In 1997, the first Ice Ages album, titled "Strike the Ground", was released. In contrast to the orchestral and melancholic atmosphere of Die Verbannten Kinder Evas or the fantasy world of Summoning, this project takes a more aggressive and darker turn.
The second album to be released on Napalm Records in late 2000, "This Killing Emptiness", follows the style of the debut. However, it boasts of a superior sound quality and a more mature writing style that blends ominously with the ever-present deep and distorted voice (and sometimes raw and clearer voice) of Richard Lederer.
In opposite to other releases of the electro scene, the rhythmical structure is more complicated and the tunes are more polyphonic. The aim of Ice Ages is to follow its own typical dark, melodic and sluggish way, and not to follow any modern trends.
After some serious problems with his other projects his whole musical productivity got a huge undesired rest. Anyway this time was not lost, during that time Richard started to deal very intensely with new software synthesizers (mainly with "Reaktor 5") to get more sound possibilities and a wider flexibility of sound creation for Ice Ages. Filled with all those experiences he started to create the new songs in a short time and finally after a delay of 7 years the new album "Buried Silence" is almost completed. The lyrics are again written by Grom, but this time they are especially written for the music, having not existed before and adapted to the music as on the last album.
The new songs follow the style of "This Killing Emptiness"; they are again very dark, slow, and melodic, with a heavy distorted drum-sound, but this time maybe using rougher melodic sounds in most songs and also even increasing in the complexity of the rhythms. the new album will be released end of june again under napalm records.
Shades of Former Light
Ice Ages Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And if you please we'll screen your lucid sight.
Your anxious dreams reflects the bygone live you forsook
So if you please we'll keep your silent sleep
Gasp for breath, this kiss of life we'll give will save you.
we'll be here while you faint
Your dwindling hope will recurrent each time you see us.
Frozen souls like mine, are here to stay
Abandoned hopes and fears will shape our lives for now
Shades of former light black out our sight
to darken all despair, that I lightened up the way to here
These lyrics from Ice Ages's song Shades of Former Light seem to be about a group of people who offer salvation to someone who is struggling to survive or maintain their will to live. The first two lines suggest that the group can "save" the individual by "screen[ing]" their "lucid sight" with a "lie," possibly indicating that the truth is too harsh to bear.
The next two lines describe the individual's "anxious dreams" and the life they have "forgotten," and the group offers to "keep [their] silent sleep," perhaps implying that the person would be better off dead. However, the next stanza presents a more positive outlook, saying that the group will be there to offer the individual the "kiss of life" and save them when they begin to "faint." The lyrics suggest that the individual may lose hope again, but the group will always be present to renew their "dwindling hope" and bring their "sober mind" back to life.
The last stanza presents a more macabre image of the group as "frozen souls" who are "here to stay," referencing their own despair and the "abandoned hopes and fears" that "shape [their] lives for now." The "shades of former light" that "black out" their sight represent the darkness that has enveloped their lives, but which they try to combat by lighting the way for others who are struggling.
Line by Line Meaning
Make a lie and then you'll see that we will save you.
We will pretend that everything is fine and that we can save you from your troubles, even if it is not true.
And if you please we'll screen your lucid sight.
If you are willing, we will hide the truth from you so that you do not have to face reality.
Your anxious dreams reflects the bygone life you forsook.
The dreams that make you anxious are a reminder of the life that you left behind, and the choices that led you to this point.
So if you please we'll keep your silent sleep.
We can help you forget your worries by offering you a peaceful sleep filled with no noise and disturbance.
Gasp for breath, this kiss of life we'll give will save you.
When you feel like you cannot breathe anymore, we will revive you and give you a second chance to live.
we'll be here while you faint.
We will sit by your side and offer support as you struggle to overcome your problems.
Your dwindling hope will recurrent each time you see us.
Your hope may fade away over time, but whenever you see us, it will reignite and give you the strength to carry on.
Your sober mind will turn to life again.
We will help you break free from your despair and find a new purpose that brings your mind back to life.
Frozen souls like mine, are here to stay.
We may seem cold and distant, but we are here to stay and offer you our unwavering support no matter what.
Abandoned hopes and fears will shape our lives for now.
Our lives are shaped by the hopes and fears that we have left behind, and we must learn to live with them in the present moment.
Shades of former light black out our sight.
The light that once guided us in life has faded away, leaving us in the dark with no clear path forward.
to darken all despair, that I lightened up the way to here
We may be lost in despair, but once we were able to illuminate the path that led us here, and we must hold onto that hope as we journey forward.
Contributed by Jackson T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Adrian Fedro
It's not music ... it's part of my soul ...
Bigcubefan
This is very special music, not something you hear every month or even year. So unsettling, hard to put in words.
Great find.
Cesar Martinez
Its a masterpiece. Best album ever.
Thanks for upload!
Kevin Anderson
Protector should do another Ice Ages album. Not only are the lyrics awe-inspiring, but the darkwave feel of it is very haunting and harmonious as well. Long live Protector, and long live Ice Ages!
Zachary Smith
can’t believe how good this is, hidden classic
For the Love of Summoning
Kevin Anderson, Richard has a lot of new songs complete. Now he just has to find a label. Hopefully he can find a good one soon. Can't wait to hear it!
For the Love of Summoning
Kevin Anderson, he is. :) (July 2018) No release dates set yet. But he has written many new songs this year
arcana lysethavis
+PUKEFACE FUCKSTAIN besides my favorite styles of lyrical prose revolves around spiritual and/or dreamscape themes
arcana lysethavis
+PUKEFACE FUCKSTAIN I have yet to study the lyrics of this music and would more than love to see how others express their feelings about what reads to me as varying mental illnesses (which unfortunately most of us have whether we realize it or not)
M. K.
Masterpiece!!!