In November 1995, along with Greg Ellis, Ali formed Vas, producing four albums: Sunyata (1997), Offerings (1998), In the Garden of Souls (2000), and Feast of Silence (2004).
In 2002 she released her first solo album, Portals of Grace, which saw her expand her repertoire even farther and prove her to be equally as adept in singing in 13th century French-Provençal, Galician and Ladino as she is in Arabic.
In 2005, Ali worked on a new project called Niyaz with solo artist Carmen Rizzo and Axiom of Choice member Loga Ramin Torkian. Its self-titled album, Niyaz features Ali's vocals sung in Urdu and Farsi, backed up by more electronica-style music.
In June 2006, Ali released another latest solo album, Elysium for the Brave, where she includes English singing in her repertoire.
Azam Ali collaborated with Keyavash Nourai and Shahrokh Yadegari on the album Green Memories, released in September of 2008.
In 2011, the latest album, From Night to the Edge of Day was released. It features Ali's unique take on traditional Middle Eastern songs and lullabies.
The Cold Black Key
Azam Ali Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is a cold you know
The real dispelled
Into the world you know
Doubt, tasted, you fall in
Down you sink
Into her deep devour
She's still the key holder
And through this portal
She courts you now
Endowed with will
And a course your own
Bound by the despair
Of the shoreless hours
Heed this flame
Within the walled empire
This desire
Is all around
She's still the key holder
And through this portal
She courts you now
If love be revealed
In the spart of an eye
Could all be redeemed
In the sea of time
If the stars embed
Like nails into the ground
From the unheard prayers
That have torn up the skies
Would you will it away
As you sail on your way
"The Cold Black Key" by Azam Ali is a melancholic song that speaks of the struggle to find oneself while being entrapped in the moment. The lyrics speak of the cold key that holds the answer to a mysterious place where the real is dispelled into the world of uncertainty. Doubt creeps in, and the feeling of sinking deep is inevitable. In the end, the key holder has control over the portal that leads to the path of discovery.
The lyrics also highlight the individuality of one's will and the burden of despair that comes with it. The individual, bound by the passage of time, is lost in the sea of uncharted territories. Yet, despite being lost, one must follow their desires and listen to the flame within, which shines like a beacon in the walled empire.
The song also asks the question of whether love can be redeemed and whether the unheard prayers that tore up the skies can be answered. The lyrics suggest that the answer lies in the resolve of the individual, who must will away everything that holds them back and sail on their way to find redemption.
Overall, "The Cold Black Key" is a profound exploration of the human condition and the struggle to find peace in a chaotic and unpredictable world.
Line by Line Meaning
The key to this place
The way to access this destination
Is a cold you know
It is a feeling of coldness that you are familiar with
The real dispelled
The truth made known
Into the world you know
Brought into the realm of your understanding
Doubt, tasted, you fall in
Once you start to question and hesitate, you begin to lose yourself
Down you sink
You spiral downwards
Into her deep devour
Consumed by her completely
She's still the key holder
She remains the keeper of the access point
And through this portal
Entering through this gateway
She courts you now
She entices and invites you in
Endowed with will
Having control and determination
And a course your own
Directing your own path
Bound by the despair
Feeling trapped by hopelessness
Of the shoreless hours
In endless time
Heed this flame
Take notice of this passion
Within the walled empire
In a confined state of authority
This desire
This intense longing
Is all around
Surrounds and consumes you
If love be revealed
If true love is exposed
In the spart of an eye
In an instant
Could all be redeemed
Everything could be saved and restored
In the sea of time
Over a long period
If the stars embed
If the stars are firmly established
Like nails into the ground
Like something being firmly rooted in place
From the unheard prayers
From the unspoken wishes
That have torn up the skies
That have caused chaos and upheaval
Would you will it away
Would you push it out and ignore it
As you sail on your way
As you continue on your journey
Contributed by Maya O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Judith Stein
heard this song the very first time when "Pan's Labyrinth" came into the german cinemas. Somebody made a fan/tribute-video to the movie with this very song and I loved it! Now a lot of years has passed (in my oppinion) and I've thought, that I'd overcome my cosplay- and anime-phase, but right now I am desparate searching for something to ease my depressions, since the past 2 years were the worst. Now I am reading stuff like Dengeki Daisy again and rewatching/rehearing a lot of my old stuff.
And I must say, this song is timeless. And since I've rewatched "The Magicians" for at least the 4th time now, I hope somebody read this: Please could somebody do a tribute video with THIS song above for that TV-Show? because in season 3 the clique of young Magicians has to collect 7 keys to solve a damn big problem. anyway the entire tv-Show was just great/awesome and it would be an honor, if somebody would make a tribute video from that. thanks be4hand and love you guys! thanks for sharing this song here!
stanley simmons
Just awesome....all of her songs mesmerize me!!!♥♥♥♥♥
Lula Forest
I discovered her recently and just fell in love her music...been listening to it for a few days now
Philippe Jean Marie Meilhac
Magnifique !
Mustafa Simsek
Muhteşem...
Teşekkürler Azam ALİ
Ali Esmaeeli
Very very nice
i enjoy of listen to the song
TooToneTony _
herd this on last fm. radio fell in luv with it
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Aileen
love love love Azam Ali <3
Lili Lo
beauty ❤