Ashbringer is an American atmospheric black metal solo project by Nick Stan… Read Full Bio ↴Ashbringer is an American atmospheric black metal solo project by Nick Stanger.

Members:
Nick Stanger - All instruments, vocals, composition, artwork, production, mixing and mastering.

Discography:
Vacant, Ashbringer's debut album was "Written between early 2013 and late 2014. Photos taken in Minnesota and Wisconsin, USA, summer of 2014.

Recording information:

Recorded throughout 2014, mixed and mastered between late 2014 and early 2015 at Ephemereal Audio in Lakeville, Minnesota." - Metal Archives

Eternal Separation Pt. 1
Ashbringer Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We played with death as a concept
The ice gave way and drowned us both
Here we are, in the place we will always return to
Staring death in the face with a mocking expression

Did we ever feel alive?
Did we find what we sought?
Did we know what we were looking for?

We exist in stasis
You are my reflection
You're everything I hate about myself
And you are always with me

We never felt alive
We found nothing
But an endless abyss of discontentment

I followed you onto a frozen lake
Where the ice is thinnest
And we fell through

I long for separation
For freedom from myself

I want to be healed
But these wounds are sentimental

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Ashbringer's song, Eternal Separation, Pt. 1, seem to be exploring the theme of death and the human experience that surrounds it. The first few lines describe a sense of playing with death as if it were merely an abstract concept rather than a reality. However, this cavalier attitude towards death ultimately leads to drowning and a realization that the concept has become a stark reality. The singer now finds themselves in a place of eternal return where death is ever-present but is still faced with mocking defiance.

The middle section of the lyrics considers the question of whether the singers were ever truly alive and, if so, whether they found what they were looking for. The answer is a resounding no as they seemed to have been searching for something non-descript which led them to an abyss of discontentment. The lyrics explore the idea of existence in stasis and the damaging nature of one's own self-image. The singer sees their reflection in another and hates what they see, but the reflection is a constant, inescapable presence.

The final lines exude a sense of longing for separation and healing, but the wounds are sentimental and rooted in the past. The lyrics seem to suggest that death may hold some answers, but it is a harsh and final solution to the human struggle.

Line by Line Meaning

We played with death as a concept
We toyed with the idea of dying

The ice gave way and drowned us both
We were reckless and fell through the ice, drowning in the water below

Here we are, in the place we will always return to
We are stuck in this cycle of self-destructive behavior and will always end up back here

Staring death in the face with a mocking expression
We face death with a sense of humor and not taking it seriously

Did we ever feel alive?
We question if we ever truly lived

Did we find what we sought?
We question if we found what we were looking for

Did we know what we were looking for?
We question if we even knew what we were searching for

We exist in stasis
We are stuck in a state of unchanging existence

You are my reflection
You are a mirror image of myself

You're everything I hate about myself
You embody all the qualities I dislike about myself

And you are always with me
But I can never seem to escape you