Both are from a small town called Aurland in Norway. Christer Andresen was founding member of the long-lived metal band Madam Curie (1988-1998). This band toured Norway a lot, but never released a proper album ever. Arild Aardalen was member of Protos Nemesis (techno-rock) and Alien Love Gardeners (pop-rock). During the summer of 2005, after having played in various bands and projects for about 10 years, Chris and Arild decided to embark on a musical project of their own. They wanted to focus primarily on the songwriting this time, and not so much the band concept. The goal was to write a great album, record it, and get it relesaed. Though the musical expression of Keldian was explored in different directions, they quickly ended up on a melodic and powerful style of metal heavily inspired by a lot of the legends from the 80's. After about two weeks of writing and pre-production recordings, a very rough demo-version of their debut album "Heaven's Gate" was finished. For different reasons, the project was now laid to rest for about a year. They picked up the ball again early summer 2006. With a fresh perspective, the demo-versions of the songs were revieved. Most of them were re-worked and a couple of them were cut from the record completely. Keldian is the first project by Christer and Arild. Christer played all the guitars and did the majority of the vocal work. Arild did all the keyboards and some vocal work, he also engineered and produced the album. Their debut album "Heaven's Gate" features Jorn Holen from the norwegian black-metal bands Vreid and Windir. He is friend with Christer since there high school days. Album also features Maja Svisdahl, Gunhild Matea Olaussen and Mats Rybo. Maja is a singer/songwriter in Norway. She makes folk/country/pop inspired music. She has a very beutiful voice. Gunhild is a violin player of norwegian band called black metal band "Pantheon I" and Mats is singer from "The Fabulous Lightbulb Society". The "Heaven's Gate" album is basic 80's Scandinavian beautiful hard rock and has a lot of good melody that hits your heart. "Heaven's Gate" was released in Japan with a Japanese edit of Plains of Forever (track 10) and Japan bonus track "Hope".
God Of War
Keldian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
God of war, god of war
Beneath a veil of red
An entire world is lying dead
It's buried deep below
Man must never know
Man must never wake the sleeping god again
Beneath the sands of mars
Fell to rest at last, lost among the stars
The dark spiritual curse
Death of the universe
What once was must never come to life again
God of war, god of war
God of war, god of war
God of war, god of war
God of war, god of war
The secret must remain
I will seal the tomb and endure the pain
So I have lived in vain
All my children slain
May I never see the light of day again
(Sleeping, weeping god of war,
Thou art not dreadful anymore,
Heinous, twisted dreams remain
'Till hate will give you life again.)
The lyrics to Keldian's song God of War are quite straightforward yet somewhat layered. The song is a warning about an ancient, powerful and destructive force known as the God of War. The first two lines introduce us to the God of War himself, and the following lines reveal the consequences of disturbing his rest.
The first verse describes a world lying dead beneath a veil of red. This could be a reference to Mars, the "Red Planet," and the possibility of an ancient and devastating civilization that existed there a long time ago. The verse then warns that man must never know or wake the sleeping God again. Man, in this case, represents the potential curiosity and recklessness that could unearth the catastrophic force of the God of War.
The second verse then mentions a dark and spiritual curse that fell to rest on Mars, lost among the stars. Perhaps this refers to the God of War's origin and a warning not to awaken him by exploring the planets and stars outside our own. The verse concludes with a call that the God of War must never come to life again. This is a clear message that the God of War could lead to the death of the universe as we know it.
The final verse then takes on a more personal tone. The singer declares that he will seal the tomb and endure the pain, so the secret of the God of War's existence may never be revealed again. He reflects that he has lived in vain as all his children are slain. This could be a metaphor for the costs of war and the destruction it brings, and the hope that we will one day learn from these mistakes. The final lines of the song is somewhat paradoxical: the sleeping, weeping God of War, who is no longer dreadful but remains in twisted dreams until hate gives him life again. This line suggests that the God of War is a manifestation of hate and violence in human society, and we must always strive to overcome these traits and prevent them from unleashing destruction and chaos.
Line by Line Meaning
God of war, god of war
Reinforces the divine power and presence of the subject of the song as the god of war.
Beneath a veil of red
Describes the aftermath of a battle, with the imagery of a red veil representing blood and death strewn across the battlefield.
An entire world is lying dead
Indicates the scale and effects of the war, with entire communities and civilizations, not just individuals, lost in the conflict.
It's buried deep below
The tragedy of the war is hidden and kept from sight, buried by the passage of time and the inaction of those who could prevent it.
Man must never know
The knowledge of what has happened and the true nature of the god of war is too dangerous for humans to possess.
Man must never wake the sleeping god again
Concludes the first stanza with a warning against rousing the god of war from his slumber, as the consequences would be too terrible to bear.
Beneath the sands of mars
A reference to the wider universe, emphasizing that the god of war is not just confined to Earth.
Fell to rest at last, lost among the stars
The god of war has been defeated and subdued, left to drift and be forgotten among the expanses of space.
The dark spiritual curse
The remnants of the god of war's power still hold an influence, casting a shadow over the universe and the forces that govern it.
Death of the universe
The end result of the god of war's influence, one where destruction and ruin have consumed everything, leaving nothing that remains of the universe.
What once was must never come to life again
Echoing the refrain from the first stanza, reiterating the importance of preventing the god of war from returning and causing more destruction.
The secret must remain
The knowledge of how to awaken the god of war and the horrific events of its previous awakening must be kept hidden and suppressed.
I will seal the tomb and endure the pain
An expression of the desperate lengths to which the singer will go to keep the god of war sealed away; even if it causes them immense suffering, they will continue to keep the tomb sealed.
So I have lived in vain
The emotional toll of the struggle against the god of war is bleakly expressed, with the singer feeling as though their entire life has been a waste in the face of the destructive power they face.
All my children slain
The additional horror of the god of war's destruction is that it destroys not only adults, but children as well, casting the tragedy over an entire generation.
May I never see the light of day again
Wishing for a permanent end to their battle, the singer would rather remain sealed underground than face the terrible consequences of awakening the god of war.
Sleeping, weeping god of war,
Thou art not dreadful anymore,
Heinous, twisted dreams remain
'Till hate will give you life again.
A final acknowledgement of the god of war's power, tempered by a glimmer of hope that its resurrection may yet be prevented if the hatred and violence that allows it to live are finally overcome.
Contributed by Alexis F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.