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 Как нетрудно было догадаться, вслед за первой частью «ИСЛАНДСКОЙ ОДИССЕИ», именовавшейся «КРАСНОЕ ДЛЯ ОГНЯ», сказители из SOLEFALD попотчевали своих слушателей «ЧЕРНЫМ ДЛЯ СМЕРТИ». Название второй половины дилогии можно было даже не указывать, оно логично вытекало из всего творчества норвежского дуэта, с самого своего дебюта давшего своей музыке цветовое определение «красно-черная». В-общем, приключения барда Браги, изгнанного из Рейкьявика за противозаконную связь с королевой, продолжаются. Мы оставили его в тот момент, когда он собирался покончить с собой в жерле вулкана, но после божественного явления решил с этим повременить, тем самым дав древним сказителям материал для продолжения саги, которую в начале XXI века два норвежских музыканта положили на музыку. А в музыке этой, по сравнению с “RED FOR FIRE” не изменилось абсолютно ничего. Вообще, два этих альбома неплохо было бы выпустить одновременно, а не с перерывом в год, поскольку слушать их необходимо вместе, один за другим – тогда складывается вполне четкая музыкальная картинка, иначе получающаяся несколько дискретной. Я вот, во всяком случае, уже успел забыть, что там происходило в первой серии… Ну да ладно… Во второй же музыка становится несколько тревожней и даже трагичней (Смерть приближается), в результате чего меньше места остается для всякого рода звуковых экспериментов, которые так любили Корнелиус с Лазарем на всех своих предыдущих работах. Нет, и здесь нашлось место для саксофонных инструменталов (“Dark Waves Dying”, вообще, представляет собой едва ли не джазовую импровизацию) и для странноватых, совсем не скандинавских, гармоний (“Queen In The Bay Of Smoke”) и для почти «квиновских» распевов, но все это как-то словно бы мимоходом. А вот нарративные поэтические фрагменты, которых на альбоме насчитывается целых три штуки (обе "Lokasenna" и “Spoken To The End Of All”) становятся едва ли не центральной частью альбома, его квинтэссенцией – музыка, сопровождающая чтение, оркестрована столь мрачно-торжественно, что заставляет вспомнить даже не Грига, а скорее Шопена с его известным каждому маршем. Впрочем, есть на альбоме и совсем уж неожиданные эпизоды. Так, припев в “Necrodyssey” настолько явственно отдает MANOWAR, что даже как-то неловко становится. Едва ли музыканты, в чьей эрудированности и вкусе вряд ли приходится сомневаться, сделали это случайно, а значит – это тоже зачем-то было нужно. Как нужен был и кибер-блэк-метал в открывающем треке, и симфо-блэк в закрывающем, и арт-метал в самой экзотической композиции альбома “Loki Trickster God”. Правда, это здесь она несколько необычно звучит, а для SOLEFALD – вполне нормально. Что там говорить, мастерство Корнелиуса и Лазаря как композиторов и аранжировщиков со времен “THE LINEAR SCAFFOLD” выросло чрезвычайно… Хотелось бы, чтобы вместе с ними выросли и их слушатели. Пока же, “BLACK FOR DEATH”, по крайней мере, внешне стал самым простым для восприятия их альбомом после все того же дебюта. Но, повторю, это только внешне. Внутренне же – музыка дуэта остается столь же далека от канонов современной (даже самого авангардной) тяжелой музыки, как музыка того же Альфреда Шнитке от канонов музыки симфонической. (диск предоставлен компанией CD-Maximum) |
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In retribution reborn from the forests unknown
I heard the feeble screams of lost pride and dignity
After a thousand years comes liberation of destiny
Deathlike silence
Deathlike silence will rule
In the rooms of your cave
Euronymous Prince of Death
You shall dance on their grave
I've rejected the rules of hands and heart
I raped and pillaged the darkest art
It's toughened hardened a bastard child grown strong
May it linger after me as a saga in song
Stay written in runes on the black metal sword
May it some day save a Viking of my horde
Red for Fire + Black for Death
Red for fire endure the Iron Law
Black for death an outlaw's revenge in the raw
2. Queen In The Bay Of Smoke
Treacherous queen
Who abused my good faith
I will take you
Where birds have never been
A knife in my belt
A spear in my hand
To my burning eyes
Your halls are made of glass
Treacherous queen
You abused my good faith
I will take you
Where birds have never been
A knife in my belt
A spearhead in my heart
To my burning eyes
Your walls are made of glass
The age of the heroes
A distant memory
The Iron Law rules Iceland
Evil kings faithless queens
Who hides in the Bay of Smoke
Nothing goes unpunished
Look where you step
You might tread on me
Queen in the Bay of Smoke
Bring supplies
For the worst of your winters
I shall wear your pain
As a golden crown
Whe shall crawl the tunnels
In the dark of the Underworld
A million midgets are waiting for you
Queen in the Bay of Smoke
I tasted your beauty
You threw me to the dogs
I walked as a wolf among the dogs
I walked as a god among the slaves
Queen in the Bay of Smoke
I mшrket under jorden
ligger dvergenes gruver
Den hvite dronning faller
i Regins svarte hull
Skalden sшker
en konges skamhevn
Dronningen dulgt
i smеfolkets berg
Dvergene stimler
om fagermшya sammen
Skrekk stеr е se
i Berg-Disas blikk
Hva vondt har jeg gjort?
