The… Read Full Bio ↴Ashes You Leave is a gothic doom metal band from Rijeka, Croatia
The band was formed back in 1995, when a few young doom metal fanatics decided to form what later became the biggest Croatian metal band of all times, Ashes You Leave. After recording two demos, Ashes You Leave attracted attention from record labels and decided to sign for Morbid Records from Germany, a deal that led to release of their debut album "The Passage Back to Life". Although seemingly an opus dedicated to their childhood heroes like My Dying Bride, this album is considered by many as a jewel of classic doom/death metal.
Since they were full of ideas and energy it took them only a year to release the second album "Desperate Existence", a clear step forward from their doom metal roots and a release widely considered as their darkest ever. Already having established a huge fan base throughout world, the band had great expectations from their 3rd album "The Inheritance of Sin and Shame" and it proved to be a milestone in their career. Not only did it outsell its predecessors and sweep reviewers off their feet, it also gave the band their first taste of foreign stages as they embarked on their virgin European tour. Finally fans had a chance to witness the band live: most of them were surprised by the ferocity and heaviness of their performance.
After the release of "The Inheritance of Sin and Shame" AYL faced a potentially huge problem - their long time singer Dunja was unable to be a part of the band anymore, so they started a search for a new singer. They were fortunate in finding Marina, a young and extremely talented singer. She was a member of the elite Croatian female choir Putokazi and settled nicely into the band. Many waited passionately to hear the new voice of AYL and were stunned when "Fire" was released. There was hardly a person who heard "Fire" and didn't rank Marina among the top female singers of the genre. The big success of the album opened some new opportunities for the band and AYL have finally stepped on some of the biggest stages in the Europe, performing on festivals like Summer Breeze (with Dimmu Borgir and Paradise Lost), Metal Female Voices (with Nightwish and Epica) or Wave Gothic Treffen (with Moonspell and My Dying Bride). Their performance on Wave Gothic Treffen is widely recognized as one of the best gothic metal performances in years and they ended as the only metal band beside Moonspell who had to play an encore because of fans' demands.
The release of "Fire" meant the end of one part of AYL's career. It became clear that Morbid records, firmly stucked into death metal scene, could no longer be a home for AYL. Therefore the band decided not to renew their contract but rather search for a new label. After 4 years of songwriting AYL were ready to record their 5th album. Before they started recording, the band took one rather hard and painful hit: lead singer Marina decided to pursue her singing education abroad and left the band with no option but to quickly find a replacement for her. Luckily it took them virtually no time at all to discover the18 year old Tamara and offer a place as a member of the band. With the line up completed, Ashes You Leave entered the studio in March 2006. The new album is now finished and is scheduled for release in 2009.
Their MySpace: www.myspace.com/ashesyouleaveband
Members are:
Marta - violin
Matija - guitars
Berislav- guitars, vocals
Tamara - vocals and keyboards
Luka - bass
Insanus - drums
Previous members:
Dunja Radetic - vocals, flutes
Vladimir Krstulja - vocals, keyboards
Loris Pomazan- bas,guitars,vocals
Kristijan Milic - bass
Gordan Cencic - drums
Vanja Tornato - bass
Neven Mendrila - guitar
Damir Cencic - keyboards
Marina Zrilic - vocals
Domagoj Galin - bass
Losing Faith
Ashes You Leave Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You haunt me with fear
How proud and stupid can we be
To break off without a tear?
Deep in our hearts we know
That strangers we are
Deep in our hearts we know
I never felt that way before
Your darkness drew me for more
You were my dark side of the moon
A misplaced note out of a tune
For you I laid there dying
My soul became so small
I am no longer trying
To feel somebody's love again
In "Losing Faith" by Ashes You Leave, the singer talks about a relationship that has ended, leaving both parties feeling haunted by what could have been. The song starts with the singer realizing the way their partner looks at them, filling them with fear. The situation seems to have escalated, and they find themselves wondering how proud and stupid they were to break things off without showing any concern for what was being left behind. Despite this, the singer acknowledges that they were strangers at heart and were never truly aligned. They know that their impending demise is inevitable and both accept it.
The second verse shows the singer confessing that they were drawn to their partner's darkness, despite never having felt that way before. They were the "dark side of the moon, a misplaced note out of a tune," meaning that they were the missing puzzle piece in the singer's life. They feel like they gave their partner everything, including their own life, as they describe laying there dying while their soul shrinks. Despite feeling like they will never love again, the singer accepts their fate and no longer tries to feel somebody's love again.
Overall, "Losing Faith" is a melancholic reflection on a relationship that was never meant to work. The singer understands that the two of them were never in sync, even if they did not want to admit it, and that the relationship they had was not sustainable. It is a heartbreaking realization that is filled with regret and longing, as well as an acceptance of the inevitable end.
Line by Line Meaning
I feel the way you look at me
Your gaze fills me with terror and dread.
You haunt me with fear
I am constantly tormented by my unease around you.
How proud and stupid can we be
We foolishly allowed our egos to tear us apart without any remorse.
To break off without a tear?
Did we really think we could discard our relationship without any emotional damage?
Deep in our hearts we know
It is a painful but undeniable truth that we are essentially strangers to each other.
That strangers we are
We have lost any intimacy and connection we once had.
Deep in our hearts we know
We cannot deny that our days are now numbered.
That dying is not far
We know that death, either metaphorically or literally, is approaching.
I never felt that way before
Your darkness tempted me with an allure I never experienced before.
Your darkness drew me for more
Your dark energy attracted me and kept me wanting more.
You were my dark side of the moon
You represented the opposite of my own personality, and I was inexplicably drawn to you.
A misplaced note out of a tune
We were never the perfect match, but we tried to make it work despite our obvious incompatibilities.
For you I laid there dying
I sacrificed everything I had for you, even if it meant losing a piece of myself in the process.
My soul became so small
My essence slowly diminished until there was nothing left of me.
I am no longer trying
I have given up on the idea of finding love again.
To feel somebody's love again
The prospect of opening myself up to love again frightens me too much to consider it.
Contributed by Zachary H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Gürkan Haydar Kılıçarslan
this is simply epic.