Still, there were some practical problems to be solved with these young Swedes being quite far away. However, the Internet came to the rescue. The possibility of having access to Piet's studio during the songwriting sessions made this quite an easy mission. Sending mp3 files back and forth and discussing song structures and sounds through e-mails and phone conversations became a natural way to work for Savage Circus. Then, as soon as everybody was available, they met up in Hamburg at Piet's studio to record stuff and have a beer or two, iced tea if you happen to be Thomen. After this get-together two songs were finished, "Evil Eyes" and "IT - The Gathering". Excited by the fast progress everybody returned home and continued their songwriting and mp3-sending until there was nine Savage Circus original songs finished.
In February 2005, Thomen began laying down the final drum tracks for the debut album at Hammer studios (formerly known as Karo Studios) with Piet. Following the drum recordings Piet recorded the final rhythm guitars and bass tracks. Shortly after, Emil and Jens headed to Hamburg again to record their respective guitar and vocal parts. Just before mixing the album, Thomen made the decision to leave Blind Guardian due to reasons only he and his band know. This made Savage Circus his main band. As this was only meant to be a side project from the beginning it suddenly became significantly more serious. Piet, together with Rolf Köhler (also from Blind Guardian), delivered the backing vocals for the album, and after this an extensive mixing and finalizing session took place.
On August 29th, 2005, their debut album Dreamland Manor was released.
In August 2006, the band decided to release founding member Thomen Stauch from all duties due to personal problems. While touring in 2006 and 2007 Thomas Nack of Iron Savior fame played live, replacing the original drummer.
With Mike Terrana joining the band in September 2007 the open drum position was filled with a drummer being able to measure up with his predecessor. Also Yenz Leonhardt became a full member. With the new line-up the band began to write songs again and created the 2nd studio album. All members contributed to the songwriting sending back and forth bits and pieces, parts and lyrics via the internet. During 2008/2009 the material grew more and more and in spring 2009 the band was ready to jump into the studio and produce .
Savage Circus is more than ready to return to the scene. The long awaited new album "Of Doom And Death” shows all trademarks of “Dreamland Manor”. Progressive and powerful songwriting combined with elaborate arrangements, lots of melodies and harmonies, raging guitars rounded up with the vocals towering on the music.
Soulfood Lyric wise Savage Circus are picking up on Stephen King’s “Dark Tower”, Frank Herbert’s “Dune” and other fantasy and dark tales. From speed monsters such as the title track “Of Doom And Death” to the majestic “Ballad Of Susan” Savage Circus created an album with all the varieties one would expect . Savage Circus are definitely back and ready to deliver another banging album.
In 2011 Piet Sielck left the band. A year later Mike Terrana and Yenz Leonhardt made the same move. The original drummer Thomen Stauch returned to the band after 6 years of absence. Mi Schüren, who plays keyboards during the Blind Guardian shows, joined the band as the keyboardist and Thorsten "Toto" Hain joined the band as a guitarist.
Empire
Savage Circus Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the empire of the dead
Rain is pouring on a ground
Bare of life
The dead are rising
They're walking the streets
Of ruble and dust
As I try to stay alive
Seems as if the gods
Have finally turned away
On the edge
On the edge of judgement day
And the sentence is death
Come and take your final breath
Empire of the living dead
Unlocked by a mortal hand
Hallelujah
Empire of the living dead
Set free from the underworld
To walk the mortals land
To walk the earth
Aboulic creatures like empty shells
Are prowling the night
No escape nowhere to hide
The jaws of hell are open wide
Ready to take on the world
To destroy all humankind
But as long there is life in my veins
The hope for deliverance remains
No one will hear your prayers
No one will hear you crave
No one will hear you scream
Oh no you can't be saved
Empire of the living dead
As the sun is going down
I know that it's too late
Nothing can save me now
I know there's no escape
Doomed to die
I'm waiting for the night
For I know
I'll never see the light
Again
This is judgment day
This is judgment day
Empire of the living dead
The lyrics of "Empire of the Living Dead" by Savage Circus depict a world that is apocalyptic, dark and full of despair. The singer is trying to survive in a world where the dead have risen from the underworld to walk the earth. The city is in ruins and there is no escape from the jaws of hell that are waiting to destroy humankind. The singer realizes that it's too late to save himself and the only hope for deliverance is as long as life remains in his veins.
The lyrics convey a sense of hopelessness and doom. The singer is resigned to death and accepts that judgment day has come. The Empire of the Living Dead has been unlocked by a mortal hand and there is no escape from this underworld. The gods have turned away and there is no one to hear the prayers of the living. The song ends with the singer waiting for his inevitable death at nightfall.
Overall, the lyrics of "Empire of the Living Dead" are a very powerful and vivid portrayal of a world that is overrun by death and destruction. It speaks to our primal fears about the end of the world and the ultimate fate of humankind. The song is a warning about the consequences of our actions and how they can lead to our destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Clouds are darkening a moonless night
The night is becoming more ominous and eerie as the clouds gather in the sky, blocking out the moon.
In the empire of the dead
The setting for this song is a world ruled by the undead.
Rain is pouring on a ground / Bare of life
It is raining heavily on soil which once was teeming with living organisms, but now lies barren.
The dead are rising / They're walking the streets / Of ruble and dust / As I try to stay alive
The corpses of the dead have risen from their graves and are wandering around the desolate ruins of the city. The artist is trying to survive among them.
Seems as if the gods / Have finally turned away
The artist feels that the divine beings have abandoned the world to its fate.
On the edge / On the edge of judgement day / And the sentence is death / Come and take your final breath
The world is hovering on the brink of an apocalyptic judgement day, where all life will come to an end and death is inevitable.
Empire of the living dead / Unlocked by a mortal hand / Hallelujah
The apocalypse has created a world of the undead, which was unleashed on the living by a human's actions. This is both horrifying and awe-inspiring to witness.
Empire of the living dead / Set free from the underworld / To walk the mortals land / To walk the earth
The undead have been released from the underbelly of the world to roam the mortal plane unchecked.
Aboulic creatures like empty shells / Are prowling the night / No escape nowhere to hide / The jaws of hell are open wide / Ready to take on the world
The undead are soulless beings now prowling the night, giving no quarter to those unlucky enough to cross their path. They are like the jaws of hell, waiting to destroy everything in their path.
To destroy all humankind / But as long there is life in my veins / The hope for deliverance remains
The goal of the undead is to destroy all living beings on earth, but the artist still holds hope that he/she can survive as long as there is still life within them.
No one will hear your prayers / No one will hear you crave / No one will hear you scream / Oh no you can't be saved
The undead are relentless and do not discriminate. No matter how much one might pray or beg for mercy, there is no escape from their clutches.
As the sun is going down / I know that it's too late / Nothing can save me now / I know there's no escape / Doomed to die / I'm waiting for the night / For I know / I'll never see the light / Again
The artist knows that their fate is sealed as darkness falls. They will never see the light again and will soon become one of the living dead.
This is judgment day / This is judgment day
The apocalypse has arrived - this is the day of reckoning for all.
Empire of the living dead
This is a phrase which summarises the entire song; the world is now ruled by the undead.
Contributed by Micah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.