Fragments of a Withered Dream received great response from the worldwide media, e.g. Legacy magazine (D) 13/15, Xtreem Music (E) 9/10, Danish Metal (DK) 5/6 etc. Furthermore the album was rated as the second best album in the Danish Metal Awards 2003 by the readers of Danish Metal.
The music on the album is best described as melodic death/black metal with very catchy parts and interaction between the guitars and the keyboard. The title and artwork refers to the lyrical concept on the album, which is mainly about self-deception and illusions of life, and each of the lyrics represents a fragment of some person's now withered dream.
During the last years COMPOS MENTIS have played many shows with different bands, such as:
Illdisposed, Withering Surface, Hatesphere, Saturnus, Thorium, Mnemic, Illnath, Exmortem…
In September 2003 COMPOS MENTIS went on a European tour with Danish metallers Illdisposed to promote the album.
In the live situation the band focuses on the energetic aspect of the music and their shows are dominated by great contact with the audience.
COMPOS MENTIS started in 1996 and the line-up has been stable ever since:
Vocals & guitars - Jesper Heinsvig
Guitars - Ryan Kristensen
Keyboards - Bo Damgaard
Bass - Dan Damgaard
Drums - Andreas Posselt
Compos Mentis was also a Punk band from New Zealand.
temptation
Compos Mentis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His mind is like a storm
Torrents of thoughts drift aimlessly around
Yet they only focus on one thing
The moon embraces him with her cold light
As he is swallowed up by the clear and frosty night
Darkness flows through his quivering body
Temptation, projection - you become my scapegoat
Temptation, projection - I can't resist
The steel flashes proudly in the moonlight
As he flings himself on the dark silhouette.
Her frightened eyes open up wide with fear
While the knife penetrates the flesh.
I dream of her with another
I think of her with another
I see her with another
If I can't have her no one will
Temptation, projection - you become my scapegoat
Temptation, projection - I can't resist
Red flowers come out around the body
While her life slowly fades away.
All they ever had is ruined within seconds
Love is a sin
The lyrics of Compos Mentis’s “Temptation” delve into the manifestation of intense hatred and violence sparked by the overpowering urge to possess someone. The song’s narrator portrays this deep obsession with an object of desire that has driven him to a state of constant turmoil. His thoughts and emotions seem to only revolve around his need to have the person for himself, a desire so strong that it has become an all-consuming force. As he grapples with this internal conflict, his mind is compared to a raging storm, an image that metaphorically represents the chaos that the singer is experiencing. Even in the midst of a calm night, the singer’s mind is unable to find any peace as he is swamped by a deluge of thoughts that all lead back to one thing - the object of his desire.
However, such overwhelming emotions lead to violent tendencies as the singer believes that if he cannot have the person, no one else can. This dark and twisted logic spirals out of control and culminates in an act of violence. The lyrics depict the gruesome scene of the singer plunging a knife into the victim’s flesh who he has been stalking. The blood flow is described as “red flowers” around the victim's body, which adds to the lyric’s overall imagery of passion turning violent.
Overall, “Temptation” highlights the dangers of obsessive and possessive love. The lyrics strike a chord with the audience, as many people may have dealt with these types of situations in their lives, either as the possessive person themselves or as the object of desire.
Line by Line Meaning
Cast among the waves of an ocean of hate,
Thrown into the midst of an overwhelming feeling of anger and negativity,
His mind is like a storm
His thoughts are tumultuous and chaotic,
Torrents of thoughts drift aimlessly around
His thoughts are uncontrollable and without direction,
Yet they only focus on one thing
His thoughts are solely consumed by one subject,
The moon embraces him with her cold light
The moon's illumination surrounds him with a frigid aura,
As he is swallowed up by the clear and frosty night
He disappears into the brightness and low temperature of the evening,
Darkness flows through his quivering body
He is engulfed with deep, eerie sensations,
And intensifies his burning hate caused by
A result of his increasing loathing that originates from,
Temptation, projection - you become my scapegoat
A feeling of enticement, his thoughts direct blame towards another person for his predicament,
Temptation, projection - I can't resist
A plea to avoid temptation, his negative thoughts do not allow him to resist his every impulse,
The steel flashes proudly in the moonlight
The knife becomes visible as it vibrantly reflects the moon's light,
As he flings himself on the dark silhouette.
He moves towards a dark, ambiguous shape,
Her frightened eyes open up wide with fear
Her eyes rapidly enlarge out of terror,
While the knife penetrates the flesh.
At the same time, the knife bisects her skin,
I dream of her with another
He has dreams of the person he desires being with someone else,
I think of her with another
He continually imagines the person he desires being with someone else,
I see her with another
He continually perceives the person he desires being with someone else,
If I can't have her no one will
He strongly feels that if he cannot be with her, no one should be.
Red flowers come out around the body
A sense of gloom emerges with the sight of the red flowers near her body,
While her life slowly fades away.
Her spirit slowly vanishes,
All they ever had is ruined within seconds
Their relationship has disintegrated in just moments,
Love is a sin
Love is considered immoral.
Contributed by Sadie T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.