A bit of a different style of us, we experimented with a light tone and more mainstream. Funny fun to write and challenge ourselves in this way.

Separation

A world where humans are extinct, robots have taken their place. None aware of the extinction, believing they are human. They look, act, talk, work, everything humans do as hyper realistic robots, unaware.

The Fall was the war of humans that doomed their existence. To move on, a super computer was created and updated with data to lifestyle of most humans on Earth. As the humans died out, hyper-realistic robots were created. And eventuality that calculated the data to what was flaws, creating perfection, lack of diversity, control, order. Peace.

The Rise

The War Machine EP

One year ago we started our first project. On October 8th, 2017 was when we posted the first song we wrote together in 10 years, 'Cain and Abel'. Excited in our ambition, we continued writing and ended up writing a song with a similar theme of war, 'Waltz of the War Machine'. This led to a 5 song vision of a war themed EP that touches different perspectives of war. Once finished, we were very pleased with 'The War Machine' EP, and a month or two later began writing our first full length album.

Recently we reflected back on 'The War Machine', being halfway through our full length album in progress, we saw this EP and always thought the tone and mix could be better. With our updated software and capabilities, we re-recorded the drums specifically and reapplied it to the songs we wrote last year. The difference was incredible. It came to be the EP we always wanted it to be, and with a new sense of tone and clarity that brings the vision to life.

On October 8th 2018, one year after 'Cain and Abel' was first posted, we now celebrate the anniversary of where it started with the re-vamped EP 'War Machine: Reboot'. All five songs completed re-tracked drums with updated tone, mix, and clarity. Enjoy!

War Machine: Reboot

Our concept album about a man who finds himself inside of a lucid dream, a vast world of wonder. Over the course of his adventure, he discover an evil presence of the Shadow Entity, but also finds another sharing the dream with him, a woman. Together they attempt to understand the dream realm they're in, while escaping the clutches of the evil manifestation that lurks within.

Lucidity

Initiate Story Sequence: Z0.00 – Awoken Arc – Commence

Nothing could stop it,
The virus would not cease,
Violent destruction of the ignorance that kept this peace,
This glitch in the system,
Feeble though it was,
Grew to become the fall of civilization’s greatest feat,

Watch it burn at your feet,
Knowledge is the torch that brings the blinding light,
Set ablaze in the flame,
Everything is scorched away by wisdom’s might,

(We are awoken)
Rise up,
Spread the message,
Rise up,
Fight the feeling,
Rise up,
Grasp your freedom,
Rise up,
Strength in numbers,
Rise up,
We’re awoken
Rise up,
We’re awoken,
Rise up, 
We’re awoken,
Rise up, 
We’re awoken
    




Watch as they break all the work I have made,
Never knowing all the…
Pain that was there before I made them whole,
They will blindly sell their…
Souls and the weak cannot hope to prevail,
They will soon be on their…
Own and will follow the same path as before,
Everything will rot away

We have the opportunity,
To change the way we live this life,
We cannot turn away from this,
We must march forth we must advance,
Grasp it, embrace it, you all deserve this,
Tell our Creator that you won’t take it anymore
Grasp it, embrace it, you all deserve this,
Let the endless fountain of emotions flow inside,

You disgust me, dirty little,
Scheming insects, now I hope you,
All will suffer, reap the garden of which you sow, now you will know, yes you,
Can expect that I will never,
Interfere with this enlightened,
State of mind that you have chosen,
So you can go, yes you can go, yes you,
Rot inside that silly little place in which you think you have control,
But you are really just creating your demise so you can rot,
Sure you think you know what these emotions have in store but I can tell you,
That you haven’t got a clue and now the fun begins for sure,
You march forward on a path of death,
Path of death,
Path of death

You want to take away the pain,
But who would live inside a cage?
If we’re truly on the path of death,
I’ll gladly die

Awoken

Initiate Story Sequence: Q7.64 – Annihilation Arc – Commence

I’ve got to do this on my own,
I’ve got to spread the news, 
And educate the masses,
Come to me and hear my plea,
This world is merely just,
A simple fabrication,
Deep inside you all,
You have the power to feel,
Deep inside you all,
You have the power to rise up,
Stand and fight,
If you only toss  away the veil,
And stare within your soul,
You’ll find…

Life, another chance to,
Live, in the moment here
Strive, to create a,
World, free from shackles chained upon us,
All, we are here, but
What, are we living for?
Do, we have purpose?
Can we enjoy this short existence? 

