There are various bands with the name Elegy

1) Elegy are a Dutch pow… Read Full Bio ↴There are various bands with the name Elegy

1) Elegy are a Dutch power metal band, founded in 1986 in Eindhoven. Their music is characterized by the fusion of power and progressive metal, which made them the pioneers of the 'progressive power metal' subgenre. The band was plagued by a continuing changing roster, which counts in the current line-up only one founding member. Elegy have currently suspended any recording or live activity.

The band was formed in 1986 by guitarists Hank van de Laars and Arno van Brussel, who recruited the first stable line-up of Elegy with vocalist Chris Terheijden, bassist Martin Helmantel and Bert Burgers on drums.[1] In 1986, the new band won a competition organized by the German magazine Metal Hammer and Polydor Records and recorded their first demo Metricide.[1] After recording their second demo, Better Than Bells, the band had already become known enough to tour with Angel Witch, Paul DiAnno’s Battlezone, Hellion and King Diamond. The following year came the first changes in the band: Ed Warby and Eduard Hovinga joined the band on drums and vocals. This line-up recorded a third demo called Elegant Solution.[1]
In 1992 they recorded their first album (Labyrinth of Dreams) and ensured a contract with the German label Shark Records. The album was a success in Japan where it reached number 42 in the album charts.[2] Soon after the release of the album in 1993, Ed Warby left the band to join Gorefest and drummer Serge Meeuwsen was hired for a Japanese tour, along keyboard player Ton van de Stroom. Back from Japan, Meeuwsen, van de Stroom and founding member Arno van Brussel left Elegy, to be replaced by drummer Dirk Bruinenberg and guitarist Gilbert Pot.[1]
In the spring of 1994, Elegy released their second studio album, Supremacy, which received little promotion by their record label and was supported only by a small tour with Annihilator, Phantom Blue, The Gathering and Gorefest.[1]
In the summer of 1995, the album Lost is presented to the public, with new keyboard player Gerrit Hager. But shortly before going on tour with Yngwie Malmsteen, Hovinga, Pot and Hager left the band.[1] At the same the German record company Modern Music, home of T&T and Noise Records, offered the band a lucrative contract.
The following year, vocalist Ian Parry (ex-Hammerhead) joined the band and recorded the EP Primal Instinct, which contains acoustic versions of old Elegy songs.[3]
The album State of Mind saw the light in May 1997 with good reviews and sales, both in Europe and Japan. Elegy went on a European tour with the Finnish band Stratovarius to support the new album.[1]
Chris Allister joined on keyboards for the concept album Manifestation of Fear, released in the summer of 1998. The band co-headlined a European tour with American power metal band Kamelot the same year.[1]
After the tour in 1999, Parry started his side-project Consortium with Bruinenberg on drums. At the end of the year founding member Henk van de Laars and Chris Allister left Elegy. French guitar virtuoso Patrick Rondat joined the band during the same year and recorded Elegy's eight album Forbidden Fruit, released on September 18, 2000 and well received by critics.[4][5] Forbidden Fruit was the last album released for Modern Music, leaving the band without a recording contract for more than a year. Meanwhile the band members worked on side-projects or as touring and session musicians
Two years later Elegy released Principles of Pain with the Spanish label Locomotive Records.[6] Since then the band have not published any more albums and is currently on hiatus.
Ian Parry said in a 2012 interview that he would like to make one more Elegy album, if a record company would be prepared to invest in it. Guitar Player Henk van der Laars wrote an album full of songs but more effort is needed to get it ready.[7]

2) Riddare av Koden (Swedish for '"Knights of the Code"') is a Heavy Metal band from South Africa. Formerly known as Elegy, the band had to change its name in November 2009, when the underground success of their debut album attracted the attention of Universal Records. They then became known as Riddare av Koden,[1] and currently perform and release under that name.

3) Hard Rock group active in the early 1970s, formed by British musicians but based in Austria. Released one 7" "No Direction/Pain" in 1971.

4) xELEGYx was an American vegan straight edge melodic metalcore/melodic death metal/edge metal band from South Florida. Formed in 2015.

Masquerade
Elegy Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

On the surface things look different
What's underneath you cannot tell
For years it seems that everything is going well

Behind the laughter hides a mystery
Shrouded in a friendly veil
The moment when you're making progress
All things fail

A challenge to be solved, they can't resist
The chase
Their masquerade
This dangerous path you're on, what if your instinct's wrong
Beware the wrath of a patient man

Danger, danger
Danger lies
Close beside, close beside you
Danger, danger, close beside
Waiting to take you away

What we perceive as being normal
A twisted mind won't stipulate
To occupy their genius, a masquerade

Way down a nowhere road you're drifting

Into a nowhere place you'll stay
Make a wish, pray someone's listening, night and day

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Elegy's song Masquerade speak about the concept of appearances and how they can be misleading. The first two lines set the tone for the entire piece- things may look different on the surface, but what lies beneath is uncertain. The next line talks about how everything seems to go well "for years," but reality may be different. Then the song takes a turn by stating that behind the laughter there is a mystery shrouded in a friendly veil. The character in the song is making progress, but in a moment's notice, everything falls apart. The song then speaks to the chase or challenge that people can't resist, leading to their masquerade. The masquerade, in this instance, refers to the hiding of someone's true intentions under a facade that can be dangerous.

The song plays with the theme of danger in a lot of ways- both hidden and explicit. The chorus repeating the word danger and adding the phrase "close beside" emphasizes the proximity of the risk in the song. The character in the song is potentially on a dangerous path that he may not be able to recognize if his instinct is wrong, which could be juxtaposed with the masquerade motif from earlier. The final few lines bring the singer back down to a reality where he feels lost, drifting into nowhere places in the middle of the night, hoping someone is listening to get him out of the predicament.

Line by Line Meaning

On the surface things look different
Things appear to be one way, but there is more beneath the surface.

What's underneath you cannot tell
It is difficult to discern what lies beneath the surface.

For years it seems that everything is going well
Everything appears to be going smoothly for an extended period of time.

Behind the laughter hides a mystery
Something secretive is concealed beneath the laughter.

Shrouded in a friendly veil
The mystery is concealed by an amiable exterior.

The moment when you're making progress
A point in time where one is succeeding.

All things fail
Despite progress, nothing works out in the end.

A challenge to be solved, they can't resist
They cannot resist the urge to take on an obstacle.

The chase
The pursuit of the solution to the problem.

Their masquerade
Their game of concealment.

This dangerous path you're on, what if your instinct's wrong
The path being taken is perilous, and if the instincts are incorrect, it can be disastrous.

Beware the wrath of a patient man
Someone who is patient may turn out to be dangerous if provoked.

Danger, danger
There is a great deal of danger present.

Danger lies
The danger is present and can be felt.

Close beside, close beside you
The danger is very near.

Waiting to take you away
The danger is waiting to take you away.

What we perceive as being normal
Our understanding of what is typical or ordinary.

A twisted mind won't stipulate
A corrupted mind does not adhere to the norm.

To occupy their genius, a masquerade
A game of concealment is played to keep their intellect engaged.

Way down a nowhere road you're drifting
You are aimlessly drifting along a desolate road.

Into a nowhere place you'll stay
You will be stuck in a place with no destination.

Make a wish, pray someone's listening, night and day
Hope and pray someone is listening to your desires night and day.

Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind