Ramesses was a sludge / doom metal band from Dorset, England, featuring ex-… Read Full Bio ↴Ramesses was a sludge / doom metal band from Dorset, England, featuring ex-members of Electric Wizard. Ramesses was formed in February 2003 by Tim Bagshaw and Mark Greening (ex-Electric Wizard) with Adam Richardson formerly of Lord of Putrefaction, Spirmyard, and Hexed. They play a form of "crushing blackened doom" with "torrential riffing", "concussive percussion" and frightening growls[citation needed] composed during "freeform psychedelic jams".

In 2011 the band released their 3rd full-length album "Possessed By The Rise of Magick". Then shortly followed it up with the studio/live ep "Chrome Pineal". It featured 3 new studio tracks and 3 live tracks recorded in 2007. In 2012 it was announced that Founding member / guitarist Tim Bagshaw had left the band. Tim had moved from England to the United States and formed the sludge / doom metal band Serpentine Path with all 3 members of the band Unearthly Trance. Mike Vest of the band Bong filed in on guitar for live performances.

On January 29, 2013 on their official website the band announced an "hibernation". It had also been stated on Mark Greenings facebook page that he had quit the band in October 2012 to rejoin a previous band, name of said band not mentioned. The band Greening re-joined was confirmed to be Electric Wizard. Adam Richardson is working on a new project entitled 11Paranoias with Mike Vest of "Bong". Mark Greening was also a previous member of that project.

Baptism of the Walking Dead
Ramesses Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All Rise to The Sabbath
Into The Circle
Low Key

Baptised at The Sabbath
Walk Blind
Low Key

Into The Circle
Drawn Swords
And spell The Pentagram
with strokes of Five

All Rise to The Sabbath
Into The Circle
Low Key

Baptised at The Sabbath
Walk Blind
Low Key

Lay on your back Blinded by Sun
Blackened as before
All your work undone
Cascading through these Fields of Death
Burning your Mind
Burning your Mind

Spitting Coffin Nails
The Deadening End
Always Knowing the Task
Lifeless Timeless
Glory and Light

Crushed by Fate

Born too Late
And now The Blood

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Ramesses's song "Baptism of the Walking Dead" present a haunting image of someone being initiated into a dark and ominous world through a series of rituals. The opening lines of "All Rise to The Sabbath" and "Into The Circle" create a sense of gathering and preparation, as if a group of people have convened to bring the singer into their midst. The repetition of "Low Key" underscores the sense of secrecy and danger involved in this process.

The next verse describes the baptism itself, with the person being "Baptised at The Sabbath" and then instructed to "Walk Blind" in a state of submission and perhaps even fear. The lines "Into The Circle / Drawn Swords / And spell The Pentagram / with strokes of Five" evoke the image of a supernatural ritual, with the participants wielding swords to carve out a mystical symbol that will somehow empower or connect them.

The final lines of the song bring a sense of darkness and doom, as the person being initiated is "Crushed by Fate" and seems to have been "Born too Late" to escape their inevitable fate. The striking image of "Spitting Coffin Nails / The Deadening End" conjures up the idea of a resurrected corpse, doomed to wander in a state of eternal unrest. The overall effect of the lyrics, combined with the doomy, sludgy music, is to create a sense of dread and foreboding, as if the listener is witnessing something dark and dangerous.

Line by Line Meaning

All Rise to The Sabbath
Everyone gather for the Sabbath

Into The Circle
Entering a sacred space

Low Key
In a manner that is not showy or boastful

Baptised at The Sabbath
Having a religious ceremony at the Sabbath

Walk Blind
Moving without sight

Low Key
In a manner that is not showy or boastful

Into The Circle
Entering a sacred space

Drawn Swords
Using weapons aggressively

And spell The Pentagram
Creating a sacred symbol

with strokes of Five
Using five movements to create the symbol

All Rise to the Sabbath
Everyone gather for the Sabbath