Neither house, nor home – an axe and a flail!
I will never build at my toft with this axe,
And will never bundle together the logs,
Never stack the logs in “bowl”, or “tooth” manner,
And never hew the logs of the high gateposts.

Neither house, nor home – a flail and an axe!
I will never thresh any rye with this flail,
With a light heart never swish at a threshing-floor,
Never keep on tapping the golden sheaves
With my team-mates, with my threshing fellows.

Neither house, nor home – an axe and a flail!
It’s really nice and handily with this axe
Smash and open any secure gate-ways,
Drop in someone’s mansion occasionally,
Open someone’s wine vaults and chests eagerly.

Neither house, nor home – a flail and an axe!
I’ll be swishing light-heartedly with this flail,
Feasting the travellers with the ball-and-chain,
Lay to rest and “baptize” passers-by back-handedly
With my knights of the road, with my free team-mates!

Топор да кистень / An Axe And A Flail

So, let’s campaign! Let’s scatter our long oars -
Into the boundless woods and to the floods!
Where the gales howl, and the old pines roar,
Where the war feast triumph is longed by our blood!

The free way down the Volkhov and the Volga,
The wind will fill our woven sails.
Go on downwind, the northern wolves -
Into the eyes of crazy Lady Luck let’s gaze!

The river knights, the boyars of the Volga vastness,
Whose fiefdoms‘re everywhere – as far as you can see…
Warm hearts under the steel glint full of grandness
Lead you to the Not-Experienced-Before Sea!

Hey, raiders, though your plan is dangerous,
Strong will of yours is eminently agile.
The veche summoned you as the most venturous
To try your Glory taste with blades and wile!

Suntan makes darker, river gales make colder
The free voivodes’ front cuts of the blades.
Let’s take your oars, braves, fight, gain the Honour!
So, let’s campaign! Campaign!

Поход / Campaign

Tail-on wind!
Woven sails, woven with songs,
Tail-on wind!
Put with the spell!
Tail-on wind!
Eager ropes-strings, ring as a gong!
Tail-on wind!
For midstream we stand!
Tail-on wind!
Waves, run every which way, expand,
Tail-on wind!
From our pine boards!
Tail-on wind!
You fly, falcons-rowboats,
Tail-on wind!
From your native shore!

With our northern songs, raise your voice aloud –
Let it fly above the river on the way of waves!
Now, my brothers, destiny rallied us as one –
Let's unite in a red battle, being strong as bails!

Let's unite in a gory battle, in a deadly war!
Shield to shield, shoulder to shoulder – march, without fear!
Only this way we are fated to attain our shore,
Having wiped our blood-red sweat at the new frontier!

Поветерь! / All Sails To The Wind!

Strength is rising all over my body…
Strength is rising all over my body…
Strength is rising all over my body…
Strength is rising all over my body!

Leading the way, I’m on the way,
As a beast, prowl in a fog of the wood,
Lead, I lead horses, I don’t go astray.
Seeking… I’ll find, for my axe, some food!

Wait till the time comes! Now play the war drums!

My axe is hard fisted and sharp –
I’ll set it free, let’s make things hum!
My axe is sharp and zeal’s to usurp!
Crush as the Volga waves! Folks, time’s come!

Come on! As one! Paint our blades red!

Strength is rising all over my body…
Strength is rising all over my body…
Strength is rising all over my body…
Strength is rising all over my body!

Let axes and swords cut and slash!
Decapitate! We need no thralls!
We need no thralls – it’s time to clash!
High time for axes and swords!

Let's start our fangs’ and pole-axes’ feast,
The feast of greedy claws and swords!
Eager to hamble, dilacerate as beasts
With bear hug, with brutal roar!

With bear hug and grasp!
With bear hug!

Медвежья хватка / Bear Hug

Шаптао ми Дунав, санак доносио,
У смирају дана звонко жуборио.
Звонко жуборио, као фрула тихо,
Љуљајућ` на валу, к`о у колевци милој.
К`о у колевци милој, рашље шкрипе само
Палио је звезде над водом вијугавом.
Над водом вијугавом, над коритом моћним
Китио се Месецом – зналцем бајки ноћних.

