Cygnus Rock Band - Bifröst (Fire and Tales)

Again a song that is way too underrated and which would deserve much more attention and love than it actually gets.

I shouldn't be surprised, I know, especially after all this time, that the complexity, refined beauty and depth of Cygnus's music are simply too much for the majority of people to understand. Yet it still bugs me and it probably will do so in the future as well.

Simply because they deserve more. Not just for their talent and creativity but for the amount of work and dedication they put into every single song.

Really I can only hope that at least a few of you out there will understand it one day.

The intro of the song sweeps me off my feet, right at the beginning. Unusual, fresh, beautifully composed, very complex, wonderfully arranged, with lots of instruments. One of the several Cygnus-songs you immediately recognize by the intro.

Ruxx is singing the song. The rich, heart-warming theme follows his voice as he stands into the leading position of the music. He doesn't hold his vocals back, starting with his dust-smoke covered tone, only to flash his rock opera singer abilities with his trademark legatos.

I especially love it as he reaches the pre-chorus/bridge part and lets his powerful tenor flow. I can only imagine how it might sound live, at a gig - well, if you allow me to be straightforward, dear Reader, I guess I'd pee my pants right in that very moment.

Thank you 🥰

As always, the rhythm section is a "band within the band" phenomenon. Very tight, very precise, flawless, an ear candy.

For me definitely. For you.... okay, I don't expect you to hear them 😒 

The chorus is very rich, with a lot of guest voices (more about it later!). And it is very special for another reason as well.

Okay, it's subtle. Even I'm not sure if I hear it well. But if I do, then it's again something that melts me right here.

There's a tempo change for the chorus. Again I'm not sure if it's 3/4 or 6/8, because my ears are still not trained enough to make a difference with 100% certainty. it's very subtle, the vast majority of listeners probably won't recognize it. But it doesn't even matter. It's there.

And I know it, hehe 😏

I've written about it several times earlier, but it's something I can't talk enough about. After the massive presence of the rhythm section - and especially the bass - tempo changing is the second thing you can buy me with. You can even corrupt me with it. Blackmail me with it. If you want my mouth water, just do it. The more subtle it is, the happier you will make me.

The reason why I love it this much is simple. For me it's the sign of talent and creativity as well as a certain kind of courage. Not many musicians have the talent and ability to do these sorts of tricks within a rock song, and even the majority of those who can (or could) will refuse it most of the time, for various reasons.

But these wonderful Colombians are not safety players and this is one of the million reasons why I love them this much.

The intro theme returns after the chorus, for everyone's greatest joy and happiness.

Yes, for yours as well. Now you know. 

You can thank me later.

Ruxx continues to rise up into amazing, breath-taking heights with his voice

seriously he should try out himself in a rock opera

with the entire orchestra, the rhythm section and the guitars backing him.

The most incredible watching - and listening to - Ruxx singing is how flawlessly he's doing it, seemingly with zero effort, just as if it was some sort of playful humming.

Well, I know that the majority of average music listeners think like that 😒

Keep it in your mind, what I say to you now, dear average, non-educated, wooden-eared, locked-up-hearted little insignificant person who calls themself a music fan.

The more flawlessly an artist - musician, painter, dancer, actor, singer, sculptor, you name it - does his or her art, the more work, practice, sweat, tears, breakdowns and resumptions there are behind them. Nobody is born perfect, but they took the time, energy, dedication and love to bring the very best out of themselves.

For you.

And you watch Ruxx, listen to him in awe, you can't resist the power of his voice. 

Let it flow through you. Let it set the fire inside of you. Let its passion, faith and dedication pervade you.

You'll love it and you'll be very happy. I promise you.

Then we slow down, here comes the breakdown, bringing the solo with itself.

I can tell you, dear Reader, the solo part of this song is a massive, wet and loud orgasm for a tempo-change/multi-instrument/hidden gem fanatic like myself.

And I'm not even ashamed of it. I admit, I'm hoarding the beauty here. It's never enough. There are so many tiny and big things happening in the breakdown and the solo, and I just keep discovering them again and again, letting them penetrate into me and I absorb them, as if my life would be hanging on them.

It does, but that's another story.

A guitar solo opens this part of the song. A violin answers it. 

These musical dialogues are again my everything.

Different percussions appear. Ganzá, rainstick, chimes

(and another which I don't know the name of, but looks and sounds wonderful)

accompany the violin with the forever faithful bass.

Then it all quietens down, letting only an acoustic guitar sing.

Timpani appear and chello with their deep, passionate, loving sound.

And into this royal company the guitar returns to grab your hand and take you right up on that mythological rainbow bridge the song tells about.

Everyone else is with you there. The percussions, the chello, the acoustic guitar, the string instruments along with the aria-singing electric guitar. They all hold your hand and will never let it go. Ever.

Suddenly everyone seems to disappear for a moment. But only to push you with all their might into the arms of the chorus that is waiting for you there. You grab it, hold it tight and just let it love you. You want it to be a part of you. You want to carry it with yourself until your very last day.

It will stay with you. Worry not.

For this song there are again two versions. For the album version you need to tap or click here, but agan I would like to share with you, dear Reader, the home offce version of it.

First, because it's never enough watching these wonderful Colombians. Period.

Second, because it's full of all sorts of cams that makes a music addicted like myself salivate.

Drum cam (with kick-drums!!!).

Bass cam.

Bass cam. Do you get me?... BASS CAM. BASS CAM!!!!

Guitar cam - and none else plays the guitar (as well as the solo!) than Deneb himself!

Chello cam. With the lovely Mariana Posada and with our Deneb.

Violin solo cam with the wonderful Yiseth "Yiyi" Palencia.

Symphonic orchestra cam, with the amazing ladies Diana "Dianita" Figueroa, Karoll Paredes, Mariana Díaz and the aforementioned Mariana Posada.

And last but not least, wolf pack cam! With all the guests for the chorus. You will find there familiar faces as well, like Jota "The Legend" Benavides, Cygnus's guitarist, former singer/boss/local god/etc. as well as Mirko Casini aka Myrkvan Skáld, who appears in the song Vegvisir, too, on Ancient Visions with his tagelharpa. 

And many others as well, most of them are amazing, wonderful and talented people. A lot of them are also artists and all of them are friends of the band.

Watch it. Love it. Absorb it. Get addicted to it. And most of all, enjoy it!