ELVARON
The Buried Crown
Manitou Music / Socadisc
Concept album - CD - 12 titles - 66 minutes
(p) Fantai'Zic 2005 & © Thundering 2005 - Ref : 880912

Read the concept of The Buried Crown


11   Siren's Call... The Void
12   Warhead
13   Sea Of Hate
14   King Of Thylia (I)
15   King Of Thylia (II)
16   King Of Thylia (III)
17   Ghouls Of Time
18   Dark Whispers
19   Witch Of The Forest
10   The Buried Crown
11   One Last Season
12   The Heroes' Tale

Matthieu Morand - Electric and classical guitars, lead vocals
Nicolas Colnot - Bass guitar, vocals
Lindsay Messaoudi - Bass
Frédéric Renaut - Drums


Produced by Matthieu Morand, Elvaron & Fantai’Zic
Recorded by Elvaron sometimes between June & August 2004 in Elvaron’s lair and various places
Mixed from September to November 2004 by Christophe Heyrend
Mastered by La Source Mastering - Paris - December 2004

All music by Elvaron & Thomas “SeeK” Letscher
All lyrics by Matthieu Morand except The Buried Crown by Hugues Renault & Matthieu Morand
Concept album based upon L’alliance du dragon noir by Thomas Letscher
Pictures by Matthieu Morand - Hourglass design by www.irokkoi.net
Global artwork by Matthieu Morand

Guest musicians :
Thomas Letscher - All keyboard solos
Rémy Chopinez - Violin
Martin Kieffer - Cello
Elise Allart - Flute, piccolo
Pierre Sosin - Oboe
Didier Mérou - Clarinet
Catherine Bigel - Bassoon
Jean Sébastien Bussmann - Trumpet
David Grosjean - French horn
Gregory Grosjean - Saxhorn

Thanx to Laurent Bocquet and everyone at Manitou / Thundering
Thanx to all our families and friends
Thanx to Patrick and the Fort Pélissier team
Thanx to all the fans, radios, zines, fanzines, webzines who support us

 

 

 

THE BURIED CROWN'S CONCEPT

Raistlin 's memories...

... Act III

Siren's Call… The Void
The scene starts on a ship. Colwin is awaked by a siren's call and remembers that he has been captured by Refsnar, the evil captain of Raistlin's armies. The goal of this introduction is to explain the situation of Colwin when he wakes up. He is on a boat, captive, he received a bad blow and seems really punch-drunk. Moreover, the sea is rough and the boat pitches. It seems that he has been drawn from his sleep by a siren's call and a whisper reminding to him the last events.

Warhead
This song has three conceptual functions.
First is to present the besieged capital of the Ravenland's empire known as Warhead. This royal place previously protected by the young king Thomen is now controlled by the armies of Alifaar/Raistlin.
The second function is to introduce this sanguinary character who is Refsnar. Captain of the armies, he is infectious, immoral and corrupted by the evil.
The third function is to reveal the state of mind of Alifaar/Raistlin at this time of the story. He became a solitary, cruel and demonic human being.

Sea of hate
The action is now focused on the ship where Maltaar and Colwin are prisoners as well as the human and the elf. Our companions are kept in the hold. We learn two essential things for the story. Firstly, Thörick and Garwin (the dwarf and the gnome) have escaped from Refsnar during the capture in Warhead. We do not know, at this time, where they are and what they will do. Secondly, Alifaar/Raistlin is on the boat.

King of Thylia
The action is still focused on the ship. Colwin realizes with bitterness that he is not anymore king of Thylia. He misses a lot his people. He is drawn from his dreams because there is a great mess on the boat. In fact, Cryptock, the captain of the ship, refuses to comply in order and want to deliver his crew... he comes to propose his help to Colwin and his companions. We leave the scene whereas a fight is preparing between our heroes and the Raistlin's henchmen on the ship.

Ghouls of time
The action is now focused on Thörick (the dwarf) and Garwin (the gnome) who have escaped of Refsnar in Warhead. We wanted to evoke their race against time and the mission that awaits them (you are unaware of all at this precise moment). We symbolized this race against time by “time eater monsters”; like ghouls nourishing human flesh. The terrifying image of the ghouls of time was then born. Conceptually, the song is about this concept.

Dark Whispers
It is an instrumental piece played on the classical guitar and harp; a kind of quiet moment before the second part of the album.

Witch of the forest
Thörick and Garwin now cross the evil forest of Lethya, home of a malevolent elf banished by her people and became the witch of the forest. Our two companions are terrified, they feel the malefic presence. Whereas the witch was about to cut their road, an elves group appears and guides our friends out of the forest.

The buried crown
Eponym song of the album, it brings back an Elvaron's conceptual tradition: introspection of the characters. The verses present the Colwin's state of mind, with the evocation of a buried crown. It is about betrayal, friendless and loneliness. The chorus present the Alifaar's state of mind. He proceeds to an interrogation on himself, his statute of “almighty man” and on his right of life and death on people.

