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
The Scarred People
Tiamat Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On see-through wings of white
Over the seven seas careened
In beauty yet unseen
A withered rose in bloom
A blooming rose of doom
Scattered all around
For the heavens to abound
With lovliness extreme
Emily went to play
On that sacred day
One love in red who loves darkness
One love in white who loves darkness
One love in black who loves darkness
One love supreme who loves darkness
One little butterfly who loves darkness
One tear to cry who loves darkness
One billion angles loves darkness
'Cause even God loves darkness
Emily went to play
When gold turned into clay
The morning drain the night
Of all beauty left in sight
And soaked in reality
Of not much more to see
She disappeared into the haze
In her own peculiar ways
And like the sweetest cream
With lovliness extremee
Emily went to play
On that sacred day
"The Scarred People" is a song by Tiamat that tells the story of Emily, a character shrouded in mystery. Emily is a symbol of purity, beauty, and otherworldliness. She has see-through wings of white and she flies over the seven seas in beauty yet unseen. Emily is also a contrast of a withered rose in bloom, a blooming rose of doom scattered all around for the heavens to abound. The song’s lyrics suggest that beauty is not just about the appearance, but also about the imperfections that make people unique.
The lyrics suggest that there are different kinds of love that exist, including love of darkness. There are one love in red, white, and black who all love darkness. Additionally, there is one supreme love who loves darkness, one little butterfly who loves darkness, and one tear to cry who loves darkness. Finally, even God is said to love darkness. This interpretation of love is quite unusual and suggests that there are things that exist beyond the realm of understanding.
Emily is said to have disappeared into the haze in her own peculiar ways when gold turned into clay and the morning drained the night of all beauty left in sight. The song ends with the repeated line, "Emily went to play on that sacred day," suggesting that her story will continue even after she has left. Overall, this song is a beautiful and melancholic tribute to the beauty and contradictions of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Emily took to flight
Emily left and moved on
On see-through wings of white
Her departure was peaceful and pure
Over the seven seas careened
She traveled far and wide
In beauty yet unseen
Her beauty was not fully appreciated
A withered rose in bloom
Beauty in decay
A blooming rose of doom
Beauty leading to destruction
Scattered all around
Her influence was widespread
For the heavens to abound
Her legacy lives on in the world above
And like the sweetest cream
Her essence was pleasing
With lovliness extreme
Her beauty was intense
Emily went to play
She found joy in leaving
One love in red who loves darkness
Love can lead to darkness
One love in white who loves darkness
Even pure things can be stained by darkness
One love in black who loves darkness
Darkness can be attractive
One love supreme who loves darkness
The ultimate power loves darkness
One little butterfly who loves darkness
Even small things can find beauty in darkness
One tear to cry who loves darkness
Sadness and darkness can be intertwined
One billion angles loves darkness
Even angels can be drawn to darkness
'Cause even God loves darkness
The most powerful force in the universe finds value in darkness
When gold turned into clay
Something once valuable has become worthless
The morning drain the night
The new day takes away the beauty of the night
Of all beauty left in sight
All beauty has faded away
And soaked in reality
The truth has become clear
Of not much more to see
There is nothing left to see
She disappeared into the haze
She vanished into obscurity
In her own peculiar ways
She left in a unique and unconventional manner
Emily went to play
She found joy in leaving
And like the sweetest cream
Her essence was pleasing
With lovliness extreme
Her beauty was intense
Emily went to play
She found joy in leaving
On that sacred day
The day of her departure was significant
Contributed by Leah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@iliaslebessis
Emily took to flight
On see-through wings of white
Over the seven seas careened
In beauty yet unseen
A withered rose in bloom
A blooming rose of doom
Scattered all around
For the heavens to abound
And like the sweetest cream
With loveliness extreme
Emily went to play
On that sacred day
One love in red who loves darkness
One love in white who loves darkness
One love in black who loves darkness
One love supreme who loves darkness
One little butterfly who loves darkness
One tear to cry who loves darkness
One billion angles loves darkness
'Cause even God loves darkness
Emily went to play
When gold turned into clay
The morning drain the night
Of all beauty left in sight
And soaked in reality
Of not much more to see
She disappeared into the haze
In her own peculiar ways
And like the sweetest cream
With loveliness extreme
Emily went to play
On that sacred day
@iliaslebessis
Emily took to flight
On see-through wings of white
Over the seven seas careened
In beauty yet unseen
A withered rose in bloom
A blooming rose of doom
Scattered all around
For the heavens to abound
And like the sweetest cream
With loveliness extreme
Emily went to play
On that sacred day
One love in red who loves darkness
One love in white who loves darkness
One love in black who loves darkness
One love supreme who loves darkness
One little butterfly who loves darkness
One tear to cry who loves darkness
One billion angles loves darkness
'Cause even God loves darkness
Emily went to play
When gold turned into clay
The morning drain the night
Of all beauty left in sight
And soaked in reality
Of not much more to see
She disappeared into the haze
In her own peculiar ways
And like the sweetest cream
With loveliness extreme
Emily went to play
On that sacred day
@pietrayday9915
This song is still catchy after all these years....
@napalmrecords
you are right! we will change that immediately, thank you :)
@ajd9858
Tiamat in full form. An amazing record.
@adr.marius5636
what a fine video. Tiamat can play any style of music and still seem dark. I really love how they reinvented with every release and love this video
@MsRobertRock
Powerful, hard, dark, melodic yet very emotional.... In one word BRILLIANT.... Keep it up...
@Lordboogar
These guys are way to varied and versatile to pin down into one genre, and that is what is so great about them. You can listen to any of their late 90's albums onward and find influences from blues and old-school country western, to the different arrangements and tempos you might find in more typically Asian music, to a light mix of neo-classical... and have you listened to the original version of Born to Die?
@joaopaulocorrea8319
Um dos melhores álbuns do Tiamat!
@krelian30
Criminally underrated band
@MolinaBolero
i'am instantly felt in love with this song, i think this could be the first metal cd i bought within the last 3 years. Love Tiamat<3