Cygnus Rock Band - Thor's Wedding Day (Fire and Tales)

How very much I love this song.

Okay, this goes for all the songs of Fire and Tales. Yet this particular song is special. It has all that make my knees weak.

This again goes for practically all the songs of this album, so... :) anyway, I love this song. 4 and almost half minutes of massive beauty I can't resist.

First and foremost, this is one of my favorite Norse myths. It tells the story of Thyrmyr the giant, who stole Mjölnir from Thor and demanded Freyja's hand as a payment to give the weapon back to the gods. Loki's idea was to disguise Thor himself as the goddess of beauty instead of taking Freyja personally to the giants' land. And well, you can imagine the mess it ended up in, when Thor as the veiled bride and Loki, the bridesmaid (veiled, too) arrived at Thyrmyr's place.

The song starts with a beautiful, rich folk theme. It pushes you right there on the floor wherever you are, hugs you and doesn't let you go from then on. 

And you don't even want to. On the contrary... you want it to hold you tight in its arms, to make your heart throb, to heat up your blood to make you feel Life itself running through your veins. To sing into your ears, to make you believe in Beauty again. You are the one who holds it tight to your chest with tears in your eyes, you are the one begging it to reveal its hidden gems. 

And it's only the intro yet.

Ruxx is singing the song, bringing his usual, quality singing with his sharp tenor. 

As I was listening to this song, I was wondering how difficult it could be - or if it's difficult at all - to sing in this "parlando" style, that the singer is singing in a sort of storytelling way, just like bards in the ancient days. This song is not the only one in Cygnus's long list of works where this parlando style appears, think about The Legend of Thor or The Great Heathen Army on "Yggdrasil" to name a few. For me it's definitely a gem as well as a clear sign of these wonderful Colombian rockers' talent and diversity. 

Behind the humane voice there's a subtle, but very strong bass line. It's not easy to recognize it, because it humbly hides, faithfully supporting Ruxx's vocals. It's there, and it's one of the hidden gems the song reveals only to those whom it chooses.

Sometimes I have this feeling that - knowing well that artistic works do have their own life as soon as their creator(s) let them out of their hands - Cygnus's songs may decide on their own whom they reveal their secret gems to. I wouldn't be surprised by the way if it was really like that, since I know well that these musicians can really do magic in their little studio.

Before you ask, no, I'm not putting myself on pedestal for being able to see these hidden gems, because I'm aware that there are many others that I can't see or hear, simply for not having certain abilities and/or experience. 

The other thing is, well, this theory about the songs having their own little secret life sounds much better and mysterious than simply claiming the fact that the vast majority of you out there is too stupid and deaf to be able to just recognize the hidden beauty of Cygnus's songs. 😒

The first stanza is followed by the intro's theme in its whole richness, the symphonic orchestra and the enchanting folk melody. Ruxx then continues the story of the false Frejya and her (his?) bridesmaid, the trickster god's antics. The bass line is holding them all on its shoulders, while the symphonics just throw their beauty and blessings with all their hands to the listener. 

We arrive at the first chorus (this chorus will have a beautiful hidden gem, just stay tuned!), then the story continues. Ruxx is singing, the bass is supporting his voice, the symphonic orchestra doesn't keep itself back, generously sharing all the miracles they have in their hands.

The bass makes here tiny tricks that bring you goosebumps. Keep your ears and your heart open!

Then the second hit comes after the chorus.

The instruments suddenly quieten. A tiple merges and starts to sing, backed by the faithful, strong bass. You're shivering and tears start to gather in your eyes.

No kidding. No matter where I am, what I'm doing or what's going on, this part always makes me shiver from beauty.

Timpani join them, then the guitars bring a flute with themselves. 

And it's still not everything.

The orchestra enters and at this point you give up and give in. You let your tears flow, you let your hands shiver, you let it all flow through you. You let yourself shamelessly feel the gratitude that you have these musicians in your life. You let yourself get filled with life, and after hesitating a bit, you give in everything and shyly, bashfully but you do really start to believe in miracles.

Several walls needed to get demolished for this. All I can wish is that they should never ever get built up again. Ever.

That's why I hold on to this music so much, among many other things.

The guitar solo takes over with a gentle but determined entry, bringing you back to this world, making you sure that all you experienced is real and true. It holds your hand with a strong, firm and trustworthy touch while you pick your pieces together. It smiles at you, then it lets the humane voice take over for a last chorus. And here comes one of my most favorite hidden gems.

The chorus during the song goes like this:

The giants would pay

The gods would have their day

Deception was laid, the act was played

This was the way of Thor's wedding day

But the very last chorus the song finishes with sounds like this:

The giants would pay

The gods would have their way

Deception was laid, the act was played

Tell this story time and again!

I love this.

It's simple but beautiful. This little change in the last line make it all (for me) so ancient, so much in the style of the bards from the middle ages. I find it beautifully authentic, creative and somehow sweet and innocent.

I suggest you to set it right now, before anything, on loop. You won't regret it. I promise.