Crescent Shield is an American melodic heavy/power metal band which began i… Read Full Bio ↴Crescent Shield is an American melodic heavy/power metal band which began in 2000, originally as a side project for then-Onward vocalist Michael Grant and then-Destiny's End guitarist Daniel Delucie. The two creative forces were heavily involved in their respective projects but managed to record several demos during the three years between CS's inception and its materialization as an actual band in the summer of 2003. The original demos featured Michael Grant on vocals, Dan Delucie on backing vocals, all guitars, bass guitar, and drum machine.

When Onward finally disbanded in the summer of 2003, Grant and Delucie decided to convert their project into a full band. They completed the line-up with drummer Craig Anderson (ex-Ignite/Engine) and bassist Melanie Sisneros (ex-New Eden/The Iron Maidens/Sinergy), two veterans of the Los Angeles music scene.

Together, this foursome strives to bring forth energy-driven traditional/power metal to the United States. Crescent Shield brings forth high-energy guitar riffing/solos combined with melodic vocals and a solid metal backbone.

www.crescentshield.com

Under Cover of Shadows
Crescent Shield Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Part I: Cast of Shadows]

Those who cast a blanket
Of perpetual dusk
Those purveyors of vile, black mystery
Those cults of the arcane
Speakers of murky tropes
And those who wear a mantle of threadbare illumination...

Be gone!

[Part II: The Vengeance of Light, the Cover of Shadow]

Draw your weapons, bare your claws
The conjured beast is nigh
The violent cleaving of the ground
Is not a trick of light
Strike forth, lash out the song of war
Dark spirit hounds can kill
Scuttle and run or hide again
And on they follow still
On and on

Under cover of shadows
To lie still is to wither and rot
Paralyzed eyes (of silent lies)
On fear they do feed
And murder with calm folded hands

Unloose the fire in your lungs
Spit venom, seethe and fume
Scatter the bones of the incubus
Cut like whetted stone
Fight on, fight on with axes drawn

Pound thunder from the drums
Rive the misty flesh of imps
Tear out their prattling tongues... Ride on!

Under cover of shadows
Silence will fester and hollow
Spellbinding fire and smoke in our eyes
On relic charms they must feed us lies

[Judgment solo]

[Part III: Consequence]

The blanket of dusk has fallen
And black mystery still rising
And again recite their creeds

[Part IV: The Witch Chant]

There are no truths that cannot bear falsity
There are no things never known
No secret doctrines
There are no words that are never to be touched

They'll tell you that the sun's disappeared
And night stains eternal
(Don't ever close your eyes, don't ever turn your back)
Gray fades to black (Blackness is light)
The dark sky descends to blot out the shadows
The ones you hold so dear... fallen
Like the very last tear
Remember the night before
Bind the cloak and hide under cover of shadows

[Part V: The Elusive Epilogue]

Under the cover of shadows
To lie still, to wither and rot
Paralyzed eyes
We secretly hide
On relic charms they will feed us lies

Lift the cover of shadows!

Overall Meaning

The song 'Under Cover of Shadows' by Crescent Shield can be interpreted as a call to fight against the forces of darkness that seek to impose their vile, mysterious ways on the world. The first part of the song, 'Cast of Shadows,' speaks of those who want to keep the world shrouded in perpetual darkness and those who propagate false, murky stories. The second part of the song, 'The Vengeance of Light, the Cover of Shadow,' urges the listener to fight back against this darkness, to draw weapons and bare claws, and to unleash the fire in their lungs. The lyrics also suggest that staying silent and still in the face of darkness will only lead to decay and death, and that the only way to survive is to resist, fight back, and lift the cover of shadows.

Overall, 'Under Cover of Shadows' is a song that calls for resistance against the darkness that threatens to engulf us. It encourages listeners to fight back against those who would seek to impose their vile, mysterious ways on the world and to lift the veil of darkness that seeks to keep us in the shadows.

Line by Line Meaning

Those who cast a blanket Of perpetual dusk
Referring to people who bring darkness and negativity wherever they go

Those purveyors of vile, black mystery
People who propagate mysteries that are dark and unpleasant

Those cults of the arcane
Groups of people who indulge in obscure practices and knowledge

Speakers of murky tropes
People who speak in vague and ambiguous language

And those who wear a mantle of threadbare illumination...
People who pretend to be enlightened but are actually just barely illuminated, or not at all

Be gone!
An exclamation that embodies a call to action to drive away darkness

Draw your weapons, bare your claws
Get ready for the fight ahead

The conjured beast is nigh
The enemy is almost upon us, we must prepare

The violent cleaving of the ground Is not a trick of light
The sound of war is real, and we must be ready to fight

Strike forth, lash out the song of war
A call to action to fight with all your might

Dark spirit hounds can kill
The enemy is powerful and can be deadly

Scuttle and run or hide again And on they follow still On and on
Escaping the enemy is difficult and they will continue to track you relentlessly

Under cover of shadows To lie still is to wither and rot
Remaining inactive in the face of danger will lead to failure or demise

Paralyzed eyes (of silent lies) On fear they do feed
Fear is like poison, and the enemy can sense it and use it against you

And murder with calm folded hands
The enemy can be cold and calculated, using violence without emotion

Unloose the fire in your lungs
Let your passion and fighting spirit guide you in the battle

Spit venom, seethe and fume
Attack the enemy with fierce determination and anger

Scatter the bones of the incubus Cut like whetted stone
Destroy the enemy with precise and powerful attacks

Fight on, fight on with axes drawn
A call to persevere in the face of danger and continue fighting

Pound thunder from the drums Rive the misty flesh of imps Tear out their prattling tongues... Ride on!
A series of battle cries to inspire perseverance and rally troops in the fight

Silence will fester and hollow Spellbinding fire and smoke in our eyes On relic charms they must feed us lies
Inaction can lead to despair, and we must not be swayed by false truths

The blanket of dusk has fallen And black mystery still rising
The threat of darkness and confusion is still present

And again recite their creeds
The enemy will continue to promote their harmful ideologies

There are no truths that cannot bear falsity
Even things that seem true can be distorted or untrue

There are no things never known No secret doctrines
There are no mysteries that cannot be uncovered or revealed

There are no words that are never to be touched
Everything can be questioned and analyzed

They'll tell you that the sun's disappeared And night stains eternal (Don't ever close your eyes, don't ever turn your back) Gray fades to black (Blackness is light) The dark sky descends to blot out the shadows The ones you hold so dear... fallen Like the very last tear Remember the night before Bind the cloak and hide under cover of shadows
A warning against false truths and the importance of seeking light in darkness

Lift the cover of shadows!
A call to action to break free from fear and inaction

Contributed by Josiah N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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