Faerghail was formed in the summer of 1995 by Kai Lehtinen (guitars), Petri Moisio (bass) and Tomi Kangassalo (drums) in order to play somekind of melodic metal. In the autumn of 1995 Jussi Ranta and Tuomas Murtojärvi joined the band as session members and with this line-up Faerghail recorded the first demo tape titled “In Dreamful Supremacy” which was released in January 1996. The demo was recorded with a 4-tracker and the sounds were really awful, however the songs were quite good and “In Dreamful Supremacy” gained rather positive feedback. Soon after the release of “In Dreamful Supremacy” Jussi and Tuomas became full members of Faerghail, Jussi as a vocalist and synth player and Tuomas as a 2nd guitarist.
After the release of the first demo the band practised a lot and wrote new material for the next release, and in August 1996 Faerghail entered Akaan MR-Studios to record four new songs. The tape was sent to Sorrowmoon Records and they were very interested in releasing the new marerial as a cassette-ep and so Faerghail had its first deal on its hands. But after a while the boss of Sorrowmoon Records decided to quit the whole label and so Faerghail had no label to release the new material. Fortunately Martin from Sorrowmoon Records had sent the tape to Dark Moon Productions and they were interested in releasing the material so the Faerghail’s second release “Dark Oceans Calm” saw the light of the day after all.This time the sounds were much better and also the band’s performance had improved quite a lot. “Dark Oceans Calm” was sent to some record labels and after a while Faerghail signed a deal with Belgian Shiver Record for two full-length albums.
Faerghail started to write new material for the first full-length album and this time Akaan MR-Studios was booked for four days. During 10.-13.4.1997 Faerghail recorded and mixed the new material. Everything seemed to be great and the new album was supposed to be released by the end of 1997. The artwork for the album caused a few months of delay and the release was postponed to the spring of 1998. Due to problems with the record label the releasing of Faerghail’s first album was delayed approximately two years. However “Horizon’s Fall” was released in 1999. The album had eight new songs and four songs from “Dark Oceans Calm” as bonus tracks. After some time Kai decided to concentrate on his other bands and left Faerghail. The band didn’t want to take any new members so Petri took guitar as his main instrument and due to the fact that Faerghail isn’t playing any gigs he was also able to play all the bass parts.
While waiting for the releasing of the first album Faerghail had a lot of time to write and rehearse new songs for the second full-length album and this time the material was so much better than anything else before that it was very clear from the beginning that this time the recording and mixing would be done at more professional studio than before. So after the new songs were written and rehearsed Faerghail entered Astia-Studios to record the second full-length album. The new album was recorded during 15.-20.1.2000 by Anssi Kippo and Jussi Jauhiainen and the results were something Faerghail had experienced never before.
The record label had some problems once again and this time Faerghail didn’t want to wait too long with the next release so after material for an MCD was written and rehearsed and Finnish Northern Sound Records was willing to release it, the band booked Astia-Studios once again. Before entering the studio it was clear that Tomi didn’t have enough time to concentrate on the band and so he decided to leave Faerghail. The studio was booked and the band had no drummer but fortunately Pekka Koponen was willing to be Faerghail’s session drummer. New material was recorded during July 2000 and once again the results were better than ever before. Faerghail’s MCD “Blood Will Follow Blood” was released.
After the delays also the new full-length album saw daylight and so Faerghail had two records out within a rather short period of time.
In the beginning of 2001 Faerghail had an opportunity to shoot a music video and so in April 2001 a music video for “...kun veri peittää maan” was shot.
After the video shoot Faerghail had a little break but after a while the band started writing new material for the next release. Pekka Koponen is bacame a full member of the band but he switched from drums to synth and Jussi decided to just taka care of the vocal duties.
In the late 2004 Pekka Koponen decided that he didn't want to be a member of Faerghail anymore. The reason was simply the lack of interest in playing with Faerghail, so there was no personal disagreements involved.
In the Arms of a Nightmare
Faerghail Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Battalions gathered and prayed their lords
The war started and lasted years
Pain was there but they hided their tears
Death in the woods and bombs in the air
It slaughtered the innocence that once was there
They fought like beasts and many of them fell
Ceased to exist in the frontline hell
Left only the fear of death from the skies
See a dying soul in that distant flare
And the child inside has been left alone to die
Look closer to see he doesn't care
For they came here to battle and not to cry
From cradle to grave shall thee march in vain
Your fate is never to see what's in the end of this lane
Only light you see is your machinegun fire
"To let the reaper get me is my only desire"
"Come with me and I'll take you there
I shall lead you away to another nightmare"
A blinding light and a voice from the sky
"Abandon him for his kingdom is a lie
Follow the light and I'll set you free
Ride on my wings, put your faith in me"
"My mission is not completed I aim to kill
A task of death I shall fulfill"
You've chosen the path that takes you down
Where slaves are kings and the other way around
See a dying man lying there
Sleeping in the arms of a nightmare
Look closer he's a victim of fate
Judged by his personal killing rate
The song "In the Arms of a Nightmare" by Faerghail tells the story of war and its devastating effects. The opening lines describe the scene of war with the sound of wardrums, the formation of battalions, and the prayers of the lords. The war lasts for years, and although there is pain and tears, the soldiers hide their emotions as they fight like beasts. Many of them fall and cease to exist in the frontline hell.
