The band… Read Full Bio ↴Shape of Despair is a funeral doom metal band from Finland.
The band was founded in 1995 as Raven by Jarno Salomaa (guitars, later also keyboards), Tomi Ullgrén (bass, later also guitars) and Toni "Otso" Mäensivu (drums, later also vocals) as a faster, instrumental black metal-isch band following the footsteps of their contemporaries like Strid, Burzum, Darkthrone and Unholy. The trio soon realized that the music they played wasn't as good as they would have wanted, lacking the atmosphere and emotion of the bands that influenced them. They needed to either step up their songwriting game or try something else completely. During the summer of '95 Raven recorded their rehearsals with a simple cassette recorder, capturing all the songs that later became the Alone In The Mist demo, for the first time on tape. After listening to the rehearsal tape and realizing they actually had something in their hands they could stand behind, Raven wanted to record the tracks in a proper studio. It took the band three years to do it. Raven entered Arkki-studio in early '98. They still hadn't tried any vocals until the very last minute, when they decided they wanted to test how the songs would sound with Mäensivu's vocals and were surprised how well they actually fit. The Alone In The Mist demo [1] was not released until 2016, when the band thought it was the proper time to do it. They changed their name in September 1998 to Shape Of Despair. The decision to change the name came down to basically not wanting to be confused with the UK hard rock stalwarts Raven. Obviously, their new moniker fit their new sound better too.
In 2000 they signed a deal with Spikefarm Records and released their debut album Shades of...with Samu Ruotsalainen on drums.
The second album Angels of Distress, released on September 2001, featured Pasi Koskinen on lead vocals. Sami Uusitalo joined up in 2002 to play bass for the third album Illusion's Play. It was released in 2004.
In 2005, the band released a compilation titled Shape of Despair, featuring rare and unreleased material from the group, including tracks from the band's first demo Alone in the Mist and a new song called Sleeping Murder, recorded over a four-day period at Sundicoop Studios in Savonlinna, Finland. After a 5-year lull the band released the EP Written in My Scars and a split EP with Before The Rain.
Their 4th full-length album Monotony Fields was released on June 15, 2015 by Season of Mist.
Down Into the Stream
Shape of Despair Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
woke this clearer sight as the birth of the
night were seen... though my mind wandered
like a stream beside, carressing a sigh...
fading afar... closing me in, to astray. Still
motionless I am, I carry the seeds of
horror inside me. This pain... grows in me
and try to reach the other side... infinity of
listening myself and my mind blacken...
fading like that gone sigh... and I fall...
down into the stream...
The lyrics to Shape of Despair's song "Down Into the Stream" speak to a sense of being lost and overwhelmed. The singer describes a day shrouded in dense mist, which seems to have a clarifying effect on their vision. But despite this, their mind is still wandering aimlessly, much like a stream that simply meanders and doesn't have a clear destination. The sense of being lost and astray is pervasive throughout the lyrics, as the singer carries "seeds of horror" inside them.
As the song progresses, the sense of being lost becomes more acute. The singer describes themselves as "motionless," and the pain inside them only grows. They yearn to reach some kind of infinite dream or otherworldly realm, but they feel trapped and confined by their own mind. The final lines of the song are perhaps the most powerful: "and I fall... down into the stream." Here, the singer seems to surrender entirely to their sense of confusion and disorientation, willingly letting themselves be swept up in the current.
Overall, the lyrics to "Down Into the Stream" are haunting and evocative, describing a state of mind that many listeners may be able to relate to. The sense of being lost, of carrying a darkness inside oneself, and of yearning for escape to some other reality are all common themes in the human experience.
Line by Line Meaning
This day travels within dense mist and
The day is shrouded in mist, and it sets the tone for the emotions that follow.
woke this clearer sight as the birth of the
The obscurity of the mist was breached and afforded a clear-eyed view of the night.
night were seen... though my mind wandered
Even though the full vision of the night was beheld, the mind was still adrift.
like a stream beside, carressing a sigh...
The mind flowed like a stream but with a heaviness of emotion.
fading afar... closing me in, to astray. Still
The emotions receded and encapsulated the mind in confusion, leaving it adrift.
motionless I am, I carry the seeds of
Motivation has ceased while the burden of emotional pain persists inside.
horror inside me. This pain... grows in me
Inexorable emotional pain grows and festers, consuming the mind.
and try to reach the other side... infinity of
The mind yearns to escape the pain and find solace in infinite possibilities.
dreams... and they all - each side in me - are
Amidst the agony are limitless dreams, each a potential path forward.
listening myself and my mind blacken...
Despite the numerous dreams available, the knowledge of them only deepens the pain.
fading like that gone sigh... and I fall...
The despair and confusion intensify, and the mind sinks deeper into its own feelings.
down into the stream...
Finally, the mind surrenders to its emotions and surrenders itself entirely.
Contributed by Riley O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
edmaster44
Man so good...The Atmosphere Vocals Everything is soo good about it.
Oscar Cartes
This song is Awesome !!
Joaquim Costa
the chorus are also awesome!
Andy Arnold
among us
develt2012
This is just , great
Navras Om Shanti
GREETINGS FROM BRAZIL!!!
HAIL!!!
Sateyn
FUCKİNG DAZED ME , BEST SONG EVER HEARD !
José Zegarra
nice song
Dawn of Metal
This song is "Down Into The Stream".
Dawn of Metal
Well just listen to the song and read the lyrics. The very last line of the song is in fact "Down into the stream".