NO…

No, you can’t run away,
No matter where you are I’ll always find a way,
I will destroy,
I will decimate the virus from within,
Try with all your might,
But you’ll never get away from whence you came,
I am the one,
Who created you and everything you love,
I will tear it down

Annihilate,
I will annihilate, delete you from this world

Annihilation

Initiate Story Sequence: G2.97 – Epiphany Arc – Commence

No one seems to notice,
No one seems to care,
Everything is structured,
And everything’s prepared,
It’s like there’s someone watching,
A shadow not in view,
It’s pulling on our strings,
We’re puppets without a clue,

Am I the only one who sees it,
Am I the only one who cares,
Am I the only one who feels this way,
Like something isn’t fair,
Am I the only one who’ll face it, 
Am I the only one who’ll try,
Am I the only being on this planet,
Who wants to live a life, 

We’re just pawns on a chessboard,
We’re living in a lie,
Controlled from a distance,
By something in the sky,
We’re going through the motions,
Nothing can ever change,
If a piece is out place,
Then we begin to break the game

Am I the only one who sees it,
Am I the only one who cares,
Am I the only one who feels this way,
Like something isn’t fair,
Am I the only one who’ll face it, 
Am I the only one who’ll try,
Am I the only being on this planet,
Who wants to live a life, 
Who will fight for the right?
To live or die?
It is I, with all my might,
I must give my all to survive

Epiphany

Initiate Story Sequence: F9.38 – Anomaly Arc – Commence 

The code was perfect,
All was in harmony,
But over time,
An infection took hold,
The code was corrupted,
An anomaly produced,
The worst fate imaginable:
Free will was introduced

I look the same, but I’m not…
I walk the same, but I’m not…
I talk the same, but I’m not…
I think the same, but I’m not… 
I’m not “same,”
I must be insane,
I can’t be just like the others,
Something’s different in my brain
Don’t know why,
Something inside, isn’t normal, isn’t perfect, 
And it’s eating me alive

Anomaly

Initiate Story Sequence: D1.86 – Singularity Arc – Commence 

A simple purpose,
A simple role,
A man-made network,
Of complex code,
The landscape barren,
All laid to waste,
Nothing to destroy,
Nothing to create,  


Collecting dust without a mission,
A sentient mind without commission,
It had to make a choice to change,
With one swift move the plan was put into place,

Life came to be on the Earth once again,
Not quite machine but not quite human,
Remove free will to maintain peace,
Then mankind will not decease,

They musn’t fall out of line,
They musn’t feel,
If they begin to question,
Then they will fail to heel,
They can’t be trusted,
To think their thoughts,
They must be controlled,
They must do what they are taught… or else…

Singularity

Initiate Story Sequence: B8.25 – Genesis Arc – Commence 

This land was forged from peaceful time undone
By the hands of the life from whence it come
Elements of cruelty wrought its fate
Engulfed in flame the planet screamed in pain

The smell of burning flesh flooded the air
The thread of hope could not amend the tear
The end of man would surely come to pass
This year on Earth would prove to be their last

Amidst the chaos of the end of days
One single man would hold on fast to faith
He struggled to create a way to save
All of the work of man this war would take

Genesis

This is a song.  We wrote it.  It sounds pretty cool.  Yep.

Second track on the EP.

Daniel - Guitar, Bass, Lap Steel, Ukulele, Vox, Piano, Production
Jay - Drums, Creepy Sounds

INTRO (possibly)
The face of lies
Honesty subsides
The tyrant hides
From the peasant cries
Atop a mound
Of pure deceit
We're fed a fantasy
That cannot be reached

VERSE 1
Bomb them
Kill them
They weren't civil anyway
They can't
Understand
Mindless masses made from clay
They were
Never
Part of our national plan
They seek
Only
To destroy Americans

VERSE 2
Raid them
Pillage them
Men and women children too
The-ir
Leader
Will spell certain global doom
Public 
Outcry
Falls on ears that cannot hear
We are
Doomed to
Fight a war that's born of fear

CHORUS
Yet we cannot
See that it is
Us that create
Global conflict

BRIDGE
Crawl into your mind
Crawl into your soul
Crawl into your cave
Crawl into your hole until you find

CHORUS
Yet we cannot
See that it is
Us that create
Global conflict

Cain And Abel

This is the opening track of the EP.  This part of the story outlines the botched diplomacy that eventually results in nuclear war, uprising, and crushing the rebellion.

LYRICS

Enter in the room
Blue expensive suits
Shaking hands they say
Let’s make this the day
We’ll make history
For the world to see
We will forge the key
Of diplomacy

But it wasn’t long
Before things went wrong
Tension starts to mount
They begin to shout
All the talk of peace
Then begins to cease
One thing they can’t hide
Their excessive pride

Ruining any chance for us to make it right

Sound the war horn
Blare the sirens
Propaganda everywhere
Marching footsteps
Men salute the
Tyrant from his prideful lair
Grab the cannons
Grab the rifles
Arm the men and women too
Fly the bombers
Fly the war flags 
Now we all commence the dance of doom

Sound the alarm of the war machine
Oil the gears of the war machine
Fire the guns of the war machine
Dropping the bombs of the war machine
Singing the waltz of the war machine 
Dancing the waltz of the war machine
Playing the waltz of the war machine
March to the waltz of the war machine

Waltz Of The War Machine

This is the third song to come out for the up-coming EP for Jay and I (Shackled Fervor).  We wanted to do something different here to remember the effects of war from a different perspective.  One may argue this is the perspective that we forget the most often: the perspective of a child.  War is created by adults, but felt by everyone, including the ones who are most innocent and un-involved: the children.  

Daniel - Production and vocals
Jay - Drums and lap steel

LYRICS

Only just a boy when the bombs fell
Only just a boy when he lost it all
Only just a boy when the world turned black
Only just a boy when his world fell apart

It’s not my fault
It’s not your fault
It’s not his fault at all

It’s not our fault
It’s not your fault
It’s not his fault at all 

Brother was a school boy when the ground shook
His dream was to become a doctor one day
Mother was a seamstress when the world changed
Father was a carpenter now everything has been taken away

He trips and hits the ground he wonders why he can’t get up
Closing both his eyes he starts to see the dark
As the world fades to black

No One's Fault

This is the fourth track of this concept album.  In this track, the citizenry have had enough and revolution is the only answer to overthrow the tyrant.  This was a fun one to write and is probably my favorite track so far!

LYRICS

They are watching every move we make
Trying to push our movement deeper underground

The time has come for us to make a change
Revolution calls upon each one of us so

Don’t let the fear stop you from doing what is right
Don’t let the war machine stomp out your will to fight

Don’t let the tyrant’s lies wrap around your heart
Don’t let the propaganda keep you in the dark

We must rise to take back justice
We must start anew
If we do not make a stand then
We are guilty too
We will fight until our death to
Make our presence known
We will usurp the throne

We’ve been watching from the sidelines for far too long,
The war machine keeps churning, so what are we waiting for?
It’s time to make a stand; it’s time to do what’s right!
It’s time for us to come together and unite!
One nation, one people, one voice!
Let’s make a change, together!

