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Дословно фразу Дана я, к сожалению, не припомню, но однажды, в каком-то из интервью, он сказал, что никогда не хотел, чтобы его запомнили только как творца прог-дэта, потому что истинное его призвание - это прогрессивный рок. Это нелепо звучит для того слушателя, который больше всего внимание уделил нетленному "Кримсону", справедливо считающемуся одним из лучших металл-альбомов 90-х годов, но вот внимательное прослушивание его первой работы "по призванию" подтверждает слова Сванё, как ничто другое. И даже не потому, что "The Breathing Shadow" вышел каким-то там бесподобным и совершенным (этого как раз и не наблюдается), а потому, что этот альбом задаст вектор движения вообще всему творчеству композитора, во всех стилях, в которых тот в будущем опробует перо, и все его эпохальные работы, (коих, на данный момент, три как минимум, хотя кто-то назовёт их и по числу пальцев обеих рук) будут отсылать слушателя именно сюда, на дебютный альбом Nighingale.
Если уж пытаться точно определить жанр альбома, то охарактеризовать "Дышащую тень" можно как довольно минималистичный по части аранжировок и весьма изощрённый по части гитарных мелодий прогрессивный готик-рок, совершенно недалеко ушедший от породившего его пост-панка (в некоторых, наиболее ритмичных, песнях, влияние последнего отмечается особенно сильно, а учитывая сильную размытость границы между этими двумя направлениями, отличить их друг от друга в контексте альбома и вовсе почти невозможно). Ощущается также очень... нет, очень сильное влияние любимых Даном The Sisters of Mercy (особенно альбома "Floodland"), и не только в манере пения (в наиболее напряжённых моментах Сванё очень удачно подражает Эндрю Элдричу, да и тембры голосов у них довольно схожи), но и в небывало мрачной атмосфере, воссозданной и там и там не за счёт запугивания слушателя и нагнетания мрака, а за счёт вкрадчивости повествования и утончённости музыкального материала. Тут, кстати, швед выигрывает у своего британского кумира: прекрасное владение гитарой позволило ему создать на фоне достаточно простых драм-машинных зарисовок настолько чарующие гитарные проигрыши, переборы и соло-партии, что от некоторых просто сердце замирает, настолько они хороши. Да чего далеко ходить - включите самое начало "Nightfall Overture" - разве можно оторваться от прослушивания этого великолепия? Или "The Return To Dreamland" - как можно не влюбиться в эту размеренную инструментальную палитру, довершаемую пронзительными возгласами электрогитары? А "Alone", тягучая и грустная, с которой Дан почти через 20 лет сделает слепок и получит "Dying For The Sun" на альбоме "The Inheritance"? А "A Lesson In Evil" - чуть ли не самая хитовая вещь с альбома, где драйвовый припев не теснит мрачное настроение и "готику" альбома? Да тут какую ни возьми... про любую найдётся, что сказать. От "Recovery Opus", например, прямо веет какой-то ностальгией и тоской по ушедшему, и она успевает развернуться перед слушателем даже за те две минуты, что ей даны, но это не единственная её особенность. Дело в том, что, оказывается, именно в этой песне прячется та самая вокальная мелодия (походу, любимая у Сванё, хехе), которая потом появится всего через год на первом "Кримсоне", изменённая вообще минимально, и позже оживёт на проекте Witherscape (я об этом упоминал в соответствующей рецензии). Плагиатор? А вот и нет - что поразительно, все три слушаются с большим интересом.
Проигрывают же те песни, которые больше всего "наэлектризованы" и наиболее ритмичны. Таких, к счастью, всего две - это "Higher Than The Sky" и "Gypsy Eyes" ("Sleep" тоже к ним относится, но она, в отличие от вышеупомянутых, гораздо лучше). Не сказал бы, что они плохи, но я их каждый раз проматываю, потому что и до них и после них следует материал куда более интересный. Банально не цепляют, несмотря на все присущие альбому "фишки".
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Вызывает удивление то, что всего за 4 года до этого Сванё записал такой отвратительный и сырой дебютный альбом Edge of Sanity. Впрочем, заодно становится понятно, почему все его альбомы, по временной шкале стоящие до 1995-го года, слушаются заметно тяжелее, чем те, что находятся за обозначенным рубежом... пожалуй, прог-рок в творчестве шведа действительно рулит. Порой отходит на задний план, порой совершенно незаметен, но именно он, начатый вот отсюда, с "The Breathing Shadow", позволил в будущем родиться таким великим альбомам, как "Crimson", "Crimson II" и "Moontower". Так что... думаю, прослушивание этого дебюта нисколько не повредит, и даже наоборот.
P.S. Обратите внимание, что все до единой партии Дан сыграл и запрограммировал самостоятельно. Это вызывает уважение, учитывая удивительно живое звучание всего альбома. |
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I am not alone I can hear them say
The moon is your guide
There is no place you can hide
Oh, when the night comes down
And all the colours turns black and white
Oh, when the night comes down
And the dark is conducting the nightfall overture
Who am I in the eyes of the world
What have I done that will remain
Who am I? Will I ever know?