Испричај-де, Месече, старим речима
Причу како весла траже сусрет с таласима.
Траже сусрет с таласима, хоће на слободу,
Чекају пролеће – то јуначко доба.
То јуначко доба, срећу, немир љути,
И да крену Дунавом на далеке путе.
„На далеке путе...“- шаптао је Дунав,
У смирају дана жуборећи звонко.

Дунавска успаванка / Dunavska uspavanka

The Volga whispered to me evoking sweetest dreams,
With splashes archly played – at twilight latest gleam.
The calm reed-pipes with splashes played,
Like in a cradle I was waved.
And to the rowlocks’ scratch, as if I’m in the cradle,
Above the flood bends She lit up the stars like candles.
O’er the broad river course, above the bights’ flood,
You rose high as the New Moon, as story-telling bards.

New Moon, tell me some tales with old forgotten words,
The tales about how the waves are longed-for by oars.
The oars ask to let them loose and yearn to meet the waves,
Await the spring to meet the waves and their daring fates.
Their daring fates, their happiness and their overthrow,
And ride the Volga’s waves – the journey’s long way off.
The Volga whispered again "The journey is so long…",
Playing with splashes at twilight to her reed-pipe song.

Волжская колыбельная / Volga Lullaby

The black city is cut endlong.
Knife-pierced guts, unkind fate.
The black city, a torn collar,
Taken through gate holes by the throat!
This snake hole is stuffed with torture
Of the doomed and unavenged – 
And right now in its fat belly
Boiling bloodbath’s in full spate!

The black blades of the Serpent are biting! They’re biting in the iron night clangs!
We’ve come to make drunk our swords for redemption and to draw the Snake’s fangs!

Darkness’s sparkling with damask slashing
In dirty holes of pitchy night streets!
Arrows sting with avengement,
Blades strike for having revenge!
Calloused hands took by the black throat,
Our palms became coarsened in this bloodbath,
We will hear in our waking hours
Your spinal bones’ crackle before you die!

Look at a whirl, it has turned to scarlet – the whirling chaos of enraged blades!
We came to warm up our merciless souls at foreign fire and flames!

The dance of crooked sabers is over,
They can’t overpower our swords.
Our swords’re sated with foe blood,
Drained the bitter blood cup to the dregs!
We appeared with storming rampage –
North the Warrior, North The ‘Venger!
We arrived for a red wergild
And, without measuring, took it in full!

Holes of black became empty – there are no more knots of black snakes. 
They’ll be buried by ravenous creatures – with raven beaks and with wolfish fangs!

Беспощадные (Меч Волги) / The Ruthless Ones (Sword Of The Volga)

My blood – the Volga’s wind, let’s tear sinews sails!
Foretell and give a restless fate!
By ushkui oars of brigand lot, and by battle-flails
Endow, set free – to right and left!

In oars’ splashes, in stretch glare, in pines’ roar in a storm,
In a violent spring’s high water – at the time of swans– 
Pierce my soul and slash my heart with a glowing sword,
Volga-mother, freedom-Volga, Volga-heart of songs!

Thou art billows, Volga’s essence – beat with all Thy strength!
Crash the ice! Throw on the sides! Carry to sea waves!
Give free range to the fast boats of the daring men.
By Thine ardent pure billow sweep our souls again!

Give me wings above the abyss, I’ll rush to the cloud whirl – 
As a falcon old true story, as a swish of solar swords!
As delight of Dazhdbog’s grandson standing on his soil!
As a swordsman with two sword blades, as a flashing storm!

So, let’s campaign! Let’s scatter our long oars!
Drum on the cloths of sails with all alarming winds!
We are to plow the virgin soil of vernal floods by boat bows!
So, let’s campaign!

In oars’ splashes, in stretch glare, in pines’ roar in a storm,
In a violent spring’s high water – at the time of swans– 
Pierce my soul and slash my heart with a glowing sword,
Volga-mother, freedom-Volga, Volga-heart of songs!

