Tale of the Frozen Valley 2017 Music and lyrics by Federico Lucchi Recorded and mixed at Dolfin Studios Released on January 1st, 2017 Cover art painting by Claudio D. Lucchi
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The story behind the music
The Tale of the Frozen Valley is very different from Skycrater’s previous album, Journey to the Other Land, both musically and lyrically. The music gets darker, heavier and with a more complex orchestration. It is also more challenging to listen to, because of the numerous guitars polyphony and heavier drums and bass. The vocals too are different, with a more important use of backing choirs and a closer approach to classical operatic singing technics.
The story is an intricate plot of treacheries, where tyrants and traitors join forces to later betray each other. It is also their weakness, for by keeping their word they would indeed have been very strong and possibly undefeated, but their unquenchable lust for more power leads them inevitably to failure. The shameless King makes the mistake to trust the evil lord Magnaroth, who in his turn wrongly trusts his Sorcerer Lothar, who, overwhelmed by his own power, underestimates lord Eberulf’s wisdom and magical skills. Villains thus betray each other until only Lothar is left, and the victory is thus made easy for the wise Eberulf. The lord is different from his adversaries in the very purpose of his fight, since he fights for the people and for life, whereas the King, Magnaroth and Lothar all fight for their own lust for power and riches. Thus Lothar makes the final mistake, misguided by his own sinful soul, by not foreseeing Eberulf’s intention to give back the freed valley to the people it originally belonged to. The new King is crowned, the now weakened Lothar is banned from the valley forever and the powerful lord Eberulf returns with his army to his lands.
Eberulf is not the perfect hero like you would find in an American Western movie. He is a warrior. He is thus brutal and shed much blood to save the life of the Frozen Valley’s people. He is nonetheless wise, and aware of his sinful soul. His hands are stained with too much blood to rule the people of the valley, he therefore gives the throne to the messenger, a young lad who never held a sword. This might seem illogical and silly, yet who could rule better than someone with a love-filled heart, without hate or lust for battle? He needs his army to defend the land and protect the people, but in his wisdom he dares not take the sword himself and taste the bitter pleasure of battle. His soul is pure, and in order to rule rightfully, he needs not stain it with sin.
The evil lord Magnaroth is the very opposite of his adversary Eberulf. He lusts for power, gold and most of all for blood. He rejoices in his merciless battles and heartless plundering. What he doesn’t take, he sets ablaze. Who he doesn’t make prisoner, he kills. He is not just heartless, he actually delights in his cruelty and is always thirsty for more. His fearless fighting, matched with Lothar’s invulnerability spells, make him a terrifying warrior in battle. He handles his heavy mace with immeasurable strength and rides his powerful black steed trough enemy lines like through frail bushes. Yet his weakness is his immense pride, blinding him to the extent of never once doubting the honesty of his fearful sorcerer Lothar, who eventually betrays him to death while in battle.
The last protagonist we meet in the story is the sad minstrel. He is neither a hero, a warrior or wise man. He is but an insignificant poor man who lost his house and his beloved daughter during Magnaroth’s pillaging. He can’t seek revenge, nor does he think about it. He is stricken with grief and yet he moves on, without hate or any defiling emotion. He is a man who lived for love, and had no other aim in life than loving and taking care of his daughter. It is innocent people like him who pay the dearest price when hateful creatures like Magnaroth let their ambitions guide them. Still, tales only talk about the heroic heroes who marched into battle without fear, and hardly ever mention the horrors and suffering the population had to go through. Heroes and adventure seekers like Eberulf are indeed fearless, because they hardly have anything to lose. Their beloved ones, if any, are safe. They don’t really care about their own life because they live for adventure. And so it is still today, when men with power can sacrifice thousands, even millions of people for the only sake of money or more power. And like the grieving minstrel, all we can do is watch and wait for the suffering to end. For the Other Land is promised to all those who love without expecting to be loved, who give without asking back.
“But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil” Luke 6:35