But right now I am the king of this winterlane
Is there anybody out there?
In the middle of the mist in the field
The air doesn't relieve me anymore
Something is here that I have never felt before
...And it's closing in on me...
I am lost in the maze of the night
Surrounded by lights so dark
I am losing all track of time
I'm trying to come out of this endless park
And the air is so dry
I can hear the daylight cry
...Is there anybody out there???...
[ Swano ]
I see the day is coming
The night is led astray
The dawn of new desires
The end of yesterday
I walk the road to nowhere
Ah, that's what I call home
If I only knew what I was heading for,
But I don't have a place to roam
And then I heard the voices calling
Across the sky in flames
I could hear them clearer now
Once again I could hear them say:
Dream, dream!
I hear the shadows say
Go to sleep my friend!
But I'll remain awake
Dream, dream!
I hear the shadows say
Go to sleep my friend!
Dream, dream!
I hear the shadows say
Go to sleep my friend!
Could be my last mistake
Dream, dream!
I hear the shadows say
Go to sleep my friend!
From a place of shelter
Where I could get some rest
I was so cold but I couldn't care
And soon the sun caressed
Dream, dream!
I hear the shadows say
Go to sleep my friend!
But I'll remain awake
Dream, dream!
I can hear them say
Close your eyes my friend!
Dream, dream!
I hear the voices say
Go to sleep my friend!
I'll make no more mistake
Dream, dream!
I could hear them say
Go to sleep my friend!
My frozen eyes refuse to see
Something tells me it's too dangerous to sleep
It's like I've been thru this before
Here I am! Frozen to the core
...Frozen to the core...
I know I must be dreaming
Or am I still awake
Hallucinations rule me
But right now, what difference does it make?
...I am falling again...
Dream, dream!
I hear the shadows say
Go to sleep my friend!
But I remain awake
Dream, dream!
I hear the shadows say
Go to sleep my friend!
Dream, dream!
I hear the darkness breathe
Go to sleep my friend!
And I fade away
Dream, dream!
I heard the voices say
Close your eyes my friend!
And now I fade away
Dream, dream!
And now I fade away...
2. Sleep
3. The Dreamreader
[ Swano ]
I fly away to another dimension
Far beyond reality
I fly away from these evil voices
Is it time to meet my destiny?
It brings me back to my childhood
And the hateful memories
The show is rolling before my eyes
And once again I see the tragedies
Dreamland is calling I am drifting away
Far from the shadows that's haunting my day
Now I can see the old wood hillside
That's the place where we used to play
I brings me closer to the place I fear
The place where my best friend passed away
I didn't mean it, I couldn't know
But what I did made him fall dead to the ground
I get to see the scene repeated
And then I hear the voices call
Dreamland is showing the dark of my past
One with the shadows, the die has been cast
...And I lost...
...I lost...
Let me wake, let me open up my eyes
Back to reality
This nightmare seems so real
There is no way to be free
I must return to my body
I will die if I don't wake up
The voices say that I should stay
I wish that I could make them stop
Dreamland is hell and I know it for sure
I need to stay alive and this ain't no cure
I feel that I am fading away
The shadow come closer and it forces to stay
I'm falling apart with every beat of my heart
The frost in my soul is so cold
And in the haze I see a hand to hold
I try to reach out but it's moving away
And the voices are laughing
Laughing as I pray...
4. Higher Than The Sky
[ Swano ]
I woke up laying in this bed
I didn't know if I was 'live or dead
Have I returned to reality
Have I escaped this evil entity?
I'v been...
Higher than the sky
Falling in and out of time
Once I saw him die
My remorse ain't worth a dime
If I only knew what was going on
I hear no voices, pray to god that they're gone
Someone must have found and then brought me here
I have been released from all the doubt and fear
Then this woman came into the room
She was so scared, but still she tried to stay
She spoke a tongue I couldn't understand
My guardian angel from a foreign land
She tried to explain how she brought me here
She found me lifeless in the cold
And there was something about me that wasn't right
So she rescued me from eternal night
And even though I can't understand the words she's saying
She's talking to my soul
And there is mystery in her gleaming eyes
5. Recovery Opus
6. The Return To Dreamland
[Instrumental]
7. Gypsy Eyes
[ Swano ]
She woke me up in the morning
With a soft and gentle touch
And now I realize that I need her too much
I really don't know if my body will move
If I try to walk away
And something in her eyes are begging me to stay
... Begging me to stay ...
