HELLFIGHTER’S orig… Read Full Bio ↴Metal from the black heart of Northern England...
HELLFIGHTER’S origins can be traced back to UK Metal band Xentrix, who were at the forefront of the European thrash metal scene in the 1990s. They released five albums and toured Europe extensively with bands such as Testament, Sabbat and Tankard, receiving widespread critical acclaim. They are now acknowledged as one of the foremost British exponents of the Thrash Metal genre.
After a period spent working on different projects ex-Xentrix members, Kristian Havard (guitar), Den Gasser (drums) and Simon Gordon (vocals) reformed in 2007, recruiting Pete Stone (ex Kill II This) and bassist Mel Gasser to complete the line up of HELLFIGHTER. In 2008/9 the band played a number of UK shows, including the Bloodstock and Metalfest festivals as well as recording a demo, which is still available for streaming on the band’s web site, Hellfighter.co.uk.
At the end of 2009 the band signed to Heavy Metal Records. The label, which celebrated its 30th year in 2010, has worked with artists like Accept, Diamond Head, Witchfinder General, Paul Di’Anno, Marshall Law and Biomechanical.
Hellfighter's debut album "Damnation’s Wings" had its physical release in Q1 2011 (following a limited period digital release) and is available from Plastic Head in the UK and Europe, MVD in the United States & Canada and worldwide on HMR Digital & iTunes.
Hellfighter have made a number of very well received live appearances in the UK. Their Hammerfest II festival 2010 appearance was warmly received and the band is planning more festival appearances and a tour to promote the "Damnation’s Wings" album.
Descent
Hellfighter Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Out past the tower, a secret of shame
A time repressive, spoken in whispers
Cometh the hour, cometh the pain
To the priestess, your sacrifice
For a profit, a life
Faded image, dark memory
Fall into the nightmare
River rises dark below
In my eyes the Earth reclaims you
I still your breath, and take your soul
A child of a time, ignorant monsters
Give her a life and cast her aside
An outcast reviled, left to her own path
Searching for hope, found by a lie
To the priestess, your sacrifice
For a profit, a life
Faded image, dark memory
Crawling horror, your crime
Fall into the nightmare
River rises dark below
In my eyes the Earth reclaims you
I still your breath, and take your soul
Pulling the tie, hurry the ending
The Quietness feeds, deadens the cries
How many souls? Decades to hide them
Deep in the cold the evidence lies
Fall into the nightmare
River rises dark below
In my eyes the Earth reclaims you
I still your breath, and take your soul
The lyrics of Hellfighter's song Descent discuss the dark and disturbing world of human sacrifice, where individuals are used by their fellow humans as a means to an end. The opening lines create a haunting atmosphere, describing a figure in the water that is hidden in secrecy and shame. The imagery of a tower creates a sense of oppression, with the time spoken of as repressive moments. The pain that is to come is haunting, with the song marking an individual's descent into a waking nightmare.
The focus of the lyrics is about the institution of human sacrifice, and the sharp contrast between the selfish priests who use others’ lives for profit, and their helpless victims. The lyrics describe the priestess who demands a sacrifice for a profit, with a "faded image, dark memory; creeping horror" marking the crime committed. The victim falls into a nightmare and disappears, with the river taking their soul. The "child of a time, ignorant monsters" describes the sacrifice of young children, who were abandoned after their use. Their lives were crushed and left to find their own purpose. The lyrics then repeat the importance of the priestess and the crimes that she has committed, with a haunting reminder of the victim's sacrifice.
Line by Line Meaning
Pale in the night, a shape in the water
There is a faint figure in the water under the pale moonlight.
Out past the tower, a secret of shame
A shameful secret is concealed beyond the tower.
A time repressive, spoken in whispers
This time is full of suppression and people can only whisper about it.
Cometh the hour, cometh the pain
Pain will inevitably happen when the time comes.
To the priestess, your sacrifice
You are sacrificing yourself to the priestess.
For a profit, a life
The priestess gains something in return for taking your life.
Faded image, dark memory
A memory that is fading and filled with darkness.
Crawling horror, your crime
The horror that you committed is still affecting you and crawling within you.
Fall into the nightmare
The situation becomes a nightmare and you cannot escape it.
River rises dark below
The river underneath you is dark and ominous.
In my eyes the Earth reclaims you
From my perspective, the earth takes you back to itself.
I still your breath, and take your soul
I stop your breathing and take your soul away from you.
A child of a time, ignorant monsters
During this period, existence is dominated by ignorant monsters.
Give her a life and cast her aside
She is given a life but then left alone and neglected.
An outcast reviled, left to her own path
She is shunned and left to take her own path.
Searching for hope, found by a lie
She is looking for hope but is tricked by a lie.
Pulling the tie, hurry the ending
Hasten the conclusion by tightening the knot.
The Quietness feeds, deadens the cries
Silence is what fuels and quiets the cries.
How many souls? Decades to hide them
There are many souls and it takes decades to hide them all away.
Deep in the cold the evidence lies
The proof is buried deep in the cold environment.
Fall into the nightmare
The situation becomes a nightmare and cannot be escaped.
River rises dark below
The river underneath you is dark and ominous.
In my eyes the Earth reclaims you
From my perspective, the earth takes you back to itself.
I still your breath, and take your soul
I stop your breathing and take your soul away from you.
Contributed by Hailey L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.