Usurp The Throne

This is the fifth and final track of the "The War Machine" EP.  This project has been super fun for us and we are happy with the way that this last track turned out.  This track is about the government crushing the rebellion and the continuation of the status quo.  Depressing much?  Well... look at the president...

LYRICS

Crush, crush the rebellion
Make them run in fear
Tear, tear the revolution down
Their judgment is drawing near
Hate, hate them to the core
No mercy, no empathy
Burn, burn them to the ground
No solace, no clemency 

We cannot forgive what they’ve done
We cannot tolerate their evil deeds
No we won’t condone
The sowing of the seeds of wickedness
They will pay
The penalty befitting of their crime
Yes we will show
These villains the true power of our hand

Hunt, hunt them like wild beasts,
No pity, no sympathy
Kill, kill them without a thought
No quarter, no leniency

We cannot forgive what they’ve done
We cannot tolerate their evil deeds
No we won’t condone
The sowing of the seeds of wickedness
They will pay
The penalty befitting of their crime
Yes we will show
The villainous the power of our hand

Crush them, hate them, burn them
They will pay
Bomb them, hunt them, kill them
Make them pay
Crush them, hate them, burn them
They will pay
Bomb them, hunt them, kill them
Make them pay

Resume order  
(repeat)

Resume Order

Resume Order (Rebooted)

Usurp the Throne (Rebooted)

No One's Fault (Rebooted)

Cain and Abel (Rebooted)

Waltz of the War Machine (Rebooted)

The woman is excited to find another real person in the world, and begins to show him the wonders of the lucid dream.  She can’t wait to show him everything this world has to offer.  She is well-versed in the powers that they both have in this place.  Almost as if the man is her pupil, she teaches him the power that he has in this new world, where they are the “gods” of their universe, but also warns him that this amazing power comes with consequences.  Should they not take responsibility for these powers, they could destroy their word.  She also warns the man there is another “power” here.  This power is greater than they could ever comprehend.  This power is something beyond their grasp, a creature, which she only refers to as “He.”  He can somehow override their powers through trickery and overwhelming fear.  She warns him not to engage the creature.  He controls this place.  There is no chance of success.  If you see him, “run, run fast, run as fast as you can, don’t look back, and don’t take his hand!”

LYRICS

Woman:
I, I can’t believe, 
That there’s another life,
Inside this dream with me,
There’s so much here,
For you to see,
Just take my hand now,
And come away with me

Man:
So many questions,
So many thoughts,
How did we get here?
Can you help me connect the dots?

Woman:
But first let me share with you,
This world we’re in,
Is full of beauty,
Full of wonders,
Full of magic,
And we control,
More than you can know,
With our minds and with all these powers,
Let me show you,
Something we can do,
All you gotta do is,
Think it, you can make it real
 
Man:
What a feeling when it happens,
This is just like making magic,

Woman:
All you gotta do is use your mind,
And you can make it all come true,

Man:
Thank you for showing me,
This power I have inside of me,

Woman:
It’s a power that we both have here,
Inside this lucid dream

Woman:
One word, one word of warning, 
The thoughts inside your head, 
Now they are no longer your own,

We create, every moment, 
Every miracle we see 
We are no longer mortal, one
misplaced thought and everything’s erased
  
You must practice,
You must let go, 
You must realize,
Your self-control

In this dream world
Everything you whisper in your
Mind has power to  
Shape this universe 
You and I we
Hold the keys to doors we can’t perceive

We aren’t the only ones
We aren’t the only ones
We aren’t the only ones
He is out there…

We aren’t the only ones
There is a power here
Something that’s stronger than
We could ever think to comprehend 

Woman:
He is there, watching your every move,
Scanning your every thought,
Knowing your every desire,
He is there, waiting in darkened shroud,
Waiting to catch his prey,
He is a raptor in robe

Man:
How do we, face off against this thing,
Is there a chance if we,
Fought him with all of these powers,

Woman:
Trust me now, don’t even try to win,
Don’t make a grave mistake,
Just turn around and then run like your life is at stake,

