[Dover, England: September 1594 (the recollections of a war-weary mariner)]

Hearken boy; for I would tell thee a tale before we set sail for the Bay of
Biscay on the morrow. I was not always called by this name, you know... To
you, I am Caleb Blackthorne, battle-scarred master of an English galleon,
survivor of a score of sea-fights, cheater of the notched blades of many an
over ambitious Spanish pirate... the Scourge of Medina Sedonia! But to many
others over the countless centuries since my first birth, I have been known by
a host of other names... so many that even I begin to forget all but the ones
distinguished by the most vivid deeds... for I hide a wondrous secret, boy...
a secret some would call a blessing, but which others would deem a grim curse.
Aye, it all began a very long time ago...

Memories of death and life...

For countless thousands of centuries I have walked the earth...
I have seen endless battle,
And untold centuries of slaughter.

I am reborn once more!
The same grim spirit once again given flesh...
O' to be ravished by the seductress death...

[The Scion of the Storms:]
Dethroned 'ere Atlantis fell, haunted by a dark queen's curse,
My son's soul shackled by this spell of endless death and grim rebirth.
Fly, o' skyborne steed of Lyonesse, ride the tempest's wings,
I am the scion of the vengeful skies, a god to warriors and kings!

[Reflections on lifetimes of carnage:]

I have been slain by Roman gladius,
And by Norman spear dealt a mortal wound,
The threads of my ensorcelled destiny
Endlessly woven on some unknown cosmic loom.
I have lost my life to longbow shafts
Fighting for the English crown,
And mayhap I'll end this mariner's life

Sing with the song of Bal-sagoth, When Rides The Scion Of The Storms lyrics!

A good three score fathoms down!

I marched with vast armies 'ere gleaming Atlantis sank beneath the waves...
I reddened my blade against Caesar's legions long ago...
I stood beside Boudicca at Colchester...
I dealt honed steel death from the ranks of Arthur Pendragon...
I slew and looted gloriously at Lindisfarne...
I slaked my scramasax at Maldon...
I crossed blades with Brian Boru at Clontarf...
I slaughtered left and right with Harold at Hastings...
I dispatched Norman swordsmen with Robin of Loxley...
I wielded a Claymore at Stirling Bridge...
I was in the thick of the fray beside Henry at Agincourt...
I spilled blood for the White Rose at Bosworth Field...
I captained a galleon against the great Armada of Philip II...

I have witnessed the rise of corrupt religions, but my heathen blade was red
countless centuries before their flaccid laws were ever carved in stone.

They call me the Scourge of Medina Sedonia... my ship sails at dawn, and may
our English steel ring gloriously against the cutlasses of the outlander
pirates!

Aye boy, it is a strange tale indeed. I know not why I am destined to live and
die in this way, my soul moving from life to life, ever dying and being again
reborn, with every memory of my past incarnations intact. A whim of the gods?
An ancient sorcerous spell? Some cruel machination of fate, mayhap? Or is it
all for some mysterious, greater purpose? Sometimes I feel the gaze of inhuman
eyes upon me, and fragments of some past existence which I cannot wholly
recall flash before my mind's eye. And time and time again I know precisely
when I am to die in the fray, for always 'ere the fatal blow is struck, I see
him... grim and noble astride his great winged steed, gleaming spear crackling
in his grasp, beckoning me onwards to the next life... to ever more slaughter
and carnage... Yes, adour and brooding spirit he is, and in his burning eyes I
see a great secret which I must discover, a powerful mystery I alone must
solve. I cannot speculate as to what strange destiny the fate! s ! have
written for me in the stars... but the gods have decreed that this is the path
I must follow, and I am sure that my adventures are far from over...

bal-sagoth

Artist Information

Profile:

Bal-Sagoth was created in the UK in 1989 by Byron Roberts (vocals) but wasn't formed until he met the brothers Chris (guitar) and Johnny (keyboard, drums) Maudling in 1993. Shortly after Jason Porter (bass) and Vincent Crabtree (keyboard) were recruited. In December same year they recorded their first and only demo tape which resulted in a deal with Cacophonous Records. In 1994 they entered Academy Studios and recorded their first full-length album, â??A Black Moon Broods Over Lemuria", which wasn't released until 1995. Before it was released Vincent Crabtree left the band and was replaced by Leon Forrest. Same year the also played their first gig at the Dublin Castle Festival. In 1996 they returned to the studio to record their second album, "Starfire Burning Upon the Ice-Veiled Throne of Ultima Thule" and shortly after the release Jason Porter was forced to leave the band and Alistair Maclatchy was the one who replaced him. More tours followed and in 1998 the third album, "Battle Magic", was released. Before the release Leon Forrest had left the band and Johhny had switched to keyboards instead of drums. Dave Mackintosh (drums) was then brought into the band and Alistair Maclatchy was replaced by Mark Greenwell. In 1999 they were signed to Nuclear Blast where they released the fourth album, "The Power Cosmic", same year. "Atlantis Ascendant" followed in 2001 and was followed by various tours. In 2004 David Mackintosh left in order to focus on his other band called Dragonforce.

Albums / OSTs:

a black moon broods over lemuria atlantis ascendant battle magic starfire burning upon the ice-veiled thr the power cosmic Click here to view All Albums and Song Lyrics of Bal-sagoth!