- Oct 30, 2004
- 84
- 1
- 6
Greetings.
I held an essay on Crimson in the last English-Lesson at school. Topic was "interpret and analyse the lyrics of a song".
Most of my comrades held a 2 minutes presentation of their commercialized MTV-songs. Well, my presentation took 25 minutes
I want to share it with you and ask for your comments.
I fear that my english isn't too good and that I interpreted some parts of Crimson wrongly.
This is the homage to my favorite song "Edge Of Sanity - Crimson":
© 2oo5 Aurelius L
Edge Of Sanity Crimson
Interpretation / Analysis
I want to introduce you to a completely new dimension of modern music. Forget what youve learned about song-structures from radio-stations, music-television and school-lessons. A lot of progressive and non-commercial music differ from this plain picture of short 4 minutes songs, which consist to 50% of chorus and always repeating melodies and sentences. You wont be given simple melodies and arrangements, where you can directly hum and sing along. But you will appreciate this if youre patient enough. Because you will always discover new facets even after listening to it for the 500ths time.
And so is the song which I will present to you. Crimson by Edge Of Sanity and its sequel Crimson II.
The genre of these Songs is called Epic Progressive Death Metal. The characteristics of Death Metal are deep guitars, with comparable arrangements to Hard Rock. And especially the vocals. The typical death metal voice is a technique where you create deep growl-tones, which often shall symbolize a god.
The length of Crimson I is 40 minutes and for Crimson II 42 minutes.
Imagine the song-structure like a Journey, its never predictable and has various atmospheres, highlights and can only be understand as a whole.
Lets start to analyse the song.
The prologue of Crimson speaks of a dark past. Just as the world and the human race began to die out the gods sent a child to change fate.
And this girl is what Crimson is about. Will she lead humanity to eternal happiness? Will she ruin the earth? Is she going to gain immortality?
Anyway, she will grow up and carry the name of the song the Crimson Queen.
But lets get back to the very beginning.
Therefore well listen to the first minutes.
- play 0:00 -
Different from usual legends Crimson doesnt start with a menace or the gathering of evil forces. No, Crimson starts with Salvation.
As the narrator told us, the rivers will run, the sun will arise and the circle, which indicated the circle of life, is still unbroken.
And now that the holy child walks the earth, the people are convinced that they are able to get children again. But as the kings wife was pregnant, she and her baby suddenly died. He realized that the girl didnt bring them the ability to breed.
In line 48 is written
Anger and hate.
fear and despair fills up his mind.
She was the one worth dying for.
Before he can decide to unleash his anger and kill the sacred girl, her clear blue eyes let him show mercy. He banished the child out of his kingdom, but didnt harm her, because he believes that the child could bring back the ability to breed if she grew up. And line 67
Many seasons have changed and the king is old and weak.
The princess has come of age, but still the gift of life they seek.
The child turned into a young woman, however the king died.
A whole world is mourning the loss of their king.
In sorrow a new day dawning.
Now the princess is their everything. Line 85
Now that the king is dead the people need a new leader. The folks agree that the child from the sky is still too young to rule this kingdom. 2 self-proclaimed kings long for the throne. So the people split up into 2 fractions. And both fractions fight an endless bloody war. Until one day the sacred woman suddenly appears and her anger of how this world evolved is so great that she decides to bring doom and fear over the world.
- line 124 , play 15:50 -
Seven years passed. The woman has become the one and only crimson queen. But she didnt rule the kingdom as everyone expected. She didnt used tyranny. Line 142
The masses were assured, she fought without a sword.
She regained their hope and faith.
And the people admired and loved the queen, although they know she is able to bring darkness.
The world lived on its life until one fateful day. The Crimson Queen heard the voice of the god who sent her to earth. He told her: line 180
"The earth shall fall. The eternal curse is cast on the sands
they walk.
Now you must use your power. Show the human race you are the one.
Use their trust forever and then deceive their weakened minds.
Fool them to destroy themselves in hopelessness.
Belie their seeds, belie their dreams. Hope has ceased to be
The Crimson Queen decided to follow the command of her master and obtained everyones trust so she can fulfil her evil plans. Now you will hear the part where the Crimson Queen kills many people with her lies and how the human race found out her dark intentions.
- line 210 , play 26:55 -
Now that the humans are all alone again, they have only 2 possibilities, either surrender and die or fight against the Queen. And as line 222 says:
their dream of sons and daughters has made them standing tall.
A hundred knights walk to the temple of the Queen, but their search wasnt successful. Before they were completely lost to despair, the spirit of their beloved king talked to them and gave them courage.
Some of the brave soldiers offer their lives to open the gates of the Queens temple.
Finally the few knights that are left stand in front of the gates of the temple and they mobilize their last will and powers to slay the Queen.
- line 285 , play 37:00 -
And this is how Crimson ends.
And now the reborn earth, blessed with the gift of birth can
see her in this cage that eternally preserves her rage.
Mankind is able to rescue itself and fight a god if it has to choose between life and death.
And this is also where Crimson II continues. I wont reveal too much of the Crimson IIs story but I will give away so much, that the Crimson Queen is not dead. Shes only sealed in her cage that maybe doesnt eternally preserves her rage.
I held an essay on Crimson in the last English-Lesson at school. Topic was "interpret and analyse the lyrics of a song".
Most of my comrades held a 2 minutes presentation of their commercialized MTV-songs. Well, my presentation took 25 minutes
I want to share it with you and ask for your comments.
I fear that my english isn't too good and that I interpreted some parts of Crimson wrongly.
This is the homage to my favorite song "Edge Of Sanity - Crimson":
© 2oo5 Aurelius L
Edge Of Sanity Crimson
Interpretation / Analysis
I want to introduce you to a completely new dimension of modern music. Forget what youve learned about song-structures from radio-stations, music-television and school-lessons. A lot of progressive and non-commercial music differ from this plain picture of short 4 minutes songs, which consist to 50% of chorus and always repeating melodies and sentences. You wont be given simple melodies and arrangements, where you can directly hum and sing along. But you will appreciate this if youre patient enough. Because you will always discover new facets even after listening to it for the 500ths time.
And so is the song which I will present to you. Crimson by Edge Of Sanity and its sequel Crimson II.
The genre of these Songs is called Epic Progressive Death Metal. The characteristics of Death Metal are deep guitars, with comparable arrangements to Hard Rock. And especially the vocals. The typical death metal voice is a technique where you create deep growl-tones, which often shall symbolize a god.
The length of Crimson I is 40 minutes and for Crimson II 42 minutes.
Imagine the song-structure like a Journey, its never predictable and has various atmospheres, highlights and can only be understand as a whole.
Lets start to analyse the song.
The prologue of Crimson speaks of a dark past. Just as the world and the human race began to die out the gods sent a child to change fate.
And this girl is what Crimson is about. Will she lead humanity to eternal happiness? Will she ruin the earth? Is she going to gain immortality?
Anyway, she will grow up and carry the name of the song the Crimson Queen.
But lets get back to the very beginning.
Therefore well listen to the first minutes.
- play 0:00 -
Different from usual legends Crimson doesnt start with a menace or the gathering of evil forces. No, Crimson starts with Salvation.
As the narrator told us, the rivers will run, the sun will arise and the circle, which indicated the circle of life, is still unbroken.
And now that the holy child walks the earth, the people are convinced that they are able to get children again. But as the kings wife was pregnant, she and her baby suddenly died. He realized that the girl didnt bring them the ability to breed.
In line 48 is written
Anger and hate.
fear and despair fills up his mind.
She was the one worth dying for.
Before he can decide to unleash his anger and kill the sacred girl, her clear blue eyes let him show mercy. He banished the child out of his kingdom, but didnt harm her, because he believes that the child could bring back the ability to breed if she grew up. And line 67
Many seasons have changed and the king is old and weak.
The princess has come of age, but still the gift of life they seek.
The child turned into a young woman, however the king died.
A whole world is mourning the loss of their king.
In sorrow a new day dawning.
Now the princess is their everything. Line 85
Now that the king is dead the people need a new leader. The folks agree that the child from the sky is still too young to rule this kingdom. 2 self-proclaimed kings long for the throne. So the people split up into 2 fractions. And both fractions fight an endless bloody war. Until one day the sacred woman suddenly appears and her anger of how this world evolved is so great that she decides to bring doom and fear over the world.
- line 124 , play 15:50 -
Seven years passed. The woman has become the one and only crimson queen. But she didnt rule the kingdom as everyone expected. She didnt used tyranny. Line 142
The masses were assured, she fought without a sword.
She regained their hope and faith.
And the people admired and loved the queen, although they know she is able to bring darkness.
The world lived on its life until one fateful day. The Crimson Queen heard the voice of the god who sent her to earth. He told her: line 180
"The earth shall fall. The eternal curse is cast on the sands
they walk.
Now you must use your power. Show the human race you are the one.
Use their trust forever and then deceive their weakened minds.
Fool them to destroy themselves in hopelessness.
Belie their seeds, belie their dreams. Hope has ceased to be
The Crimson Queen decided to follow the command of her master and obtained everyones trust so she can fulfil her evil plans. Now you will hear the part where the Crimson Queen kills many people with her lies and how the human race found out her dark intentions.
- line 210 , play 26:55 -
Now that the humans are all alone again, they have only 2 possibilities, either surrender and die or fight against the Queen. And as line 222 says:
their dream of sons and daughters has made them standing tall.
A hundred knights walk to the temple of the Queen, but their search wasnt successful. Before they were completely lost to despair, the spirit of their beloved king talked to them and gave them courage.
Some of the brave soldiers offer their lives to open the gates of the Queens temple.
Finally the few knights that are left stand in front of the gates of the temple and they mobilize their last will and powers to slay the Queen.
- line 285 , play 37:00 -
And this is how Crimson ends.
And now the reborn earth, blessed with the gift of birth can
see her in this cage that eternally preserves her rage.
Mankind is able to rescue itself and fight a god if it has to choose between life and death.
And this is also where Crimson II continues. I wont reveal too much of the Crimson IIs story but I will give away so much, that the Crimson Queen is not dead. Shes only sealed in her cage that maybe doesnt eternally preserves her rage.
