Embrace the Horror

by In Virtue

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about

Embrace the Horror is an apocalyptic concept album, with each track a story of a possible armageddon scenario.

credits

released 01 January 2012
In Virtue:
Trey Xavier – Guitar, vocals, additional keys
Ms. C – Lead Vocals
Eli Vogt – Drums
Chach Schindler – Bass

With special guest:

Greg Schlaepfer – Keyboards & samples

Guest vocalists:

Arthur Von Nagel (Cormorant) on Witch Hunt
Marcus “Dank” Luscombe (Vengince) on Parabola

The In Virtue Apocalypse Orchestra:

Tammie Dyer – Violin
Christina Stanley – Violin
Rebecca Roudman – Cello
Casey Karr – Contrabass
Felicia McFall – Viola
Alan K. Parks – Tuba, trombone, bass fiddle
Bill Flaherty – Trumpet
Mitchell Scott – Banjo
Trey Xavier – Keys, congas, bongos, cowbell, guiro, maracas, tympani, bass drum, snare drum, glockenspiel, tambourine, shaker, beats

Choir:

Jenny Thuman – Soprano
Kristen Prins – Alto
Lauren Haile – Alto
Paul Haile – Tenor
Christopher Trujillo – Tenor
Anthony Martin – Bass/Baritone

Additional choirs by Trey Xavier

Recorded from February 2010 – May 2011 at: Prairie Sun Recording – Cotati, CA; Studio Blue – Napa, CA; and the Napa School of Music – Napa, CA.

Produced by Trey Xavier

All music and lyrics composed by Trey Xavier © ASCAP 2011

Keyboard arrangements by Greg Schlaepfer and Trey Xavier

Engineered by Jason D'Ottavio and Trey Xavier
Choirs recorded by Paul Haile and Aaron Hughes

Mixed by Paul Haile, Jason D'Ottavio and Trey Xavier

Mastered by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering Studios, Los Angeles, CA

Interns: Matt Kroll, Allen Gutfeld, Crayons

Copy editor: Valerie Rhodes

THANK YOU TO:

My awesome mom, Mary Lewis Sheehan, for her ceaseless support; Greg Horton; Jason D'Ottavio, Andrew Mastroni, Mooka Rennick and all at Prairie Sun; Paul Haile for rescuing us; all the fantastic musicians who dedicated their time and effort to this album and creating a huge sound from a tiny orchestra; Peter and Victoria Sykes and the Napa School of Music crew and students; my voice teacher, Vince Nash; guitar tech extraordinaire, Rob Sherman; Melandaron for the loan of a Martin and for always getting my ideas; IV's ichiban fan (you know who you are); Dave “The Madman” Pirtle for supporting us; DJ Chris Enberg for keeping metal on the air in Sonoma County and supporting underground music; Paul Ortlinghaus and Rich Wells of SOMA Church Community for the loan of their space and time, and the TABIT tablature program - find it and tabs for all our songs at www.tabit.net.

To all members of In Virtue, past and present:
Greg Horton, Corinne Reif, Chach Schindler. Eli Vogt, Trey Xavier, Mitchell Scott, Matt Solis, Mateo Dillaway, Molly Lindquist, Meredith Spires, Devin Reiche

Bands:
Cormorant, Vengince, Near Life, Imagika (RIP), James Florence and the Umpires of Taste, Powerglove, Cloakwheel, Solaria, Utopian Trap, Silent Sinner, Patryk deRosa (PDR), Miles of Machines, Richard Davis & Ariabes

tags

tags: metal death metal female vocals growling power metal prog progressive metal screaming shred San Francisco

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all rights reserved

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about

Once, metal had boundaries. Then, there was IN VIRTUE. In Virtue is a progressive metal band that is TRULY progressive. Not just "prog", not just a technically advanced or stylized band but a progressive band in the purest form of the word: ever-evolving, boundless and vast as the stars. No sound escapes the gravity of the massive supernova that is In Virtue. ... more

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Track Name: Suspense of Disbelief
Why does the earth shake with no end?
Why does the sky turn red?
Why does the ocean break its bonds?
This is the final curtain for mankind

See the sky, falling down on us
See the ocean, rising high
See the dead, waking from the grave
As it began it shall end and so shall we

What if we never meet again?
How will I find my way home?
Witness the death of dreaming
Witness the birth of chaos

