My dying bride, Dismember & Bolt Thrower. They named the band BEYOND and the line-up of members was:
Vocals: Henrik Nygren, Guitar: André Nylund, Guitar: Johan Westerlund, Bass: Peter Lundberg, Drums: Mattias Holmgren.
About two years after the creation of BEYOND they changed their name to MISHRAK
and recorded their first demo called "Of beauty found in deep caverns". The music was a great mix
between heavy parts and more brutal deathmetal with alot of double-bass drumming.
And Henriks deep vocals added a horrifying ambience to the overall chaos.
"...After we had recorded the demo we decided not to release it officially,
because we didn't get the specific sound we was after at the time..."
So the demo was never released, even though some of the songs were of great quality.
The following months after the demo recording MISHRAK made some local live gigs while
trying to figure out how to evolve the sound and break into new grounds.
In the year of 1994 NAGLFAR wanted Mattias to join their band as a drummer, and so he did.
After Mattias had been into the studio with NAGLFAR and recording "Vittra" he realised that he
wasn't allowed to contribute with alot of music for NAGLFAR and thereby decided to leave them and
continute work with the debute album of his own band MISHRAK instead.
When things started to get serious with the band Peter Lundberg left MISHRAK because he wasn't really into rehearsing.
Johan Westerlund also quit the band to play with OBERON. André knew a guitar player called Rickard Magnusson and
so he joined the band.
The new line-up was now: Vocals: Henrik Nygren, Guitar & bass: André Nylund, Guitar & bass: Rickard Magnusson,
Drums & back.voc: Mattias Holmgren
They made some songs and raced into a studio nearby. The music was now leaning towards the obvious
death/blackmetal with an original touch. Meanwhile in the studio Mattias came up with a new band name, EMBRACING.
The demo was named "Winterburn" and was recorded in the studio of Jan Andersson (brother to the original drummer of Nocturnal Rites).
They sent the demo to a couple of record labels and got answers from many of them,
but chose INVASION because of the deal. After a little time in the rehearsing room 10 songs
were finished and it was time to enter a studio called Dunkers. Mattias was sick during the drum
recording, but still manage to perform well. Jens Kidman from the famous MESHUGGAH was behind the
recording buttons most of the time. He did some of the producing on the album while the other engineer (Stefan),
for the most part had wicked (read stupid) ideas. Like at the mixing stage when he came up with the "brilliant"
idea that we should have a fader going up and down several times during a scream at the beginning of a song.
He must have been into acid or some other kind of shit, coming up with those fucked upp ideas.
After putting down all our main instruments we wanted to add some cold atmosphere to the production,
so I found an old synth (can't remember the brand...maybe a shitty Casio...) at the corner of the studio and
just improvised some simple melodies and chords throughout the album.
And the final result was great!
The album was named "I bear the burden of time" and got great respons from
distributors and other labels. For example it got 8,5 out of 10 in ROCK HARD.
Pretty well for a debut album.
Mattias Holmgren & André Nylund
After the record was released, the guitar player Rickard quit the band because he had other things to do. The bass player Ola changed from bass to guitar and so they took in a close friend called Mikael Widlöf on bass. He had for a long time wanted to play in the band.
One year later after their first release they once again entered the studio XL, and recorded a new album with 11 tracks called "Dreams left behind". Just a few days before the recording the singer Henrik had to leave the band because they didn't like that he never showed up on rehearsals. The music was now very variated with alot of changing vocal styles and spookie riffs. All the unique mixtures is there in the songwriting and they are now turning to a very progressive and high skilled musical level. After the release of "Dreams Left behind" the band played some gigs in Stockholm and Umeå and recorded one more promo called "Inside you", where the music turned more towards the technical metal area and less black/deathmetal. A few months after this recording session most of the members left the band. Everyone except Mattias and Mikael...
Due to the fact that Mikael also moved away to another part of sweden (Malmö), Mattias was forced to continue and write some new songs all by himself. Stranger, Chased by a shadow, Precious Discovery and Rift was written and he found some new members to add to the lineup before entering the studio and record the new stuff under the demo title "Rift".
The lineup looked like this:
Vocals, drums & keyboards: Mattias Holmgren
Lead guitar: Ulph Johansson
Rhythm guitar: Markus Lindström
Bass: Mikael Widlöf
Some years later Markus quit the band and Ronnie Björnström took his place as the rhythm guitarist of Embracing. Mikael also left the band due to some personal problems Mikaels replacement was found in the bassist Peter Uvén who was an old friend of Ronnie and Mattias from the music acadamy.
The new lineup looked like this:
Vocals, drums & keyboards: Mattias Holmgren
Lead guitar: Ulph Johansson
Rhythm guitar: Ronnie Björnström
Bass: Peter Uvén
In 2002 Mattias brother Nicklas joined forces with Embracing for a small tour in the north of sweden.