В плеске вёсел / In Oars’ Splashes

Now I feel, Thee, Northern Wind,
Shalt brew heady mead for us – 
Strong, boiling, heady mead!
Give us a trace of foam on the waves!

The ushkui-birds will spread wings of theirs,
And escape into the water expanse!
I hear eagle screams and wolfish howls
In the roaring of the predacious storm!
I hear eagle screams and wolfish howls
In the roaring of the predacious storm!

So, Thee, Father-Wind, don’t let me down! Don’t go!
Thou art cold and strong, saturated with strength!
Please, pour some might into our sails - overflow!
Power in sails – gulls in the air!

Light-filled maid, Dawn-At-First-Light,
Let Thy flame-coloured plaits down!
Let the flood will sparkle as gold,
Lavishly promising good luck on the road!

The chainless pack rushes in splashes –
With foam of chase at their fangs!
It’s my pleasure to see how the sun shines
On the chain armours and blades!
It’s my pleasure to see how the sun shines
On the chain armours and blades!

So, Thee, Father-Wind, don’t let me down! Don’t go!
Thou art cold and strong, saturated with strength!
Please, pour some might into our sails - overflow!
Windy bowl of wine – I may drink myself!

Wind, Thou art the Wind, the master of Elders,
Thy mead is heady – and it’s after our heart!
It’s brewed by the storm and bad weather,
Cheerful and violent – a match for Thy visitants!

It’ll be our feast in these open spaces,
Taking the Volga by storm of the will of free men!
Steel surface in our steady gazes
With dark blue colour for ever it will remain.
Steel surface in our steady gazes
With dark blue colour for ever it will remain!

So, Thee, Father-Wind, don’t let me down! Don’t go!
Thou art cold and strong, saturated with strength!
Please, pour some might into our sails - overflow!
Thy mead is sweet to me on the steep wave!

Ветра пьяный мёд / Winds’ Heady Mead

CASUS BELLI MUSICA is a Russian independent musical label that has been existing since 2008. We focus on releasing the bands mainly playing pagan/folk metal, neofolk and martial/industrial. Our sublabel ELECTRICA CAELESTIS was founded for releasing black metal, doom metal, ambient bands.

Selecting groups and albums for releasing, we are guided, first of all, by our own taste and preferences. The important role is played by personal contacting the musicians, therefore we maintain not only the business, but also friendly relations with the majority of groups of our label.

We set a mission of underground music support, promoting and widely distributing the albums of gifted, mainly Russian, groups and projects in the territory of Russia and abroad. The label maintains broad communications with underground labels worldwide and provides own production distribution in all continents (with the only exception of Antarctica and Africa :).

We are a home for OPRICH (folk metal, Rybinsk), MOLOGA (apocalyptic dark folk, Rybinsk), BIRDS’ WAY (folk darkwave, Naberezhnye Chelny), HAGL (black metal, Tver), ICONOCLAST (black metal, Rybinsk), NIDRA (doom/dark metal, Perm), HORDAK (Celtiberian pagan metal, Spain), CRYSTALMOORS (Cantabrian pagan metal, Spain).

Our label is very attentive towards any of our releases, that’s why the primary emphasis is not placed upon a quantity of released CD’s, but upon their quality. We share the opinion, that a musical album is an audiovisual work of art, and, in this case, the CD’s musical content and its graphical expression are not separable from each other.

Thanks to cooperation with gifted artists and designers, there are CD’s with, indeed, unique design among our releases. Anyway, it is pleasant and interesting to hold each our release in the arms. It should be noted especially for foreign listeners that in most cases the booklets of our releases include lyrics’ poetic translations by our friend, a talented translator, a poet and a musician Sergey AR Pavlov, who is celebrated for his translations of lyrics of such groups as Arkona, Alkonost, Munruthel, Hagl, Master (USA/Czech), Raven (U.K.).

Casus Belli Musica

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