Look to the sky, fall to your knees
Nothing survives the coming of chaos

What if we never meet again?
How will I find my way home?
This is the death of dreaming
This is the birth of chaos
Track Name: Twin Species: The Virtuous and the Vengeful
[Ms. C:]
Endless journey towards the sun
Dying in this wasteland
Decomposing as we are born
Lifeless we wander on

[Both:]
Righteous fury from sinful men
Charlatans and misers
Hypocrites who defile the truth
Lifeless they wander on

[Ms. C:]
Born to be let down
A waste of life it seems
Fallen from the grace of heaven
A hymn for tragedy
Broken hearts that mend for no one
Mourning souls are we

[Trey:]
Fight for all you’re worth
Shield yourself from pain
Never lose control
Pain is a disease
Virtue is the cure
Nothing’s worth your life
Standing on your own
Or living on your knees

Slaves unto ourselves
Why deny yourself?
Trapped inside a maze
Power can be yours
Your gods are made of wax
Take it from the weak
Melting with my gaze
And I’ll never say die

[Ms. C:]
Endless horror breathes awake
Boundless evil is what we make
When will the answer come?
How much more 'til we’re done?

[Ms. C:]
Born to be let down
A waste of life it seems
Fallen from the grace of heaven
A hymn for tragedy
Broken hearts that mend for no one
Mourning souls are we

Endless journey with context none,
No direction specified
With no rulebook we live a game
Time makes fools of us all

Born to be let down
A waste of life it seems
Fallen from the grace of heaven
A hymn for tragedy
Broken hearts that mend for no one
Mourning souls are we
Track Name: Witch Hunt
[Trey:]
The New World kneels before me
By God I’ll make my name
Bound for eternal glory
Those who oppose me shall perish in flame
Two faces, scarred and saintly
One for each god I serve
Die screaming like a banshee
Burning to death as your cries go unheard

[Ms. C:]
Bleed hysteria
Praise Deliria
Going on a witch hunt

[Trey:]
I’ll be the one standing at your door
With a pitchfork and a torch

The free world kneels before me
The crimson flag shall fall
Black lists and black intentions
Flush out the traitors and bury them all
You’ll be my final scapegoat
Ye children of the lamb
My vengeance is the last word
Sign the confession and bow to the demon again

[Ms. C:]
Bleed hysteria
Praise Deliria
We hunt
Nothing is sacred to us
Who will save you when your name comes up?

Bleed hysteria
Praise Deliria
Kneel or burn

Stride la vampa (The crackling flame hisses)
Giunge la vittima (The victim arrives)
Necrovestita (Clad in black)
Discinta e scalza (Half dressed, barefoot)
Grido feroce (A ferocious cry)
Di mortir levasi (Of death arises)

[Arthur, Trey, Ms. C:]
Leave no stone unturned
With the failing light
Build the fire high
Roasting strange fruit
Torches burning bright
Fire leads the inquisition
Through the forest
With the fallen one
We will take no names
We play God tonight
On a witch hunt
Leave your mercy behind
Track Name: In Service to His Madness
4. In Service To His Madness

Dies irae ad portas
Anno regni Deus Ex Machina (Invictus)
Pia fraus habemus
Papam dementat
Victor servorum dei

[Ms. C:]
Fiction of a new false prophecy
Rebirth of an ancient fallacy
Speak softly for it is heresy
To utter a word without invoking His name
Fear of a faceless god
We’ll cast the martyr aside

Red queen in a white hat
Fear taking the crown

In service to His Madness we will all be forced to kneel
Before an earthly throne of flesh and bone
A world beyond the pale

Behold the ascent of treachery
Bow down to his mystic legacy
Blind faith is the name of tyranny
A curtain of rot to hide a mountain of shame
Fear is a fragile god
We’ll take your terror away

Dead souls in a dead world
Fear serving his will

In service to His Madness we will all be forced to kneel
Before an earthly throne of flesh and bone
Til sanity prevails

Follow me
Into disease
We’ll watch the world burning down

In service to His Madness
A walking corpse you’ll be
A piece of papal property
Thinking with only one mind you will waste away
A pawn in a masquerade

