Band's History
Until now the Czech Republic hasn’t exactly been in the spotlight of the international Heavy Metal Scene. But with the expansion of the European Union towards the east, more and more bands from those countries will find it easier to establish themselves. One of the first ones to tick all the boxes of becoming a potentially great name in the classical Symphonic Metal scene is SYMPHONITY.
Back in 1994 guitarist Libor Krivak and drummer Tomas Suchacek formed a band called OTTER, which was renamed NEMESIS a few years later after the lineup had changed several times. An experienced singer was found in Vilem Majtner and it was with him that the band recorded their debut album, "Goddess of Revenge" on the Italian label, Underground Symphony in 2003. The Japanese label Hot Rockin' bought the licence for the album in the same year for the Japanese market. During 2003 the band was joined by keyboarder Ivo Hofmann, found their bass player Tomas Celechovsky the next year and after that, NEMESIS played their first international gigs. 2005 started off badly when the band's co-founder Tomas Suchacek decided to leave, but fortunately, he was quickly be replaced by Martin Skaroupka. In the same year the band was given the chance to open for NIGHTWISH in Zilina. This, their biggest performance until then, was a great success. However, during the preparations for their new album, singer Vilem Majtner surprisingly left the band. Making the most from a bad situation, the lads decided to use the opportunity for a reshuffle. They changed the band's name fromNEMESIS to SYMPHONITY and in the LUCA TURILLI and ex-DIONYSUS singer Olaf Hayer they found a suitable vocalist who met all their high musical demands. The German-Czech Entente was a paradigm of harmony, a fact that was not overlooked by Limb Music Products, who offered SYMPHONITY a contract straight away.
In the Name of God
Symphonity Lyrics
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Bringing his word to the world
And who not believed died by the sword
The blood is as high as a wall
They tortured the people right to their death
And told that's the will of their God
But after they burned there in the stake
All in the name of god
And all under the sign of the cross
For their might they will never stop
Until the last unbeliever is gone
Look at the priest in his holy robe
Preaching on us from above
But behind the walls, when everyone's gone
He's beating and raping a boy
As long as there's nobody telling the truth
He will go on with this mess
And after the "Amen" he's smiling to him
Telling him: "You're forgiven"
All in the name of god
And all under the sign of the cross
For their might they will never stop
Until the last unbeliever is gone
As long as there's nobody telling the truth
He will go on with this mess
And after the "Amen" he's smiling to us
Telling us: "You're forgiven"
All in the name of god
And all under the sign of the cross
For their might they will never stop
Until the last unbeliever is gone
Symphonity's song "In The Name Of God" is a critical take on religious dogma and its misuse by powerful individuals. The lyrics begin with a reference to historical knights who rode for God, claiming to bring his word to the world. Those who did not believe in their teachings were put to the sword, leading to a great deal of bloodshed. The song goes on to critique the hypocrisy of religious leaders, focusing on the abuse of power and sexual misconduct that is often swept under the rug. The chorus repeats the phrase "all in the name of god, and all under the sign of the cross" as a way of highlighting the dangerous combination of power and religion.
The lyrics paint a bleak picture of how religious institutions can be manipulated to serve the interests of the powerful. The words "as long as there's nobody telling the truth" suggest that the abuse and corruption can continue as long as people remain silent. The final line of the song, "until the last unbeliever is gone," suggests that these abuses will continue until everyone is indoctrinated and there are no more dissenting voices.
Line by Line Meaning
Legions of knights riding for God
Groups of knights ride forth in the name of God
Bringing his word to the world
They spread his message to all corners of the earth
And who not believed died by the sword
Those who didn't believe were killed by the sword
The blood is as high as a wall
So much blood was spilled that it piled up like a wall
They tortured the people right to their death
They tortured people until they died
And told that's the will of their God
They claimed that God's will justified their actions
But after they burned there in the stake
Once they were burned at the stake
They prayed to god: "Please forgive them"
They hypocritically asked for God's forgiveness
All in the name of god
Everything was done in the name of God
And all under the sign of the cross
And carried out under the symbol of the cross
For their might they will never stop
They will continue to use their power indefinitely
Until the last unbeliever is gone
Until everyone who doesn't believe is eradicated
Look at the priest in his holy robe
Observe the priest in his sacred attire
Preaching on us from above
He speaks down to the congregation from the pulpit
But behind the walls, when everyone's gone
But when everyone has left and he is alone
He's beating and raping a boy
He's abusing a young boy
As long as there's nobody telling the truth
As long as no one speaks the truth
He will go on with this mess
He will continue with this misconduct
And after the "Amen" he's smiling to him
And after the service he looks pleased with himself
Telling him: "You're forgiven"
Telling himself he's forgiven
And after the "Amen" he's smiling to us
And after the service he smiles at the congregation
Until the last unbeliever is gone
Until everyone who doesn't believe is eradicated
Writer(s): LIBOR KRIVAK, OLAF HAYER
Contributed by Callie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.