Hvor tar du meg hen?
Tеresalt drysser
pе gulvert av gull
Her skal du bli
svikefulle kvinne
Ta skalden til mann
og skammen i hug
3. Silver Dwarf
I am your friend from way down
Trapped in a dark forever
Silver Dwarf
This place is dead
Silver Dwarf
Night everywhere
Chained to the Tree of Death
I see no birds no life
Silver Dwarf
This is my home
Only these walls know my face
This is the mine where I am stuck
Silver Dwarf
Bowels of greed
Silver Dwarf
Once filled with gold
Friend from the Land of Light
Help me out of darkness
Silver Dwarf
Horses pull me apart
Silver Dwarf
Under the earth
I wish to be strong
But I was born in a mine
Silver Dwarf
Never allowed to leave
Silver Dwarf
Cellar of life
I will dig my way out of here
The Silver Dwarf will see the sun
Silver Dwarf
A closed infinity
Silver Dwarf
Nothing to lose
I am your friend from way down
Spiders eat me
Silver Dwarf
Sunlight and glory
Silver Dwarf
I will make my way up there
4. Underworld
[Instrumental]
5. Necrodyssy
The black art's dead can't you feel the foul smell
Ten years ago THE CORPSES gave us hell
Now the scene's changed we're still around
The vampires lie six feet deep into the ground
We have engineered a MEDIEVAL WAR MACHINE
Come with us corpse feel your own medicine
Now listen to me to the end of the story
We claim what is ours we HUNGER for glory
Ja you were right music IS war
Now show me the TRUTH that you've fought for
It isn't very much if NOTHING AT ALL
Toss those remains into the Chieftain's hall
Let everybody witness the state of your carcass
All of you devils who wanted to mark us
Come on brand your iron I BET YOU it is cold
Let's see how hard you are growing up and old
The winters of Norway have frozen your brains
At every living thought you SCREAM in seven pains
As Necrophisto I speak the Deity of Hell
Spellbound I will have you tremble to the bell
Join me in battle fight by my side
Together we may run for TRIUMPH AND PRIDE
But if you go against me fight like a man
Make me die with a SWORD IN MY HAND
Give up your life the rags that were you
You'll feed the snakes all the time to stay true
Thank you for all now give up the crown
Our law is here WE RULE YOUR MIND WITH SOUND
Join me in battle fight by my side
Together we may run for TRIUMPH AND PRIDE
But if you go against me fight like a man
Make me die with a SWORD IN MY HAND
6. Allfathers
Allfathers ancestors
I think of you in Odin's hall
Allfathers ancestors
I think of how you crossed the seas
Dirty bearded men who slept in the snow
Can you feel the beauty of Iceland still?
