Dark Moor began the recording sessions for their second album, The Hall of the Olden Dreams, in August 2000 at New Sin Studios with producer Luigi Stefanini. During these recording sessions, the band recorded their cover of "Halloween", which was included on the CD The Keepers of Jericho part I - A Tribute to Helloween (Arise Records).
Their E.P. The Fall of Melnibone was released in June 2001. This E.P was a limited edition; 1500 copies were released and only for the Spanish market.
Dark Moor began the recording of their third album, The Gates of Oblivion, in Autumn 2001 at New Sin Studios. Dark Moor signed with the major label JVC for the Asian release. The band played 18 gigs at festivals such as Rock Machina, Viña Rock and Nit De Reis. After the first part of the tour, keyboardist Roberto Peña left the band and they were forced to finish the tour with a guest musician.
In August 2003 Dark Moor recorded four new exclusive acoustic tracks along with a string quartet, to be included in Between Light and Darkness, which was released in April 2003. Due to differing points of view regarding the musical direction for the next Dark Moor album, vocalist Elisa Martin, guitarist Albert Maroto and drummer Jorge Sáez decided to leave Dark Moor to start a new band.
The two remaining members of the band decided to start a search for new members. After the auditions, they accepted vocalist Alfred Romero, guitarist Jose Garrido, and drummer Andy C.
In August 2003, the band started recording their fourth album, Dark Moor, at New Sin Studios in Italy. Following a month of recording sessions, the album was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios.
On 23 November 2006, the band announced the departure of their drummer on their official website, due to "incompatibility with his other musical projects." He would go on to play drums for Saratoga. His replacement, Roberto Cappa, was previously in the Spanish metal band Anima Sola.
In January 2009, their seventh album Autumnal was released.
The band made an announcement on their website, dated 4 June 2010, that their eighth album was in the works. It featured Berenice Musa as a guest vocalist. The album is titled Ancestral Romance and it was released in November 2010.
On 18 June 2013 the band released their ninth album Ars Musica, with the Japanese limited version including a bonus CD with five bonus tracks. They toured Mexico and Asia the same year, as well as few dates in Europe in 2014 to support the new album.
Dark Moor started recording their 10th studio album, Project X, on 27 July 2015 and released it in Europe on 6 November 2015 on Scarlet Records.
On 21 July 2018, Enrik Garcia, guitarist and founder of the band, announced via Facebook that their next album would be called Origins and that, after the parenthesis they did with ufology themes on Project X, they would return to their habitual themes; Origins will be about the celtic world, also adding celtic instruments on their new songs. This album has been released on 12 December 2018.
Bells of Notre Dame
Dark Moor Lyrics
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Damned to be scorned, in darkness, damned to be alone
Taken by the Church, his soul will be a slave of God
In the belfry's beauty is his figure something odd
We see the hunchback in Notre Dame
Dancing on the tallest towers
Deep like the choir, fine like the art
Is the place my cell, is it?
Is God's home my hell?
Oh, my body imprisons my poor soul
Until I toll!
I am grim, full of gloom
In my dim gothic tomb
But the bells in my heart chime for ever
With the ding that belongs
To the king of their songs
I'm the sound of Notre Dame
In the Wheel of Life he is a horror for the crowd
When will be the time he'll see the sun between the clouds?
Looking at the bells he thinks about his tragic fate
Wants to be a rock or metal like his souless mates
We hear the hunchback in Notre Dame
Crying on the tallest towers
Gargoyles and columns, his reality
Chants which are solemn, his agony
Is this place my cell, is it?
Is God's home my hell?
Oh, my body imprisons my poor soul
Until I toll!
I am grim, full of gloom
In my dim gothic tomb
But the bells in my heart chime for ever
With the ding that belongs
To the king of their songs
I'm the sound of Notre Dame
"Bells of Notre Dame" by Dark Moor describes the story of Quasimodo, the hunchbacked bell-ringer of Notre Dame Cathedral. The lyrics paint a picture of Quasimodo's tragic past, being abandoned as a baby and left to fend for himself. He is taken in by the Church, but his deformity marks him as an outcast and forces him to live a life of solitude. Despite his melancholic life, Quasimodo finds solace in the bells of Notre Dame, which he sees as his true home.
The song emphasizes Quasimodo's feelings of isolation and hopelessness. He wonders if God's home is really his hell, and his body feels like a prison for his soul. However, the bells of Notre Dame give him a sense of purpose and belonging, and he is proud to be the "sound of Notre Dame". The lyrics also touch on the idea that Quasimodo is more than just his physical appearance – his heart, spirit, and dedication to ringing the bells make him an integral part of the cathedral.
Line by Line Meaning
Born in a sorry cot, left on the stairs of the cold stone
The hunchback was abandoned on a cold stone staircase as a baby, and it was not a fortunate situation.
Damned to be scorned, in darkness, damned to be alone
The hunchback was cursed to live a life of loneliness and marked for ridicule simply by being different.
Taken by the Church, his soul will be a slave of God
The Church took him in, and he devoted his soul to it completely.
In the belfry's beauty is his figure something odd
Despite the beauty of the belfry, the hunchback's presence is strange and out of place.
Arcades and spires, filling his heart
The architecture of Notre Dame fills the hunchback's heart, and he finds beauty in it.
Deep like the choir, fine like the art
The beauty he finds in the architecture and art of Notre Dame is deep, meaningful and elegant.
Is the place my cell, is it? Is God's home my hell?
The hunchback questions if Notre Dame is his place of confinement, or if it is God's own version of hell for him.
Oh, my body imprisons my poor soul, until I toll!
The hunchback feels that his physical deformity has trapped his soul and he must remain inside the bell tower until he passes away.
I am grim, full of gloom, in my dim gothic tomb
The hunchback is melancholic and dismal and feels trapped in his gothic bell tower.
But the bells in my heart chime for ever, with the ding that belongs to the king of their songs
While he may be trapped, the hunchback's heart sings the beautiful songs of the bells and their melody never fades.
I'm the sound of Notre Dame
Despite his physical appearance, the hunchback is a vital part of the Notre Dame and its culture because he is one of the people responsible for the beautiful sound of the bells.
In the Wheel of Life he is a horror for the crowd
To most of the people who witness him, the hunchback is a horrifying figure who does not fit amongst them.
When will be the time he'll see the sun between the clouds?
The hunchback wonders when he will be able to experience the true light of the world and be accepted by those around him.
Looking at the bells he thinks about his tragic fate
When the hunchback contemplates the bells, he is reminded of his own fate which he considers tragic.
Wants to be a rock or metal like his souless mates
The hunchback wishes he could be a lifeless piece of metal or stone, as it would be easier than living with the constant torment of his appearance and outsider status.
We hear the hunchback in Notre Dame, crying on the tallest towers
The hunchback's sadness echoes through the towers of Notre Dame as he cries out, consumed by his pain and loneliness.
Gargoyles and columns, his reality
The hunchback's reality is defined by gargoyles and columns, and he is just as much a part of the architecture as they are.
Chants which are solemn, his agony
The hunchback's pain is a heavy burden he bears, and it is reflected in the sombre hymns he sings to the bells.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind