Track By Tracks: Visions Of Morpheus - Lost Within (2024)

The overall approach for the album was to really focus on the song first, then flesh out the orchestration and the middle sections where we tend to go into more progressive territory on most of our songs.

Watch the World Burn is a commentary on the state of the world, the selfishness of mankind, and corporate greed. Now, more than any time in history I feel the song bears great relevance…we're at the tipping point and I can’t imagine the world future generations will have to live in. I chose to write it with a slower tempo to get that nice heavy groove happening and then a new motif comes out after the solo and at the end of the song to help underscore the song’s message. The original version of the song we used to do didn’t have much of a breakdown or solo so that was something I changed just before recording. We had a bit of a mishap that was discovered after the drums were laid down but some creative editing got things back on track and I’m happy with how it turned out so we didn’t have to redo it again.

Lost Within, being the title track, encompasses the essence of the Greek God of Dreams, Morpheus. We focus more so on the nightmare aspect of dreams and certainly from the perspective of someone who frequently has night terrors, like myself. Morpheus can look deep into our souls and see our desires, fears, and doubts. The song also focuses on the ever-shifting and liquid nature of dreams and the sense of vulnerability and loss of control when we sleep. We give ourselves over to Morpheus himself. I used a theremin in the second verse invoking the references to fear, mystery, and uncertainty. There are also some odd time signatures and effects we put on the vocals to make it seem like you’re inside a dream. There are some disturbing metallic sounds and screams in the background in the middle section that add a layer of tortured ambiguity that I quite like. Cloak of the Night was the last one written for the album. We didn't really have a ballad but I wanted something that sort of clawed at the mind and was suggestive both musically and lyrically. It hints at that imagery and Cthulhu references but is basically about someone whose mind slowly unravels and can’t tell dream from reality and is like a continuation of Lost Within. The song changes key a few times and uses chromaticism, shifting its tonal center and creating an air of unease. There’s no guitar or drums on this one, just piano, cello/bass, and synth.

Catharsis is about the journey to self-understanding and letting go of the chains of the past that can keep you trapped, and unable to move on. You can dwell on that past pain or start living again and realize you can learn from it rather than letting it define you. It references an earlier time in my life that I had to work through and analyze in fine detail to really get to the core issues that were always derailing me. I find the song very uplifting and inspirational.

Ghost is a tale of a man trying to find his woman in the afterlife. We don’t really know if he finds her and we leave it a bit ambiguous. It’s a brooding piece that captures the frustration of his search. I really enjoyed writing this one and like how the song gets more intense over time. The song also features a solo from one of our past guitarists, Allan Henrique. It was so good I wanted to keep it in there as a thank-you for helping us get started.

Through Fire and Flame is taken from all the movies and books I’ve read feeding into a dream I had where the two armies clashed amidst storms, mud, and burning fields. I love the imagery of fire, smoke, and cinders rising into the skies. I have also done armored fighting and jousting training so it really resonated with me. I wanted to score it like a movie and make it really epic with an orchestral soundtrack.

Eye of the Storm is based on a lost island city in the sea that vanished in a mysterious void, partly taken from the legend of Atlantis. They try to find the city and its riches but ultimately, things don’t go so well. During mixing I recall telling the engineer that I wanted the quiet solo in the middle to sound like it was played underwater. The breakdown teases out the struggle of the ship in the storm…the give and take of the sea till they, at last, reach its center…a moment of peace and calm… a hope soon dashed by the dead spirits that rise to destroy them.

Power of Seven was the first song I wrote in an odd time signature several years ago but it was a perfect fit for this album and is our only instrumental track. It’s short but packs a big punch and is a lot of fun to play live.

Beyond is about our desire to explore the mysteries of the cosmos. The struggle, the failures, the existential questions…are we alone, what is life’s purpose, and the unknown phenomena of the universe around us. We embodied that in the guitar solo where it’s kind of stark and otherworldly.

Outrun the Past is pretty self-explanatory. We have people, places, and memories we have tried to escape from and put behind us. But rather than run from it you realize it's part of you and makes you who you are. In the breakdown, we toy with time and add some twists and turns and even the solos are kind of off-kilter and surprising.

Medusa as the name implies the classic tale of her origins, rise, and ultimate fall at the hands of Perseus. It’s one of our longer epics and has several sections and themes. The main initial theme is Medusa’s obvious and the middle part of the song explores the mix of her lament, horror, and twisted nature. The way the chords slide back and forth in the pre-chorus and then the rapid descending pull-offs on the guitar and bass during the opening riffs, sort of mimic her snakes and serpents. There’s a certain majesty and beauty to the verses cloaked in a perverse shell with the intro and refrain. This song has a guest vocalist I work with who did the washed-out background vocals before Perseus makes his arrival. The guitar solo near the end where Medusa and Perseus are fighting was done by Juan Coronado who is a very gifted guitarist and also runs Ultrasonico Studios where we recorded the drums. He almost joined our band but schedules did not really line up. This is probably my favorite song on the album and I love where the organ comes in when Medusa has been transformed - so epic.