Greatest Saga, by Winterblade

Greatest Saga

by Winterblade

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Greatest Saga includes one bonus track

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1.	Greatest Saga 05:22	lyrics	buy track
{Spoken word, male} It was customary, on the eve of Yule, when great men sat in the King’s Hall, a woman with the gift of prophecy was carried out to speak. This year, she spoke of a child. {Spoken word, female} In the North, a King’s son has just been born, and he will make a home there. In the flower of his age, he will return to his native land and inherit that Kingdom, which is his by birth. He will be a savior for many in the North, but not for long... When old ways met with ways of new Hail, hail! A child born to bridge the two Hail, hail! A son who left his Father’s side Hail, hail! A traitor to the Northern Isles Hail, hail! Young man of noble will Resist the call Young man of noble will Death comes for all The sun will set on Gods we know Hail, hail! A cycle broken down below Hail hail! Young man of noble will Resist the call Young man of noble will Death comes for all {Spoken word, male} This king, Olaf, son of Tryggvi, was, by all accounts, a capable man. Skillful with oars, nimble with swords, and comfortable in frozen water as well. But his cheerful manner belied his violent tendencies - a hateful fire burned in Olaf’s eyes. He was loved by friends, feared by foes, and respected as a great warrior. And yet, in his heart, something was missing... Young man of noble will Resist the call Young man of noble will Death comes for all
2.	The Axe 05:24	lyrics	buy track
Quiet walking on the edge tonight Markets crowded with a language unknown to me It’s tricky walking on the ledge tonight Thinking now, I might kill a man Fell on the axe and wept Buried it deep and far For all the things you’ve said I’ll stop your beating heart Follow quickly through the foreign lane I see his body from across the well Hands on the weapon and my mind on pain Thinking now, I’ll have to kill a man! Fell on the axe and wept Buried it deep and far For all the things you’ve said I’ll stop your beating heart {laughter} Fell on the axe and wept Buried it deep and far For all the things you’ve said I’ll stop your beating heart Quiet walking on the edge tonight I might kill a man
3.	Plunder 03:10	lyrics	buy track
Here we stand at the forest line Thor decides if we live or die Wake the town with a battle cry March with torches held alight! Let’s go Signs have told that we will prevail Hold our line through the arrow’s hail Exiled man at the leader’s helm After him we can storm these gates One by one through the foggy field Swords aloft as we brace our shields Thunder! Will crack the sky Warfare! None left alive Plunder! Under Odin’s eye Plunder! Under Odin’s eye
4.	Kings & Slaves 04:05	lyrics	buy track
King of Mystery, faraway lands Come to Em’rald seas, capture the man Feed him lies and make him obey Bring him home and we’ll cast him away Not to be swayed Hunt to the grave Torn at the crown Hide in the home of the swine Scoff at him now Laugh at the pig left to die Torn at the crown Arrows for cowards aside Laugh at him now A slave holds the head of the High King of Mystery now holds a court Kill or be called a murderer Crosses stand where the emblem should lay Flames engulf where the Old Gods stay Not to be swayed Life beyond graves Not to be swayed Dawn of new days
5.	Raven 03:47	lyrics	buy track
Empty - I feel the silence closing in on me It’s all I can deal with Lifeless - I lie awake in mourning every day The Crown weighs heavy Brave and storied Nobody knows The raven takes flight And now I spend my nights alone And everything around is cold The Gods have left me on my Throne - a King must rule with gauntlets raised up high Give all they can deal with Hopeless - my eyes are closing to the All-Father Give me a sign The raven takes flight And now I spend my nights alone And everything around is cold The Gods have left me on my own The Gods have left me on my own
6.	One Lonely Visitor 03:14	lyrics	buy track
Dogs call out as I approach Guards trade eyes unlike my own “Let him in, let him in” The King now holds an audience They all know who this is One lonely visitor Travel the night, with ravens at my side One lonely visitor Two-faced man, I see right through your lies Offer me an a evening spent Talk you down, make you repent "You’re not real, you’re not real" Neither is your Savior’s hand I exist just like a man! One lonely visitor Travel the night, with ravens at my side One lonely visitor Two-faced man, I see right through your lies One lonely visitor I’ve been at the helm, in war and peace alike One lonely visitor Travel the night, with ravens at my side!
7.	Týr's Daughter 03:20	lyrics	buy track
Powerful and beautiful The princess leaves with pockets full Burnt alive a house of fools Still we see, she will not choose But is my god a god of love? No man has bought her I only want her Ask at the altar Tyr’s Daughter Once again, more confident Come to light and take my hand She will not leave her Father’s land Strike her down, beginnings end Someday this may become my death No man has bought her I only want her Ask at the altar Tyr’s Daughter No man has bought her yet
8.	Only the Strong 03:35	lyrics	buy track
Seized him in the night A man who’s not a man His sacred magic rites Can’t save him from my plan Took him by the throat Threw him on his knees Give up the ways of old And I can set you free The snakes inside my heart The same inside your mouth Only the strong can take this now Your body ripped apart There’s only one way out Only the strong die bravely now The iron flaming hot The animal retreats The quiet suffering stops The scales between your teeth Pray that I am wrong Wandering in the dark That you should be atoned Your misery forgot I feel the snakes inside my heart The same inside your mouth Only the strong can take this now Your body ripped apart There’s only one way out Only the strong die bravely now
9.	An Offering 03:08	lyrics	buy track
With chains he’s bound And upside down Our Father hangs from branches He gave an eye And sacrificed All for a drop of knowledge Born weak, bleed red Same love, soon dead So will you take The Offering? Children still sin And yet there’s hope for broken men So will you take The Offering A god has made to you? The King adorned In Crown of Thorns The Son is nailed to crosses He gave his life Refused to die To purify the masses
10.	Long Serpent 03:45	lyrics	buy track
A thousand years ago Upon the frozen shore King Olaf gave commands A ship be made for war Dragons on the bow Serpents in its soul The cross upon its sail No telling where they’ll go To meet certainty and schemes No peace, Long Serpent out at sea Twice crossed, fate and jealousy Sink low, where no one's there to reach An old song we sing All hail the King Form a ring All hail the King All hail the king! An enemy approached Led there by a wolf He held his navy back And watched them from the port Crushing was the wind And swiftly fell the line An arrow made its path The King was out of time An old song we sing All hail the King Form a ring All hail the King All hail the king!
11.	Wonder 03:51	lyrics	buy track
It’s cold beneath the ocean I cannot feel remorse We all went through the motions But no one knew what for I’m starting to feel hollow The emptiness, too much I reach up to the Father But whose hand will I touch? Will I make it up to Heaven Or sink to Hell below Will I walk the field with Freya Or drink from human bones? I wonder where a warrior Goes after all his scars These are questions we can’t ever know Wonder’s all we are Pray tell, what are the stories They speak upon my name? Did time preserve the deeds I’ve done Or was it all in vain? Will I make it up to Heaven Or sink to Hell below Will I walk the field with Freya Or drink from human bones? I wonder where a warrior Goes after all his scars These are questions we can’t ever know Wonder’s all we are

