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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of And The Sun Never Again Rose (feat. J. Alexander)[2022 Re-Recording], Apokalypsis, Nightbringer, and The Testament of the Infernal.
1. |
A Nightmare Over Milan
01:18
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2. |
Dante
03:17
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Screams pierce my dreams in the cool Minano night.
Awakened in a cold sweat, my thoughts resigned.
I rush to the window of my scarlet laden sanctum.
Behind the curtains, silence in the twilight.
I swear I saw it,
unbridled genocide,
cobblestone traced in blood and
virtue most defiled.
No sum of wine
will alleviate the nightmares.
The visions haunt my very soul,
be damned, my foresight.
Could the dreams be nothing more
than simply fantasy
born from my cicatrix of witchery?
Years and years,
I have held fast,
the tomes of Hell amassed.
The toll they’ve taken on my soul
is everlasting.
Yet a gift of red stone,
born from a crimson book,
guards me in the solemn nights
of which I now must sit and bide.
The screams still searing in my heart
as clear as day.
A bottle down,
another found,
yet nothing will gift aid.
Rage within boils as I curse my yielding god,
when a glint of flame presents itself
behind my windows’ refuge…
Beyond the glass,
my nightmares have come true.
Before me, I see the doom of which had woken me.
Gripping the stone,
as tears fall from my eyes,
A hopeless reign of death ascending,
my thoughts resigned…
Forsaken.
Forgotten.
Apostasy reversed.
The long night of the Ebon Vale has dawned.
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3. |
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No time to wait as the pyres take my home.
I don my robes as I rush through scattered sacred tomes.
I have no time to save them all to my dismay.
A bitter death to literature which no one will retain.
Priority, a testament in ruby leather.
Alas, I cannot find it here; not with the ledger.
I need to rush to save myself before the flame’s embrace.
But a dusted silhouette is all that rests within its place.
I can’t escape.
An unsound climax,
my story so cut short.
The icy hand of death,
Wears the gloves of smoke and fire.
The wooden floor collapses underneath my feet.
I plummet to the ground below and roll into the street.
Carnage, snow, and blood surround me, what horror I perceive.
Women, men, and children flayed so far beyond belief.
Beasts like giant men are clad in blackened armor.
Nothing of this world I’ve seen could birth such awful terror.
Mages turning corpses into warriors, undead.
Hundreds, nay, thousands scream, wishing for the end.
From the north garrison, our soldiers charge the streets.
Spear, sword, and shield presented, they see not their defeat.
Each man fell silent.
Not one was given quarter.
No man or beast could best
these nightmares from beyond the light.
Their sacrifice had bought me time,
Just enough to get away.
Night now calls my name,
as Milan dies behind me.
Eastward I run,
not ever looking back.
Refuge is far from here,
but perhaps we can stand a chance.
The guilt is crushing,
the night is long as I have failed.
Still I march on for vengeance,
hate, and atonement.
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4. |
Gate to Eschaton
06:56
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Forward to the mountains.
Beyond the peaks I climb.
Through storm and blackened winter,
No respite from the sky.
The stars have fallen black.
No moon to guide my path.
It’s as if the heavens never were conceived.
The ruby stone upon my neck directs me on my way.
It fears the Gate to Eschaton like a fledgling falling prey.
A porphyry of sorcery it’s plain to see my jewel from the Ebon Vale
glows hellishly.
And forth I go,
its glow governs the way.
It’s known the brutish force
that Eschaton purveys.
Four-hundred years,
the stone has sat in wait.
Away from its yearning master,
I take it to its grave.
Time is nothing but a hollow blur to me now.
I have no sense of days that pass on this frigid journey.
The hair upon my face is traced in thickening frost.
I cannot tell if I am close, but I will die soon if I’m not.
I left Milan with nothing but my winter garb,
which is now caked in ice and snow leaving me with
numbness I have never known.
I lose my footing and I fall to my face,
I’ve lost the strength to stand again.
Is this my death?
My eyes grow heavy,
as the snow weighs me down.
I’d come so far,
yet I never made it there.
As I look up one last time,
while the blizzard fogs the night,
I see the entrance there,
the Gate to Eschaton.
A flame erupts within my soul,
I will not die this dreadful night.
I hoist myself up from the ground,
and rip the stone from its necklace chain.
Sliding the rock into the lock,
I take a step back to catch my breath.
The ground below me starts to quake.
Light bleeds out for the opening doors.
The gem disintegrates,
and I march into Eschaton.
