Cygnus Rock Band - A Viking We Shall Go (Yggdrasil)

Aaaaaahhhhh 💓💓💓 one of my all-time-favorite Cygnus songs ever.

I love it. Every little piece of it. Every note, every beat of it. Every word these two wonderful rockers sing out in it. And not just that.

It's one of my antidepressants. It makes me happy every time I listen to it. It's full of energy, full of joy, the thirst and lust for life is flowing from this song. And it's dangerously contagious. You start listening to it and you don't even notice, but you've already put it on loop, your heart is racing, you're full of goosebumps, your eyes are full of fire and you can't help but smile widely.

Yes, dear Reader. I admit, there had been times when this song was on repeat for me. It did help me. It did heal me. It did push fresh blood in my veins. The beauty these two talented and amazing Colombians try to put here to the hands of the listener didn't just hit me but swept me off my feet, held me tight, laughed at me with its mellow voice and made me fall in love with it right there.

And being so faithful and full of love as it is, it has been by my side ever since.

It starts with the warriors' choir. After the war-torn times and planning new raids the Norse army is ready for new adventures. Njord blesses them with strong winds, their sails are up, the sea is waiting for them. 

What I especially love is the musical contrast between the chorus's heavy, power metal flavored theme

typically that kind of chorus that is excellent for gigs to make the audience sing, especially the warriors' choir part!

Imagine as hundreds of throats scream "Blow, Njord, blow! A Viking we shall go"...

and the beautiful, melodic stanzas. The dance of Ruxx's powerful, sharp tenor, the deep, roaring guitars, the very precise, atomic-clock-alike 

oh, that nuclear power 😍

rhythm section and the tiple is aethereal, not from this world, but from somewhere else where the trees grow until the sky, and godlike creatures hold each other's hands and dance for melodies like this.

I confess to you, dear Reader. The tiple here holds the key to my heart. The amount of beauty, playfulness, love and joy it carries is irresistible. It tickles me, it doesn't allow me to be sad or depressed. It's playing with me, hugging me and whispering into my ears until I laugh.

I think this is what's called "magic".

The warriors' choir then returns with the heavy kickdrums and its power metal alike sounds, but only to flash itself for the already beauty-drunken listener and to prepare the place for the next stanza. And it arrives and now it's Deneb's turn.

I love his voice. Here as well as on the entire Yggdrasil album, but in this song the hidden power of his vocals - that he reveals very rarely, last time it was in this song - shines bright and radiant. Stay aleart, dear listener, because this voice will not let you sit in your little shell. This voice will sneak into your auditory meatus, then down to your heart. This voice will make a spring cleaning there, sweeping out the sadness, the hopelessness and the darkness. And what makes it unique and amazing is that this voice will not find rest until it gets rid of the dust in your heart. Even if you try to shoo it out, it will return. It tiptoes back, through your ears, through your skin, through that tiny tingle around your heart. This voice is full of joy, full of energy and life. And the magic it makes is that it's not you who grabs this voice, this energetic, joyous baritone to hold tight and love it.

It's this voice that grabs you, holds you and won't let you go.

Ever.

The tiple here is like the whipped cream on a cup of hot, steaming, melted chocolate. It makes you drunken, you beg for more, you get addicted by its sweet, rich flavor.

The warriors' choir then returns, but only to prepare you for another, even bigger load of beauty and joy. Be ready, dear listener for the third stanza, because held on the massive shoulders of the rhythm section, accompanied by the subtle but heavy guitars, on the wings of the tiple both our beloved Colombians join to sing about the glorious raid and the feast the Norsemen deserve after arriving home, with their ships full of goods from faraway lands.

Let those tears of joy flow, dear listener. Don't hold them back. These brave warriors deserve to be honored by the tangible signs of your happiness. Let yourself get carried away by the power, warmth and beauty of these voices. Hold them tight. Fall in love with them again and again. Don't ever let them go, ever.

The warriors' choir again returns, but hang in there, dear listener, the river of beauties has not dried up, there's much more to go for your heart.

After the chorus the tempo suddenly slows down. Timpani appear

and I swear on everything that is sacred that I hear the bass having a short solo!

Gem. Beauty. The blessing of the gods of radioactivity.

For those who have ears and heart, of course 😒

The choir here caresses your ears. The tiple is whispering and a tiny piccolo

my other guess is that it might be an Irish flute

is singing like a little bird along with the warm, powerful male voices.

Then comes the solo, with strong, wide shoulders like a Viking warrior, calm and melodic to make your heart ache for joy. The tiple is accompanying the guitar and they sing a beautiful duet.

Then the warriors' choir again returns to wave goodbye, set sails and push the ship back to the open sea. But worry not, dear listener. They won't leave you ever again. No matter how far the winds of Njord might take these brave raiders, they are with you. You just have to reach out your hand for them, they will immediately hold you, laugh, sing and chase away the darkness from your heart.

Let yourself get addicted by them.