The infamous British poet/occultist Aleister Crowley once stated “Do what thou wilt shalt be the whole of the law.” And, perhaps, to honour this motto and to indicate his interest in the occult Fredrik named the band after one of the books written by the Great Beast 666.
The first recording, the demo tape “Songs from the Hill of the Heartless Giant”, was released 1992. After two more demos, “Watch the Shadows Dance” (1993) and “This Sombre Dreamland” (1994), the band was signed for their first full length album. "Images of forgotten memories" was released in 1996 and it was followed in 1997 by "Fruits and Flowers of The Spectral Garden."
At this time the band felt that they could no longer work under the conditions stated by their record company. So when it was time to begin the recording of their third CD they broke up with the old label and soon found another one. “Where Angels dare not tread” was recorded in 1999 and was supposed to be released the same year. But unfortunate circumstances and events lead to that the album wasn’t released until 2002.
The music was early described in reviews as “gothic” and “dark metal” but this has never been paths deliberately chosen by the band. In some interviews Fredrik has said “As soon as you choose a category for your music you immediately set up the limits restraining your creativity. And, personally, I am not interested in restrictions and limitations. I am interested in creation…” But nevertheless the music has evolved into what may be described as a dark brand of metal with strong Gothic undertones which invokes a gloomy atmosphere and visions of ruin and demise.
Since 1990 the Equinox ov the Gods have gone through a lot of changes in its line up. The band has existed and even played gigs with a rather minimalistic line up consisting of only two people. Nowadays, apart from the founding member Fredrik Wallin (Vocals), the line up is Arttu Malkki (drums), Morgan Svedlund (guitar) and Jocke Wassberg (guitar).
The band has played a number of live performces. Among the most memorable gigs were Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig, Germany (2003) and the Devils Night in Östersund, Sweden 2003. A live performance by the Equinox ov the Gods is often a something more than just an ordinary concert. The band strive to give their audience an experience that includes visual aids such as pyrotechnics, props, scenery and stage make up. In an interview Fredrik once described a live performance with the cryptic words “…to play live is in many ways like a shamanic ritual of evocation... to bring forth the beast from within and release it from the chains which holds it through the everyday life…”
Death Wish
The Equinox Ov The Gods Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I look at the remains
I am burying the ashes
Nothing is the same
What is now left of me
Is slowly fading away
The endless path of sorrow
I am back on it again
Life is turning pages
I close the remaining doors
The halls of life lie empty
I don't expect no more
Another castle has fallen
It is dreams scattered in the wind
My mind is pure and innocent
Yes it is coloured by shadows from within
Eternity will dry my tears
And banish all my fears
I close my eyes and sleep
Forever in eternal peace...
It is a cold summer night
The moon is waning, it is shining bright
I have lost my will to live
Life has nothing for me to give
Death may give peace
Or nothing at all
Either i stand either i fall
It doesn't matter as long as this ends
I am not gonna miss it
Life is not my friend!
The Equinox Ov The Gods's song Death Wish is a haunting and melancholic representation of a person's internal struggle with their own existence. The first stanza describes the aftermath of something, perhaps a personal tragedy, that has left the singer with nothing but ashes and a fading identity. The endless path of sorrow mentioned suggests that the individual has been here before, and they know how painful and overwhelming it can be.
The second stanza builds on the theme of despair and letdowns, with the singer remarking that life has nothing to offer them anymore. The halls of life, which could symbolize prospects and opportunities, are now empty, and the individual is filled with shadows from within. Their mind is tainted by the disappointments and unfulfilled dreams that they have experienced in life. The third stanza suggests that death may be the only answer left for the singer, and they feel that eternity can offer them the peace and release from pain that they yearn for.
Overall, Death Wish is a powerful and introspective song that delves deep into the emotions of frustration, hopelessness, and internal turmoil that can sometimes overwhelm a person's soul.
Line by Line Meaning
I am collecting the pieces
I am trying to gather all the remnants of my broken soul.
I look at the remains
I observe what's left of my shattered existence.
I am burying the ashes
I am trying to let go of the past and move on.
Nothing is the same
Everything has changed and I can't go back.
What is now left of me
There is no much left of me after all the trials and tribulations.
Is slowly fading away
My existence is slowly diminishing and I am withering away.
The endless path of sorrow
My life is full of sadness and despair, and it seems never-ending.
I am back on it again
I find myself back on the same path of grief and agony.
Life is turning pages
Life is unpredictable and keeps changing rapidly like a book.
I close the remaining doors
I am shutting out any remaining hope for a better life.
The halls of life lie empty
My life seems barren and void of happiness.
I don't expect no more
I have no more expectations from life as it always lets me down.
Another castle has fallen
Another one of my dreams has shattered and crumbled away.
It is dreams scattered in the wind
All my aspirations have been blown away and are now just a memory.
My mind is pure and innocent
I am still pure and virtuous despite all the misfortunes of my life.
Yes it is coloured by shadows from within
However, my soul is still plagued with darkness and sadness from my past.
Eternity will dry my tears
In the end, death will put an end to all the tears I have shed in life.
And banish all my fears
Death will also free me from all the fears that have tormented me.
I close my eyes and sleep
Finally, I will be able to rest in peace.
Forever in eternal peace...
My soul will be at peace forever.
It is a cold summer night
The weather is deceptive and betrays what is expected.
The moon is waning, it is shining bright
The moon is still beautiful, despite it no longer being full.
I have lost my will to live
I no longer have any desire to keep on living.
Life has nothing for me to give
Nothing that life has offered has been worth living for.
Death may give peace
Death might be the solution to all my problems.
Or nothing at all
Or maybe it will solve nothing and there will be no afterlife.
Either I stand either I fall
It's now or never, either I overcome this or it will be the end of me forever.
It doesn't matter as long as this ends
I don't care about the outcome as long as my struggles come to an end.
I am not gonna miss it
I won't have any regrets about leaving the miseries of life behind.
Life is not my friend!
I have learned that life is not something that can be trusted or relied upon.
Contributed by Hudson K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Seth Crowthorn
Wow, that song was like travel back in time, Thank you...
larrysdinner
Finally posted, great!
Corey Ortiz
I still have the compilation I got in S.O.D. magazine with this song.
Emil Rex Cruz
Memories of the Unisound CD Sampler
stonerro
life's not my friend!!!
Michalis Polideukis
Απ τα 15 στα 30 η ίδια καυλα