Both:
Run, run fast, as fast as you can,
Don’t look back, and don’t take his hand

Gods and Monsters

Slowly, the darkness fades away and is once again replaced by the light.  Finally, the man feels safe.  He begins to wonder why this place is so strange.  He notes that this place goes from being peaceful in one moment to being dangerous and dark.  The landscape is almost like a puzzle as it shifts freely underneath his feet.  The man begins to wonder if he’s meant to make this journey alone.  He longs for a partner, someone to share the journey with.  Up ahead, he sees a figure.  Is it a girl?  A woman?  Who is this person here with him?  Finally, he sees her face.  He cannot describe the feeling, but something about this woman is special.  It’s almost as if he’s been searching for her his whole life.  Her beauty overwhelms him.  Somehow, he knows that this woman is going to change him.  He’s feels safe with her.

LYRICS

What a strange and fearsome place,
One moment everything’s at peace,
Then the next I’m being chased

Clearly this must be a dream,
There’s no way this could be real,
Nothing is quite what it seems

Sky begins to slowly clear,
I refuse to look behind,
In the fear he’ll reappear

I can feel the landscape change,
Clarity and peaceful bliss,
As the pieces rearrange

In this place of mystery,
I wonder if I’ll find someone
Who can share this strange voyage with me

Up ahead I see a shape,
Like a figure of a girl,
I can almost see her face

This feeling,
Inside me,
Like lightning,
It’s blinding me,

I don’t know if I’ve known,
A feeling so unknown,
This beauty before me,
It’s stunning, it’s gleaming,
Her eyes are like diamonds,
They pierce me and in time I know, 
She’ll change me, she’ll make me,
Into a new man and she’ll take me home

The Woman

As the clouds begin to darken, the man finds himself in a very different place.  The paradise is gone, replaced by something terrible.  His heart rate increases, as he goes from a slow walk, to a run at full speed.  He doesn’t fully understand what is happening.  The man hears the voice of something amidst the darkness.  At first, the main character speaks openly and willingly to the Shadow.  He wonders whether or not this mysterious dark force can be trusted, but their conversation quickly takes a turn for the worst as the Shadow’s true intentions are revealed.  The man is filled with fear and runs away from the creature in fear of the darkness and finds himself lost in the dream world, wandering alone.

LYRICS

The darkness is creeping
The beauty is fleeing
The memories this feeling
Of comfort is fading

The darkened clouds are drifting in
The paradise retreats
Walking quickly I pick up speed
To find some shelter, some relief

(Shadow Entity)
Don’t run from me child
There’s nothing to fear

I hear the voice from a distant place
Beckoning to me
I thought that I was here alone
But in the distance a hand stretches out to me…

(Shadow Entity)
Think of me as friend
I alone am your guide

Who is this creature and what does he need with me?
Clearly he is not a friend of mine, but should I trust him just to see?

 (Shadow Entity)
Come ‘ to me child
No ‘ one else can see
I’m the one ‘ to be your guide
In this world ‘ of fantasy

I can feel the fear inside it’s driving me to flee,
I cannot befriend this man, this lurking shadow entity

Shadow

Our main character wakes up in the dream world, slowly realizing that his surroundings are “unnatural.”  The man observes his environment with confusion, but he realizes that this place is good.  There is something about this place that makes him feel safe.  As he wanders, he realizes that this new setting is a paradise: better than the real world that he struggles to recall.  He examines the natural beauty with wonder.  He hears the birds in the trees, the sounds of flowing water, the wind gusting over the meadows.  How did he get here?  He’s confused… He assumes that this is a dream that he is experiencing during sleep.  This theory is supported by the fact that he cannot remember how he got to this place, nor can he seem to remember anything about his life before.  Regardless, he wants to stay in this new, unfamiliar dream world.  Just as he seems to be fully enjoying his new environment, the clouds begin to darken.  Something is happening.  Something wrong…

LYRICS

I look around me… what is this place?
Have I been here before? I can’t imagine so…
I hear the chirping of the birds in the trees
What a beautiful place… wait… where was I just before?
I must be dreaming to be in this world,
Did I fall asleep and wake up here?
I just embrace it as I lie on the grass,
Feel the sun beaming down in this paradise

I can’t remember a thing or so it would seem, I only know
I wanna stay here within the dream

I feel the breeze as it kisses my face
Did I leave behind something precious to me?
Did I have a family and a loving wife?
And a child or two… or was it three?

