Cygnus Rock Band - The One-eyed Wanderer (Death And Glory)

If the previous song of the album is a cornerstone, then this one is a hymn.

It starts with a beautiful folk tune. I remember, when I heard it for the very first time, it brought tears to my eyes.

That was magic. I remember every single moment of it. It was late at night, I was as excited as it is possible from a human being. I was overwhelmed with all the emotions you can imagine and afterwards I couldn't fall asleep for hours. (I remember, it was already daylight when eventually crashed out. AND IT WAS WORTH!!!)

Later it was the first song from Death And Glory which I put on repeat in the player app. And I admit, I still do this, even today, time after time,  sometimes for days, and I don't listen to anything else but this song. For long hours a day. For days. Yes, this song is THIS magical for me. And no, it doesn't have an expirational date.

Hereby I need to declare that it would be more than appreciated if the record company behind Cygnus released this album, and generally all Cygnus Rock Band albums on physical storage media (you know, CD's, or gods forbid, cassettes or even vinyl) as well. On one hand it would be a great way for us, fans to support the band, on the other we all know the quality of an .mp3 or .ogg file will never be able to compete with an audio CD or cassette. And I can only imagine what it would feel like to put the Death And Glory CD into the player, jump on this song and turn on the volume. Or simply just listen to it from an audio CD with headphones on. Imagining the richness of the sound, to be able to hear everything much deeper, with much more details... I don't want to continue, because my eyes are already wet, just by imagining it.

I say it cautiously, just whispering, because I'm not much in the mood that certain people in certain positions see/hear/understand things from my words that I did not intend to say, but since certain enterprises exist - theoretically - to support underground artists, and these enterprises - theoretically - make a living from fans' purchases after all, it would be really nice if these enterprises actually served the fans' needs. We really don't need much, just some nice merchandise, cool T-shirts, memorabilia, all those smaller and bigger things fans love to buy with their favorite bands' images and logos. Also CD's, cassettes, vinyl, because these all have a certain value. Oh, and all this on a reasonable and affordable price. Just a hint, but it would maybe even help to boost the enterprise. Just sayin'. Thank you for your attention.

The song continues with Ruxx's powerful singing. His voice carries the entire song, you can hear that he put his heart, soul and faith into his performance. It's something you won't be able to resist for long. If I said at the review for the song "Lady Hél" that Ruxx improved a lot as a drummer, hearing this song the same goes for his singing abilities. His voice got even sharper, he sings the legatos much more detailed and skilled, his pitch got wider and he can express much more emotions with his voice than on the previous albums.

Just my opinion, but this is the evidence about how much it really matters that they kept making a cover song during the pandemic every week. Friday was always Cygnus Day, when they released the current cover via their YouTube-channel, for 110 consecutive weeks. You can find all genres, from pop to rock, from grunge to punk, from OST to reggae. Again just my opinion, but covers can be an excellent way for musicians to learn; the more genres they cover, the more skilled they eventually grow. And for me this album, Death And Glory clearly shows that during these 110 weeks these Colombian rockers step by step walked their path towards the direction of absolute professionalism. They deserve respect for many-many reasons; one of them is this.

Yes, now you also pay respect. Wherever you are. You know, stand up, tall and proud, with your hand on your heart, for at least one minute. Yes, in traffic jam, too. 

Wait a minute... if you're in a traffic jam now and you're reading this... why??? Why don't you focus rather on the road?! You wanna have an accident?... DON'T READ AND DRIVE, FOR ODIN'S SAKE!!!

The chorus again brought tears to my eyes when I listened to this song for the first time, and it still gives me goosebumps, shivers and wet eyes today, when I'm listening to it. It's THIS very powerful. 

It is followed by a beautiful folk part played by a violin and a flute, then comes the guitar solo, played by Deneb himself.

Yes, he is also a very versatile and talented musician. Believe it or not, beside Andrés it's him who plays the solos of the album. He plays all the guitar tracks as well. Plus the bass. Plus he sings. Plus he makes the orchestration. Writes lyrics. Does sound engineering works, including recording, mixing and arranging.

He is a multi-functioning superhero. 

Again the lyrics need to be mentioned. It's a beautiful, poetic hymn about Odin, the ultimate ruler and main god of the Norse pantheon. It describes His ability to hide Himself under any kind of disguise and name to perform and accomplish His divine plans. As it goes in the lyrical bridge after the solo "Óski dressed in His finest, the stranger dressed in his best" (Óski is one of Odin's names meaning "god of wishes" appearing in the Grímnismál part of the Poetic Edda). The lyrics are based on the late Cole Vidrine's inspirations, putting into final form by Deneb.

(no, in fact it was put into final form by Odin Himself, just He did it by holding the hand of Cole and Deneb, because He is the god of poetry as well)