After releasing their first demo, Unholy Descent in 1998, Vesperian Sorrow signed a deal with Displeased Records for the release of their debut album, Beyond the Cursed Eclipse in 1999 and continued with their second album, Psychotic Sculpture in 2001. Before their third release, the band toured North America expansively, and then went on short tours in England, Germany and the Czech Republic to promote the album. Their third album, Regenesis Creation, was released in 2006 by their own label, Underscape Records. Throughout 2007 and 2008, Vesperian Sorrow toured extensively across the U.S. and Canada, and played a couple select festivals in Mexico. Most recently in June 2009, they were hand picked for direct support for the band, Mayhem, a pioneer in black metal in Monterrey, Mexico. The band released Stormwinds of Ages on The Path Less Traveled Records on April 24, 2012.
WINDSWEPT
Vesperian Sorrow Lyrics
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Brought across the frozen lands
I hear her whispering cries
Beyond the pale fallen snow
From her northern empire
Atop the nocturn mountain
She seduces the night
I seek the blackened stars
Among the crimson sky
There I find the enchantress
Within her chamber of ice
I've reached her frozen body, lying lifeless and cold
Her sullen heart and crystal eyes, so beautiful to behold
Arise for me, oh! Beautiful one
Thou shall reign, beyond your forlorn palace
We, who stand among the dying
The faithful of a forgotten time
Firesent, from the blackest sky
Victorious, in unholy ruin
We march towards the risen swords
Astride her winds of darkness and death
Driven by the past battle winds
As our fallen sons and burning daughters - JOIN US!!!
The night is a gift I present to you
Arising each wake upon ebony
Awaiting thy return with every nightscape
Of creation of time and life-giving breath
From the crest of the moon comes my body
With the flickering of the stars beats my heart
My face is engraved in the walls of twilight
So my blood flows from everlasting seas
Bloodless, soulless, we possess the darkness
We are bloodless, so unhallowed and soulless
We breed amongst the night
To possess a life of eternal darkness
My heart is pale, pale like the everlasting snow
Across the shores of endless time, I call to thee
Accept my final breath into yours, from a kiss
So immortal and unholy, only to last...Forever
The song "Windswept" by Vesperian Sorrow is a poetic and introspective piece of work, filled with strong metaphors and evocative language. The opening stanza refers to the harsh winter sky and the barren, frozen landscape which surrounds the singer. It suggests a sense of isolation and vulnerability in the face of nature's power. In the next stanza, the lyrics introduce the character of an enchantress, who seduces the night and commands the winds. Her lair is a remote, icy palace, and the singer seems drawn to her against his own better judgment. The stanza blends elements of the exotic and the ominous, evoking a sense of dark magic and otherworldly allure.
The final two stanzas of the song seem to merge into one, as the singer approaches the body of the enchantress and pleads for her to arise. The imagery suggests that she may be dead or sleeping, frozen in an eternal slumber. However, she is also powerful and commanding, capable of conquering distant kingdoms with her winds of death. The section culminates with a rousing call to arms, as the singer urges his fellow warriors to march under her banner and fight a holy war against an unknown enemy. Ultimately, the lyrics describe a world of shadows and darkness, in which beauty and brutality are intertwined, and where life and death blur into one another.
Line by Line Meaning
From the winter skies
The singer is listening to a woman's cries which seem to be coming from the winter skies.
Brought across the frozen lands
He hears the cries coming from beyond the pale, fallen snow.
I hear her whispering cries
The woman is whispering, calling upon the winds.
Beyond the pale fallen snow
The woman is from the north and lives atop a mountain.
From her northern empire
The woman is an enchantress and her empire is her domain.
Atop the nocturn mountain
The mountain is tall and dark, perfect for the woman to draw power from.
She seduces the night
She has power over the night and can make it do her bidding.
To call upon her winds
She uses her control over the night to call upon the winds that obey her.
I seek the blackened stars
The singer is looking for something, perhaps a way to reach the enchantress.
Among the crimson sky
He is searching among the stars and the sky is red, as if because of the enchantress' power.
There I find the enchantress
The singer finds the enchantress he has been looking for.
Within her chamber of ice
She lives in a chamber of ice, perhaps to reflect her cold heart.
I've reached her frozen body, lying lifeless and cold
He arrives at the enchantress' chamber and sees that she is lying lifeless and cold.
Her sullen heart and crystal eyes, so beautiful to behold
Despite her lifeless state, the enchantress is beautiful to behold with her crystal eyes and sullen heart.
Arise for me, oh! Beautiful one
The singer implores the enchantress to rise from her slumber.
Thou shall reign, beyond your forlorn palace
He promises that she will reign beyond her palace, as she did before.
We, who stand among the dying
The singer stands with others who feel as if they are dying.
The faithful of a forgotten time
They are the faithful of a forgotten era, who believe in the enchantress' power.
Firesent, from the blackest sky
They are fierce and come from the darkest night sky.
Victorious, in unholy ruin
Despite their unholy ruin, they believe they are victorious.
We march towards the risen swords
They are marching towards something with drawn swords.
Astride her winds of darkness and death
They ride on the winds of darkness and death that the enchantress summoned.
Driven by the past battle winds
Their motivation is the winds of past battles.
As our fallen sons and burning daughters - JOIN US!!!
The singer calls upon the fallen sons and burning daughters of the past to join them.
The night is a gift I present to you
The singer presents the night as a gift to someone.
Arising each wake upon ebony
The night and the singer arise each morning from a dark state.
Awaiting thy return with every nightscape
The singer is waiting for someone's return with every night.
Of creation of time and life-giving breath
The night is a creation of time and also has the potential to give life.
From the crest of the moon comes my body
The singer's body comes from the crest of the moon, as if he were a god or deity.
With the flickering of the stars beats my heart
His heart pulses with the flickering of the stars, as if it beats in time with the universe.
My face is engraved in the walls of twilight
The singer's face is etched into the walls of twilight, perhaps as a reminder of his place in the world.
So my blood flows from everlasting seas
His blood, like his face, seems to come from something everlasting and eternal.
We are bloodless, so unhallowed and soulless
The singer and his companions are without blood, soulless, and unholy.
We breed amongst the night
They can only exist within the night, as if they were creatures of darkness.
To possess a life of eternal darkness
Their goal is to possess a life of eternal darkness, perhaps as a way to escape their own mortality.
My heart is pale, pale like the everlasting snow
The singer's heart is as pale as the everlasting snow, as if drained of life and warmth.
Across the shores of endless time, I call to thee
He calls for someone across the boundless expanse of time.
Accept my final breath into yours, from a kiss
He offers his final breath to whoever he has called out to, as if in a final act of submission or devotion.
So immortal and unholy, only to last...Forever
The final act is to be forever immortal and unholy, as if it were the only way to ensure it would last forever.
Contributed by Lucas J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.