CANDLES AND WRAITHS LYRICS

1. The Coming of Candelabia

[Instrumental]

2. After Midnight

[Lyrics are by Prabhin Velankanny]

Sometimes the voices can't be hushed
They force me to remember all the pain and death I've pushed
So many times I've catered for my lustful need
I finished sobbing then looked back - an angel lies in demon seed

In ecstasy reborn
Oh those crossed out eyes on beauty torn

After midnight, calling of the small hours
My inner peace is sacrificed to bloody truth
At least it seems that this it what it means
'Cause the need for fucking absolution justifies the means
A simple plan that's fantasized by man
In all the crudest ways I beg and long for harmony, in vain

It feels like ages since those times
I can't bear it anymore, the cries to answer for my crimes
In all the madness just a bit of clarity prevails
I hurl myself, up the stairs, to even out Justice's scales

To the tower's top I creep
The garret window my destination may the final leap grant peaceful sleep

After midnight, calling of the small hours
My inner peace is sacrificed to bloody truth
At least it seems that this it what it means
'Cause the need for fucking absolution justifies the means
A simple plan that's fantasized by man
In all the crudest ways I beg and long for harmony, in vain

I tiptoe shaking to the glass
And take a look how far down 'til I kiss the devil's arse

I undress, in distress to serve this final mess.
No self-flagellation will suffice, it's blood for blood and nothing less.
I down a poisoned chalice, slit my wrists, once and for all!
Yank open the window, step to the ledge and plunge into my saving fall!
I wake up, soaked in sweat, my heart still pounding in despair.
I cough and vomit, drenched in tears, still feeling the grip of this nightmare!
But as I look around, I see them gathered, all white and pale.
With empty eyes and open mouths they grasp at me to end my tale!

3. Nightmares on Forsaken Soil

[Lyrics are by Prabhin Velankanny]

Wailing voices, failing cries!
Canto twisting eerie sighs!

Unreal cacophony of wisdom from the Otherside
With hands in clasp we sat entranced, dismayed, dead-eyed

We convened in a place of tragedy
The deserted mansion on forsaken soil
As seekers of arcane knowledge, we beseech the spirits

In answer they chanted, whispered, howled and screamed
Beset us with foolish whims and ghoulish dreams

As we sat in seance our calls were answered manifold
I heard my name called, softly, as if from behind surrounding walls
I felt my mind wander, could not see my body anymore
Just the hallways around me, and then I found the unlocked door

I entered a vision of pain and sorrow. Of betrayal and lies
Of broken faith. Of violence and horror. Where all good had died

Images flashing! The taste of cold ash
And the slithering, tentacles of madness lashing out!

A dire fate unveiled
A scene of hope that failed

In long gone days of yore, arrogance bred vile fallacy
A brotherly bond before, turned to treacherous jealousy

A vision of blood and gore, murder spread its shadow on
A toppled chair on the floor. And dangling feet

Woken startled, broken spell
Nightmares cast back down to hell!

But what the hell is this? Streaks of blood everywhere!
Alone I'm left, my mind bereft of sanity, in this cursed lair

In panic I storm outside the manor house. The whereabouts of them unknown
An unnatural twilight! And all the others gone
An abysmal, sickening sight! Tombstones as far as the eye can see
I mouth a harrowing cry. But sound there is none

My hands are scarlet-stained too...
I stumble through this vast and ghastly graveyard
And find a set of freshly hewn stones
With names on them I know too well...

Right next to them, a heap of earth, a shallow grave, still undisturbed
No epitaph reveals the name... Cold shivers down my spine!
On knees I toil to excavate. A rope 'round the neck of the buried late
But the countenance arrests my heart! His face... his face is mine!

4. Fire Amidst the Crashing Waves

[Lyrics are by Prabhin Velankanny]

Lashed by the waves through the heart of the storm
The shore only vaguely in sight
The beam of the beacon radiantly warns
Of cliffs lurking nigh
For the ship to pass by
But the rain distorted vision leads the freighter awry

In the thickening fog, a shadow takes form
Cleaving the wafts, a monstrous figurehead appears
A vessel spewed out from the guts of Hell
With artillery full ablaze it draws deadly near
The freighter's crew feels the grip of doom closing, all too well

The undead mariners appear! Warlike howls on deck!
Waving jagged blades in bony fists, coming for their neck

"Oh father have mercy, let us be spared!"
A dead scared young sailors desperate prayer

Through the smoke and the fog, the cannons blast forth
Wood burst to shreds, the cargo ship's sails ablaze
Awaiting the onset of the frothing horde
The victimized crew has seen the last of their days
Grapnels thrown, the Stygian fiends leap on board

Slowly
A commanding gait
The captain comes forth
Death incarnate!

The battle cries quite down
The commander's face, a frown
In its black hollows lies
A set of haunting human eyes
Uniformed, keenly dressed
A gaping hole in his chest
A simple gesture of his hand
Resumes the onslaught of the Damned!