[Trey:]
Sun and moon align setting fire to the sky
A whisper in the darkness telling you it’s time to die
You look me in the eye with a whimper and a cry
As the iron fist falls on you
Track Name: Alea Iacta Est
[Trey:]
Roll the battle dice
Three red sixes we conquer
Believers will kneel before the crimson flag
As we rattle the sabers of war

With no warning we take away all you have worked for
Believers will steal from those who stole before
As we rattle the sabers of war

[Ms. C:]
Kinsmen
Clansmen
People of earth
Children claiming what is not yours
Desperation sowing the seed
You’ll never succeed while I breathe

[Trey:]
Crescent moon and crescent sword
We are the hammer to the anvil of the crimson flag
We will crush the disbelievers with an iron fist
Nations will tremble as they face the iron giant we create
From fear
As we rattle the sabers of war

[Ms. C:]
Kinsmen
Clansmen
People of earth
Children claiming what is not yours
Desperation sowing the seed
You’ll never succeed while I breathe

[Ms. C:]
Flames are spreading
The dominoes are falling
And facts will crush the truth
The time is coming
The dice are rolling
And death reigns absolute

[Trey:]
One last verse for the human race
Gasping out its final breath as desperation takes its toll
The four horsemen will laugh and death will spread across the earth
And we’ll rattle the sabers no more

[Ms. C:]
Kinsmen
Clansmen
People of earth
Children claiming what is not yours
Desperation sowing the seed
You’ll never succeed while I breathe
Track Name: The Essence of Unreason
[Ms. C:]
There is safety in numbers
Where the truth cannot find you
Thinking with one mind you will waste away
With no virtue to guide you
There’s a battle inside of you
This is not living
This is your decay

It’s just a theory
But I’m thinking much more clearly now
I’m persevering
The truth will cost you dearly

We pursue perfection
We will suffer for it

The essence of unreason
Is the sleeping pill and you’re the bottle
Bottomless and dreaming
Now you’re wide awake and screaming

There is safety in numbers
Where the truth cannot find you
Thinking with one mind you will waste away
With no virtue to guide you
There’s a battle inside of you
This is not living
This is your decay

One decision
Can’t take the life I’m living now
A war of attrition
I’ll fight to be forgiven

We pursue perfection
We will suffer for it

The essence of unreason
Is the sleeping pill and you’re the bottle
Bottomless and dreaming
Now you’re wide awake

How long have you been straddling the fault line
Waiting for the perfect time to just let go?
Body is broken so sick and tired
Waiting for the perfect time to just let go
Don’t lose hope
Don’t dull away
This is not living
This is decay
Here you’ll be tiptoe straddling the fault line
Until you find the perfect time and just let go

A parasite
Dwells in me
This parasite
That I feed

Time to let go

I’ll let go

There is safety in numbers
Where the truth cannot find you
Thinking with one mind you will waste away
With no virtue to guide you
There’s a battle inside of you
This is not living
This is decay

Now you’re no longer straddling the fault line
Waiting for the perfect time to just let go
Body is healing, the spirit regains feeling
Waiting for the perfect time to just let go

Don't lose hope
Don't dull away
This is not living, this is decay
This is decay
This is decay

Waiting for the perfect time to just let go
Track Name: Foresworn II: Parabola
[Ms. C: the wife]
[Dank: the husband]
[Trey: the horde]

[Trey:]
Death spews forth from an empty grave
The dead are coming to life again
There’s some hot red blood on a cold dark tomb
What a way to ruin your afternoon

[All:]
We are destroyers of darkness born
Into the light thrust
Out of the darkness we crawl

[Trey:]
Death spreads quick with a jugular kiss
It’s a blood-borne nightmare of carnal bliss
There’s a thousand screams ripping through the night
For the twisted love of a murdered wife

[All:]
We are avengers of betrayal born
Husband and wife, we
Will lead the growing horde

[Ms. C:]
Soul of a man left behind
Only a killer remains

[Trey:]
A ghastly silhouette
Who would make a meal of flesh
Oath breaker, plague bearer
Your sins are come to life
A global pandemic
The world will pay the price

[Dank & Ms. C:]
This wounded fear unhinging
The world, in pieces, burning
Lovers in life, but killers now
A feast of the walking lifeless
A cannibal plague
But what has changed?
Are we nothing more than puppets?
Whatever goes up must come down now

