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Saturnine December

by Antecantamentum

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Anak
Anak thumbnail
Anak Alluring interplay between light and dark with mesmerising guitar tones to boot. Favorite track: Wraith.
Luke
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Luke Dissonant, beautiful, dissonant again. Offensively (as opposed to defensively) queer. Flashes of light against infinite dark. Aspire to see your true self. Hope to be remembered positively by those who saw it too. Until there's no one left.
Slut Aus Nord
Slut Aus Nord thumbnail
Slut Aus Nord It's difficult to put this release into words, as it so frequently draws from that same well of profound and colossal wonder that Krallice did in their heyday. Listen to it, and you will understand. Favorite track: Wraith.
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1.
We once had a choice Why did you choose pain? Let your hatred die Do not let it overtake you The echoes of razorblade words Still draw fresh blood The evil tried to sway me It promised great vengeance But why should I offer that darkness, My most hated scourge, My loved ones as a sacrifice? Their blood will not heal my wounds I know your suffering I've felt the same sorrow And by that very knowledge I can’t allow it to continue You have left me Under the chariot of the hidden sun In the field of clover As deep as the sea I would dream of safety In the green petrichor In the misty valley Waiting to be found May I be the final visitor Of these sad desolate lands May the sun shine upon you May the clover blossoms bloom May the rains pass And the valley protect you I wish you could've felt safe I wish you were properly loved You only wished the best for us I will always love you
2.
Where have you gone? My prelapsarian days? Painfully ended Wounds that will never heal Upheaval is all I know Everything is in flux The river of time ever flows Into the ocean of oblivion There is no help The stars cannot guide You are all alone Will you find your way through? We must all bear the heavy burden The inherent sadness of existence The deathly sorrows of all things The ephemerality of purpose The flames will consume all they can They heed no cries for mercy But even all-consuming fire is necessary Will you remain as ash, or rise as a phoenix? Things cannot stay the same Antiquated, unjust mores must go Vestigial remnants of a haunted past Must make way for the new Will you save them? Will you save yourself?
3.
Auvranenims azičerirá Vyain sim aziluriná Šens dzéys Luka baramia hvázeramia Aleryadas sezas elluvas Vya retiné Aiye ne šeim Valevryaniž šimá Vuilavaž vueraniž Vueravaž vuilaniž Má azinéiu Čerireiuvaš veunu Kukururinye devritzeius Vuendais, kururais Haiveleyitzais Mulim vaia tinillatraia Ma má elluvatraia Nen ĭhaivelelenanaŭ Vuenditzas urusatritzaš Valiruns vya azikunikatzu Ku vŭi azižalitu Ma kuruhyitritzusuž akiré Velyas haiziseuná Ma šivalamis vuendá Iči nye sans vrinyikatzé Irri čerireiu vrinyéie Aurens elluvumarayais Kururus kurané lŭma Velas haikallavriyemonu Miritzavažas kallainé Pai rinimes Vŭi hyarai leu ica kururane vruirimedritza Selitza adzišivrašivruilimsvai Kuláias placitzáias Nene aidraná Ameli duraie vya Ševesulyuis aundra tzurnims levaraniyi antei Ševesulyuis telutrima vokŭlenaivaž antei Nye haikallavalaná Ivalurumirtavila Nen velaigralluhaliré Mirtávaš Marayaniš kallakirena vim Hau mervaš azikaneru Šireievaš mež vesulyus sauryus azilenéiu Kinycŭlenines Intiš Lukasiš Murušimáias Atiaiš Šotrus uražas Faináias suhvims seritzims Šivruilás vruirás Haitrirus širimus lutariš Šivalás šivrás Šimezahelás deseviláš Nenya azikallavelana
4.
Wraith 07:27
So many words So many thoughts Forever trapped Set to die, forgotten Eternally silent Internally screaming Only to be a witness Never integral Mysterious rites Sacred words Unspoken promises Forever unknown Corporeal wraith Alienated from the innate Never to feel human To die having never truly lived
5.
Luna Cadens 11:25
Dive deeper into the void Leave behind the guiding sun Find your true self Within the deepest reaches Don't ascend until you have become so You tried to hide your heart Under a draconian mask You thought yourself stoic But you were afraid to endure You cannot quell your fire Lift the veil of apathy Accept the love you couldn’t see It’s not too late When self-hatred is demanded Be subversive! When you're told to stay silent Scream in defiance! When they say they cherish you Trust them! I can finally be seen! I can finally love! Velaién!
6.
Do the stars dream of what is to come? Do they bear the countless æons? Or do they wander as shining wraiths, Gleaming dead across the dark firmament? You will return to the void whence you came Temporary spark of consciousness Born to suffer being Return to nothingness Cosmic dread No escape Time advances Oblivion awaits Though you are temporary Your effect remains A tapestry of causality Woven by your will Cold, pallid death, with great brutality Will rend you of your physical form But it can’t remove your changes It holds no true power over you The echoes of your love Will reverberate ever after As long as mortal hearts shall remain To beat together as one You were once a part of the story Of our world’s short existence. Your name may not be remembered, But you played your part all the same Volaie!

about

Physical copies available from Flowing Downward: flowingdownward.bandcamp.com/album/saturnine-december

Recorded at many places in Paramount, Cerritos, and Long Beach, California. Written mainly between 2016 and 2022, with parts dating back to 2006.

This album literally went through hell. In May of 2022, my house caught fire. I lost almost everything, particularly all my guitars, and thought I had lost this album as well. Miraculously, the drives in my charred tower managed to survive unharmed, and I was then able to clone the drives and continue on. I moved around for months, all the while still working on this music, finally finishing it in July. I had a very different vision for this album back in 2014, but it’s transformed greatly over the years, it’s become much less cryptic and much more honest.

I’m still significantly loath to share actual lyrics, but I think they finally mean something to me. I wish I could stop taking years between releases, but quite honestly I think this album could not have been made in a short time, maybe it’s thanks to all that time that it became what it is now, for better or worse. It’s like it grew alongside me over all these years, I mean I still thought I was a man back when this album was merely an idea.

And if any good came from this situation, it allowed me to do something I wanted to do very badly back in 2016 when the album’s core was taking form: I got to record many of the songs with a St. Vincent guitar. I miss my guitars so much, seeing them charred up was so traumatizing, but this guitar is doing an amazing job carrying on their legacy and carving one out for itself.

This is an album of contradictions, harsh dissonance and beautiful harmony, utter nihilism and affirming fervor, of finality and immortality. I hope these songs might mean something to someone out there.

I would like to thank everyone listening to this. I particularly want to thank my sister and my nephew and the rest of my family and friends for helping us after the fire. I also want to thank Iōhannēs for all the support, both moral and musical. I also want to thank Kakophonix for another phenomenal performance on cello. And thank you to all LGBTQ metal fans and musicians for refusing to concede to anyone, we're here to stay.

credits

released December 9, 2022

Melpomenë - Guitar, bass, vocals, field recordings, virtual instrument programming, lyrics, production, mixing, mastering, design

Featuring:
Iōhannēs - Fretless bass solo on “Wraith”, bass on “Saturnine December”, intro vocals on “Luna Cadens”
Kakophonix - Cello on “Saturnine December”

Cover art illustration from "The Story of Greece" by Mary MacGregor, illustrated by Walter Crane

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Antecantamentum Paramount, California

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