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.
Strike the Ground
Ice Ages Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm backled to the chair
Here I travel lonely through the air I fly
The might flies by so fast
Suddenly a cry beneath me
I find my aircraft gone
I'm falling to the ground
The planet disappears.
Here I am and ready to die
But I don't stop my falling
Trapped in silent nightmares
As part of time as slave to death
My life will never end
Release me from this sickness
Please talk to may abandoned soul
I wish my tiny heart
To finally strike the ground.
[by Ray Wells]
The lyrics to Ice Ages' song Strike the Ground describe the experience of a person who is flying in an aircraft that suddenly disappears, causing them to fall towards the ground. The singer is "enshrouded in the bed of steel" and "backled to the chair", creating an image of being trapped and helpless. Despite their imminent death, the singer continues to fall without attempting to resist or save themselves.
The tone of the song is one of resignation and despair, with the singer acknowledging that they are a "slave to death" and their "life will never end". They ask for someone to "release me from this sickness" and "talk to my abandoned soul", showing a desire for some form of comfort or solace in their final moments. The line "I wish my tiny heart to finally strike the ground" suggests that the singer sees death as a release from their torment.
Overall, the song strikes a somber note, portraying the futility and finality of death. It encourages listeners to reflect on their own mortality and what they would want in their final moments.
Line by Line Meaning
Enshrouded in the bed of steel
I am surrounded by metal as I travel through the air in a machine.
I'm backled to the chair
I am restrained in a seat, unable to move freely.
Here I travel lonely through the air I fly
I am flying alone through the sky without anyone to accompany me.
The might flies by so fast
Time seems to move quickly as I fly through the air.
Suddenly a cry beneath me
I hear a loud noise coming from below where I am flying.
I find my aircraft gone
My plane has disappeared or has been destroyed.
I'm falling to the ground
I am descending toward the earth with gravity pulling me down.
As I plunge towards my destiny
I am aware that I am heading toward a predetermined fate.
The planet disappears.
As I continue to fall, the world around me becomes less and less visible.
Here I am and ready to die
I accept my fate of death as I fall.
But I don't stop my falling
Despite my acceptance of death, I continue to plummet to the ground.
Trapped in silent nightmares
I am mentally confined to a state of fear and distress.
As part of time as slave to death
I am subject to the laws and inevitability of time and death.
My life will never end
Even if I die, the impact of my life will continue to exist.
Release me from this sickness
I wish to be released from the mental agony that is weighing on me.
Please talk to may abandoned soul
I am seeking some form of spiritual guidance or comfort in my despair.
I wish my tiny heart
I desire for the small and fragile part of me to be heard and acknowledged.
To finally strike the ground.
I want to hit the ground and bring an end to my suffering.
Contributed by Stella C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.