Eagles and icebergs
The white nights of the North
I will fight for your legend
Never forgotten
Combat for your honour
Protect my kin
Allfathers ancestors
What you were I want to be
What you were look at me
Tell me what you see
Do you see a son in me
Or just another man
I am the son of a man
Who was the son of a man
I will fight for your legend
Combat for your honour
What you were I want to be
Now look at me what do you see
Allfathers ancestors
I think of you in Odin's hall
Allfathers ancestors
I think of how you crossed the seas
I will fight for your legend
Combat for your honour
Steel in my hand
Hatred in my eyes
Don't you touch what is mine
Spoil what I hold dear
Defile what I love
Smear pure with impure
Or I shall avenge with sword and axe
Till Hel decides who she wants
To burn
7. Lokasenna Part 2
Loki:
"Heile, aser!
heile, aasynjur!
og alle hog-heilage gudar!
utan den eine
som innar der sit,
Brage, paa benken sin."
Bragi:
"Av egni mi gjev eg
oyk og sverd deg,
og ein ring endaa Brage boter:
at du ikkje aasom
di ovund syner;
arge dei ikkje aat deg."
8. Loki Trickster God
Seven years of pain for one night of joy
Loki tricked the lovers with a vicious ploy
He spoke to the queen in his softest voice
Told her he would give her the following choice
Either you were raped by the skald of the king
Death upon the man who would do you such a thing! -
Or you cheated on your husband, striking him down -
Both you and your poet will be sentenced to drown!
The queen was all tears, feared for her life,
'Outlaw the skald, surrender him to strife,
But save our skin, no one should die for love!'
Loki stared at the queen with want in his eyes
Thought ' A god born of giants, I lust for the queen!
I'll make sure this time there's no poet in between!'
Said 'From this day and onwards let Loki be the one,
Your god and your beast, your father and your son,
Cherish me with kisses and honour me with pleasure,
Give in to me, and I'll protect you as my treasure!
But if you reveal who I am, or disclose what I have said,
Both the skald and you will sink to the abyss of the dead!
Garm the Fog of Hel will eat your heart and liver,
Even when cold you'll tremble and shiver
For the rotten goddess and her hungry beast
Unless you join Loki the Trickster's nightly feast'
9. Spoken To The End Of All
Spoken to the end of all
You are eyes
You are heart
You are bone
You are head
I am signs
I am stones
I am steel
I am blood
Spoken to the end of all
Runes reveal
What darkness hid
10. Dark Waves Dying
[Instrumental]
11. Lokasenna Part 3
[Loki:]
"For slike slag du
snaur plar vera
som шykjer og armringar;
av alle жser
som inne her er,
du er i vig varast
og skjerrast for skot."
[Bragi:]
"Var eg utanfor
Жges-halli
so nжr deg som no:
hovudet ditt
eg i handi mi bar;
daa lжta du fekk for di lygn."
12. Sagateller
O father of truth and marvellous lies
Ignorance the dragon never dies
In the Midgard of men they call you sagateller
In the Asgard of gods they call you dragonkiller
Red words for black thoughts, you cannot be blamed
No name is a secret, no secret is unnamed
The sagas you tell mankind teach them about fate
Songs and legends from times of love and hate
When the words of Odin's art resound through the horn
Heroes and Giants of the ancient epics are reborn
In the Midgard of men they call you sagateller
In the Asgard of gods they call you dragonkiller
[Skald:] The eyes of the universe, the witness of time
Heart and head tied together in rhythm and rhyme
The fury of enemies the madness of the young
There is no thing in the world that is not in your song
Under the silver of a thousand moons
The book of your life was written with runes
Would you know the future of your kin
How White Christ and Black Death were going to win
The Icelanders who hungered the Norwegians who died
Before the doors of Hel, they had their strength tried
Remember the hardships the toil they through
Remember the hardships the battles they lived through
Our blood hails the North pagan Vikings stay true
Red for Fire + Black for Death
Our blood hails the North pagan Vikings stay true
The Icelanders who hungered the Norwegians who died
Before the doors of Hel, they had their strength tried
Remember the hardships the battles they lived through
Our blood hails the North pagan Vikings stay true
Sagateller Dragonkiller
O father of truth and marvellous lies
Ignorance the dragon that never dies
The Icelanders who hungered the Norwegians who died
Before the doors of Hel, they had their strength tried
Red for Fire + Black for Death
Our blood hails the North pagan Vikings stay true