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5. |
Nightbringer
05:14
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When your struggle ends and you witness the true face of a god,
You'll drown in the air that you breathe
This ground will open up and swallow you like an ocean
Pulling you further beneath
Heed not the warnings of fearful men
With faith you shall be whole again
All will pass over the doors of death
In his power which gives us strength
Baptized in that of his grace
We wait for those who prove that they are worthy
Tears of Europe flood the cities as they die.
The age of the ebon has begun.
I am the left hand and viceroy of a god.
Vyakzkaa, thy kingdom come.
I stand above Goliath and the armies of man.
I come with fire to watch them burn.
Bring me the flesh of your first born mistake.
Lay their filth upon my feet.
Grant me your children your body and mind your eyes will eat what I feed.
Where will you go when there’s nowhere to hide? Blessed be those who obey.
Flay yourself to feed the armada your meat is your debt to be paid.
The end of days has arrived, heed the sirens of agony.
A symphony of singing goats praises hail to the black king.
A garden of flesh masking the lands lilac and bones sprout earth.
Gaze the fields of those who resisted bodies trampled in dirt.
Hail him.
Embrace him.
Rejoice him.
He is all that you have.
Tears of Europe flood the cities as they die.
The age of the ebon has begun.
I am the left hand and viceroy of a god.
Vyakzkaa, thy kingdom come.
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6. |
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Since that night in 1765,
I’ve known only triumph.
The chosen of the god-king,
Vyakzkaa of the Vale.
Through tricks and witchcraft,
I made my way to kings,
taking thrones,
slaying armies,
laying waste to those who defy.
I am Xelvellol,
Harbinger of End Times,
Bringer of the Night.
Lord of Humanity,
Right hand of our Holy King.
The Onyx Throne I sit upon
once sat a weakling king.
Bastien filled his role,
and gifted my that weakling’s head.
Now from here I lead endless armies,
to spread endless death.
I yearn for the chance again,
to join them in the hunt.
I cannot count the sacrifices that have been made.
The War Chiefs tell me my soldiers take ten million a day.
Chief Tsuul of the Mediterranean War Front approaches,
Xel: “What word bring you now, Tsuul,
tell me of your conquests”
Tsuul: “My lord, I regret to inform you that we have encountered…unexpected interruptions coming from deep within the ottoman empire. Within the last three days, our operations in Greece have fallen to a complete standstill.”
Xel: “Have they? Everything has progressed without the slightest miscalculation thus far. Would you mind explaining to me what exactly the problem is?”
Tsuul: “Approximately a week ago, Chief Adrekk stopped reporting back. Search parties were sent after him, but they too did not return. After several days, we could not afford to keep stalling. I ordered the Warfront march on. Three days ago, we came across Adrekk and the search parties.”
Xel: “Continue…”
Tsuul: “My lord, the men lay in a field of cinder, and all of their eyes had been burned out. We rushed to their sides, and asked them what events transpired, but they just repeated, endlessly, ‘Eschaton will unleash the Ash Omen upon the usurper.’”
Xel: “So, Eschaton has finally decided to show their faces again, have they?”
Tsuul: “Xel, we were not prepared for Eschaton. We thought them eradicated, we were not ready for this.”
Xel: “Gather the other Warchiefs, we must not make another move until we devised a new strategy do you understand me?”
Tsuul: “Yes, my lord, i understand. But what if they strike before us?”
Xel: “If they strike before us, then may the God King have mercy upon our souls.”
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7. |
Apokalypsis
06:24
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Under the light of Omnipresent Evermoon,
I feel the crushing weight of failures past begin to loom.
Taken aback, distraught,
I’m lost within my thought.
Four-hundred fifty years,
I still hold onto fear.
The blinding glow of Ivory,
of armor sent to silence me.
I wish I could forget,
still I stand here and lament.
A voice behind me calls as
the chiefs enter the Hall.
I put back on the face of the
gallant Nightbringer.
Faces blurred and voices muffled,
I stare a thousand yards ahead.
A strategy of warfare is what
brought us here tonight.
Yet my mind has gone to the lost song
Of forgotten souls chanted in the
Old War…
“Arm readily,
The Light come this way,
Mirror death as it comes to take you
As its prey.
Apokalypsis,
I shed my blood for this.
Be with us, God King
Guide us in the dire night.
Apokalypsis
Apokalypsis”
Hours gone,
my wit is neither here nor there.
Desperation stabs its claws into my empty heart.
Stone-faced.
I will not let them see my fear.
I’ll guard my pride till the day I die.
The room is silent now,
has it been still for long?
I look up to see their faces all stare at me.
“What do we do my lord?”
One of them asks of me.
“Listen close, you must now trust in me…”
Arm readily,
The Light come this way,
Mirror death as it comes to take you
As its prey.
