Track By Tracks: Concrete Age - Bardo Thodol (2023)

1. Hex:

In the shadows of the night

I`m putting together shards of perfect life

No point to pretend

This Hex will chase me up until the end.

This piece of the song explains that all our fears come alive at night. The phrase "I'm putting together shards of a perfect life" indicates that my main creative activity is manifested at night and, as it were, is my weapon in the fight against these fears. In the final line, I accept the fact that even despite the temporary isolation from my inner demons, I still will not be able to get rid of them completely.

2. Purity:

Believe it or not

I found myself beneath this turpid swamp

Beyond it stream

There is a purity that lies within

In the chorus part of the track, I tell the listener that many of our phobias can only be overcome by fully immersing ourselves in them and accepting their existence for granted. As they say, a wedge knocks out a wedge.

3. True Believer:

Over and over again

Ritual knife is cutting your skin

Over and over again

Let us all suffer for all mankind`s sin

Faith is a necessary thing for most of us. But the abuse of faith can lead to fanaticism and self-mutilation. Be true to your convictions, but do not involve others in this sacred and intimate circle if they themselves do not want to.

4.Threads of Fate:

Into the darkness of the night

Blind maiden weaves the threads of fate

One careless move can cost you life

Another gentle move can bring a gods end

Many of us believe in destiny. Including me, in part. In this song, I'm talking about blind maidens who weave and intertwine the threads of fate. Some threads are solid, some are already notably battered. Breaking such a thread could cost us our lives. However, the maidens do not miss the opportunity to play with our lives, weaving threads with strangers, thereby pushing us into other destinies. Sometimes these threads are so closely intertwined with each other that, in the end, one of the threads breaks. This may indicate unrequited love or strong attachment and dependence on another person.

5. Lullaby for a Deadman:

So let me hold your hand

I will guide you till the end

Give me something to remember

This moment feels so great

I shouted over my pain

Singing a lullaby for a dead man

How often do we lose those we love? Unfortunately, such events do take place. Such moments cause unbearable pain. Moments when you hold the hand of a person who is dying, catch his fading gaze and try to fulfill his last wish: to sing a lullaby for him.

6. Bardo Thodol:

Enjoy your final breath

Don`t be afraid of death

Whatever holds you here

Cant make you free

It describes similar events from the previous track but through the eyes of the deceased himself. A memorial service will pass, everyone will accept your death, you are no longer in this world. What's next? Was our life the only one or is there a new birth waiting for us? If this is so, then the soul must let go of all our ties with the old life and prepare for a new rebirth.

7. Ridges of suffering:

Beyond the storm

No matter if you are right or wrong

We will share the same poisoned dream

On the Ridges of suffering

Any conflict ends the same way: losses on both sides. And it doesn't matter who wins. Both the loser and the winner will experience the bitterness of loss.

8. Thunderland:

The lighting strikes again

Foreshadowing the dawn

Bent arrows of the rain

Embraces the Holy Ground

Stay still, be blessed

By the will of the Thunderlord

Erase your empty past

Beneath this frantic storm

Every summer in the North Caucasus Mountains is the season of thunderous rains. Every August I come home. Every time I watch this marvelous landscape and cleanse myself, prepare for the next year-long step, gain strength in order to survive the noise of the city, the coming gray days and separation from loved ones. The North Caucasus will forever remain my home.

All lyrics were written by Ilia Morozov