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.
Frozen Mind
Ancient Bards Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The kings are coming
From their lands
They're calling me
It must be serious
Of this time
They have come this far
Is unexpected
I'm anxious to know
No time to waste
Lower the drawbridge
And open the gates
Among them there's a stranger
I don't understand
The kings are reaching
The parlor
I'm worried as hell
The truth they tell me
Is even
Worse than I thought
I feel there's something
Unusual
That's happening to me
I feel there's something
Familiar
In Dorus's voice
In the look of the stranger
Something makes me start
Chaos - Clearness
Reason - Madness
Balance - Sadness
Crushing in my head
[Storytellers]
Luminous-skin with the look of an angel
Shena the queen of the Kerims of ice
Mistress and guardian of Icy Forest
Beautiful lady so fair and pure.
[Shena]
Sendor is weaving
His webs around us all
The whole world's in danger
[Storytellers]
Luminous-skin with the look of an angel
Shena the queen of the Kerims of ice
Mistress and guardian of Icy Forest
Beautiful lady so fair and pure.
[Storytellers]
The face of her majesty
Reveals the clash
A weighty feeling is
Growing in her frozen mind
She's staring at his eyes
She wonders what is tearing out her soul
[Shena]
The kings are ready
to take off
I'm leaving with them
I'm not at ease with
This perception
I have in my paunch
I feel there's something
Unusual
That's happening to me
I feel there's something
Familiar
in Dorus's voice
In the look of the stranger
Something makes me start
Chaos - Clearness
Reason - Madness
Balance - Sadness
Crushing in my head
[Storytellers]
Luminous-skin with the look of an angel
Shena the queen of the Kerims of ice
Mistress and guardian of Icy Forest
Beautiful lady so fair and pure.
[Shena]
Sendor is weaving
His webs around us all
The whole world's in danger
[Storytellers]
Luminous-skin with the look of an angel
Shena the queen of the Kerims of ice
Mistress and guardian of Icy Forest
Beautiful lady so fair and pure.
Luminous-skin with the look of an angel
Shena the queen of the Kerims of ice
Mistress and guardian of Icy Forest
Beautiful lady so fair and pure
You can see in her eyes.
The lyrics to Ancient Bards's song Frozen Mind tell the story of Queen Shena of the Kerims of ice, who receives a visit from the kings of other lands. She is anxious to know why they have come so far and is worried when she finds out that the whole world is in danger. There is a stranger among the kings, and something in his voice and look is familiar to Shena, causing her to feel unusual and unsettled. She experiences a clash of emotions, with chaos, clearness, reason, madness, balance, and sadness all crushing in her head. Throughout the song, there is a sense of impending doom and danger, as if something wicked this way comes.
The chorus of the song describes Shena as luminous-skinned with the look of an angel, the queen of the Kerims of ice, mistress and guardian of the Icy Forest, and a beautiful lady so fair and pure. She is respected and revered, but also plagued with a sense of foreboding and fear. The mention of Sendor weaving his webs around them all is a reference to a spider character in the overarching Ancient Bards universe.
Line by Line Meaning
The kings are coming
Royalty from other lands is approaching
From their lands
They come from their respective kingdoms
They're calling me
Summoning the queen to speak
It must be serious
The situation requires attention
Of this time
Not a usual occurrence
They have come this far
They have traveled a long distance
This visit
Their arrival
Is unexpected
Was not anticipated
I'm anxious to know
Queen is curious about the purpose of visit
No time to waste
The conversation must start immediately
Lower the drawbridge
Open the gates to welcome visitors
And open the gates
Make it easy for the visitors to enter
Among them there's a stranger
An unfamiliar person is also present
I don't understand
The queen is confused about the stranger's presence
The kings are reaching
They are entering the palace
The parlor
The room they have entered
I'm worried as hell
Queen is very anxious
The truth they tell me
They reveal the real purpose of their visit
Is even
It's more severe
Worse than I thought
More dangerous situation than anticipated
I feel there's something
Queen senses something unusual
Unusual
Abnormal or strange
That's happening to me
Queen is experiencing something out of the ordinary
Familiar
Something recognized or known
In Dorus's voice
Recognizing the voice of the stranger
In the look of the stranger
Queen perceives something in the stranger's appearance
Something makes me start
Causes the queen to be alarmed
Chaos - Clearness
Confusion and clarity
Reason - Madness
Logic and insanity
Balance - Sadness
Equilibrium and sorrow
Crushing in my head
Causing mental distress
Sendor is weaving
Referring to the antagonist's magical powers
His webs around us all
Ensnaring the world in his schemes
The whole world's in danger
The world is at risk
The face of her majesty
The queen's expression
Reveals the clash
Showing inner turmoil
A weighty feeling is
An overwhelming sensation
Growing in her frozen mind
Mental confusion is increasing
She's staring at his eyes
Looking into the stranger's eyes
She wonders what is tearing out her soul
She's questioning the cause of her inner turmoil
The kings are ready
The visitors are prepared to depart
to take off
To leave
I'm leaving with them
Queen is accompanying them
I'm not at ease with
Feeling uneasy about
This perception
The impressions she has
In my paunch
In the pit of her stomach
You can see in her eyes
Her expressions reveal her emotions
Contributed by Sophia E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.