't give up on you!
loving you, oh it's all that I can do and I know
you're all I'm living for
[Storyteller]
Anger
Madness
The lyrics of Ancient Bards' song "All That is True" tell a story of forbidden love. A woman and a man from different worlds find themselves in a passionate embrace, but the woman's fear of the law and societal norms that prohibit their love causes her to pull away. Despite this, the man declares his unwavering dedication to her, promising to love her forever and face any obstacle that comes their way. After sharing a secret union and the birth of a child, tragedy strikes when their baby dies, ultimately leading them to madness.
This song explores the themes of love, perseverance, and societal expectations. The characters in the lyrics struggle with the weight of society's beliefs and norms, but find that their love is worth fighting for. The tragedy that eventually befalls them is a stark reminder that sometimes life can be unfair, even when we believe we have done everything right.
Line by Line Meaning
Standing by the window
The scene where the man and woman are standing by the window.
Two shadows are getting closer
The man and woman are slowly getting closer to each other.
Tight in a warm embrace
They are embracing each other with warmth.
Swayin' under the moonlight
The scene where they are swaying under the moonlight.
Caressing each others hands
They are gently caressing each other's hands.
With such a peaceful grace
They are doing it with an air of peacefulness.
Gently she leans now
The woman gently leans on the man.
Her head on his chest
She places her head on his chest.
Feeling his heartbeat
The woman is feeling the man's heartbeat.
She lets her hair down
The woman lets her hair down.
My love I can't do this
The woman is saying that she cannot proceed with the relationship.
We knew it from the start
They both knew that this relationship would be difficult from the beginning.
I just can't be with you
The woman explains that she cannot be with the man.
You're not from around here
The woman states that the man is not from the same place as she is.
You're not one of my kind
The woman believes that the man is not of the same kind as she is.
This love's against the law
The love between them is not accepted by the society they are living in.
He kisses her forehead
The man kisses the woman's forehead.
Then shifts to her neck
The man shifts his attention to the woman's neck.
She starts breathing faster
The woman starts to breathe faster due to the passion.
The passion's too strong
The passion between them is too strong to ignore.
To my heart you're all that is true (I feel you)
The man and woman express how true their love is for each other.
And I won't give up on you
Even though their love is difficult, they will not give up on each other.
Loving you is all I can do (I know)
Their love for each other is so strong that it's all they can do.
You're all that's worth living for
The woman is the only thing worth living for to the man.
My love let me love you
The man implores the woman to let him love her.
For nothing can come between us
The man is confident that nothing can come between their love.
Not even your cruel laws
He is confident that even the laws against their love cannot break them apart.
Together we can make it
He believes that they can overcome anything if they are together.
And I'll be yours forever
The man promises to be the woman's forever.
Untill death do us part
He vows to be hers until they die.
To me you're my air
The woman is essential to the man's survival.
You're all that I see
The woman is all he sees in his world.
My angel of love
The woman is the man's angel of love.
After this union a baby is born
The union between the man and woman results in the birth of a baby.
We'll secretly raise him until he's ready
They will keep the baby a secret until he is old enough.
To prove to the world our love
They want to show the world that their love is real.
Is true and we'll be free
If they can prove their love to the world, they can be free to love each other openly.
The new family were happy, peace reigned among them, they lived united in the hope that some day they could share their joy with the world, but sadly the baby became sick and died. They never recovered from their loss and eventually this shock led them to insanity.
The family was once happy, but after the baby dies, they never recover and become insane.
Anger
The emotion of anger that the family feels.
Madness
The madness that comes after their loss.
Contributed by Claire O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.