The lyrics then shift to the perspective of a dying soldier, who sees a distant flare and a child left alone to die. He doesn't care anymore because he's come to battle and not to cry. The soldier's fate is to march from cradle to grave in vain, never knowing what's at the end of the lane. He sees only the light of his machine gun fire and desires to be taken away by the reaper to another nightmare.
In the end, the soldier is judged by his personal killing rate and lies in the arms of a nightmare, sleeping forever. The song is a powerful reminder of the horror of war and the toll it takes on the human soul.
Line by Line Meaning
Wardrum pounded and signed the hordes
The soldiers were assembled and ready to march to war, with the sounds of war drums giving them courage.
Battalions gathered and prayed their lords
Groups of soldiers came together, hoping their leaders would protect them and guide them through the war.
The war started and lasted years
The battle began and lasted for many long years, with no end in sight.
Pain was there but they hided their tears
Although the soldiers suffered greatly, they refused to show any weakness or vulnerability.
Death in the woods and bombs in the air
The violence of war could strike at any time, with bombs and other attacks happening both on land and in the air.
It slaughtered the innocence that once was there
The war destroyed the innocent lives of many people who had nothing to do with the conflict.
They fought like beasts and many of them fell
The soldiers were forced to fight with animalistic rage, and a great many of them died in the process.
Ceased to exist in the frontline hell
Many soldiers who fought on the frontlines of the war were simply killed with no chance of survival.
They stopped showing their emotions, those dulging eyes
The soldiers became numb to the horrors of war, and refused to let their emotions show.
Left only the fear of death from the skies
The only thing that remained was a constant fear of being killed from above, with no warning or defense.
See a dying soul in that distant flare
Looking into the distance, you can see someone who is close to death, surrounded by the chaos and destruction of war.
And the child inside has been left alone to die
Even the innocent children were not spared the devastation of war, and many were left alone to die.
Look closer to see he doesn't care
Despite the terrible suffering he has endured, the child has become so desensitized to the violence that he no longer cares what happens to him.
For they came here to battle and not to cry
The soldiers were sent to fight in the war, and did not see it as their place to show any emotions or tears.
From cradle to grave shall thee march in vain
People are born and die without ever understanding the true nature of war, and often their deaths were meaningless and in vain.
Your fate is never to see what's in the end of this lane
The soldiers who fought in the war did not have any idea what the final outcome would be, and many wouldn't live long enough to find out.
Only light you see is your machinegun fire
The only light that illuminates the darkness of the battlefield is the glare of the gunfire from their weapons.
"To let the reaper get me is my only desire"
Some of the soldiers would rather embrace death than face the constant suffering and trauma of war.
"Come with me and I'll take you there
The voice of death invites the dying soldiers to follow them to the afterlife, where they might find peace.
I shall lead you away to another nightmare"
Even in death, the soldiers might never escape the horrors of war and might be forced to relive it all over again.
A blinding light and a voice from the sky
The light of heaven descends upon the dying soldiers, offering them a chance at salvation.
"Abandon him for his kingdom is a lie
God refuses to accept the dying soldiers who fought in the war, as their cause was unjust and immoral.
Follow the light and I'll set you free
Only those who seek redemption and salvation will be able to find peace and freedom.
Ride on my wings, put your faith in me"
Those who are willing to trust in God will be lifted up and carried to the afterlife by his divine power.
"My mission is not completed I aim to kill
Some soldiers are so consumed by their lust for revenge and killing, that they will even seek to continue their mission in death.
A task of death I shall fulfill"
Even in death, some soldiers will continue to pursue their violent goals with reckless disregard for their own souls.
You've chosen the path that takes you down
The soldiers who fought in the war made a conscious decision to take a path of destruction and death, with no turning back.
Where slaves are kings and the other way around
The world of war is a place of constant upheaval, where the natural order is turned upside down and power is constantly shifting.
See a dying man lying there
Even in the midst of all the chaos and noise, you can see a dying man who has given up on life.
Sleeping in the arms of a nightmare
The dying man is surrounded by the horrors of war, and is finally at peace in the embrace of death.
Look closer he's a victim of fate
The man lying dead in front of you is a victim of the cruel fate that brought him to this place and time.
Judged by his personal killing rate
The soldier is judged and remembered only by the number of people he has killed, rather than by any other qualities or traits.
Contributed by Caleb T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.