One last season
We meet Thörick and Garwin again. It becomes rather clear now that their mission is to go to the kingdom of Thylia to assemble an army and to save Colwin and his companions. The instructions of Colwin were to find Xedath, his henchman, and to give him the military control. But at the entrance of Thylia, the first thing that Thörick and Garwin see is the head of Xedath on a spear. Refsnar had guessed the plan. Thörick and Garwin are captured and thrown in the Colwin's jails; whereas the majority of his armies. After a few days, hope seems lost… but some voices rise and chant Colwin's name. Some men could escape and free everybody. Confrontation between the Colwin's warriors and the army of Refsnar seems unavoidable. It will occur in the courtyard of the castle. The battle is at its high and Thörick is wounded by an arrow and fall on the ground. His honour forbids him to die here without having triumphed. He thinks of the glory songs that would be write for him, telling how he raised and defeated the enemy... but he seems to be dying.

The Heroes' Tale
The action is held several decades after these events. We wanted to give the idea of a minstrels band singing the story of Colwin, Maltaar, Thörick and the other adventurers... like a medieval verse chronicle.

 

 
SIREN'S CALL... THE VOID


Instrumental


WARHEAD

Welcome ! To the Warhead's ruins,
The sky is Bible black,
Like the heart of a merciless queen.

In the old times of Raven's splendour,
The city was a royal place.
Young king Thomen have been adored,
In a state of grace.
Then came the loss of the noble law,
And evil powers they won't face.

A step on the desiccated earth,
Fissurating the ground.
Only is raising the dust.

Where I've been, all I've lost,
All I know I learned it to my cost,
It's a monster that I see,
Haunted by the pangs of jealousy.
He will keep the filth on his face,
He won't wash the blood on his hands.
Almost human, not a man,
All you have to do is fear the Refsnar's name.
From within, he's infectious,
He was born to be the lord of Chaos.
He won't wipe the sweat from his brow,
He's the only death dealer now.

Complete drunkard, skull destroyer,
Entirely devoted to his master.
From when it all begins, I choose a noble life,
I've been a faithful friend and for them I would die.
Perfect coward, loose assassin,
Living in a world of deadly sins.
Before I'll reach the end, I'm gonna fight with pride,
To be an honest man, not corrupted inside.
I choose a noble life, and I'm ready to die.

Since several moons he was on his own.
Living on his world in his throne of bones.
Placing his pawns and recasting all that he planed,
Where cruelty and madness are carefully blended.

And soon, upon the Warhead's ruins,
You'll see an army walk,
To track and crush the last kings.

Where I've been, all I've lost,
All I know I learned it to my cost,
It's a monster that I see,
Haunted by the pangs of jealousy.
He will keep the filth on his face,
He won't wash the blood on his hands.
Almost human, not a man,
All you have to do is fear the Refsnar's name.
From within, he's infectious,
He was born to be the lord of Chaos.
He won't wipe the sweat from his brow,
He's the only death dealer now.


SEA OF HATE

They've made our life a misery,
Erasing us of reality,
They threw us down in the hall of the ship,
But remember, "Still waters run deep".

Thörik and Garwin took another road,
But let us hope they will not be caught.

A river of pain, an ocean of anger,
We're sailing, sailing the sea of hate.
A river of pain, an ocean of anger,
We're sailing, sailing the sea of hate…
Sea of pain… sea of hate… sea of pain.

Alifaar speaks, his words are flowing,
Meneden is resurrecting.

A river of pain, an ocean of anger,
We're sailing, sailing the sea of hate.
A river of pain, an ocean of anger,
We're sailing, sailing the sea of hate…
Sea of pain… sea of hate… sea of pain.


KING OF THYLIA

A long time without seeing my crowd,
My hope has gone and my kingdom is down.
I close my eyes and think of you,
I'm no longer the king of Thylia.

I put my trust in the hands of the gods,
But I let my fate in the steel of my sword,
I accept the trials we're going through,
A fatality in a different view.

Doubt is the own of the human being,
But I cannot believe in our victory,
So I close my eyes and dream of you,
And we'll be safe in Thylia.

The more they get, the more they want,
We need a helping hand.
They're pushing me to the breakpoint,
And I swear revenge.

The flame in the palm of his hand stops to burn
and I ask for the silence.
All we hear is the sound of the water against the hull.
A key in the lock and the door slowly moves
Letting us in ignorance,
The light takes me in its embrace.

We met Cryptock, the leader of men,
In this deadlock he's the one who can.
We met Cryptock, the leader of men,
In this deadlock he's our helping hand.

He tells us that he wants to take a revenge
Poisoning his existence.
All we hear is the sound of his crew screaming in pain.
The tension was high and the smell of the action
Was so intense,
The night takes me in its embrace.


GHOULS OF TIME

In ancient times, timeworn and dried,
The sand in a prison cell,
Carried away by the wind, for thousand years of reign.

In times to come, he'll bring us despair and the storm.
Listen to my prayers, casting out my fears,
Time changes from days to weeks,
And from weeks to years, I feel the rage it wreaks.

What will I become?
And where do I belong?

I don't fear what's perfect clear,
The ghouls of time are walking on me.
I behold a perfect gold,
The ghouls of time have taken their toll.