[Ms. C:]
Why do you cringe in terror?
It will be over soon
The restless hordes of hunters
Swarming, consuming, they’ll come for us too

[Dank:]
Death is all that is left of this
Unholy matrimony
Our promise sealed with a kiss
Foresworn for things ungodly

[All:]
We are destroyers of darkness born
Til death do us unite
We’ll tear the world apart

[Ms. C:]
Soul of a man left behind
Only a killer remains
Children of death come to life
Spawn of our union invade
Track Name: Cataclysmic Shock
[Trey:]
It begins
Flowing forth from its resting place
Lava creeps across the planet’s face
Behold the final event
A world’s untimely descent
A downward spiral to a cataclysmic shock

Embrace the horror
I think it’s time for a new world order
Devastation

[Ms. C:]
Born from chaos, now we must return

[Trey:]
So be it
Quiet rumblings at the planet’s core
Slowly build into a deafening roar
The force will soon overload
A world that’s fit to explode
The curtain falling with a cataclysmic shock

[Ms. C:]
Hallelujah, it’s a firestorm
From the earth to the sky
See the shattered pieces fly
There’s nothing like the smell of sulfur
In the atmosphere
'Cause I’ve been waiting my whole life
To see this planet disappear
And so we sing

Seismic symptoms of a future splintered
We’re about to witness something massive
Molten judgment from erupting fissures
You’ve built a life and now you’ll watch it melt away

[Ms. C]
Hallelujah, it’s a firestorm
From the earth to the sky
See the shattered pieces fly
There’s nothing like the smell of sulfur
In the atmosphere
'Cause I’ve been waiting my whole life
To see this planet disappear
And so we sing
Hallelujah, it’s a firestorm
Apocalypse divine
We are thine
Finally it’s time
Apocalypse divine
So bright
Splits the sky

[Choir + Ms. C:]
Hallelujah, it’s a firestorm
From the earth to the sky
See the shattered pieces fly
There’s nothing like the smell of sulfur
In the atmosphere
'Cause I’ve been waiting my whole life
To see this planet disappear
And so we sing
Hallelujah, it’s a firestorm
From the earth to the sky
See the shattered pieces fly
I wanna see the fractured fault lines
Spitting brimstone high
And when I see that molten tide
The shining moment of my life
You’ll hear me sing
Hallelujah it’s a firestorm

[Trey:]
Pieces fly off from the shattered sphere
No evidence that there was once a planet here
Disaster waiting to strike
Dutch fingers pulled from the dike
A flood of fire to a cataclysmic shock

Embrace the horror
I think it’s time for a new world order
Devastation

[Ms. C:]
Hallelujah it's a firestorm
Track Name: Dead Black Eyes
[Ms. C:]
Deep and silent
Tidal current
Swallowing miles of shore
A shadow consuming the coastline
Mountains are islands and islands are no more

Swimming, lost in a nightmare
We’re sinking off to sleep in a liquid grave
Search in vain for solid ground
Seven hundred fathoms down

[Trey:]
There will be no survivors
Only corpses in the riptide

[Ms. C:]
Mighty Poseidon will have his way

Cities lost in a deluge
Another sunken monument to the dead
All along the ocean floor
Everything you’ve ever known

[Trey:]
There will be no survivors
Only victims in the feeding frenzy
There will be no deliverance
Only corpses in the worldwide red tide

[Ms. C:]
Sea and sun
And no other
Here they come
Eyes of murder
We gave our hearts but it could not be saved
We’ll lay the earth in a watery grave
And I’ll sing a requiem for you
Of gnashing teeth and dead black eyes
And as the screams fall silent
Another species cauterized
We’ll bleed into the water
And bleach beneath a blood red sun
No witness to the slaughter
But blackened eyes that overrun the world

[Trey:]
All around you the water will rise
And the last thing you see will be
Dead black eyes

An endless horror wakened
A seething sea of Kraken
Something brushes past your feet
They don’t come to hunt
They come to feed

[Ms. C:]
Mouth of madness
Open wide
Face the horror deep inside
The belly of the beast

All around you the water will rise
Flooding the world with a vengeance
Coming towards you the blackest of eyes
A murderous gaze in the waves
Mighty Poseidon will have his way
Taking the earth as his kingdom
Only oceans to mark where we lay
And circling fins for a gravestone

[Trey:]
All around you the water will rise
There will be no survivors