Auf Wiedersehen

I bid thee farewell

The horrid fate you reveal

On every breath

And on every soul

The same ordeal

Reflections that fade away

On every heart

And on every mind

Frantic thoughts that sway

On the shores of solitude

Where agonizing spirits dwell

I bid thee farewell

And offer myself in turpitude

Farewell,

Today we end this strife

For it's a place

Where all hopes die

And immortal spirits cry

Wiedersehen, Dear Life!

Time

I was reading a play, "Time's Visitors" by F. Sladin Smith, time had this to say...

Someone who is nearly always grumbled at and cursed-and that is so foolish. Slowly, relentlessly, things come to pass: and as relentlessly they alter. The greatest of all illusions is permanence. There can be no permanence; birth and death, order and chaos jostle each other incessantly. And for the things which happen to them, and above all, for the foolish things they do and the calamities they bring upon themselves, men blame me, forgetting that without my greatest attribute, they could not live. For I am the great healer: I am the eternal physician. Quietly unobtrusively, moment by moment, I heal. Without my persistent comfort there could be no living; without me men would indeed go mad. Every minute which slips noiselessly by has its restorative power. I give calmness after perplexity, hope after despair, peace after strife; I soften all bitterness, I heal. If I take away. I give again; if I slay, I bring to life; above all, I give wisdom and courage. On my calm face you will see neither turmoil or fear. You feel now that nothing can ever be the same, but I will teach you slowly and with infinite patience that the sharpest sorrow can melt into the gentlest memory! Even as you sit here the quiet work has begun, but it will be many months before you will feel its influence. Sleep now, and I will slowly renew courage in your heart. Sleep now, and I will turn your sorrow to peace, your weakness to strength. On time's unfathomable sea you sail, and the waters of healing are all around you. Sleep!

The Beginning of the End!

Welcome the beginning of the End!

Breath, Bound to be life's slave

Today, I bury the heart that bleeds

This Journey ends....

ends from the Cradle to the Grave

Every grief to balance a joy

Nothin can fill the void

Wish I never laughed (never lauged),

For it's now hard.. (hard to cry).

Life, something I always believed

In a moment of stillness, deceived

In the Heavens shall I mend

For this is only the beginning of the end!

Today, will the empty nothingness end

Today, will life pretend?

Today, will the heart mend?

Today, God, will it be..

The Beginning of the end?

Cries on the Wind

Twenty years and one,

Iz'rael rip apart the body and soul

This burning flame, growing cold

Never was this mind so bold

I see far.. far beyond the horizon

Not a single breath I could call my own

You'll know me.. feel me.., when I'm gone

Hear my cries.. my cries on the wind

I pray to thy Unquestionable Presence,

Call me home, rest this black soul

When everything dies, and left is, only Your Essence

Let them hear my cries.. My cries on the wind!

Twenty years and one,

Iz'rael rip apart the body and soul

This burning flame, growing cold

Never was this mind so bold

Victim of this mental deception

I'm losing the War..Another day, another loss

Blue eyes turned black, A mere perception?

I've lost.. the war!

I won't shed a tear, but you'll feel me
I won't scream, but you'll hear me
This dark soul would soon fly away
And you'll hear me.. hear my cries on the Wind!!

Life Begins..

Life, years of desperation
Passed away in lamentation

Showed the garden of love to make life blosom
Wishing to forget - alone.. Alone I burn

My thoughts, My ideas... Rotten
Childish huh?

Sigh, and sigh I again on my fate
Containing only suffering and pain!

I still live on my love's stake
In the darkness of night I want to tear down my shirt!

Why? I question myself, Why a thought so desperate? 'cuz I'm HURT!
No I dont want to answer you! you? or me? Im confused

I wish I was never born.. and here Im living,
Burning in the flames of agony..

To fade away forever....
..As a tale long forgotten!!

