Winds came into existence in 1998 when four Norwegian musicians from different backgrounds happened to cross musical paths. This was a result of previous work some of them had done with each other and through mutual acquaintances who lead them together. These individuals were already renowned within their specialties: Lars Eric Si as a vocalist with a truly unique voice, Carl August Tidemann as a neo-classical guitar virtuoso, Jan Axel von Blomberg as the most highly regarded metal drummer of our time, and Andy Winter as a classically inspired pianist.
Looking back at the history of the band, as the first recording “Of Entity And Mind” was completed in 2000, Avantgarde Music made an offer to sign Winds for two records. This deal was inked without even presenting the music to any other labels. “Of Entity And Mind” was received with awe by the fans as they didn’t anticipate Winds’ uncompromising combination of classical, progressive and metal music with sounds and harmonies. It was unlike anything else done before.
As “Of Entity And Mind” continued receiving positive feedback, the band had not been idle and was already far into the process of composing the follow-up, to be entitled “Reflections Of The I”. After this record was completed, The End Records, who inquired about licensing the album for America, contacted the band. Avantgarde Music was consulted and accepted the offer. “Reflections Of The I” was released in 2002 and hosted great reviews and critical acclaim, receiving top scores in virtually every significant publication related to their style of music.
As before, the band was still on a creative rollercoaster and had almost completed ideas for all the tracks to a third album even before the previous was released. Having fulfilled their contract with Avantgarde Music, Winds was now free to accept offers from other labels. Once again, The End Records was quick to put an offer on the table, this time to take on the band worldwide. The band accepted the offer without hesitation, and although other labels had showed interest, the band signed to The End Records for three more albums.
So the time came to start recording the third album. The drums were recorded first, along with some basic guitar and piano ideas that were to be re-recorded later. As life went on for the Winds members, while also occupying themselves with other bands and projects, tours and recordings, suddenly a whole year had gone by before any serious activity had happened with the band since the drum recordings. The band members now found themselves in a situation where activity in other bands had started to slow down, and their involvements in many of their other bands and projects had either been put on hold or even abandoned altogether. This was quite a significant time for Winds as it allowed the band to refocus their activity on completing the record and it also made them realize that this band was indeed a top priority for all the members.
After six months of being in and out of the studios (Toproom and Fagerborg in Norway, and The Factory in Vancouver for mixing) the album was finally completed. The third Winds effort is entitled “The Imaginary Direction Of Time”. Following in the vein of the previous albums with philosophically charged lyrics, the new album takes Winds to new heights both in the lyrical and musical field. This is without a doubt the band’s most elegant album to date, and it also has a new and added dimension of intricacy because of the increased collective effort in the compositional process. The members’ personal growth and accomplishments on their instruments also shine through on this record, and the band feels this is the most accomplished record they have ever worked on, featuring the best individual performances they have ever done but also their best collective effort through carefully designed arrangements and a world class production that can compete with any other top release in the world today
(official site: www.winds.ws)
What Is Beauty?
Winds Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you see the heart of the dark?
Can you smell the scent of vigor lost?
I can show you what beauty is
But needed is a heart of trust
We ignite the spark of sound
And seem blinded to the enlightened
The stink of rot is our perfume
Where God's icy wind will blow
When I smell the roses humanity smells
When I hear the voice of belief
When I see the light of a sunny day
And when I feel the caress of love
Remind me what ugliness is
I cannot seem to recall
Charmed by the smell of the roses
Feinted by the noise of belief
Deceived by the light of a sunny day
And lured by the caress of love
The opening lines of "What is Beauty?" by Winds present us with a series of sensory experiences. The listener is asked to imagine themselves walking on twigs, sensing a dark heart around them, and smelling the scent of lost vigor. These experiences seem to suggest a kind of underlying darkness, a sense of decay or death that permeates our world. But the singer then asserts their ability to show us what beauty is - this is a bold claim, and one that seems at odds with the bleakness of the images they've just presented. In fact, the singer suggests that a heart of trust is needed in order to understand what they mean by "beauty".
Line by Line Meaning
Can you hear the stepping on twigs?
Are you attentive to the subtle, but impactful things that happen around us?
Can you see the heart of the dark?
Are you able to perceive the beauty in dark and mysterious things?
Can you smell the scent of vigor lost?
Are you able to recognize the beauty in things that are fading away or coming to an end?
I can show you what beauty is
I am able to reveal the true meaning of beauty
But needed is a heart of trust
In order to truly understand beauty, you need to have an open and trusting heart
We ignite the spark of sound
We awaken our senses with the beauty of music and sounds
And seem blinded to the enlightened
But we often miss the beauty in enlightening things
The stink of rot is our perfume
We tend to find beauty in things that are considered ugly or unpleasant
Where God's icy wind will blow
A reminder that beauty can be found even in the coldest and most desolate places
When I smell the roses humanity smells
The beauty in a simple and familiar thing can be felt and appreciated by everyone
When I hear the voice of belief
The beauty in the power of belief and conviction
When I see the light of a sunny day
The beauty in the warmth and light of the sun on a clear day
And when I feel the caress of love
The beauty in the tenderness and affection of love
Remind me what ugliness is
After experiencing so much beauty, it's hard to remember what ugliness feels like
I cannot seem to recall
I have been surrounded by so much beauty that I can't even remember what ugliness looks or feels like
Charmed by the smell of the roses
Enchanted by the beauty of simple and familiar things
Feinted by the noise of belief
The beauty of conviction and unwavering faith can be overwhelming
Deceived by the light of a sunny day
The beauty of a perfect day can be so enchanting that it can be deceiving and make us forget about the harsh realities of life
And lured by the caress of love
The beauty in the warmth and tenderness of love can be irresistible and alluring
Contributed by Chase W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Zaneb Alyounis
This band is excellent mainly cause it's real, no auto tune or sugar coating things, it's beautiful. There's real instruments and real people singing that is what makes it enchanting.
Eddiy Castiano
Finally found these guys. Spirit in space.
Tina Banks
This song. Do you know how many years that chorus and guitars echoed in and out my brain every so often over the years since I first heard this and I completely forgot the name of the song and band til only just recently when it kept going off in me like fire works. Then I found it the joy of this song elevates my soul so much
Andraé Trevino
Can you hear the stepping on twigs? Can you see the heart of the dark? Can you smell the scent of vigor lost? Can you feel the gust of cold?
Suspicious Doge 9y and
I think the "neo" part in this song is the fact that it's metal, and the time signatures are distinct from the classical beats.
Damieux
+Kevin James Stevens clazzical beatz vol. 7 "Just Trap - Mozart Edition"
Jose Valadez
You can tell the magnificent work printed here just by reading who is listed in the lineup!
Nathaniel Steele.R.Thompson
Need to hear it here & there.
Bullshit DayZ. My escape..right on...
pilimysokinadwisla
Yes you probably can when you suffer from synesthesia;)