about

Which way, Northern Man? For someone who only ruled as King of Norway for five years, King Olaf Tryggvason is perhaps one of the nation's most controversial historical figures. His rise to power is not easy - as a boy, Olaf is sold into slavery, but as a teenager, he gets his revenge by publicly killing his slaver. From there, his legend grows, through victories in the Emerald Isles and a surprise conversion to Christianity.

But can the Christian prince achieve his destiny and assume the throne of Norway? An man named Jarl Haakon tries make sure it didn't happen, but his desire to keep an eye on the young man ends up leading to his own death.

Where will Olaf go from here? Will he return to the Old Gods? Or will he lead Norway towards a new God? This album, "Greatest Saga," details his story the way he, and those surrounding the Christian King, might have told it.

In the end, the Æsir themselves do not stand idly by...

credits

released September 9, 2020

Guitars, Vocals, Instrumental Programming - Alex Waters
Lyrics based on Óláfs saga Tryggvasonar by Snorri Sturluson
Lyrics on "Long Serpent" based on Ormurin Langi by Jens Christian Djurhuus
Arrangement - Alex Waters with special thanks to Bree Denbow
Mixing, Mastering - Alex Waters

license

about

Winterblade Washington, D.C.

Winterblade is one man with a passion for the Old Norse Æsir and heavy metal. Those passions are combined on the album "Long Nights," a project rooted in Viking history and often drawn from historical texts. Just released: GREATEST SAGA, the 11-part story of how Norway's first king rose to power in the most unusual way... ... more