Mattias was able to front the band as keyboardist / vocalist for those gigs where his brother Nicklas
took care of the drums.
Two years later (2004), Embracing was asked to re-issue "I bear the burden of time" & "Dreams left behind". The labels of interest was Khaosmaster records and Thrashcorner who offered a great deal. Ronnie remastered the old albums and Embracing also included a few bonus tracks from "Rift" and "Inside You". Mattias also made brand new layouts for both re-issues, and rearranged the old song "My Dragon banner" as a bonus.
During 2007 Mattias also joined forces with Supreme Majesty as a keyboardplayer and played with them at Sweden Rock, Tivolirock and some other gigs in sweden.
2008 the lineup of Embracing is: Mattias, Ulph Johansson and Peter Uvén.
Currently Embracing is producing the songs for the next album "Neptune".
Labels with interest in releasing this album should get in touch with us TODAY!
The Good Old Days
Embracing Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm here to tell you the story
Of an evil wizard with his great powers
He wore the master ring
And predicted the war to come
Dark was the night but darker to become
In the age of chaos I was there with him
He was my master and I was his slave
My sword shone and whispered through the air
Many died before me, there was nothing to regret
Everything was so easy back then
I didn't care about anything
Oh, how I wish I could go back
To the good old days
We hunted through the warm season
And when winter came it was all over
I saw a woman weeping over her killed husband
Inside I was falling apart
But still I smiled and laughed at her
I was so twisted, crying, smiling, dying
She then suddenly looked up and faced me
Beautiful she was, but my eyes couldn't tell me
I felt afraid, not a word could get out
Her dagger was forced through my heart
Everything was so easy back then
I didn't care about anything
Oh, how I wish I could go back
To the good old days
Ended the demon inside me
And then I could cry again
Such a warm feeling
And then I smiled, but this time in happieness
(Thank you...)
The lyrics of Embracing's song The Good Old Days tell the story of a man who reflects on his past experiences as a slave to an evil wizard during a time of war. The song explores themes of regret, nostalgia, and the complexity of human emotions. The man recounts the atrocities he committed at the command of his master, including hunting, killing, and even smiling at the widow of a man he had killed. He longs to return to the past, to a time when life was simple and he didn't care about anything. However, he realizes that he can never go back and that his actions have forever changed him. The song ends on a hopeful note, as the man is finally able to cry and feel happiness after the demon inside him is gone.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, you don't go away
I have a story to tell you and I want you to stay and listen.
I'm here to tell you the story
I am about to narrate a story to you.
Of an evil wizard with his great powers
I am about to tell you the story of a wizard who had great powers and used them for evil purposes.
He wore the master ring
The evil wizard wore a ring which symbolized his position of power and control.
And predicted the war to come
The wizard was able to predict an upcoming war.
Dark was the night but darker to become
The atmosphere was ominous and the future seemed even bleaker.
In the age of chaos I was there with him
I was present during a chaotic period, alongside the evil wizard.
He was my master and I was his slave
I was under the control of the wizard and served him obediently.
When the war broke out, we stood side by side
During the war, the evil wizard and I fought alongside each other.
My sword shone and whispered through the air
My sword glimmered and made a soft sound as it sliced through the air.
Many died before me, there was nothing to regret
Numerous people perished before me and I felt no remorse for their deaths.
We hunted through the warm season
We spent the summer hunting for our own pleasure.
And when winter came it was all over
Once winter came, our fun and games came to an end.
I saw a woman weeping over her killed husband
I witnessed a woman crying over her deceased spouse.
Inside I was falling apart
Internally, I was disintegrating emotionally.
But still I smiled and laughed at her
Despite my inner turmoil, I put on a smile and even laughed in her presence.
She then suddenly looked up and faced me
The woman looked up and locked her gaze on me.
Beautiful she was, but my eyes couldn't tell me
I recognized that the woman was beautiful, but I couldn't truly appreciate it.
I felt afraid, not a word could get out
I was terrified and unable to speak.
Her dagger was forced through my heart
The woman killed me by plunging a knife into my heart.
Ended the demon inside me
I was rid of my inner demon after my death.
And then I could cry again
After death, I was able to express my emotions and cry again.
Such a warm feeling
It felt comforting and soothing.
And then I smiled, but this time in happiness
This time, I smiled out of joy and elation.
(Thank you...)
Gratitude is expressed, although the lyrics do not specify who is thanked.
Everything was so easy back then
Looking back, life was much simpler and uncomplicated in the past.
I didn't care about anything
In the past, I was indifferent and untroubled by matters that now would cause concern.
Oh, how I wish I could go back
I express my longing to return to the past and relive the good old days.
To the good old days
I refer to a period in the past where, in my opinion, life was better and more enjoyable.
Contributed by Nathan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.