Quickly gathering excellent reviews, SIG:AR:TYR was signed to Karmageddon Records (formerly Hammerheart) only two months after the release of The Stranger demo. SIG:AR:TYR's next project was to forge a concept work with more metal musical elements, while retaining the acoustic-ambient atmosphere. Unfortunately, before the album could be released Karmageddon went out of business and SIG:AR:TYR was back into the underground.
In 2005, SIG:AR:TYR released the debut full-length release, Sailing the Seas of Fate via Morbid Winter Records. The album, a mixture of metal and acoustic music, tells the story of a Viking quest to the far northern reaches of the world to retrieve an object to turn the tide of Christianity.
In 2008, SIG:AR:TYR released the second full-length album Beyond The North Winds that built upon the folk metal and acoustic atmosphere introduced in Sailing the Seas of Fate to create a powerful and diverse pagan metal album. Beyond The North Winds received many excellent reviews and inclusion on several top ten lists for 2008.
Riding the momentum of the great reception received by Beyond the North Winds, SIG:AR:TYR immediately plunged back into the writing and recording process in 2009 to create Godsaga, a darker, harsher album that explores the concepts of loss and sacrifice in the tales of both Egil's Saga and Odin's sacrifice on the world tree Yggdrasil. Godsaga is set to be released in early 2010.
King of the World
SIG:AR:TYR Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the winds of the South, far from Western lands
A shadowed throne He wrought, and the nine He taught
Of a future kingdom, of a distant time
The wise have sought Him, and the brave have fought Him
The false have worshipped Him, the true have revered Him
He whose fate, the spinning world lies
And the dreams of an ancient sign, of a shadow far from time
And the priest whose next in line, bloodied hand on poisoned vine
In the light of the pure green ray, of the elder ones that stayed
And a world that's far away, in a night where there is no day
Few have seen His dreams, or heard the silent screams
Chained to this world, Rex Mundi...
Lord of creation, child of the black sun
The lyrics to SIG:AR:TYR's song King of the World describe a mythical figure - the King of the World - who rules from a shadowed throne beyond the Eastern Sands, far from Western lands. This figure has taught nine individuals of a future kingdom, of a distant time, and is both feared and revered by those who have sought Him out. The song describes how this figure's fate lies within the mountains, far from ancient skies, and how the dreams of an ancient sign foretell His coming.
The song also references a priest who is next in line, whose bloody hand grips a poisoned vine. This imagery of deadly symbolism seems to suggest that this priest will be instrumental in bringing about the King of the World's reign. The lyrics also mention the pure green ray of the elder ones that stayed, which adds a mystical quality to the narrative. The song concludes with the ominous refrain, "Chained to this world, Rex Mundi...Lord of creation, child of the black sun", reinforcing the sense of unease and foreboding that pervades the song.
Line by Line Meaning
In the distant North, beyond the Eastern Sands
Refers to a place very far away and unknown, beyond boundaries.
From the winds of the South, far from Western lands
Describes a distant and unknown location to the South, far from the known Western territories.
A shadowed throne He wrought, and the nine He taught
Describes a powerful ruler who created a throne and shared knowledge with a group of nine individuals.
Of a future kingdom, of a distant time
The ruler and his followers have knowledge and plans for a kingdom and time that is far in the future.
The wise have sought Him, and the brave have fought Him
Both intelligent and courageous individuals have interacted with the ruler.
The false have worshipped Him, the true have revered Him
Individuals who are not genuine have worshipped the ruler, while those who are genuine and respectful have honored him.
He whose fate, the spinning world lies
The ruler's fate is intertwined with the fate of the entire world.
Within the mountains, far from ancient skies
The ruler is located in the mountains, far from familiar skies.
And the dreams of an ancient sign, of a shadow far from time
There are dreams related to an old symbol or concept that is distant and hard to define.
And the priest whose next in line, bloodied hand on poisoned vine
The next priest in line has a bloodied hand on a poisoned vine, suggesting a religious or spiritual significance with a warning or negative consequence.
In the light of the pure green ray, of the elder ones that stayed
There is a pure green light emanating, possibly from ancient individuals who remained behind.
And a world that's far away, in a night where there is no day
The world being referred to is distant, and in a state where there is no daylight.
Few have seen His dreams, or heard the silent screams
Only a few have seen what the ruler visualizes or heard the silent cries of his followers.
Chained to this world, Rex Mundi...
The ruler is bound to this world, and is referred to as Rex Mundi.
Lord of creation, child of the black sun
The ruler is both a creator and referred to as the child of the black sun, a symbol with a negative connotation.
Contributed by Sydney I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.