The first four Potmos Hetoimos albums were completely improvised at the time of recording, thus giving them a loose and creative feel that stands apart from later releases. "The Millstone" and "Dance With Divinity" are large-scale concept albums, while "Suffering the Storm" has no guitar, driven entirely by bass.
"Kingdoms" and "The Greater Gospel" saw a greater influence of artists like Cult of Luna and Rosetta, as Potmos Hetoimos shifted toward progressive post-metal. Songs from these albums tend to serve better as standalone pieces than on earlier albums, with standouts including "Thrones", "Matriarch", "Sector 7" and "The Crumbling Dam".
Potmos Hetoimos then drastically shifted gears with the release of "Agatha", a pure funeral doom album inspired by Monolithe, Esoteric, and Ahab. Originally a standalone concept album, the universe of "Agatha" was expanded with the prequel "Evelyn" and the connecting conclusion "Maribel", with each album ramping up the psychedelic and orchestral elements. "Maribel" features violin, flute, and clarinet as primary instruments. Potmos Hetoimos also began to utilize guest appearances more during this era, collaborating with Mike Armine of Rosetta, Chris Grigg of Woe, and James Dorton of Black Crown Initiate among others.
While working on a funeral doom trilogy, Potmos Hetoimos had not forsaken their sludge and post-metal roots, so there was an enormous amount of non-doom material waiting to be recorded after "Maribel". Always fond of excess, Potmos Hetoimos elected to release all of that and more on the triple album "The Paragon Trisagion". Clocking in at three hours and 17 minutes, this release covered post-metal ("Light Wells", "Synthetic Eclipse"), progressive stoner metal ("Queen of the Fire", "Residence Altar"), and more straightforward prog metal ("Heliamartia", "Shadetree") as well as unusual diversions ("Blue Agave Prism", "Nostalgia Nausea") before the grand finale, "Wayward Stars" – a 55-minute prog epic that would make Arjen Lucassen and Neal Morse proud. Guests on "The Paragon Trisagion" included Persefone's Carlos Lozano, Crib45's Teemu Mantynen, First Reign's Sean Lang, and members of the Baltimore Rock Opera Society.
For the next album, "Vox Medusae", Potmos Hetoimos expanded their ambitious progressive sludge sound to incorporate elements of blackened hardcore as well as jazz and funk, making use of saxophone, piano, and slap bass throughout the album. The album was released on Not Music records.
Isolation
Potmos Hetoimos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Time elapses into absence
Like the whisper fades in clamor
Life is lost in the sea of noise
Like the air fades in the aether
Frail and gaunt in darkened thrall
Thus the old grow in their sorrow
Agatha was rejected by her own blood
Isolated in her own generation
Loneliness and despair her sole companion
After the disappearance of her first love)
It's been three years
He left through that very door
To the lake, one last time...
There was a storm, I know
I never saw him again
And oh, things have changed since then...
The children never show their faces anymore
Shameful at this age I should be ignored
A poor widow like me, alone in this house...
Who knows what could happen?
This solitude is a chain around my neck
A weight on my soul, a thorn in my heart
What happened to family?
What happened to home?
What happened to never being alone?
The lyrics of "Isolation" by Potmos Hetoimos depict a sense of profound loneliness and despair. The opening lines compare the sorrow felt by the elderly to a collective aging process that leads to a feeling of absence and isolation. The whispers of hope and connection gradually fade amidst the clamor of everyday life, lost in a sea of noise. The imagery of air fading into the aether further emphasizes the frailty and vulnerability of those trapped in darkened thrall.
The second verse introduces Agatha, a character who is rejected by her own blood and isolated within her own generation. The lyrics convey her deep sense of loneliness and despair, with only loneliness and despair as her constant companions. The disappearance of her first love amplifies her feelings of isolation. The emotions evoked in these verses suggest the pain and longing that comes from being forsaken by those we hold dear.
In the bridge, the lyrics shift to a first-person perspective as the singer reflects on the passage of time since a loved one left through a door. The mention of a storm indicates a tragic event, signaling that something terrible happened to the loved one. The singer expresses that they have changed in the time since, and there is an underlying sense of grief and loss.
The final verse introduces the children, who are no longer seen and barely acknowledged by others. The singer, a poor widow, finds herself alone in the house, contemplating the uncertainty and potential dangers of her isolation. The lyrics touch upon the questioning of what happened to family, what happened to the warmth of home, and ultimately what happened to the promise of never being alone.
Overall, "Isolation" portrays the deep emotional distress and longing that can arise from feelings of abandonment, rejection, and being cut off from meaningful connections. It speaks to the universal human desire for love, belonging, and the fear of being left alone in a world full of noise and indifference.
Line by Line Meaning
Like the old grow in their sorrow
Similar to how elderly people become consumed by their grief
Time elapses into absence
As time passes, the feeling of emptiness becomes more prominent
Like the whisper fades in clamor
Just like a quiet whisper gets drowned out in loud noises
Life is lost in the sea of noise
The essence of life gets lost amidst chaotic and distracting surroundings
Like the air fades in the aether
Similar to how air dissipates into the ethereal realm
Frail and gaunt in darkened thrall
Becoming weak and thin while trapped in a state of darkness and suffering
Thus the old grow in their sorrow
Therefore, elderly individuals continue to experience their grief
When forsaken by all they have
When abandoned by everyone and everything they hold dear
Agatha was rejected by her own blood
Agatha faced rejection and abandonment from her own family
Isolated in her own generation
Agatha felt completely alone and alienated within her own age group
Loneliness and despair her sole companion
Agatha found herself accompanied only by feelings of isolation and hopelessness
After the disappearance of her first love
Following the vanishing of her initial romance
It's been three years
Three years have passed since that incident
He left through that very door
He departed through the same door as before
To the lake, one last time...
He went to the lake for a final occasion
There was a storm, I know
I am aware that there was a storm
I never saw him again
I never had the opportunity to see him after that
And oh, things have changed since then...
And oh, how things have altered since that moment...
The children never show their faces anymore
The children no longer reveal themselves
Shameful at this age I should be ignored
At my age, it is disgraceful to be disregarded
A poor widow like me, alone in this house...
A destitute widow such as myself, isolated in this residence...
Who knows what could happen?
Who knows what unfortunate events may unfold?
This solitude is a chain around my neck
This isolation feels like an oppressive burden
A weight on my soul, a thorn in my heart
A heavy burden on my spirit, a source of constant pain
What happened to family?
What became of the concept of family?
What happened to home?
What happened to the idea of a home?
What happened to never being alone?
What happened to the assurance of never experiencing solitude?
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Matt Matheson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind