Biography:
Initially, the band played straightforward black metal under the name Treblinka. After having recorded the album Sumerian Cry in 1989, vocalist/guitarist Johan Edlund and bassist Jörgen Thullberg parted ways with the other two founding members, and subsequently changed the name to Tiamat. The Sumerian Cry album, as recorded by Treblinka, was released as Tiamat's debut album in June 1990.
After the debut, Edlund's leadership would modify the band's style with influences ranging from Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, Pink Floyd and King Crimson, with Sumerian lyrical themes. German guitarist Waldemar Sorychta would produce and contribute instrumentation to many of the band's albums, as well as those by Tiamat's own tour and labelmates, including Moonspell, Rotting Christ, Lacuna Coil and Samael.
1994's critically acclaimed Wildhoney mixed raw vocals, slow guitar riffs and synthesizer sounds which sounded different from other extreme metal bands active at that time. An almost continuous forty-minute piece of music, Wildhoney was considered to be a landmark release within the progressive/doom metal genres and would lead to the band's appearances at the Dynamo and Wacken Open Air metal festivals in 1995. The group would play a second gig at Dynamo two years later.
Upon the release of A Deeper Kind of Slumber (1997), Edlund relocated from Sweden to Germany and declared himself the only permanent member of the band; all albums that would follow would cement the band into a more gothic rock sound, quite different from the extreme music they did in the years before, with recent albums showing a The Sisters of Mercy influence.
The band signed to Nuclear Blast Records in June 2007. Tiamat released their new album Amanethes April 18, 2008.
Lineup:
Johan Edlund - vocals, guitar (Treblinka, Expulsion, LucyFire, Dark Age, Ayreon)
Anders Iwers - bass (Desecrator, Ceremonial Oath, In Flames, Cemetary, Mercury Tide)
Lars Skjöld - drums (Jupiter Society)
Thomas Wyreson - guitar
Former members:
Andreas Holmberg - drums (Expulsion)
Stefan Lagergren - guitar (River's Edge, Expulsion, Mr Death, Treblinka, Judge And Jury, Tranquility)
Jörgen Thullberg - bass (Expulsion, Mr Death, Treblinka)
Niklas Ekstrand - drums (Face Down)
Kenneth Roos - keyboards
Johnny Hagel - bass (Sundown, Sorcerer)
Magnus Sahlgren - guitar (Celeborn, Dismember, Lake of Tears)
P.A. Danielsson - keyboards (Veni Domine)
Thomas Petersson - guitar
Fredrik Ĺkesson - guitar (Southpaw, Talisman, Krux, John Norum, Arch Enemy, Sabbtail, Opeth, Shock Tilt)
www.churchoftiamat.com
Atlantis As a Lover
Tiamat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
My sweetness of soul
Your dream I dreamed
Dear watering-hole
A bride divine
In ruby eyed crown
Deep underneath
Your soft waterdown
I breathe in the fumes
Of oils unfathomed
With glory and pride
I confess myself doomed
You won again
Godly different kind
My air has ceased
To the deepest peace of mind
What it once meant
Is lost in the end
With profound words
Of just being friends
A timeglass you turned
Of hours getting late
How fatal then
Is all of your hate
I breathe in the fumes
Of oils unfathomed
With glory and pride
I confess myself doomed
You won again
Godly different kind
My air has ceased
To the deepest peace of mind
The lyrics of Tiamat's song "Atlantis As a Lover" depict a lover who is deeply in love with their partner, referred to as "Atlantis". The singer is asking their lover to soothe their skin and soul because their partner is the source of their happiness and inner peace. The singer paints the image of their partner as a divine and regal entity, wearing a ruby-eyed crown, representing the powerful and godly influence the partner has on them. They are submerged in their partner's love and feel a sense of ecstasy in their presence.
As the song progresses, the tone shifts to suggest a tragedy or a sense of doom. The singer describes themselves as being doomed and confessing to their partner with glory and pride. The partner has won their heart, but the singer's air has ceased, suggesting that they have lost the will to live without their partner's love. The final lines of the song express the deep pain felt by the singer, as their partner has turned the timeglass and left them with only the memories of what they once meant to each other. The hate that has replaced the affection is fatal and has destroyed the singer's peace of mind.
Overall, the song portrays the intensity of love, as well as the fragility of the human heart and how the loss of love can lead to despair and heartbreak.
Line by Line Meaning
Soothe my skin
Comfort me with your touch
My sweetness of soul
My inner beauty and purity
Your dream I dreamed
I have envisioned and longed for you
Dear watering-hole
Beloved source of nourishment
A bride divine
Goddess-like mate
In ruby eyed crown
Adorned in precious jewels
Deep underneath
Beneath the surface of the water
Your soft waterdown
Your gentle currents
I breathe in the fumes
I inhale the essence
Of oils unfathomed
Of mysterious substance
With glory and pride
With honor and dignity
I confess myself doomed
I admit defeat
You won again
You emerged victorious once more
Godly different kind
Superior and divine in nature
My air has ceased
I have lost my sense of self
To the deepest peace of mind
To the most serene state of being
What it once meant
The original significance
Is lost in the end
Has been forgotten over time
With profound words
With deep and meaningful language
Of just being friends
Of nothing more than mere friendship
A timeglass you turned
You have reversed the flow of time
Of hours getting late
Of time passing quickly
How fatal then
How deadly and destructive
Is all of your hate
The intensity of your animosity
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
aegrimonis
I envy them for having the balls to make music this beautiful.
viki vik
their best album by far. I got it back in 97 and still makes me dream in a deeper kind of slumber.....perfect!
leojim1
+viki vik Hey! You commented in the video of a Deeper Kind of Slumber, too.
Dennis Moore
nobody will even understand this. 75´
Jacques Bouchard
It was a new beginning. 1st couple albums I appreciate and respect. I got lucky a friend read review and said something. 23 years ago? WOW. They are stronger than ever
John Medved
There is another one before
Jason Vegan
This is the song that introduced me to Tiamat. I purchased Rotting Christ - A Dead Poem and it came as a 2 cd set with the second cd being a Century Media Records sampler called Darkness We Feel Compilation. This was on it along with Sundown, Cemetery, Sentenced, Samael, Ulver and others. But this song captivated me and started me on my Tiamat obsession!!!
Ghaleb Al-Sharif
Jason Vegan I had this album, I wish I could have it in mp3 format!
Maciej B
An advantage of non-mainstream music is that it's more timeless - it doesn't conform to trends that much. A Deeper Kind of Slumber + Wildhoney forever - they sound as great as when they were released.
E. tezani
This is mainstream in Europe though