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…”
On The Threshold
The Equinox Ov The Gods Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Alone i walk
Across fields
Of crimson flowers
Frozen in time
This eternity is mine
From my wounds
I won't recover
Night-time tears
In silence i see the world pass by
I watch new fears
From the pits of my soul they arise
Broken and torn
My soul is forlorn
On this endless plain
Of tombs and ashes
Every tear i have cried
is marked with a stone
My emotions are buried
Deep in the soil
I bury my ashes
My earthly remains
Silent i weep
Dark gods whisper my name
Hell awaits
Alone i stand outside its gate
Let me now in
Let me enter my dark kingdom come
And now the darkness
Surrounds my lonely soul
As i lived i now die
All alone
I reap the fruits
From the seed i once sowed
The grapes of oblivion
Delight my soul
I vanish in the darkness
On this gloomy plain i fade away
I leave a life in sadness
In this realm of shadows i'd rather stay
The Equinox Ov The Gods's song "On The Threshold" is a profound and emotional exploration of the depths of sorrow, loneliness, grief, and death. The song's lyrics follow a narrator who is wandering through a landscape of crimson flowers frozen in time, reflecting on the wounds that have left them unable to recover. As night falls, the singer weeps in silence and watches new fears arise from the pits of their soul.
The singer's soul is broken and torn, forlorn on an endless plain of tombs and ashes, where every tear they have cried is marked with a stone. Their emotions are buried deep in the soil, as they bury their ashes and earthly remains. Dark gods whisper their name, and the singer longs for hell to take them in.
As the darkness surrounds the singer's lonely soul, they realize they are now reaping the fruits of the seed they once sowed. The grapes of oblivion delight their soul, and they vanish into the darkness on a gloomy plain. Here, in the realm of shadows, the singer would rather stay.
Line by Line Meaning
Sorrow and grief
I am overwhelmed with intense sadness and despair
Alone i walk
I am isolated and have no one to share my pain with
Across fields
As I journey through my life
Of crimson flowers
I am surrounded by beauty that symbolizes the bloodshed and pain of life
Frozen in time
My suffering seems endless and suspended in eternity
This eternity is mine
I am trapped in my suffering with no escape
From my wounds
My suffering comes from personal experiences and trauma
I won't recover
I know that my pain will never fully heal
Night-time tears
I cry endlessly, especially when I am alone
In silence i see the world pass by
I feel disconnected from the world and from those who are around me
I watch new fears
I am constantly confronted with new forms of agony and suffering
From the pits of my soul they arise
The source of my suffering comes from deep within me and is difficult to overcome
Broken and torn
I am shattered and in pain
My soul is forlorn
I am lost and hopeless
On this endless plain
I am stuck in this place of suffering with no way out
Of tombs and ashes
I am surrounded by death and despair
Every tear i have cried
My pain is so great that every tear I've shed is a painful reminder
is marked with a stone
My pain feels permanent and is impossible to erase
My emotions are buried
I have buried my emotions deep within myself, where they are inaccessible to others
Deep in the soil
My emotions are inaccessible, buried so deep they feel like they are part of the earth
I bury my ashes
I have given up and am preparing to leave this life behind
My earthly remains
All that is left of me when I'm gone
Silent i weep
I cry, but the world doesn't hear
Dark gods whisper my name
I am pursued by darkness and despair
Hell awaits
I am consumed by feelings of dread and despair
Alone i stand outside its gate
I am confronted by the afterlife and am terrified
Let me now in
I am pleading for a way to escape my pain
Let me enter my dark kingdom come
I wish for release, even if it is to a dark and painful place
And now the darkness
I am consumed by darkness and despair
Surrounds my lonely soul
I am alone in my suffering
As i lived i now die
My pain and suffering now surrounds me in death
All alone
I am isolated without anyone to comfort me
I reap the fruits
I am experiencing the outcomes of my life choices and actions
From the seed i once sowed
The consequences of my decisions and actions are now coming to harvest
The grapes of oblivion
I am able to find some comfort in my suffering, as it allows me to forget my pain
Delight my soul
My pain feels more manageable when I find ways to distract myself from it
I vanish in the darkness
I am slipping away, consumed by my pain
On this gloomy plain i fade away
I am disappearing into the bleakness of my sadness and despair
I leave a life in sadness
I am leaving behind a life filled with pain and sorrow
In this realm of shadows i'd rather stay
I feel more comfortable surrounded by my pain than I do in the world outside of it
Contributed by Eva W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.