Apokalypsis,
I’d shed my blood for this.
Stand with me as our fates are all
within our hands.
Arm readily,
The Light come this way,
Mirror death as it comes to take you
As its prey.
Apokalypsis,
I’ll shed my blood for this.
Apokalypsis
Apokalypsis
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8. |
Svartravn
04:43
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Chief Tsuul: "My lord, the legions await your arrival, and your guards are standing by upon the balcony. When you are ready…"
**Xel walks to the balcony of his palace, and the doors open. He is greeted by a massive army of warriors under his command stretching as far as the eye can see. The sound of the near freezing rain is quickly drowned out by cheers and praise to the Nightbringer. Xelvellol raises his hand, and the legions fall silent.**
Xel: "Legends and myths. Legends and myths are what drive fear into the hearts of many. Fables of saints and angels haunt the dreams of our posterity. Unfounded, many of these horrors are. But the legends of Eschaton which all of you have heard since you were children, too weak to even lift a sword, are anything but fables. I was there. Your Chiefs who stand beside me, were there. You all should rejoice in that you were not present four centuries ago, when the Blightbearer fell at the claws of Eschaton. For Eschaton are far worse than the gaunt ghouls that haunt your dreams. They are nothing like what you have fathomed. They are our deepest threat, in our greatest hour. One moment of laxity could bring about our undoing. But we have an answer to their desolation. The Ebon Vale has its own legend. A figurehead of rectitude, vengeance, and triumph. We have the Immortal Champion…Svartravn."
The Legions of the Nightbringer erupt in ancient war cries, honoring the esteem of one of the most legendary warriors in the history of the Vale.
Xel: "The summoning has begun! Honor him as if he were the God-King himself. He will march alongside me, as we lead you to victory within the festering nests of Eschaton! Rest well, prepare yourselves. Victory is but a moment away."
**Being overpowered now by the sound of uncounted cheers, Xelvellol raises his hands again, and retreats back into his palace, his guards follow suit.
Several hours have passed, and the summoning ritual is nearly complete. Tsuul comes to Xelvellol’s chambers.**
Tsuul: "My lord? My lord, can you hear me?"
Xel: "What? Yes, what it is Tsuul?"
Tsuul: "He is nearly here. It it time…"
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9. |
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Svartravn: Xelvellol, the time has come, it seems again.
Xel: Here we are, standing amidst our greatest victory
thus far.
Svartravn: Steady now, the fight is far from over yet.
Xel: But with you here, it’s nothing but simply a matter of days now.
Svartravn: Have you forgotten? Recall the last time you jumped to conclusions.
Xel: Spare me your righteous indignation. I’ve no time for petty digression.
Svartravn: After that speech? After the fear you forced upon your men…
Xel: What of it?
Svartravn: Did you mean a single word you said?
Xel: Let me be clear. I lead these men, strongly, forever ahead. I brought you here for aid, to help them war and crusade.
Svartravn: Xelvellol -
Xel: Am I done? Stay silent. I will not let you -
Svartravn: Xelvellol!
Xel: I see you as nothing more than a meagre pawn.
Svartravn: So now you waste time on so-called petty digression. I don’t understand your self-centered ambition.
Xel: The speech was made to drive their spirits, but I pay no respects to the likes of you…
I can’t contend with the contempt that burns within me.
Conflict, confusion, I won’t give up my victory.
“Arm readily…” See him as just a weapon.
Be calm, concise.
Don’t get too far ahead of yourself.
Am I starting to heed his words?
He knows nothing of me!
I can’t allow him
To force his will upon me.
My warriors know not our past,
and they think us of Gods.
So long as it carries me to everlasting glory…
Under the light of the Omnipresent Evermoon,
I pray to the God-King
to give me strength.
I cannot fail again.
I will not fail him again.
I will rise above,
and he will not stop me again.
The draw of sleep pulls at my mind.
Long hours of planning,
I’ve earned a hearty rest.
We strike tomorrow,
We end this tomorrow.
Just as night begins to hold me,
I hear a rack on the door…
Svartravn: "Xelvellol, I trust that you are not occupied?"
Xel: "Svartravn, what do you want?"
Svartravn: "I have made a recent discovery that I need to discuss with you that may have a profound impact on the outcome of the Covenant."
Xel: "I assume that you are going to tell me that this cannot wait until morning?"
Svartravn: "I want to be speaking to you as much as you want to be speaking to me. If this were not urgent, I would not have come to your door."
Xel: "Fine. Come in."
Svartravn: "Are you alone?"
Xel: "What kind of question is that?"
