Imperium

2018 - Digital Distribution - Album

Imperium is a collection of stories from different stages in the life of a civilization. The theme was inspired by Sir John Glubb's essay The Fate of Empires, in which he explores the cyclical tendencies of our history. Imperium serves as a meditation on the transient nature of human endeavors and is a friendly reminder that nothing is new under the sun. The sound is influenced by that parallel universe where Metallica is a 70's prog rock band composing soundtracks for dystopian 80's sci-fi movies.

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Gandaberunda

01:28

Outburst Lyrics

04:11

I have seen the vile
Grow into a world set on fire

Struggle and stay alive
Dark forces are oncoming
Vapid to their eyes
Conquer or be struck by the flames

Stand up
Infractions must be stopped
If you back down
(Their) offence would never end

Come with us
We will lead the way
Don't believe a word they say
Distorted truth

Fight their madness
Carry on

Come and make them fall apart
It's reckless to follow their cause
Worn-out and weary, you have to work
Their labour is malice on earth
You'll see - break free

Throw it down the mountainside
From their ashes we'll prevail

One must be able to trust another
We shouldn't have to fear our home

I'm here still alive
But part of me feels empty inside
Walk with me right now
And clear a path that leads us there
I've seen misery, disgraceful acts were spread like a plague

Behold
Dawn of the rulers fall
It's here and now
(The) beginning of the end

Imperium Lyrics

03:31

Take one thousand men and make them discontent
So lost in depravity
Then you proclaim a fate that no one could dream of
By now they're victorious

Gather your forces

Our time is now and the time is right
When everybody is united as one
We must turn the tide of fear
And cleanse the world from (its) degenerates

Draw – Aim – Fire
Repeat unto the very end
It's Us or Them

No one shall cross our way to dominion – And our imperium
Nothing at all will obstruct our spirit
This is our destiny – Won

High Noon Lyrics

03:54

Behold the line of progress
Subduing the stormy sea
See how it flows
And how it sets you free

Behold the tide of commerce
Baptizing the barren tree
See how it grows
And how it's meant to be

Shedding light to beast and man
A Prospero delivering Caliban
Sons of the soil
Come and cleanse your culture with liberty

Hearken unto the wind, extolling our kingdom
The plainsong, the chronicle, expounding our burden

Harpies and vultures
Sons of the midday sun
Come suck the marrow
Of the gangrened bones

The Climb Lyrics

04:22

We fought hard for deliverance
Breaking shackles of poverty
Though our rise left a few behind
None deserve our apology

We have seen their pity
Turn into jealousy
It's only fair
Eat or be eaten

But all the fortunes that you have made
Will breed impatience
For your desire knows no rest
Although your toil has passed, long passed!

Get on the hedonic treadmill!

Once we had nothing but a dream
You were desperate, you were in need
Climbing higher
You were lead astray, you were deceived
Still trusting wealth to bring us ease
You are corrupted, you are diseased and weak

Hubris Lyrics

04:27

Observe the universe
Ask interesting questions
Conduct research
Formulate hypotheses

Design experiments
Analyze the findings
Reject, revise
Repeat and draw conclusions

Describe what patterns can be discerned
Explain what factors dictate behavior
Predict what good or ill might unfold
Control – Yes, let's seize fate by the throat!

Go catalog cosmos
Leave no stone unturned
Cram into a model; all that is seen

Closing the gaps
Shrinking (the) gods
We're bringing to form an age of intellect

Defy dogmas
Liberate inquiry
Transcend paradigms
Go wherever evidence is leading

All will be known by Man alone
Reaching for our own divinity

Humbug!
Hubris!

Your scalpel of reason is laying bare
The dagger of Nemesis
She will come awake – Repent!

Come celebrate
(The) wonders of Man

Hubris!
Wretched ego!

Come celebrate enlightenment
Welcome into a brave new world

Bread and Circuses Lyrics

04:02

Look at these rats!
Devoid of honor
Vain and self-indulgent
They'll be my undoing!

Pleasure is our birthright
We crave bread and circuses
Give us (what) we're entitled
Let us all feast – for soon we'll die!

To what end should I appease this vermin's greed?
I will give.. I'll give.. No more!

Ouroboros

02:01

The Resistance Lyrics

06:38

The serpent's tongue, a kiss of death
One last caress, that chokes your breath
An easy prey, serves its destiny
One restless soul, feeds the carnivore

I am the one and only one
Now it is time for a statement
Bring me the head of this charade
Give us the leader of resistance – Now

You are my shadow from long ago
(When) bridges were burning fast
Like a lifeboat adrift offshore
Surrendered to the waves

The more you excavate and search for truth
The more pointless it seems to be
From a distant cry to the people's roar
This is your wake-up call

So you carry the flame
And preserve to the end
To protect what is sane
Until we meet all again

This is not our fate, nor what we're looking for
A big bad wolf, knocking at our door
How could this be, where should one go
Tired of constant fear, it turns us into stone

Make a stand

Credits

Drum recordings and Mixes were done at Studio KUST, Gothenburg, 2014-2018 by Henrik Magnusson.

Vocals, Bass, Guitars, Saxophone and Percussion recorded at various locations by Memfis.

Gandaberunda, additional vintage instruments and tape echoes recorded at Sonores Studios by Jonas Odhner.

Gandaberunda and Ouroboros were mixed by Mattias Engström.

Produced by Memfis and Henrik Magnusson.

Engineered by Henrik Magnusson, Mattias Engström and Jonas Odhner.

Mastered by Linus Andersson at Element Studios, 13-14 November 2018.

Music written by Mattias Engström.

Lyrics for Outburst, Imperium and The Resistance written by Mattias Engström. Lyrics for High Noon written by Daniel Götstedt. Lyrics for The Climb, Hubris and Bread and Circuses written by Henrik Hedelund.

Saxophone on the tracks Imperium and Ouroboros by Ulf Eriksson.

Artwork by Henrik Franklin.

Mattias Engström: Guitars, Vocals, Rhodes, Mellotron, Analogue Synthesizers, Pedal Steel & Percussion
Daniel Götstedt: Guitars & Vocals
Henrik Hedelund: Jazz Bass & Vocoder
Carl-Johan Lindblad: Drums

Special Thanks

Ulf Eriksson, Jonas Odhner, Henrik Franklin, Henrik Magnusson, Linus Andersson & Daniel Bergström.

Files Included

Imperium-FLAC.zip

Imperium-FLAC.tar.gz

Imperium-OGG.zip

Imperium-OGG.tar.gz

Imperium-MP3.zip

Imperium-MP3.tar.gz

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