"Oh father have mercy, let us be spared!"
The young sailor, fatally wounded, he stares

The undead finishing blow inbound! Grappling hooks on deck!
The lad sees the deathless captains eyes, coming for their neck

A glimpse into the dead man's past, a memory still warm
He'd left his heart with the lighthouse keeper's daughter, and sailed into the storm
His ship and life claimed by the sea, never to return again!
Fire amidst the crashing waves – his lure, his bane!

The skeletal raiders board their prey aloud
Swords are singing, men are screaming, death is wandering about
Amidst all the fighting and dying the demon captain turns
To a shine, horrifying, among the burning planks

The young seaman's corpse splayed on the broken deck
A heart-shaped pendant, gleaming from the fire, around his broken neck

His features so familiar, even in this lifeless state
Recognition strikes the fell-commander way too late

The locket on the dead boys chest, more than a lucky charm
A gift from an aching mother, to save her child from harm
The tragedy sealed by a wail sounding cross the watery plains
And only endless damnation remains

5. All Hallows Eve

[Lyrics are by Prabhin Velankanny]

Waning light, the days grow shorter
And night casts its shadows like the fingers of a starving ghoul
What a sight! The feasting mortals
Cheering for the dead but unaware of her dreadful rule

Amidst the commotion
The sleepers return
A horrible motion, as the fen fires burn

Dead and damned, and all in between
Roaming and shambling, they're mostly unseen
On this world, led by their sepulchral queen

Clad in tragical white
Dressed in unlight
And known as All Hallows'
Eve! Back alive! For this night!
Increasing their numbers

Amidst the commotion
Her reavers, they yearn
Mingling among the mortals they're impossible to discern

Stealing souls, hemorrhaging lives
In shadows, dark corners, in the dead of the night
Howls of fornication drown out mortal cries

Clad in tragical white
Driving the blight
And known as All Hallows'
Eve! Back alive! For this night!
Increasing their numbers

Once she was promised, dreaming of her wedding day
Engulfed in all the feelings for her loved fiance
He claimed he had a present, a secret surprise
She followed him laughing and with curious eyes
In the night before All Hallows, out in the fields of rye

With stone in hand and dark intent, he kissed her goodbye
Deflowered by the coward and then left to die...

Dead human shells, their spirits withdrawn
The reaping done before the crack of dawn
A bountiful harvest for her hellish spawn
Another night of Samhain fading

'Tis her gift that she silently leaves
After revelry, there will be, terrible grief
Once more, on All Hallows' Eve!

6. Melpomene

[Instrumental]

7. The Stranger

[Lyrics are by Prabhin Velankanny]

The prize of pushing past what no one ever dared
An unforgiving, horrifying bestial glare

Bleeding! Panting! He feels his life expire
Chased through the night by their threatening cries
Fleeing! Panicked! Tearing thorns and briers
Impenetrable like the overcast skies

Out of the evening gloom he came into the village
No one knew his name or his face
The townsfolk stared and whispered 'bout the stranger's image
What he was up to at this time in this place

Blood-caked claws and dripping fangs were bared...

Well later that night, in a tavern rank of piss and drink
All the inebriated sots avoided him

But then he set his sight on a buxom wench, whose luring wink
Led him to the back room, where she bestrode him with an eager grin

She rode him sore, behind closed doors
His grip was tight, he felt his cravings rise
She gave him more, on all her fours
Delighted he went on with burning zest in his eyes

Groaning, moaning, full of crude desire
She scratched and bit him bloody, kindling his lust
Screaming, longing, she set his loins on fire
Then things went horribly wrong in ways they never must

Bleeding! Panting! He feels his life expire
Chased through the night by their threatening cries!
Fleeing! Panicked! Tearing thorns and briers
Impenetrable like the overcast skies!

Blood-caked claws and dripping fangs were bared...

The prize of pushing past what no one ever dared
An unforgiving, horrifying bestial glare

Bleeding! Panting! Spent and deadly tired
He ends his flight despite their threatening cries!
Kneeling! Panicked! Tattered by thorns and briers
He looks in terror to the shifting skies!

The roaming clouds unveil the moon...

Worn out, cornered, lost is all hope
Eventually he reached the end of his rope

He barely fled alive as he indulged her whim
And that inhuman bitch, sneeringly turned on him
Shadows in the woods, the raging villagers nearing
Bloodlust in their gaze! The hunters step into the clearing

"Oh holy Luna, full ablaze!"

One by one, howling, they shed their human skin!
With bared fangs and claws alike they tear into him!

The trespasser had seen it all and so his fate was doomed
His journey ended savagely, under the full moon

Blood-spattered thicket. Again the night was still
And kept was the secret of Lupusville

8. Wartorn Lovelorn

[Lyrics are by Prabhin Velankanny]

War and terror have raped these lands!
Through the turmoil, he's on the run with blood on his hands

With heavy limbs he sneaks down hidden trails
When did his flight begin? His memory fails...
With unfirm step by step he toils his way back home

A piercing pain, searing deep inside
Unbearable the longing for his love and their only child
A dim but fainting glimmer of hope has kept him marching on
It feeds the furnace, it keeps it burning

Death has paved his way
Through war-marred lands
Past piles of skull and bone

Just as the wind, he hears them rise
From deep below, the aching sighs
The fallen calling!
Their claim appalling
Creeping crawling death is all there's left for him!
But then his weary eyes start to recognize
He made it back home!

