Although Vulture Industries is quite a young band, they hold signifcant musical experience, and consists of current and former members of Sulphur, Black Hole Generator, Malice In Wonderland, Enslaved (session), Taake (session) and Syrach. Their debut album “The Dystopia Journals” was recorded and mixed between September 2006 and May 2007. The album was produced by vocalist Bjørnar E. Nilsen (also producer of Helheim, Dead To This World, Sulphur, Deathcon etc.) at his Conclave & Earshot Studio, with the assistance of Herbrand Larsen and Arve Isdal (Enslaved). For the record cover, the band got an appearance from the highly regarded Norwegian actor Helge Jordal. So far, the band has received excellent feedback for their two demos and live performances, getting 9/10 in both Terrorizer and Heavymetal. The band has been compared to bands like Arcturus, Solefald, Manes, The Provenance and Red Harvest.
Strangers
Vulture Industries Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
Barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Dim and ghostly in parts
How it glitters like gold
Kept by the fold
As it passes through temple and palace
It becomes us from birth
As we learn all its words
Shadow keepers abound
One and all bound
To keep painting stranger faces
While learning the way home
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
Barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Can bring down the wall
Tell, are there bridges over tunnels past?
And will it ever crumble, fall apart
Or will its notion remain?
In every mind a barrier made from words
The very substance to destroy the world
Or mill the future in sand
The distance short
But the way all too far
Looking over might change who you are
In every mind a barrier made from words
The very substance to destroy the world
Tell us who we are now
The distance short
But the way all too far
Looking over might change who you are
Tell, are there bridges over tunnels past?
And will it ever crumble, fall apart
Tell us [ah, aah ]
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
Barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Can bring down the wall
The lyrics to Vulture Industries's song, "Strangers," describe a wall that is impervious to all attempts at breaking it down. The opening lines suggest that it is a formidable obstacle, impervious to even the most forceful attempts at breaking it. However, the lyrics go on to describe the wall in more detail, suggesting that it is not just physical but also metaphorical. Its "dim and ghostly" parts suggest that it is insubstantial and perhaps illusory, but it becomes more solid and more real as it passes through "temple and palace."
The imagery of the lyrics suggests that the wall is something that becomes ingrained in us from birth, as we learn its words and its ways. We are all "shadow keepers," painting stranger faces as we learn to navigate the world. The lyrics suggest that there is something about this wall that defines who we are, but it is also a barrier that separates us from others. There is a sense of melancholy to the song, with the repeated refrain that "the distance is short but the way is all too far," as if the wall is something that we can't help but struggle against.
Line by Line Meaning
By hammer, by chisel
No matter the tool or the force used, it cannot break down the wall
By brute force, by missile
Even brute force and missiles are no match for the wall's strength
You cannot break through this wall
Despite all efforts, the wall cannot be broken down
Hammers keep pounding
Attempts to break the wall down are persistent
Barrages resounding
Even with the use of multiple attacks, the wall remains intact
But nothing can bring it to fall
The wall cannot be brought down by any means
Dim and ghostly in parts
The wall appears indistinct and eerie at times
Turns to solid and stark
Despite its ghostly appearance, the wall is actually solid and impenetrable
How it glitters like gold
The wall appears precious like gold
Kept by the fold
The wall is protected and kept by a group of people
As it passes through temple and palace
The wall is present even in the most important and sacred places
It becomes us from birth
The wall is a part of us from birth
As we learn all its words
We learn about the wall and its significance as we grow up
Shadow keepers abound
There are many people who protect and maintain the wall
One and all bound
These people are all committed to keeping the wall intact
To keep painting stranger faces
They continue to create new identities for people who are strangers to the wall
While learning the way home
They are still trying to find their way back to where they belong
Tell, are there bridges over tunnels past?
Is there a way to overcome the past and create connections between people?
And will it ever crumble, fall apart
Will the wall ever break down and reveal what lies behind it?
Or will its notion remain?
Will the idea of the wall always exist, even if the wall itself is destroyed?
In every mind a barrier made from words
Everyone has a mental barrier created by language
The very substance to destroy the world
Language can be used to cause chaos and destruction
Or mill the future in sand
It can also be used to shape the future in positive ways
The distance short
It may not take much to overcome language barriers and connect with others
But the way all too far
However, it can also be difficult to break down these barriers
Looking over might change who you are
A change in perspective can have a profound impact on one's identity and worldview
Tell us who we are now
The wall and the barriers it represents make it difficult to truly understand our own identities
Can bring down the wall
Despite all the efforts and attempts, the wall remains standing
Writer(s): Bjørnar Erevik Nilsen, øyvind Madsen
Contributed by Layla E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Daniel Roman
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Dim and ghostly in parts
turns to solid and stark
How it glitters like gold
kept by the fold
as it passes through temple and palace
It becomes us from birth
as we learn all its words
Shadow keepers abound
one and all bound
to keep painting stranger faces (x2)
while learning the way home
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Can bring down the wall
Tell, are there bridges over tunnels past?
