Tiamat is a metal band that formed in Täby, Sweden in 1988. Their music has… Read Full Bio ↴Tiamat is a metal band that formed in Täby, Sweden in 1988. Their music has been the subject of debate, utilizing subgenres like death metal, doom metal, progressive and gothic, but more recently they have focused on what has been described as atmospheric gothic metal with ethnic, psychedelic and experimental elements.

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

Cain
Tiamat Lyrics

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I gave you my love
Though crystalized
I sent you a rose with nevermore
So many years
So many hours
And only thistles on my shore
For all that it's worth
The blood on my hands

Is the blood of divinities
And all that is lost
Sound or unsound
Only bonds between you and me

If I go will you follow
Me trough the cracks and hollows
And I would be your Cain
If you would be here now

The Mother-of-Pearl
Handcrafted by God
You're the tower they built to reach the sky
A White Falcon beauty
My mark on your skin
Follow me down the stairs when we die
Your soul is in heaven
Your body in hell
It doesn't matter much to me
In the night of the unborn
Sound or obscene
Only bonds between you and me

If I go will you follow
Me trough the cracks and hollows
And I would be your Cain
If you would be here now

Blessed be our Lady Nuit
Guide us to Ra-Hoor-Khuit

In your night we find shelter
Before the Helter Skelter

Overall Meaning

The song "Cain" by Tiamat is a poetic portrayal of a love that has turned sour. The first verse talks about how the singer has given their love, but it has gone to waste. There is a feeling of hopelessness and loss throughout the lyrics. The reference to "thistles on my shore" suggests that the love was not reciprocated, leaving only barrenness in its wake. The singer also talks about shedding "the blood of divinities." This metaphorical language demonstrates that the love was a deep and profound emotion, to the extent of being divine. The second verse is where the lyrics become even more personal, with the singer asking their lover to follow them (even to hell). The line "If I go, will you follow me" suggests that there is still hope that they can be together despite the darkness that surrounds them. The use of the term "Cain" in the chorus is an allusion to the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Cain was the first murderer in the Bible and was marked by God as a wanderer. This reference shows how the author sees himself as rejected and left to wander.

Overall, the song is a somber and intense exploration of love and loss. It uses poetic language to evoke emotions of sadness and despair while still maintaining a hint of hope. The metaphors and literary techniques used throughout the song make it a profound and moving experience for the listener.

Line by Line Meaning

I gave you my love
I expressed my love to you

Though crystalized
Even though my love was frozen and unchanging

I sent you a rose with nevermore
I offered you a rose with a promise of eternity

So many years
Many years have passed

So many hours
Countless hours of waiting

And only thistles on my shore
But I only have pain and suffering in my life

For all that it's worth
Despite everything

The blood on my hands
The sacrifices I have made

Is the blood of divinities
Are for the sake of gods

And all that is lost
And everything that has been sacrificed

Sound or unsound
Whether it makes sense or not