1. A band from Austria / Germany
1. A band from Austria / Germany
2. A band from the United States
3. A Witch House / Hip Hop / Trap Producer from Sweden
1. Sonja Kraushofer meets for the first time Tobias Hahn, who produced the L'Âme Immortelle album "Dann habe ich umsonst gelebt". As a result of this creative collaboration and of extended talks, the idea emerges to bring forth a new conjoint project that will also involve Dirk Riegert in a pivotal role as a songwriter.
As early as 1999, Sonja Kraushofer, while on a tour with the band Christian Death, met Christian Death’s guitarist at that time, Wim Leydes. He then goes on to perform some of his own compositions for Sonja and the singer is elated. One of the pieces is entitled "Forest Song" that is featured on the debut album "Home" and that in turn leads Wim to join the band.
In autumn, the first song drafts are created. The cello assumes a central role and PERSEPHONE succeeds in winning over the instrumentalist Martin Höfert, who will later become the live-arranger of the formation.
After a half a year of preparations and elaborations of the existing drafts the first full-length album with the title "Home" is produced at the Nachtschicht-studios by Tobias Hahn and Dirk Riegert.
The artwork-artist Joachim Luetke is responsible for the visual presentation and his name is often mentioned in connection with bands such as Marilyn Manson, Dimmu Borgir, Pain and Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows.
The first album is released in January and is welcomed both by the public and the press. PERSEPHONE presents itself at fortresses, castles and other buildings with flair for the first time live, and embarks together with Janus on the very successful "Winterreise"-tour. Furthermore, the band pays tribute to the "Wave-Gotik Treffen". Martin gets supported with the cello by Holger Wilhelmi who becomes another member of the group.
PERSEPHONE devotes itself to the Nachtschicht studios to the subsequent EP-production, "Still...".
Dirk Riegert withdraws from the project.
The EP "Still..." is released almost exactly one year after the album "Home" was released in a limited edition that in turn is sold out within a short time. It includes, aside from live-recordings and a remix, a new song.
Plans for a full-length album have been made and shall be implemented now. Due to time constraints and occupational reasons Tobias Hahn is forced to cancel his participation in the production of the new album. In November the band assembles at the studio in order to record the new album "Atma Gyan" that will be released in March of 2004. For this purpose, PERSEPHONE invites Matt Howden (Sieben) and producer John A. Rivers (Dead Can Dance) as part of the team. The production concludes in January 2004.
The album "Atma Gyan" is released in March 2004 and sets the starting point of a concept which spreads over the whole of 2004. Part of this concept is a one-year-concert-cycle where the band plays only one concert per month. After PERSEPHONE already has been supported by Johannes Kramer (Doublebass, Cello) in 2003, John Abdelsayed (Percussions) joins the formation. As a special guest the band invites the highly skilled guitarist Frederik Behrens for the concerts in Krefeld and at Schloss Wernigerode. The other part of the concept is a second album which is recorded in summer. "Mera Sangeet Kho Gaya" is again produced by John A. Rivers. It is released on 6th December 2004 and completes "Atma Gyan" as well musically as thematically. The last concert finalizes the extraordinary concept about the mythological character of Persephone.
2. There is not much available about the USA band Persephone. They are from New Mexico, fronted by a transplanted Nebraska woman named Persephone. She says she is inspired by her husband and children. Persephone , according to her, has been pretending to be a rock star since lip-synching along to Abba when she was 8 years old. The album, Birth of Persephone, was self-released in 2006. The sound is a blending of jazz and folk.
From Within
Persephone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
While my truths collide
Confusion won my inspiration
My times alone I won't forget
Yet fear of loss makes me regret
My soul, it lays broken
But I just can't pretend
It won't show on the surface
My true inspiration
And realisation
Your contamination
My incarnation
Can't hide the lie
And those tears I cry
I yearned for truth
Eventually...
Losing my faith only took me a second
Finding my illusions, impenetrable
Presume I'd seduce you
With my loneliness
My soul, it lays broken
But I just can't pretend
It won't show on the surface
Sure you'll understand
"All my impressions that I faced and the answers I sought.
The illusions that I chased and the pain it caused,
Slumbered by violet skies and the bloodred seas
Through unreal forests and abandoned outlands.
Regardless of what I learned, despite of what I feel.
None of it all solves my loss."
The first few lines of the song showcase the singer's world crumbling before them, leading to confusion and fear of loss. The character is grappling with their emotions and trying to put on a brave face despite feeling broken inside. The lyrics "My true inspiration and realization, your contamination, my incarnation" could suggest that the singer is in a toxic relationship that has tainted their way of thinking and being. Despite all this, the character still yearns for the truth and faces their illusions, even if it causes them pain.
The singer then talks about how losing faith didn't take much time, but finding their illusions was much harder to do. They presume that they can seduce others with their loneliness, but they can't continue to pretend they're okay when really they feel shattered inside. The final lines of the song suggest that although the character has learned a lot and experienced much pain, it still hasn't solved their sense of loss.
Line by Line Meaning
I see my world collapse
I feel like everything is falling apart
While my truths collide
My beliefs are contradicting each other
Confusion won my inspiration
My confusion has taken away my creativity
My times alone I won't forget
I value my moments of solitude and reflection
Yet fear of loss makes me regret
The fear of losing something important makes me regret some of my decisions
My soul, it lays broken
I feel emotionally shattered
But I just can't pretend
I cannot fake how I truly feel
It won't show on the surface
I am good at hiding my emotions
Sure you'll understand
I hope you can empathize with me
My true inspiration
The thing that really motivates me
And realisation
The moment I realized something important
Your contamination
The corrupting influence of someone or something else
My incarnation
The embodiment of who I am
Can't hide the lie
I cannot conceal the truth
And those tears I cry
I am not afraid to show my emotions
I yearned for truth
I always wanted to know the truth
Eventually...
I hope to learn the truth one day
Losing my faith only took me a second
It was easy for me to lose my faith
Finding my illusions, impenetrable
It is difficult for me to let go of my illusions
Presume I'd seduce you
I thought my loneliness would make you feel sorry for me
With my loneliness
I feel lonely
All my impressions that I faced and the answers I sought.
All the experiences I had and the questions I asked
The illusions that I chased and the pain it caused,
The fantasies I pursued and the suffering it brought me
Slumbered by violet skies and the bloodred seas
I am haunted by dark memories
Through unreal forests and abandoned outlands.
In strange and desolate places
Regardless of what I learned, despite of what I feel.
Even though I gained knowledge and felt emotions
None of it all solves my loss.
None of it can make up for my losses
Contributed by Charlie R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.