Metal Storm logo
Enslaved - Vertebrae lyrics



Tracks



01. Clouds

Music by I. S. Peersen
Lyrics by K. Grutle
In the void of chaos life endures
In the gap of creation, the ancient wisdom breathes

Inheritance of fire
Inheritance of frost
Yet it lay there weeping
Afraid to see the light

Inheritance of fire
Inheritance of frost
No one comes to unveil
No one finds the key

Inheritance of fire
Inheritance of frost
Grasp the mighty chaos
Grasp the ancient birth

"Seek deep within, feel the flames
Into the void, never to return
Seek deep within, fertilize
Into the void, rise"

Struggling against the fumes
Poisoning the hearts
Fighting the chains, to penetrate the clouds
Pulsating life in the ancient womb
Encapsulated in forces of old

Waiting to hear the call
To witness the cosmic marriage
Willing to blow; to blow the mocking clouds away

02. To The Coast

Music & lyrics by I. S. Peersen
To the coast, but not across
Static sanctuary

Longing for the heart of the changer
Chained to the past, a dream of liberation
The vultures above, they know, they've seen him linger here
Where the barren land meets sea; the mother and the reaper
The irony of...
Sorrow kept close
Hanging head
Gaze upon the waters and turn back again
Like so many times before

Riders on the horizon with darkness in tow

Too painful to let go of the fear, too strong the ties
He came without a face
...And a promise of belonging
So I caved and gave way to this vision
Bleak and never-ending the pages
I'd like to see what lies beyond
Dissolving ink in salt water
Wrecked and laughing at the skies and the open sea

To the coast but not across
Had some strange days then walked back
To the coast but not across

Longing for the heart of the changer
Chained to the past, a dream of liberation
The vultures above, they know, they've seen him linger here
Where the barren land meets the sea; the mother and the reaper
The irony of...

Riders on the horizon with darkness in tow

Too painful to let go of the fear, too strong the ties
He came without a face
...And a promise of belonging
So I caved and gave way to this vision
Bleak and never-ending the pages
I'd like to see what lies beyond
Dissolving ink in salt water
Wrecked and laughing at the skies and the open sea

Black clad back into the all over again

03. Ground

Music & lyrics by I. S. Peersen
The defining sound

Fangs into flesh
Panic and spit
Death unto life
Eyes wide

It sees itself through the layers of ice
Now; seal the cracks - reject the notions!
Everything can not be happening on the inside?

An option not to listen

A nameless urge takes hold
Prey upon the weak
An aimless tale told
Pray upon the weak

Caught in a spiral of need
Act without the choice
Choose not to act
Caught in a spiral of need

Desperate and alone in a whole
Striving for higher ground
Carrying someone else's fears for tomorrow
Stay behind the line
Or eat from the bowels of reality
Grind the thorns to stardust
Gliding slowly across the abyss
Inside the inside the inside

There is a sound made by boiling blood

Above and below lay the levels
Above and below the ground
Ground

04. Vertebrae

Music by I. S. Peersen
Lyrics by K. Grutle
"Abandoning the powers that gave them sight
Summoned to the altars of their loving gods"

Storming the walls, once built with pride
Swarming like rats away from the lights
Howling for justice, death in their eyes
Tearing down the pillars with monstrous hate

Forging the swords to slay their own kin
Screaming in triumph, burning inside

When the steps are fulfilled
We shall see a new dawn
When the dead world is gone
We shall rebuild the walls

When all the bricks from the morning
When they are once again found
We will emerge from the ashes
And rise from the ground

05. New Dawn

Music & lyrics by I. S. Peersen
In the radiant night
Beneath the fertile soil
In every heart it lies sleeping
Hiding in dreams of strength
Older than the mountains
So ancient and profound
Beyond the grasp of reason
Above the laws of man

The ancient gods of battle
Summoned by the drums of war
In circles of fire descended
Our eyes and minds frantic
At the point of no return
I never saw her shine so bright
Returning the strength to a weary heart
Strife to reclaim and expand

A new dawn rises
Out from the shadows
A new dawn rises
I step unto the world

In times when truth has lost its valour
In times when fate is bought and sold
When honour lays slain at vanity's feet
It seemed like our last hour had come
The enemies' name outspoken
They will tremble upon seeing the sign
The second coming has no mercy
Forged in the flames with iron will

A new dawn rises
Out from the shadows
A new dawn rises
I step unto the world

06. Reflection

Music by I. S. Peersen
Lyrics by K. Grutle
Clinging to life in the reflection of the self
Breathing the air from the poisoned pit
Hovering through flames from the burning core

Searching for reason in the ashes of men
Obeying the laws of the kings without lands
Bowing in awe at the hypocrite's feet
Not hearing the cry of the infant

Poisoning the seed that was planted within
Ignoring the winter that closes in
Believing the tales from the forked tongue
Frozen to death without being born

Looking for reason in the bottomless abyss

Clinging to life in the reflection of the self
Breathing the air from the poisoned pit
Hovering through flames from the burning core

Searching for reason in the ashes of men
Obeying the laws of the kings without lands
Bowing in awe at the hypocrite's feet

Clinging to life
Frozen to death

Clinging to life in the reflection of the self
Frozen to death without being born

Absorbing the reek of rotting flesh
Marching in convoys to fields unknown

Clinging to life in the reflection of the self
Embracing the sun without casting shadows

Believing the tales from the forked tongue
Frozen to death without being born

07. Center

Music & lyrics by I. S. Peersen
Feel nothing
Oxen and primate as one
Pushing what already strives
(There is) no space
(There is) no peace
Let go of the whip

We've reached the outer limits of this orchestrated vision
Some might think it can't be kept apart
Forgot to ask: where are we in all of this?
Trying to get off track ... into the wilderness
Running from the beast

In need of strength, in search of guidance
Asked but given nothing - remembering everything
It matters not now, it all came to fuel
Silent growth
Hoarse rust
Can not be broken
I trust the shapes
Heathen vertigo
Repaint the curses and bellow
Sailing past to old shores
In the distant haze

The waving motion
Is not for you

In every direction stretched and torn no more
(It) seems we've been here all along

08. The Watcher

Music by I. S. Peersen
Lyrics by K. Grutle
Darkness...
Fear...
Life...
Cold...

Left alone with no will
Walking in footsteps of the fallen
Blinded by lack of reason
Indulging the tales of doom

"Farewell,
May the darkness bind them
No one will
Remember the pain when we are...gone..."

Desolate...
Unconscious...
Lost...

Where lays the ones I've slain?
Did I become any wiser?
Will their anger hunt me down?
Did I sacrifice in vain?

"Farewell,
Hear the sound of solitude
No one will
Walk the bridge, to darkness overcome"

Settlement...
Trust...
Relief...
Dawn...

Guide me, watcher in the skies
Transform the forces of the dead
In my dreams I'll hunt them down
I now know the truth