And will it ever crumble, fall apart
Or will its notion remain?
In every mind a barrier made from words
the very substance to destroy the world
or mill the future in sand
The distance short
but the way all too far
Looking over might change who you are
In every mind a barrier made from words
the very substance to destroy the world
Tell us who we are now
The distance short
but the way all too far
Looking over might change who you are
Tell, are there bridges over tunnels past?
And will it ever crumble, fall apart
Tell us (x8) [ah, aah (x4)] (x8)
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Can bring down the wall
Rashid Alesgerov
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Dim and ghostly in parts
turns to solid and stark
How it glitters like gold
kept by the fold
as it passes through temple and palace
It becomes us from birth
as we learn all its words
Shadow keepers abound
one and all bound
to keep painting stranger faces (x2)
while learning the way home
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Can bring down the wall
Tell, are there bridges over tunnels past?
And will it ever crumble, fall apart
Or will its notion remain?
In every mind a barrier made from words
the very substance to destroy the world
or mill the future in sand
The distance short
but the way all too far
Looking over might change who you are
In every mind a barrier made from words
the very substance to destroy the world
Tell us who we are now
The distance short
but the way all too far
Looking over might change who you are
Tell, are there bridges over tunnels past?
And will it ever crumble, fall apart
Tell us (x8) [ah, aah (x4)] (x8)
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Can bring down the wall
Lore
Totally underrated band!
Amazing song
Android MNSKY
Absolutely magnificent and underestimated band. I'm glad someone recommended them to me, couple months ago,'cause now it seems like they're going to give us one of the best albums of this year (even considering,besides this album,some other magnificent albums have shown off)
Gaming Seriez
@Father Satan I saw them live once (for the very 1st time in my life) 6 months ago and it was enough to fall in love with their music
Father Satan
They are not underestimated or underrated, they just create music that not all humans can comprehend. This is what music should be, in my opinion.
SoundAndFuryy
Having been there at Kilkim Žaibu and listened to this guys for all those weeks after, I think they are THE most underrated metal band at the moment. They are so creative and unique within the metal scene. Really hope it's not for long and they get a lot of recognition with the new release.
Papa Billydeth
SoundAndFuryy I think it's because they are on Season of mist, great label but not the best at breaking bands in North America for some reason, if this band was on metalblade then I bet they could reach the Ghost level
Daniel Roman
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Dim and ghostly in parts
turns to solid and stark
How it glitters like gold
kept by the fold
as it passes through temple and palace
It becomes us from birth
as we learn all its words
Shadow keepers abound
one and all bound
to keep painting stranger faces (x2)
while learning the way home
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Can bring down the wall
Tell, are there bridges over tunnels past?
And will it ever crumble, fall apart
Or will its notion remain?
In every mind a barrier made from words
the very substance to destroy the world
or mill the future in sand
The distance short
but the way all too far
Looking over might change who you are
In every mind a barrier made from words
the very substance to destroy the world
Tell us who we are now
The distance short
but the way all too far
Looking over might change who you are
Tell, are there bridges over tunnels past?
And will it ever crumble, fall apart
Tell us (x8) [ah, aah (x4)] (x8)
By hammer, by chisel
By brute force, by missile
You cannot break through this wall
Hammers keep pounding
barrages resounding
But nothing can bring it to fall
Can bring down the wall
Ryan Macc
@KingBun wow well said
KingBun
@Заюшка Набаст My interpretation: The lyrics are about our inability to ever truly understand someone else, we are forever prisoners of our own biases and experiences. true empathy being forever out of reach, behind the wall so to speak. Instead we learn to label things, and people it becomes us from birth*, to create our own *barrier made of words and isolate ourselves. Our history is full of misunderstandings, of coming face to face with that wall and failing to understand each other, Not for lack of trying. We keep trying to bring down the wall, but always end up short as we can never truly see through someone else's eyes.
Заюшка Набаст
Damn beautiful lyrics. But i always have hard times to understand the meanings ))). Can someone tell ? It's about religion or something else ? "to keep painting stranger faces" - are those icons ?