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Embrace the Horror

by In Virtue

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PKMetal
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PKMetal I heard some songs from In Virtue's 1st CD in 2009, wasn't too impressed, and forgot about them.(This abysmal cover art of a random businessman wouldn't have helped any.) My mistake. This album is a unique masterpiece of power-prog for the ages that rockets straight into my all-time faves.

I wish I could hope for a repeat performance. Sadly, In Virtue seems to have "progressed" to a bland, djenty style that bears no relation to the majesty displayed here. But I can always Embrace the Horror. Favorite track: Cataclysmic Shock.
Mary Lewis Sheehan
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Angren
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rawchips
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megadude
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Wintersunfan
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  • T-Shirt/Apparel + Digital Album

    Black t-shirt with white silkscreened design. V-neck with large In Virtue logo. Includes free immediate download of the full Embrace the Horror album!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Embrace the Horror via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • Get Embrace the Horror on CD and a Dead Black Eyes t-shirt for just $22! Save $5! Includes immediate download of the full album.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Embrace the Horror via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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  • T-Shirt/Apparel + Digital Album

    Heavy Gildan 50/50 cotton/poly blend hoodie with shark swarm logo. Includes free immediate download of full Embrace the Horror album!

    Includes unlimited streaming of Embrace the Horror via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ships out within 14 days
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1.
Suspense of Disbelief 05:11
lyrics
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
2.
Twin Species: The Virtuous and the Vengeful 06:23
lyrics
[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
3.
Witch Hunt 06:00
lyrics
[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
4.
In Service to His Madness 03:42
lyrics
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
5.
Alea Iacta Est 03:25
lyrics
[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
6.
The Essence of Unreason 09:19
lyrics
[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
7.
Foresworn II: Parabola 04:54
lyrics
[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
8.
Cataclysmic Shock 05:53
lyrics
[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
9.
Dead Black Eyes 06:59
lyrics
[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
10.
Afterture - Requiem for Planet Earth 11:44

about

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

credits

released January 1, 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

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In Virtue Los Angeles, California

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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