Back on my feet, I'm standing
But I can hardly walk
She's bound to mystery
And I am a sparrow and she's the hawk
I know I must leave and get on with the search
My soul has left me in the lurch
And there is something about her smile
That's killing me inside
Totally drowned in gypsy eyes
I know she can see right thru my disguise
Totally drowned in gypsy eyes
And when she smiles is the closest that I'll ever get
To paradise
I am at her door I am leaving
Now it's time to say goodbye
I can see a gypsy tear is shining in her eye
I try to say that I will soon return
And seek shelter for the night
But now I must return to where the dark deceived the light
Totally drowned in gypsy eyes
I know she can see right thru my disguise
Totally drowned in gypsy eyes
She is the one that makes my lifeforce arise
Totally drowned in gypsy eyes
I know she can see right thru my disguise
Totally drowned in gypsy eyes
And when she smiles is the closest that I'll ever get
To paradise
8. Alone?
[ Swano ]
Thinking of the wood that guards the hillside
It has changed in many ways
The best friend that I ever had, I killed him
And I'll always remember his face
But I'm alone...
I'm thinking of the voices from the parklane
How come they just disappeared
Right now I am back where it all started
And now the voices are calling again
But I'm alone...
And the voices are only one voice
I hear it much clearer now
It's like on another level
Where I can hear the words without a blur
And it seems like that we can communicate
I hear him say he's such a lonely soul
A spirit from the lonely skies
And somehow I recall the voice
But I just can't place it in time
- Hey, you should remember me! It said
And then it was gone
Faster than it came
Faster than it came
I am walking down the lane and I am shaking
Now the voices have returned
And I wonder who the hell I've been forsaking
Who will see my bridges burn?
And I am not alone...
And I am not alone...
I'm not alone...
I saw my shadow move
But I didn't move
I has a life of itself
And it's breathing
And you can't runaway from your own shadow
I'm desperately trying to run away from myself
But the shadow is following me wherever I go
Just like my shadow, but it's not my shadow
It's not my shadow
It's not my shadow
9. A Lesson In Evil
[ Swano ]
I try to escape from the shadows of mine
It's following me wherever I go
It's like someone is breathing behind
My own reflection has turned into my foe
I hear his voice as he speaks unto me
I am here to torment, you will never be free
You'll know the difference of pleasure and pain
If you're sunshine the I am the rain
Can you remember can you recall
You put the noose around my neck
I won't surrender until you fall
You will obey
I am from the other side
And I have come to teach you pain
I'll give a lesson in evil
From the evil side
You're the ocean that I have to drain
And I have come here to reign
It makes this noise that will never stop
I will be strong and never give it up
My shadow drag me like a magner field
There is no return the maze has been sealed
Can you remember can you recall
You said it would be such an innocent game
You're the offender, and now you crawl
And you obey!
I wonder where we're going
We're gettin' closer to the hill
And the forest of the nightmares
Will we do the same again?
Will he see me hanging just like the way he did
And will he see me end my life
Just the way I ended his?
Hide and seek of life and death
Now it's my turn to see you gasp for your last breath
My friend!
There is this noise in my head
That forces me to do things I do not want to
I hear him say:
I want your body dead
So that I can be reborn, it's my turn to live now
I have been here in this place
that turns hell into heaven for too long now
I will have access to your mind
And I'll get what I want!
10. Eye For An Eye
[ Swano ]
I have no control, he's making my moves
I am like a puppet on a string
To get a hold of my body he must empty my soul
But right now I wonder what the end will bring
I wonder if I am dreaming, if I do will I wake up
Before we reach the forest
Where my dreams will stop
Thinking about the woman
That has saved me from the cold
I really need her here now, I need a hand to hold
And the more that I think of you
The more you fade away
And here in this hell that I am going through
I can't even close my eyes and pray
The noise drives me crazy
But I remain calm
In this blur I hear a melody
It might be the final psalm
It's time for a change
An eye for an eye
Admitting it's strange
He'll live and I'll die
He's out for revenge
An eye for an eye
It's my turn to suffer now
The final goodbye
An eye for an eye
An I for an I
Desperation takes control
My life is slipping away
We're coming closer to the end
And there is nothing that I can do
I see thru these eyes, I am blind!
I am thinking about my life the way it used to be
Thru the good times and the bad
And all the moments that I've had
It's not a way to end a life
But I guess it was just pretend
I am out walking this winter night
And everything is like before
We enter the forest now and I can see the tree
The rope is still hanging there
Like a monument to forever be
In the noise I hear laughters but I also hear cries
I guess it is my soul I hear
Knowing of his sacrifice?
Please someone release me father
Let this torture stop
I feel a tear is coming as I am climbing higher up
Please my friend forgive me
I wasn't meant to end this way
Trying to control myself, but I am the game you play
And the noose is around my neck
And now my time is here
I wish I could show my regrets and express my fear
Where am I going to can you tell me what we'll be
Will I come to where you are?
I guess I'll just die and see!
The gallow is ready now, an eye for an eye
I wish I could live somehow, but lifeless I'll lie
And he will be born again, I die oh I die
I am jumping now I am losing life an eye for an eye
It's only black and no signs of light
And the shadow has entered my body
And I can hear him say farewell with my voice
"Oh, when the night comes down
And the dark is conducting the nightfall overture"