Star of Ash is the solo project of Ihriel (real name Heidi Solberg Tveitan)… Read Full Bio ↴Star of Ash is the solo project of Ihriel (real name Heidi Solberg Tveitan), a Norwegian musician and singer formerly half of the experimental band Peccatum (where she performed vocals, keyboards and synths and wrote the majority of lyrics). She is the wife of Ihsahn of the black metal band Emperor, with whom she runs the label Mnemosyne Productions.

Beautiful As Torment
Star of Ash Lyrics

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I am a hole in the sky
The cry the bleeding smile
In your forehead

The knife that wed my heart
Did not hurt
White bride of brutality

Truth give up the ghost

I conceive the night
And it devours my voice.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Star of Ash's song "Beautiful As Torment" are a mixture of pain and anguish, with a hint of rebellion. The first line, "I am a hole in the sky," reflects the feeling of emptiness and nothingness that the singer is experiencing. The second line, "The cry the bleeding smile in your forehead," further emphasises the pain that the singer is undergoing, as well as the emotional toll it's taking on those around them.

The third line, "The knife that wed my heart did not hurt," suggests that the singer has been trained by time to endure the stabbing pains of life. They have become numb to it all, and even when they are physically hurt, the emotional pain hurts much more. The fourth line, "White bride of brutality," portrays the brutality of the world, which appears innocent and pure but is just as cruel as it is beautiful.

The fifth line, "Truth give up the ghost," suggests that the vocal perspective is losing grip on reality, and that they've been trapped in their emotional world for too long. The sixth line, "I conceive the night and it devours my voice," suggests that even when the singer tries to express themselves, they are unable to, and their emotions consume them whole, leaving no trace behind.

Line by Line Meaning

I am a hole in the sky
I am an emptiness in the vastness of the universe.

The cry the bleeding smile
My tears and painful joy coexist simultaneously.

In your forehead
You can see my pain and emotions through my expressions.

The knife that wed my heart
The thing that hurt me deeply.

Did not hurt
It didn't cause physical pain.

White bride of brutality
Something beautiful and pure that causes harm and violence.

Truth give up the ghost
The truth has died and ceased to exist.

I conceive the night
I create my own darkness and despair in my mind.

And it devours my voice.
My inner darkness consumes me and makes me unable to express myself.

Contributed by Sydney C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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