Oh my gosh!! I love this one so much. It has a powerful spirit.

Empire

By far the most musical theatre of any song I've ever written. Make of that what you will. This was a rare occurrence of the chords and the melody coming together with surprising ease and then the words taking months of frustration. In the end it was a collaborative piece with my wife Emma (Malhann to those of you in the field), without whom I would still be banging my head against a wall.

The Moments In Between

This is what happens when you want a better recording of one of your old songs and your wife has amazing harmony ideas. Song is Wheel Keeps Turning, my Prosperity based song for Empire. Musically, this extra special edition takes a bit of a departure from the WM musical brief, so it is unlikely to be heard in the field in exactly the same way, but damned if I'm not happy how it came out. Big props to Emma (Malhann) for the sweet, sweet harmonies.

Wheel Keeps Turning (Extra Special Edition)

Continuing adventures in multitrack recording!

This was the second song I wrote for Empire. It's great to get it recorded as I honestly felt it was starting to get a little stale as It represented 33% of my repertoire for a long time. I had a bit of fun with the stereo mix for this, so can recommend headphones for the best creepy-voice effect. At some point I will redo the drums as I'm not entirely happy with them (I'm not a percussionist and we have neighbours which limits re-tries without pissing off the neighbourhood). Aside from that, each track here was able to be done in a single take which is very nice. I mean, there are a total of four chords in the whole song (Am, F, G, E) so it's hard to get it wrong, but still.

Rise Up (Rise Further Edition)

Folk Of Dunhearth Hall

Second attempt at recording one of my first ever songs. Still not entirely happy with the mix, but it makes for a fuller sound than the original "singing into my phone" version.

Nowhere I'd Rather Be (v2)

Wrote this one bloody ages ago, but it made its proper Anvil debut at E3 2023 during the Virtue's Roar performance. The recording lacks a certain something compared to the live performance (such as another 15 bards all playing along).

This is another one that started off as an idea for a filk that I couldn't actually make work, but i liked some of the lyrics i had and so I just rewrote the music around it. 

The sharp eyed/eared may hear the ghost of the original inspiration in the lyrics of the second verse, especially if they are of a musical theatre persuasion. ;) 

My thanks to Emma for providing the epic backing vocals for this one (and for the gift of the portable studio device it was recorded on).

I still suspect that the scream at the end is too much, but it continues to make me smile and so I'll continue doing it in the field whenever I have the voice to belt it out. 

FUN FACT: The final vocals for this were recorded in my car after I drove to the middle of a building site with my porta-studio as I was too self conscious to the shouty-screamy vocals at home where the entire neighbourhood would hear.

What We Came For

Mithril man.mp3

Welcome To Anvil - Jaska (Empire LRP)

A song to commemorate the end of a special story in the world of Empire LRP. To all those who were part of it, lived (and died) it - it was a blast.

LYRICS

Gather round dear listener for a tale of blood and steel,
Of the ones who went to Tromsa and to the Jotun battlefield,
Where the block they call the Bannermen had a mission in their sights,
To take Mathilde Fisher's flag and end the Bregas fight!

Well Amberlain and Guildenstern stepped forward to parley,
They met the Jarl of Tromsa and the terms of war were made,
Black Vigil and the Hartell had formed a fighting line,
To take Mathilde Fisher's flag and end her grand design!

Right now I'm finishing the fight,
Charging with the bannermen the end is in my sight,
Hartells to my left and all the Vigil on my right,
Weep Mathilde Fisher 'cause it's time to say goodnight.

We've come to take your banner,
We've come to take your flag,
The block they call the Bannermen,
Has come to take your flag,
We marched right into Tromsa to put you in a bag!
Where the Fishers cried and the Jotun died,
To the lantern and the stag.

Well the Fishers pined to the Jotun line to fortify the gate,
General Amberlain's got a patient game and she told us all to wait,
We heard the cry "Mass Weakness" and the Fishers dropped and fled,
Get an apple down your gullet son 'cause you're gonna wind up dead.

While the Bannermen pushed forward and toward the Jotun shields,
They saw Mathilde's banner flying over Jotun steel,
The captains made the kill command and we brought the rogues to heel,
The priest of courage grabbed the flag and sprinted through the field.

Right now I'm finishing the fight,
Charging with the bannermen the end is in my sight,
Hartells to my left and all the Vigil on my right,
Weep Mathilde Fisher 'cause it's time to say goodnight.

We've come to take your banner,
We've come to take your flag,
The block they call the Bannermen,
Has come to take your flag,
We marched right into Tromsa to put you in a bag!
Where the Fishers cried and the Jotun died,
To the lantern and the stag.

The Fishers' chants fell silent,
Mathilde's claim was dead,
We got revenge for Bregasland,
And put her dream to bed.
What's left of 'Tilde Fisher?
A rotten bloody flag,
Passed between the drunkards of the Blind Eye and Black Rat!

Oh! We came and took your banner now,
We came and took your flag,
We came and took your banner now,
We came and took your flag,
Woah ho! There goes the "Queen of Bregasland",
Pay the tithe and say goodbye,
Your field has now been dragged.

Journey On

The Bannermen

Wicker Basket

A love song for the wedding of a bride from Wintermark and a Urizeni groom. The groom selfishly died before the wedding.

About Last Night (I'm Not Touching You)

Those folks in the League sure know how to party.

Thespian Style

Tanikipari

For all you crayon faced murder monkeys out there <3

Prick My Bush

3 people, 1 nation. 
10 nations, 1 empire.

Wintermark Endures

Original song relating to the high emotions of E2 383YE. This is a complete recording although I would like better drums, and cleaner vocals... On the field only the beat and lower line will ever be heard at a time but that doesn't mean I can't have fun playing around for soundcloud! Recorded as always on my Samsung phone and this one was mixed on Audacity. 

Lyrics:
And we've been shattered, shattered, shattered, shattered 
Shattered again and again 
And we've been beaten and broken and battered in battle 
Left to defend on our own 
And we will not be dying for anyone ever again! 

And we've been shattered, shattered, shattered, shattered 
Shattered again and again 
And we've been beaten and broken and battered in battle 
Left to defend on our own
And we will not be dying for anyone ever again! 

Fall, we all will fall some day 
Fight, we fight for home and nation 
Alone, our allies hide away 
While our thorns are called to fight and die for another's cause 

And we've been shattered, shattered, shattered, shattered 
Shattered again and again 
And we've been beaten and broken and battered in battle 
Left to defend on our own 
And we will not be dying for anyone ever again! 

Hurt, our hurts and wounds run deep 
Help, we beg for help yet none comes 
We pay, a cost that's far too steep 
When our people come back broken from the Empire's wars 

And we've been shattered, shattered, shattered, shattered
Shattered again and again 
And we've been beaten and broken and battered in battle 
Left to defend on our own 
And we will not be dying for anyone ever again! 
 
Home, we want our home back again 
Long, has it been kept from our hands 
Now, we take our fight there at last  
But we will not forget how late the move was made 

And we've been shattered, shattered, shattered, shattered 
Shattered again and again 
And we've been beaten and broken and battered in battle 
Left to defend on our own 
And we will not be dying for anyone ever again! 

And we've been shattered, shattered, shattered, shattered 
Shattered again and again 
And we've been beaten and broken and battered in battle 
Left to defend on our own 
And we will not be dying for anyone ever again, 
Ever again
Ever again
Ever again!

Wintermark Endures

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