RUINS :: Silent Temple :: CD music album
From Troll Hart:
Silent Temple began as a concept album written from a dream that I had when I was around 15 or 16 years old. The dream happened as follows: Going Home I was an immaterial consciousness on the path “toward the light”. This part of the dream contained no visuals. I had just died, for a cause I was certain was righteous. I had worshiped God, kept his commandments and did what was expected of me. Therefore, I felt a great degree of relief and release, knowing my heavenly reward was close at hand. Visions of Unlife
I awakened to a forest... A forest that lay entirely still, silent, and colorless. Very little variety of trees, and the forest floor covered entirely in fallen leaves. No wind, bluster or breeze blowed through the air. No moving reflection for which the soul upon to gaze. I wandered around for an indeterminate length of time, feeling a profound emptiness and experiencing this place not dead, but entirely lifeless. Eventually, I began to wonder why I was seemingly trapped in a place with no walls or boundaries; a bottomless vessel of existential frost. Repaid The first appearance of anything particular in these purgatorial woods, was a grave. My grave. A simple headstone, at which knelt a man. The man was my father, though he did not appear as my actual waking-world biological father. The man wept at the grave in silent lament.
I approached, and tried to reach out. No projection of my will was possible, my hands pale and ethereal before my sight. My voice unheard, my touch non-existent. The soul crushing despair remained despite the lack of a beating heart. I thought I had been a righteous man, worshiping and living in the upright way. I had died for what I believed in. But no. I wander in anguish and isolation. Where are you now God? I curse you for bringing me this pain!.... The thoughts of the desperate. The internal conflict drove me from my grave, and I wandered further into the forest of un-life. The Sleeper/Drift Away The spirit exhausted, pure lament blanketed the space, and sleep came once again. Tree of Death A dream came to the sleeper. A vision from the clouds. A whole world of humans and other animals. The humans apparently thought they knew everything, or at least that God knew everything, so they had the absolute definite playbook on how to be a proper human. This was causing the humans, and the entire earth itself, to endure great suffering. The things that were taught at the churches and schools were creating a cult of the male divinity, and much twisting and foulness befell the whole culture and society. Men became weak. The humans who were not Men became oppressed and violated by Men's weaknesses. The sleeper realized their entire life as a human was trapped inside of the conceptions of the ideals of Man, and his expectation of a heavenly realm was built upon falsehood. Awake Instrumental ~ Ruins I awakened to a forest... A forest that lay entirely still, silent, and colorless. Very little variety of trees, and the forest floor covered entirely in fallen leaves. No wind, bluster or breeze blowed through the air. No reflection for which the soul upon to gaze. However now, I understood some of why I was here. I knelt before the forest and prayed to God, “my fortress of religion fell, seeking dust from whence it came. For those who think they follow God now sing the praise of Man.” I begged for mercy. I had fallen amidst the Ruins of my Pride. One I was an immaterial consciousness, spiraling toward the center of all. Death had finally come. Only now did the consciousness return to oneness. The stars and endless dark space. God spoke: “The grace of God hath given you one chance”. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ All of the lyrics were written by me, Troll. My name was Amos at the time, as that was my Christian name. That was right around the time I was discovering the lie of Christianity and Monotheism, that I had actually believed up until that time, being indoctrinated from birth. Great time to start a metal band! I also wrote and arranged all the music. Released September 2, 2013 Troll Hart: Keys, Bass, Guitars, Vocals. Harry Vanderweide: Drums. Miles Tritle: Guitars. Jotham Polashek: Violin. Caleb Kuennen: Recording, mixing, mastering. Thankfully I found the 2 other Prog Metal players in Ames Iowa, Harry Vanderweide (Drums) and Miles Tritle (Metal guitar solos). We never played live, though we did record this epic album. Caleb Kuennen of Stay Anchored Studios engineered sound all the way through the process. Jotham, my friend from the school choir played violin. His excellence was well known, and shall be henceforth also. Harry, Caleb, and Jotham would continue for one more album with the project. The album can be purchased on CD or digitally at: https://silenttemple.bandcamp.com/album/ruins https://www.treetemplemusic.com/merch #studioalbum #metalalbum #rockalbum #progressiverock #soulmusic