The band released its first demo in 2001, which caught the attention of Lee Barrett and the band was quickly signed onto Elitist Records, a branch of the infamous Earache. The bands debut album A Warm Glimpse was released in the year 2003. It turned out to be a success, especially among the progressive metal circles, and Farmakon was widely noted by the metal press as a band to keep an eye out for.
Farmakon was signed onto by the Finnish FS Records after Elitist Records came crashing down. The band's second album Robin was released in early 2007. The album continues with the band's trademark twist, but also introduces a darker and more focused side of Farmakon.
In 2010 they split-up.
Band line-up (as of october 2007):
Marko Eskola - Vocals
Toni Salminen - Guitars
Pekka Kauppila - Bass
Riku Airisto - Drums
Coma September
Farmakon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Overwhelming sadness
The heart-breaking beauty
Of the whole world so fragile
I am not the one to carry
The burden of past
But a mere reflection
Like was she
Like a reflection
Of all the warmth
In this world to find
This is the world's balance in misery
A never-ending time and place
Silently tearing down my voice
A hand so close and yet unseen
I can't help her
With my spirit in white
I'm forever doomed to stand aside
And relive this
A single tear
Stretched throughout eternity
I fall into the world behind dreams
And take my share of the sadness unbearable
I miss you so much
My luminescence
The bringer of light
Into the darkness of this town
In these lyrics to Farmakon's song Coma September, the singer is expressing their overwhelming sadness in the face of the "heart-breaking beauty" of the fragile world around them. They feel unable to bear the burden of the past, but are instead a reflection of the suffering that has taken place. The singer speaks of a beloved person, who is perhaps no longer with them, describing her as a "reflection of all the warmth in this world to find." This person seems to represent a balance against the misery present in the world, but despite the singer's desire to help her, they feel they can only stand aside and watch as she suffers, silently tearing down their voice.
The singer's grief is emphasized in the final stanza, as they say they miss their "luminescence," the person who brought light into the darkness of their town. The lyrics suggest that the singer feels helpless and overwhelmed by the overwhelming sadness present in both the world and themselves, and that they are caught in a cycle of reliving this suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm facing the infinite
I'm confronting the vast, never-ending expanse that is life
Overwhelming sadness
Feeling an immense amount of grief and sorrow that is hard to bear
The heart-breaking beauty
The intense emotional impact and power of the world around me
Of the whole world so fragile
The delicate nature of existence and how easily it can be disrupted
I am not the one to carry
I'm not equipped to handle the weight of the past on my own
The burden of past
The heavy emotional weight of past events and experiences
But a mere reflection
I am only a mirror image of someone else's pain
Of her suffering
The pain and hardships that this person has experienced
Like was she
Similar to her in many ways
Like a reflection
A mirror image of who she was or how she felt
Of all the warmth
The comfort and love that she offered to others
In this world to find
The positivity and happiness that exists in life
This is the world's balance in misery
The equal distribution of hardship and sorrow throughout life
A never-ending time and place
The cycle of suffering that seems to have no end or escape
Silently tearing down my voice
The oppressive force of sadness, preventing me from speaking or expressing myself
A hand so close and yet unseen
The help or support that could be available, but is not evident or accessible
I can't help her
There's nothing I can do to ease her pain
With my spirit in white
Despite purity and good intentions, I am powerless against this person's suffering
I'm forever doomed to stand aside
I'm continuously forced to observe and witness her pain without being able to offer any relief
And relive this
Repeatedly experiencing the emotional impact of this situation
A single tear
A small droplet of sadness and grief
Stretched throughout eternity
The intense, everlasting emotional impact of this pain
I fall into the world behind dreams
Entering a state of unconsciousness or escapism in order to evade this reality
And take my share of the sadness unbearable
Experiencing my own portion of the overwhelming sadness and grief that exists in the world
I miss you so much
The intense feeling of longing and sorrow for a lost loved one
My luminescence
The bright and radiant presence that they brought to my life
The bringer of light
The source of positivity and hope in a dark and difficult situation
Into the darkness of this town
The oppressive and gloomy atmosphere that surrounds me
Contributed by Molly L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.