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.
The Gift
Persephone Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing near the house.
Gazing at the ashes,
All went up in smoke.
There was something about her,
But no-one seemed to see.
Her pale and fearful eyes,
This gift, this strange gift,
It made me see.
This gift, this strange gift,
It made me see;
The dead line up in front of me.
The second was an old man,
Lying stiff on his bed.
He looked so peaceful,
But the doctor shook his head.
As he blew out the candles,
There was silence all around.
While I saw the old man rising,
From his bed without a sound.
This gift, this strange gift,
It made me see.
This gift, this strange gift,
It made me see;
The dead line up in front of me.
Last night I awoke,
You were standing by my side.
Motionless and frozen,
With eyes open wide.
Your lips were slowly moving
But they didn't make a sound.
Like mine three days ago
When they put you in the ground.
This gift, this strange gift,
It made me see.
This gift, this strange gift,
It made me see;
The dead line up in front of me.
I can see the dead.
I can see the dead.
The Gift by Persephone is a powerful song that tells the story of someone who has the ability to see the dead. The singer encounters three different individuals who have passed away and are now visiting them. The first is a young girl who appears to be staring at the ashes of her former life. However, despite her haunting presence, nobody else seems to be aware of her. The second is an old man who is lying on his deathbed. Though he looks peaceful, the singer can see him rising from the bed with the help of the gift they have been given. The final encounter happens when the singer awakens in the middle of the night to find the spirit of their loved one standing by their side, unable to speak but clearly communicating with them.
The gift of being able to see the dead is not without its consequences. The singer is forced to confront the inevitability of death and the fragility of life. They see the dead line up in front of them, reminding them of the ever-present reality of death. This gift is both a curse and a blessing, as it allows the singer to connect with the dead but also exposes them to the pain of loss.
Overall, The Gift is a poignant reminder of the preciousness of life and the inevitability of death. It serves as a warning to cherish every moment before it is too late.
Line by Line Meaning
The first one was a young girl,
There was a young girl standing near the house, gazing at the ashes that had turned into smoke. Her pale and fearful eyes stared at me but nobody else seemed to see her.
There was something about her,
I couldn't put my finger on what it was, but there was definitely something unusual about her.
But no-one seemed to see.
Despite her strange appearance and behavior, nobody else took notice of her.
Her pale and fearful eyes,
The young girl's eyes were unnaturally pale and filled with fear and uncertainty.
The way they stared at me.
She gazed directly at me, fixated on something that I couldn't comprehend.
The second was an old man,
The second person I encountered was an old man lying stiff on his bed, with the doctor shaking his head indicating his passing.
Lying stiff on his bed.
The old man was lying on his bed motionless, as if he was in some kind of deep sleep.
He looked so peaceful,
Despite his passing, he had a peaceful countenance almost as if he was just sleeping.
As he blew out the candles,
The room was dark apart from the candles illuminating the space. When they are snuffed out there was a profound silence.
There was silence all around.
Everything became still and quiet as the candles were extinguished.
While I saw the old man rising,
While everything else was still except for my vision, I saw the old man rising silently from his bed.
From his bed without a sound.
He stood up without so much as a sigh or a creak of the bed.
Last night I awoke,
I awoke from a deep slumber just recently.
You were standing by my side.
You were next to me, standing motionless and statue-like.
Motionless and frozen,
You were not moving at all. Just like a statue.
With eyes open wide.
Though you were standing still, your eyes were wide open and fixated in my direction.
Your lips were slowly moving
You were mouthing what seemed to be words, but there was no sound coming from your lips.
But they didn't make a sound.
Although it seemed like you were speaking, there was no audible sound emanating from your lips.
Like mine three days ago
Your situation was similar to mine three days prior.
When they put you in the ground.
When they buried you.
This gift, this strange gift,
The ability to see the dead.
It made me see.
I have gained the ability to see spirits and communicate with the deceased.
The dead line up in front of me.
The spirits of the departed are clearly visible and lined up right in front of me, waiting for me to acknowledge them.
I can see the dead.
I have been granted the ability to see and interact with the dead.
I can see the dead.
I have been granted the ability to see and interact with the dead.
Contributed by Caden M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
jeferson oliveira
perfeito...