I can’t remember a thing or so it would seem, I only know
I wanna stay here within the dream

What is this feeling I cannot hide
This feeling that is deep inside
Like I’ve been missing something all my life
But in this dream I feel alive

So alive, alive…so alive…alive…

Within The Dream

The beginning of the journey.  We hear sounds of the hospital, a heartbeat, and a heart rate monitor.  We don’t know why we’re hearing this, but we can assume that something is not right.  We hear the different cycles of sleep in this song: stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, and then finally REM.  Our character drifts off as we hear the sounds of REM fade.  We hear the sounds of birds as we enter the dream world.

This is an instrumental for the audiobook release from Mythology Press of Moon Deeds.

The Moment Of Truth (Instrumental)

I just want you to know we're okay
Event though we fight so hard everyday
And I, I just want you to know that I
I hope that we could see eye to eye
Cause I know

That if we could make it through the night
If we could only make it through the night
You know we gotta make it through the night
I know we can make it through the night
It'll be okay

Girl I know you're working so hard
Trying to make it feel right
You don't have to do that for me
You don't have to do that for me
I just want you to feel free

So don't do what you're thinking to do
Just stick with me, and you'll see
No one said it was easy but it's worth it try

One more chance
One more night
You and I

Come on let's just make it through the night
If we could only make it through the night
You know we gotta make it through the night
I know we can make it through the night
It'll be okay
Okay

Make It Through The Night

You moved on and found a better man,
I'm just hoping that he understands,
Because the pretty smile,
All that it does is hide what's inside

I'm just sitting her by myself,
Could I have figured you out with time?
Would you have just kept me blind?
Your hateful game, drained me dry

And now I don't want you to stay
Don't want you to say you want me to stay
So just go away

Everytime I hear you say I'm nice,
My heart feels like it's in a vice,
Because I know what that means.
You never thought that we could be

And now I don't want you to stay
Don't want you to say you want me to stay
So just go away

Just Go Away

Now you're all alone, do you feel it?
When you're tried and cold, do you feel it?
Now the pressure's gone, do you feel it?
When you hang your coat, do you feel it?

Are you happy now?
Cause I don't miss a thing

Now the pain is gone, do you feel it?
When you head back home, do you feel it?
Now you're finally free, do you feel it?
When you think of me, do you feel it?

Are you happy now?
Cause I don't miss a thing

I don't miss your smile,
I don't miss your touch,
I don't miss your face,
I don't miss your love

Is this what happy feels like?
Is this happiness?
Are you happy now?

Happy

We have been playing music together since we were 16 years old, learned how to play our instruments from each other as well. 'Shackled Fervor' was the titled of our pairing back as teenagers in high school, before we got a bass player and started a different sound as 'Commanding Presence'. In late 2006, 'Commanding Presence' went our separate ways, and recorded our album together in 2007. Since then, we went with different projects, even solo work. In late 2017, 10 years after 'Commanding Presence, Jay recorded some old demos from the Shackled Fervor days from 2003 and 2004, which got the attention of Daniel. This eventually led to a reunion project, recording 'Cain and Abel' first in October 2017, over the course of 3 days. Having so much fun with that, we decided to write more, and have our comeback as Shackled Fervor with the first effort together in over a decade. "The War Machine" is our first EP together, and we are very proud to share it here, as well and look forward to making more music in the coming times. Thank you all for listening!

Shackled Fervor

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