Carved in Stone – Hear the Voice

Carved in Stone – Hear the Voice – 4.5/5
http://www.mediafire.com/?gymwqjnzdzz

And I’m bending my own rules for this release, satisfying the requirement for being folk with ease, with plenty of pagan and Viking themes throughout, it is not by any stretch of the imagination metal. Rather an acoustic and vocally driven ambient folk album, it nonetheless is a joy to listen to. Composed entirely by one woman, who’s only other notable musical contribution consist of keyboard work for a Folk/Black Metal band, she performs here without a trace of her musical roots, which is rather impressive by itself.

There is the occasional presence of other instruments, notably the occasional use of keyboards and harp, and even the flute in ‘Jeg Ladge Meg Sa Slide,’ but they are done quietly in the mix, so as to enhance the tone created through use of guitar and vocals, wherein the focus lies. The guitars aren’t technical, but rather are used to create a peaceful and melancholic atmosphere. Don’t expect any virtuoso work, but this isn’t an artist limited to basic chord structures, the riffs have been carefully worked out to fit with the theme of the song.

This is an album dominated by gentle emotions, greatly assisted by the entrancing vocal work. Even the lyrics, which I usually pay little attention to deserve a notable mention, with tracks such as ‘Warrior and Man’ speaking of the greed of man, ‘Invictus,’ which uses the poem of the same name, originally written by English poet William Ernest Henley, or ‘Last Words’ intended as the last words spoken as death awaits, however, rather than take an overly depressive tone with such a morbid theme, takes a different approach, which she succeeds in explaining far better than I could.

“I lived a life full of pride
and a new life now shall begin:
Valhalla´s gates are opened wide
and proudly I walk in.” – Last Words

In fact, the main disappointment with the album was the fact that more than half the tracks are sung entirely in German and I’m thus unable to understand them.

The production is minimalist, fitting for a raw, down to earth sound that does nothing but enhance the atmosphere, and something that has been done to perfection. This is an album that nearly hit the top mark for me, and with comprehension of the rest of the tracks is quite possible that it would have. Definitely worth the effort for anyone interested in this style of music.

Highlights: Last Words, Warrior and Man, Invictus

» Click to show Lyrics - click again to hide... «

Artist: Carved in Stone

Album: Hear the Voice

1) Boten Asgards (Messengers of Asgaard)
Hail to you, dark companions,
black-feathered, like shadows,
you have sailed through this world,
every sea and every kingdom.

Everything that you see and hear,
what the tree and stone whisper to you,
what the wind and wave sing you you,
you encompass in your heart.

Powerfully your wings beat,
sharp are your eyes,
every warrior full of reverance,
who has seen you in the sky.
Because you are in Wotans* service,
you circle high in the sky,
are his ears and are his eyes,
when you travel through our world.

Fly thoughts, fly memories,
inform him of Midgaard's destiny.
tell him, his children wait,
his band is no longer large.
But his flame still blazes
out into the cold night:

Hail to the high ones, hail to the Aesir!
Safe by Asgaard, your house!

*Wotan= German name for Oden




4) Das Lied (The Song)
A young boy went out into the forest,
his beard was not yet stubble.
He got lost in the forest of wonders
and did not ever come back.

The entire village went after him,
from dawn until dusk,
but they found nowhere his trace,
they then gave him up for dead.

So passed seven years,
but one day he stood
once again before the village
and went to the edge of the well.

They asked him who he was
and looked him unrecognizingly in the face;
his father was dead, his mother was dead,
and no one else knew him.

"Days ago I got lost,
I was in the forest of wonders.
There I came to a fortress,
but they soon drove me home.

The people had golden hair
and skin white as snow;
there they were called sun and moon,
mountain and valley and sea."

Then everyone laughed: "In this morning
is he not full of wine!"
They gave him the cattle to herd
and said, he was mad.
So he went daily into the field
and sat on a stone;
and sang deep into the night
and nobody cared for him.

Only children listened to his song
and often sat by his side.
They sang it, when he was long dead,
until lat into the night.




6) Sohn der Morgenröte (Son of the Dawn)
Down from the dawn climbed
once a warrior, proud and handsome.
Sun and moon both paled,
when they saw this creature.
When he ran through the forest,
just like a young deer,
his eyes like the sky,
his skin white like the snow,
black his hair, like raven's feathers,
like the bottom of the endless sea.