The searing pain, slowly moves aside
Joy abounds! Soon he'll be with his love and their only child
The once fainting glimmer of hope, now a raging fire!
Euphoria ignited! They will be reunited

A shade of mocking doubt, settles on his brow
Three figures in the distance right in front of the homestead
Who is that man?
What's his business on his land?
A childhood mate of his with his wife and child in bliss
How long was he gone? Something is truly amiss

Staggering, he walks towards them
And when they suddenly turn their heads towards him
He sees their faces, with a smile he raises his arms
Longing for their warm embraces

Horror! Dismay! Dread in their eyes as they back away
Screams in fear as if death came by!
They turn and run, they flee inside
They shut the door and lock it tight

With shattered heart and crumbling will he stumbles to the window sill
He steals a look inside to beg them for admission

But the reflection in the pane
Reveals the truth, drives him insane
The fallen calling!
His face appalling!
Creeping crawling worms had gnawed the flesh off his skull!
And then his eerie eyes start to recognize
He's been long gone!

9. Beneath Cathedral Walls

[Lyrics are by Prabhin Velankanny]

This stormy night my love will be immortal!
For all eternity I longed for my undying bride!

The bloody work, so grim
I slice apart the weeping skin
Their scent just like my memories still vivid and so fresh
Take measure, start to thrust
The saw dissects with hungry lust
A mason sculpting flesh

No doubt can make me falter
I'll marry her at the very altar
Fifteen stories, right above
But first I will profess my love

In darkness, deep beneath cathedral walls
Lightning strikes, life is returned, once and for all

Wait, what is that sound?
Footsteps on the cobblestone!
Who dares to interrupt?
I will slit their throats, right to the bone!
Wait, it's just the vermin...
Paranoia feasts on me!
But it's all worth it for my dearest bride to be

We will wander through the streets unpeopled
Prancing, almost dancing to the silence of the night
Her everlasting beauty will forever be regal
'Tis my desire, it's fulfillment in sight!

The cutouts, accurate!
My needlework immaculate
Bit by bit I piece together everything and all for her!
The farce of Ingolstadt!
The Swissman failed but I will not
Dilettantish amateur!

No doubt can make me falter
She'll marry me at the very altar
Fifteen stories, right above
But first I will bring back my love

In darkness, deep beneath cathedral walls
Lightning strikes for her return, once and for all

This stormy night my love becomes immortal!
For all eternity she will be my undying bride!

Wait, I hear a sound!
Furious cries are coming near!
It's the outraged townsfolk!
But they won't get me, I will disappear!
First I need to finish
The lynch mob is in search for me!
But I'll be long gone and my dearest bride with me

We will wander through the streets unpeopled
Prancing, almost dancing to the silence of the night

A tender touch engendered much, but barely legal
Twisted my desires to the darkest of delights
Their innocence and ignorance, would prove to be fatal
I waited till the fall of dusk, the dimming of the lights

I visited my muses with a tiny little needle
Kissed them all goodnight and brought them down here, outright
They did their parts for me, deep beneath the cathedral
Now all are one and she is mine! My undying bride!

10. Ad Astra

[Instrumental]

11. A Grate on a Grave

[Lyrics are by Prabhin Velankanny]

A frightful night, even spiteful night
Where footsteps hurry fretfully on grounds where the lifeless lie
"Be quiet! Lest we attract attention of the keeper's eyes!"

Two figures hunching low, digging through the soil
Of the cemetery. In grim pursuit, uncovering it's spoils
Through mud and rotting wood, the stench of cold demise
For silver studs or golden teeth for their morbid enterprise

A sudden noise, a sullen voice
In shock they hear it beg

Believe me
Please help me
I did not mean to touch then tear apart

A grate on a grave!
As if to keep their likes away
But who pled to them so miserably?
And left their faculties in disarray...

Shaken to the bone they peek
To find a tomb, quite new and neat
Richly adorned as if to speak

"Come hither! Take whither!"
Gathering their senses, fueled by curiosity
Not even solid metal bars diminish their greed
And they dismantle it

A sudden noise, a sullen voice
Again they hear it beg

Release me
Set me free
I did not mean to maim and eat the heart

Someone's buried here, alive! How can it be? Where they revived?
Craving riches, wit-deprived they dig deeper and deeper
Shovels hitting solid stone, black marble coffin, like charcoaled bone
Can barely move the lid alone, the scent of death grows sweeter

Air...
Light...
Moon...
Night...
Warmth...
Blood...
Taste...
Flesh!

Madness grips them, stops the heart
The lid cracks open, breaks apart
Screaming, scrambling, up they start
Out of this hellish hole
But something rises from the pit
Hunger and hate, so full of it
Bone breaking snap, a fatal hit
Another hearty meal is served

A frightful night, even spiteful night
Where corpses lie with open ribs on grounds were the undead rise
"Arise! The lord of all unliving things commands you back to life!
"Alive! Yes, we return to take the world by black surprise!"







CANDLES AND WRAITHS LYRICS