All these stories of long ago,
In olden days beloved by all.
These fairytales are forgotten,
We've closed the book and put an end.
And creatures rise from the dead,
Once again the time has fled.

What will I become?
And where do I belong?

I don't fear what's perfect clear,
The ghouls of time are walking on me.
I behold a perfect gold,
The ghouls of time have taken their toll.

They're getting closer day by day,
I hear them come… I hear them come,
The ghouls of time.

What will I become?
And where do I belong?

I don't fear what's perfect clear,
The ghouls of time are walking on me.
I behold a perfect gold,
The ghouls of time have taken their toll.

In times to come, he'll bring us despair and the storm.
Listen to my prayers, casting out my fears,
Time changes from days to weeks,
And from weeks to years, I feel the rage it wreaks.


DARK WHISPERS
Instrumental


WITCH OF THE FOREST

Walking through the woods of Lethya,
Snowed under with a secret phobia.
They entered in the forest, keeping along the lake,
Still believe in their quest that no one could ever break.

In the shadows of the trees,
Stands a sorrow on her needs,
She'll be satisfied to see them die,
Under the moonlight.

Covering their faces overcast,
Their cloaks spinning around in a blast.
A slow move in the groves, stirring up their fears,
They pray to see a dove circling through the leaf.

She pretends to be the cruellest,
She turns your hopes into dust,
She is the witch of the forest, the mistress of lust.

She pretends to be the cruellest,
She turns your hopes into dust,
She is the witch of the forest, the mistress of lust.

In the shadows of the trees,
Stands a sorrow on her needs,
She'll be satisfied to see them die,
Under the moonlight.

Suddenly surrounded by the light,
A little triumph without any fight,
Elves in the blizzard appeared just where she stood,
Led them without a word at the edge of the wood.

She pretends to be the cruellest,
She turns your hopes into dust,
She is the witch of the forest, the mistress of lust.


THE BURIED CROWN

It's been a long time since I've buried my crown,
The day had past since everyone turned my own.
I'm laying on my back now,
And you just hit me with your knife.
It's been a long time since I've buried my crown.

Why do they come to me to die?
In my arms when I see their faces there.
Why do they come to be killed by my hands?
Will they stay? Will they go?
Will they be in search of glow?
But when they came to read the signs,
All is banished from their minds.

Spelling the letters of my name,
You have failed your mission of death.
And I lay down spilling my blood,
Don't be sorry it's all your fault.
Well, I am not dead, I see you run in your white dress,
All if it was in a nightmare...

Why do they come to me to die ?

Promise me,
The sun will rise today like a liar.
Release me,
From the weight I have to carry on my shoulders.
If someone just says that I've won the game
Of being to forsake,
It's been a long time since I've buried my crown.

Why do you come to me to die?
In my arms when I see your face again.
Why do you come to be killed by my hands?
Will you stay? Will you go?
Will you be in search of glow?
But when you came to read the signs,
All is banished from your mind.


ONE LAST SEASON

Walking through the forest then across the land,
They finally arrived to the walls of Thylia.
But just before saying anything,
Thörik reminded the Colwin's words:
“Go and find Xedath, my right hand man,
he will listen to you”.

The first thing they saw was his head on a spear,
Then all became so clear.
Refsnar was already there,
And all seemed so unfair.

Oh my brothers, listen to me,
We all great your bravery.

Sing your glory and cry our friends,
This victory will be yours again.

The battle that no one could behold was going to unfold.
The sound they won't hear anymore,
The locks of the heavy doors.

Some voices rise from the raw of cells
To chant the Colwin's name.
Hope was therefore and now allowed
To find some new fellows.

Don't let me down, come and fight again.
Don't let me down, 'cause this is not the end.
I wanna feel the honour before all fades away.

Oh my brothers, listen to me,
We all great your bravery.

Oh my brothers please listen to me,
We all great your bravery,
Sing your glory and cry your friends,
This victory will be yours again.


THE HEROES' TALE

The sun is down and my story begins,
Listen it well and open your ears,
The tale I'm singing is carved in the sand,
Painting the heroes of Ravenland.
Now I remember this man,
He crushes the skulls with the strength of his hands,
Now he is gone but he was not alone,
I sing for him all the way home,
Sing for him all the way home.

Dark clouds appear and cover all the plain,
Bring the driven snow and the heavy rain,
The tale I'm singing is carved in the stone,
Not just a medieval verse chronicle.
Now I remember this man,
He holds the power to control the flame,
Now he is gone but he was not alone,
I sing for him all the way home,
Sing for him all the way home.

The night has come and my story goes on,
In any place and in any season,
The tale I'm singing is carved on the wood,
Living and dying just where they stood.
Now I remember this man,
He could heal the wounds and the terrible pain,
Now he is gone but he was not alone,
I sing for him all the way home,
Sing for him all the way home.

The moon is high and my story's over,
Finally they all get out from under,
The tale I'm singing has come to an end,
They're gone the heroes of Ravenland.
Now I remember these men,
They crushed the skulls with the strength of their hands,
Now they are gone but they were not alone,
I sing for them all the way home,
Sing for them all the way home.