Track By Tracks: LionSoul - A Pledge To Darkness (2022)

1. Continuum (Intro):

It’s a Court session of a Law, dialog between a Judge and a scientist charged of instilling terror among people with their theories about the end of the planet but he wants only to save it, he wants to transfer knowledge to a basis in order to pass it on. It’s a plot inspired by the Foundations cycle by Isaac Asimov. A spatial orchestral intro, with an acted part, conceived as a movie dialog, was one of the first compositions for this Album, maybe the first one, it sounds like the story began right from these notes.

2. Exile to Arise:

The story continues from the intro, the protagonist talks about his plans to save the future. A power speed metal song born by an almost thrash Ivan introductive Riff melt with a Thrashy chorus riff by Aurelio that Ivan arranged in a way to be a space epic chorus, as usual, we have these initial riffs that we then find out to be made for each other.

3. Amber of Illusion:

A man subjugated and prisoned by a Clan Leader talks about his attempts to gain freedom. The fun fact is that this song was born with a completely different arpeggiated motif, in a completely different mood, it reminded us of an intro like the song “this love” from Pantera that flowed into the guitar riff which would later become that of the verses, a Teutonic/industrial riff. With the choir, this song changed completely its mood turned into an 80’s wave synth with powerful midtempo with a straight bass drum. If you would listen to the only synth structure, Amber of Illusion could be imagined as an 80s epic space wave synth soundtrack.

4. Wailing in Red:

A Blade runner-inspired story, the wailing of an android who cries red tears. A classic heavy metal riff that continues for all the verses before turning into a fast chorus, all arranged in a modern key, with some industrial synths to act as a frame for this cyberpunk drama-inspired song.

It’s s our first single, a meeting point between classic heavy metal and modern sounds, fast, the notes reflect the obscure and the emblematic nature of the theme addressed in the lyrics with Claudio's powerful growl vocals inserts.

5. No Beginning (nor an end):

A man is condemned to travel through an interdimensional portal to reconstruct his story and that of the place where he lives.

“Toni Iommi is my rule” is the best way to explain the song, The obscure riffs in pure Black Sabbath style.

Everything was born from a chorus and a sung verse to which the guitar part was combined, the voiceover of the intro to underline something evil, an emblem, that of the story to be solved.

6. Soldier Through Time:

A 12 monkeys movie-inspired song, a doctor has to come in the future to find a cure against a virus. this was the first chorus written for this album, as usual when Ivan starts the idea, his voice recorder starts, wherever he is. A classic power metal ride with a modern, non-linear verse structure.

7 Skin 2:

An altered carbon-inspired story, the life of a man resists over time as long as it changes his skin. We start again with the LionSoul engine at full capacity, from a guitar riff by Aurelio, which then became the verse of the song, passing through an unusual chorus with Claudio's growl voice acting as a boost up to a central part with a 70s-style arpeggio prelude to a powerful evocative solo guitar and then return to full speed on the final.

8. A Pledge to darkness:

A man paying tribute to his fears in the way to deceive them.

Oriental melodies blend with dark riffs and epic choruses, everything started from the initial riff, to which the modern synth part was added. An epic path that embodies the whole meaning of the album, a Pledge to darkness, the title says.

9. Red Flame:

The story of a space cowboy coming back in his woman’s arms after years.

We call it our space cowboy ballad, it all comes from a melody that could be contained in a soundtrack of a Robert Rodriguez film, an unusual song for LionSoul, with an upright piano from the saloon and modern synths that bring this western song into a spatial dimension.

10. Man Machine Almost Rhyme Again:

A Blade Runner theme to inspire this introspective about an android hunter. Here Claudio's powerful voice merges with Ivan's to underline the dramatic passages of the song where the guitars draw heavy riffs but wink at melodic death metal, one of the most experimental moments of the entire album.

11. The strangers:

This song is Inspired by the short novel “The Sentry” a story of a war between human and alien race, where humans are the invaders.

Here the atmosphere goes back to the 80s, with massive heavy- style riffs to structure this powerful closing song of the album with an ending that will take you directly to the desert.