Quiet was our country, and peaceful,
war was nothing but an evil word,
but different times came
and with them robbery and murder.
When they sent our warrior,
he went smiling into battle,
in order to protect his people,
that were in danger,
he went, one among many,
with the army into battle.

Many weeks have passed,
when the army returned home.
Many lives were extinguished
and only a few unscathed.
But the queen desperately looked
every warrior in the face,
sought and sought in every rank,
but she didn't find the one
and she sought until from exhaustion
crying, she collapsed.

Tonight in the forest sound
songs in honor of the dead,
but the son of the dawn
never returned home.
Farewell, nobelst warrior,
your hair blows in quieter wind,
because here a storm is raging,
in which we're only leaves;
may your noble spirit lead us,
until the blood of the enemy runs...




7) Heldentod (Hero's Death)
The heavy boat lay still on the shore,
bedazzled with weapons and furs.
Softly lifted by waves,
softly lowered by waves.
From near to far in the distance,
on every tree and every stone,
there sat the ravens and crows in flocks
and greeted him with caws and screams.

The wolves trotted along the shore
and howled the entire night.
So they all came together,
so they have thought about him.
They thought about the blood and the battle,
the strength and honor, the courage,
they thought of his eyes full of fire
and full of youthful glowing.

He heard the lies of the cross well,
but never did he believe them.
In loyalty he stood only to Wotan alone,
before only him he bowed his head;
because he was a servant of the Aesir
and ready to fight for them,
he bore Donar's* hammer full of dignity and pride,
like his ancestors long ago...

The last battle was over for him,
they laid him on his boat,
the battle-axe still firmly in his hands
and noble even in death.
The wolves bit away the ropes,
in flames he set to sea
and the last inheritance of the ravens
entered Valhalla's army of heroes.

Because he was a servant of the Aesir
and ready to fight for them,
he bore Donar's hammer full of dignity and pride,
like his ancestors long ago...

*Donar= German for Thor




8) Die Gärten der Feen (The Gardens of Fairies)
In the twilight of the forest,
there lies a hidden path.
It lies there hidden under ivy,
no man has long since tread upon it.
It lies between bushes and grasses,
since an eternity,
but it leads to the gardens of the fairies
and all of their magnificence.

Whoever sets foot upon it,
the path leads him to fortune,
and those, who then reach the destination,
they never want to go back again.

It leads so many a wanderer,
whose heart is heavy with worries,
to the luminescent gardens of the fairies
and his worries, they are no more.

Also those, who flee from demons
and become lost in the forest,
they found in the shimmering gardens
a safe refuge.
Whether men, whether women, whether children,
old or young, poor or rich,
in the friendly gardens of the fairies,
there they all became the same.
In the twilight of the forest,

In the twilight of the forest,
there lies a hidden path;
and whoever finds it yet today,
has retained the old belief.
There peer with luminescent eyes
in the queen's silver light;
in the holy garden of the high ones,
there exsists no sorrow.




10) Ungehorsam (Disobedient)
"Tell me, why does a demon cry,
such a proud demon,
such a being like you?
Is it, it's full of loneliness,
is it fear of the wickedness,
does it leave you no peace?"
And he opened his eyes and he looked at her questioningly
through the glittering tears on his face,
because he saw the young girl, that they'd ordered him to kill,
but he couldn't kill the beauty.

"I am without heart, without soul,
am a toy of the master,
who ordered me to murder,
nevertheless I shudder,
were I to take your life,
mine would become an agony for me..."

And she took his pale hands: "Noble prince of darkness,
let us flee from the master, who leads you."
Their eyes were full of love, their cheeks glowing hot,
her voice had touched his spirit.

But the dark master was watchful,
sent drooling beasts
to gobble up the two.
Finally they were both found
and they bit them wounds;
it appeared to be over with...

There the black angel rose up, faced the herd of beasts,
and they abated full of fear of the figure.
His black eyes bobbed and his hair fluttered wildly,
around him everything became dark, it became cold.

For he demanded the master, and the master came to him,
and they fought in the depths for her life;
completely alone she stood there, cried bitterly, cried hot,
and the earth under her a solitary tremor.

---------------

Finally it flowed blood from the earth
and the blade of the demon
brought death to the master.
Her dearest rose over the abyss
as the highest of princes,
and his sword was bloodred.

And she took the pale hands: "Prince of darkness,I am yours.
Without you I cannot and will not exsist."
And he took the beauty with him into the pale light of night;
never were the two ever seen again.

With thanks to Andrew Elges for providing a translation.