Svartravn: "It’s relevant."
Xel: "How?"
Svartravn: "We’ll get there. Before we start getting into the details of what I have uncovered, I would like to review tomorrows strategy with you."
Xel: "Did you not just say that this can’t wait until morning? We’ve discussed everything we need to discuss regarding the war strategy."
Svartravn: "Your scouts located Eschaton hidden within Mount Olympus to the east. You seem to have, despite considerable scout casualties, mapped out a rather sizable portion of that area. I commend you for this. Not only for gathering as much information as you did, but for the complete disregard for the lives of our people. That amount of recklessness you displayed by sending so many to their deaths for often meaningless intelligence is quite impressive."
Xel: "So now I can’t even try to sleep without you have to insult me? If this is all you came here to do then you can see yourself out."
Svartravn: "Did any of the surviving scouts tell you about the air?"
Xel: "What…the fuck does that mean?"
Svartravn: "The air. Did the scouts tell you what it was like to breathe the air around Olympus? Or around Eschaton?"
Xel: "No, Svartravn, they did not tell me what it’s like to breathe."
Svartravn: "Have you ever been near Olympus."
Xel: "No."
Svartravn: "You think we’re going to end this tomorrow, yet you have never been to Olympus before?"
Xel: "I truly do not see a problem with that. This is a waste of time. What are you trying to get at?"
Svartravn: "Not long after I arrived, I asked you if you had forgotten what occurred the last time you jumped to conclusions. Xelvellol, do you remember the last time you encountered our enemy? Do you remember that smell?"
Xel: "…what are you getting at?"
Svartravn: "You misjudged them. They exploited you. And the Covenant collapsed. Do you remember the smell before you were banished back to the Ebon Vale?"
Xel: "Iron. Overwhelming amounts of iron. And smoke."
Svartravn: "How do you feel when you think of that smell?"
Xel: "I feel that you should leave."
Svartravn: "Did it make you feel confused? Horrified?"
Xel: "I was afraid, and anyone would be after witnessing their mentor being slain just moments earlier."
Svartravn: "Eschaton knows that now. They know what you fear. Every scout, every one of them, reported the stench of overwhelming iron and smoke when they returned from Olympus. They know you’re coming, Xelvellol."
Xel: "Was this your discovery? Is this your information that was so important that you had to wake me? Olympus reeks of my nightmares, so you just wanted to give me a proper warning?"
Svartravn: "No, Xelvellol, no. There is more to this…"
________________
Lord Collins: "Dante, you have exceeded my expectations tenfold. You wiped the minds of how many of their scouts?"
Dante: "All of them, my lord. Everyone who came anywhere near us. Everything they told Xelvellol after we released them was a falsification. The only reality was the scent, and we will be ready. They have no idea what to expect…”
________________
Svartravn: "Xelvellol, I know."
Xel: "You know what? You know what? Enough of your cryptic bullshit, what do you know?!"
Svartravn: About the human.
Xel: "What do you-"
Svartravn: "The human that you lay with that you have so poorly hidden from me. I know. This is treason. And you are not fit to lead the Covenant. I want her head on a pike, come our arrival at Olympus, or I will take the lead of the Covenant from you, and I will leave you to Vyakzkaa’s judgement. Don’t try to lie to me or hide this any longer. You will not ruin the Covenant because of your unmanageable greed and lust. If you dare to continue this fight while trying to hide your traitorous ways, it will be the last mistake you ever make while not in shackles."
Xel: "You’re going to expose me regardless, aren’t you?"
Svartravn: "Eschaton knows what you fear. If you fear that smell, and you now fear losing power and that sack of meat, they will exploit it, and we will collapse again. Will you be remembered as a traitor, or will you be remembered for putting the Covenant before your repulsive, human-like urges?"
Xel: "Get. Out."
We mount to ride,
forward to the mountains.
He peers at me,
and I gaze at him.
A silent, stifling stare.
I will not concede.
I will not give in.
I will not fall to ruin again.
As the wind calls,
As I hide my fear,
I wish I could go back.
From catacomb conjurer,
to Bringer of Night…
have I lost my way?
Arm readily,
the light comes this way,
Mirror death as it comes to take you as its prey,
Apokalypsis,
I’ll shed my blood for this…
Unto the shadow of Olympus
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Wraithborn Washington, D.C.
Wraithborn is a black metal/death metal duo, telling the story of a nightmarish world through
music.
“Wraithborn’s first album in the saga of the Ebon Vale is supernaturally horrifying, technically sound, symphonically creative, and narratively epic. This is one Hell of an album. 9.8/10” — Midnight Music Reviews
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