This whole project started with a craving for writing the kind of music I grew up with and what I have been listening to a lot over the years. Which is very many different bands and artists in various genres. The most important bands that always come back to me, Kiss and Iron Maiden. They made me want to make music for the rest of my life.
As an early teen I discovered death metal, black metal and thrash metal, and later more elekronic music. Evrything from Kraftwerk, Gary Numan to Aphex Twin. I later fell for pink floyd and then I fell back to square one. After all, Kiss and Maiden have always been there for me as inspiration. Ouijabeard sums it all up here. I listen to very few new bands today, simply because I think that most new productions sounds crap. Over triggered and disgusting in my ears. This album is my personal reaction to all this misery. The album was recorded with simple methods. Everything I have done myself except more complex guitar solos. The idea was to create a concept album, much like an abstract art film with a consistent theme. It all started when I read about Grigorij Rasputin and all the mystery surrounding his life and death. Sound-wise, the disc is a sick cross between Kiss, Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Journey, Blue oyster cult and Pink Floyd. All this combined with an abstract and fiction-based story about Raputins life and death. How he later dies and turns into a sort of god.
The first song on the disc, "Eyes in the night". Telling a story about how Rapsutin trying to get a young woman into his mystical cult, subsequently trying to have sex with her. The goal to convince this woman to sin fully to reach some kind of divine power and through this to be accepted in heaven.
This song features amazing lead guitar work by Johannes wanngren.
The song starts with an haunting intro played by Thomas Zwijsen from The Blaze Bayley band. Blaze does some whispering spoken words in the beginning..
"Across the room" is a song about an evil spirit trying to contact one of the women included in this sex cult. He is ever-present on the other side of the room and this presence manifests itself in and eery way.
"The End" is a free interpretation of my vision of destruction. This destruction also affects Rasputin in his last seconds of life, but this doom is definitely not the end but only the beginning.
This song also has some amazing guitar leads by Tor nyman, earlier guitarist in Opression and Hedaded for distaster.
"Curse of the stones" tells the tale of stones found around the world that possesses magical powers. The downfall lies in the moss on the rocks. This is a true story. Anyone who delves into this subject will experience consequences.
"Alexandra" is an instrumental song. musically inspired by The good the bad and the ugly. The title of the song tells a different story.
The last Russian Tsaritsa Alexandra Feodorovna was the wife of Nicholas II. The myth says that she later got involved in Rasputins cult.
"Moon Empire" is about how they external forces in the universe are watching us. They govern us. They live in us. Rasputin later become one of them.
"Signs of the Moreia" is a song based on how we humans think we are superior, but do not have the knowledge that certain species are above us. A moray should not be underestimated. because they communicates in a way we can never understand.
"Keep the streets empty for me" Is a cover song. The original was written by Fever Ray. Originally a dark electronic type of song. I've always liked the dark feel with this artist and wanted to test whether it was possible to make a traditional rock song out of it. The theme seemed to fit my own stuff.
"Die and let Live" With this, I wanted to finish the album in an epic way. The song explains how Rasputin eventually tricked into death. He gets poisoned several times but survives. He is eventually shot and thrown into the river. When the police later found him dead in the cold water they found that his arms were outstretched. As if he had not died from the shots or poison but actually continued to swim but did not come up because of the thick ice above him. His body may be dead after that but not his presence. The song describes how he still lives on though he is dead.
Blaze Bayley does an amazing appearance in this song as the voice of rasputin.
