Cygnus Rock Band - Death of a Viking Warrior (Yggdrasil)

This song is one of the most special ones written by Cygnus.

And again and again I stop and just stare in awe that these wonderful Colombians showed their skills, talent and creativity right on their first Viking album. I can't say enough times how much I love them.

As I mentioned in my summary, this song follows another ballad, Winter's Night. Barely any rock band has got the balls, the courage and the uniqueness to put two lyrical songs after the other. We know that Yggdrasil is a concept album,

yes, you know that, too, and let me not stop and explain it to you now what a concept album is supposed to be, because you should MUST know it long ago 😒 don't ever try to tell me that you've been here, listened to Yggdrasil and never noticed that the songs are purposefully after one another, telling a story?...

Whatever, why am I surprised 😤

the songs follow each other in a previously determined order, but I personally still find it ground-breaking that Cygnus had the boldness to have two slow songs following each other on an album.

But while in "Winter's Night" soft emotions dominate, the theme is more playful and light-hearted, "Death of a Viking Warrior" is a hymn.

It's practically a Viking/pagan requiem.

The tiple immediately dominates. 

What else do you seriously need to get your heart melted?...

Heavy timpani accompany them with a lot of percussions

feel free to melt and shed tears, dear listener, but save some for the end of the song, because we are in the very first few beats - and the beauty is already blossoming

and a humble, but warm acoustic guitar supporting them all. They together embrace and hold Ruxx's voice as he is singing. As we reach the chorus, a beautiful and sublime theme is emerging

with heavy timpani and cymbals, these Colombians know what makes me melt

and the warriors' choir appears.

And if I'm not wrong and my ears catch it well, I sense a cello in the background. Humble, mellow, full of emotions. Holding the entire theme on its shoulders. Meanwhile the choir is singing probably some of the most beautiful lyrics of Cygnus.

It's just my opinion, but it may even be a kind of ars poetica for the band.

Here it is:

What's so hard for you, Christians, to understand?

How we fight and die is how our gods judge a man

Life is precious, it is a part of a warrior's story

Death is not our end but the beginning of our glory

Philosophy and approaching life (and death) in 4 lines. Simple but rich and poetic.

And for the whole time heavy timpani and a lot of percussions give the song a hymnic atmosphere, which is strengthened by the quiet acoustic instruments.

And the cello doesn't go away. It stays and with its sweet, mellow sound it gives an even deeper tone and vibration to the already solemn theme. Ruxx is singing, telling the toughness and bravery of a Viking warrior in contrast of an everyday person's fragility. Finally he bows his head to the divine choice:

We gladly fight to the end and die

If that's the will of our All-Father with one eye

And the chorus comes with the cathartic sound of the timpani.

I just can't get enough of them.

The solo is entirely symphonic. Even the tiple stays silent. It's full of dignity, majesty and grace, the timpani and the cymbals

begging for a drum cam! 🥺 People should see what an enormous job Ruxx is doing in this song!

are so beautiful they give goosebumps to the listener.

Focus on this solo. Focus on the beautiful orchestration. Focus on the timpani, focus on the cymbals, the percussions. Focus on the creativity, the diversity and the talent of these musicians. Keep your ears and heart open. Allow it to flow through you, allow your cells to absorb it. 

Allow it to make you a better person.

And then comes the cathartic ending of the song.

The orchestration, all the percussions, the timpani and the warriors' choir sing together.

Allow your tears, dear listener, to flow. Allow the beauty to take over you. Don't resist. This is that beauty that is worth fighting for. If there's anything that is worth your tears, then this is it. Let it hold you, let it love everything that is mundane out of you. Allow yourself to be touched by its majesty.

Take the gem of this song. Reach out with your hands, it will put it right there. Take it, keep it in your heart. It stays with you. Always.

This song has got another version as well. Hermanns Viking Dauđi is not only in Old Norse - sung by everyone's favorite Colombians, of course! -, but this is also the metal version of this song. It's on "Fire and Tales", Cygnus's 2nd Viking album as the so-called hidden track.

If you're so young that you don't know what a hidden track is, I explained it all in the "Hermanns Viking Dauđi"-review.

The song has got a video as well. I'm not sure if it's an official one, but nevertheless it's definitely unique. It's directly from Sweden, recorded by Swedish fans, starring Swedish fans.

And since these Colombian men are so wonderful, the video includes the lyrics as well.