Metallica - Ride the Lightning

Album: Ride the Lightning

Artist: Metallica

Released: July 30, 1984

Armageddon, the first song of this Thrash Metal classic - "Fight Fire With Fire", deals with the topic of the end of the world because of a nuclear war. "Blow the universe into nothingness Nuclear warfare shall lay us to rest". The songs intro is played on a 12-string acoustic, which soon takes off into the fast thrash sound of what early Metallica was all about. One of the finest most melodic guitar solo is played by lead guitarist, Kirk Hammett on the song. Powerful riffs, and the first of the Lars Ulrich's double bass can also be heard on this track. Next comes the title track, the first of the two songs on the album which credits Dave Mustaine (ex-Metallica / Megadeth) on the lead. "Ride the Lightning" has powerful vocals along with lyrics that deal with the misery and corruption of the law, the song has one of the finest bass work, done by the, late-great bassist, Cliff Burton.

Talking about Cliff Burton, the third song, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" which has now become a fan-favorite starts off with a "bass-lead" which was written by Burton before joining Metallica. For Whom the Bell Tolls features heavy drumming and bass work along with a guitar-work which is often over-shadowed by the bass. And then comes one of the most famous Metallica songs, "Fade to Black", the first power-ballad by Metallica. With the use of acoustic guitars in the song, Metallica was labelled as "sell-outs" by some of their fans, who later on realized and now, the track is a fan-favorite. It deals with the topic of suicide and depression. And was written when all of the band's equipement was stolen before a gig, in Boston. Fade to Black features a lengthy solo which has been rated 24 in the "100 best solos ever Reader's Choice". The solo and the drumming in the end is usually improvised in live versions, which makes it nothing but better.

Keeping with Fade to Black's depression, "Trapped Under Ice" deals with the death of a person due to drowning under ice. This song has one of the finest and powerful riffs along with vocals that defined the genre, we know as, Thrash Metal. From the relatively slow vocals in Fade to Black, to fast screams, James Hetfield proves to be a versatile vocalist. And yet again, for those who question Kirk Hammett's ability, Trapped Under Ice features a small, but amazing guitar-solo.

Next comes, "Escape", which is nonetheless a great song, but falls pale when taken in view with all the other great songs on the album, such as the fan-favorite, "Creeping Death". Creeping Death features thunderous drumming, and lyrics inspired by the movie, "The Ten Commandments". The song has an amazing guitar solo, along with a nice bass line. It's a fixture in Metallica's live shows and the chorus of "Die by my hand" is usually sung by the crowd which gives the song a majestic feeling. [Monsters of Rock, Russia, anyone?] Melody, which has been a part of almost every song, is seen in the ending of Creeping Death. The track ends with a mesmerizing lead.

Finally, the album ends with a almost 9-minute long 'instrumental'. "The Call of Ktulu". The song is credited to Dave Mustaine along with other members of the band, and is one of the best of the four instrumentals done by Metallica. Ktulu (Cthulu) is a beast whose name brings death to mortals. And the Instrumental gives this evil feel to it right from the start. Ktulu has been taken from H.P Lovecraft's book, which was introduced to the band by their bassist, Cliff Burton. The song's demo version was named, "When Hell Freezes Over" and probably features more work of Dave Mustaine.

Responsible for defining the sound of "Thrash Metal", Ride the Lightning is a landmark, and one of the finest albums to be produced by Metallica. The album laid the foundations for the masterpiece which was to come next, "Master of Puppets" and shows the influence of Cliff Burton on every other song. The melody along with the fast thrashy riffs are combined in a way, which couldn't have been done any better. For any thrash metal fan, Ride the Lightning is a 'must' hear.

Rating - 4.5/5

Tracklisting -

1. "Fight Fire with Fire" (Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 4:44

2. "Ride the Lightning" (Mustaine, Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 6:36

3. "For Whom the Bell Tolls" (Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 5:09

4. "Fade to Black" (Hammett, Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 6:57

5. "Trapped Under Ice" (Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) - 4:03

6. "Escape" (Hammett, Hetfield, Ulrich) - 4:23

7. "Creeping Death" (Hammett, Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 6:35

8. "The Call of Ktulu" [Instrumental] (Mustaine, Hetfield, Burton, Ulrich) - 8:53

Hyphen between Matter & Soul; Life

You fall out of your mother's womb, you crawl across open country under fire, and drop into your grave. ~Quentin Crisp

And that is.., what we call, Life.