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.
Four Magic Elements
Ancient Bards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The journey began
The fearless heroes left
Heading for a place
Far oh far away
They had to warn Alron
The prince of the North
Of the terrible danger
He holds the secrets
Of the black magic
His weapon is
The magical stick
There's the power
Of all black magic
In the hands
Of the prince!
Fire, for a rain of a thousand flames
Idro, for a waterfall of cold sea
Thunder, for a roaring electrical storm
Blizzard and Hailstorm, a thousand ice thorns
He holds the secrets
Of the black magic
His weapon is
The magical stick
There's the power
Of all black magic
In the hands
Of the prince!
Fire and flames, paralizing ice
Water and thunder the four magic elements
Fire and flames, paralizing ice
Water and thunder the four magic elements
The lyrics of Ancient Bards’ song Four Magic Elements tell the story of a group of courageous heroes on a journey to warn Prince Alron of the North about an impending danger that threatens all the lands. The Prince holds the secrets of black magic and wields a magical stick that holds the power of all black magic. Each stanza sings of one of the four magical elements - fire, water, thunder and ice - and how the Prince uses them to defend his kingdom.
The song is not just a tale of fantasy and adventure but also a metaphor for how knowledge and power can be used for good or evil. The Prince’s use of these elements to defend his land is contrasted with the danger of their misuse and how they can cause destruction.
Overall, the lyrics of Four Magic Elements are a combination of storytelling, metaphor and a warning about the consequences of power and knowledge.
Line by Line Meaning
The journey began
The adventure started
The fearless heroes left
The courageous individuals departed
Heading for a place
Moving towards a destination
Far oh far away
To a distant location
They had to warn Alron
They needed to alert Alron
The prince of the North
The ruler from the northern region
Of the terrible danger
About the enormous threat
That threatened all the lands
Endangering all the territories
He holds the secrets
The prince possesses classified knowledge
Of the black magic
About the malicious sorcery
His weapon is
His tool of choice is
The magical stick
A wand with magical abilities
There's the power
The strength lies
Of all black magic
In all the evil sorcery
In the hands
Controlled by
Of the prince!
The ruler!
Fire, for a rain of a thousand flames
Flame used to create a downpour of fire
Idro, for a waterfall of cold sea
Water used to produce a chilly waterfall
Thunder, for a roaring electrical storm
Electricity used to generate a loud storm
Blizzard and Hailstorm, a thousand ice thorns
A large number of sharp ice projections made by Blizzard and Hailstorm
He holds the secrets
The prince possesses classified knowledge
Of the black magic
About the malicious sorcery
His weapon is
His tool of choice is
The magical stick
A wand with magical abilities
There's the power
The strength lies
Of all black magic
In all the evil sorcery
In the hands
Controlled by
Of the prince!
The ruler!
Fire and flames, paralyzing ice
Hot fire and freezing ice that cause immobility
Water and thunder the four magic elements
The four magical elements are water and thunder
Fire and flames, paralyzing ice
Hot fire and freezing ice that cause immobility
Water and thunder the four magic elements
The four magical elements are water and thunder
Contributed by Muhammad B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.