Cygnus Rock Band - Yggdrasil (Yggdrasil)

This song is so beautiful and so full of hidden gems.

This is the only spiritual song on Cygnus's first album. This is the last track on it and this is the title song as well. 

The reason why I'm telling these details is that you, dear average music listener for whom music is just a background noise, or in better cases something that is louder than the emptiness in your head, you should be aware of the importance of this song. I also have a wild hope that you finally open your eyes, after being kicked in the face for the umpteenth time to the beauty, sublimeness, complexity and delicate details of the music these wonderful, very talented rockers play.

You can thank me later.

The song has a beautiful, cinematic start and right here the listener gets a surprise gem right into the hand. It's a spoken part of the lyrics, and I swear on anything that is sacred that this is the voice of Deneb.

Not obvious at all and I still keep up the possibility that it's not him. But in case I'm right and it's really everyone's favorite bassist/singer/songwriter/composer/multi-instrumentalist/genius, then I'm more than curious how he managed to make the Mellow Baritone sound like that. I swear I had to focus, again and again, I listened to this song countless times and even today I wouldn't put a sure-as-death bet that it's him. He sounds as if he was speaking directly from Hélheim. It's unrecognizable. What a huge work there could be behind sounding like the captain of the Underworld's army!...

For the whole time the symphonic orchestra in the background makes the cinematic effect even more intense

TIMPANI!!! 😍

and then the guitars join them, the rhythm section as well as the mixed choir of gods and goddesses.

You know... they are THIS cool. They have secret radioactive material in their studio right from Chernobyl, they have the gods and the goddesses to sing for their albums, along with the choir of Isengard and Lothlórien. Because they can. 

Then Deneb starts to sing.

Everybody calm the fuck down, the Mellow Baritone is back 💖

 

The lyrics are magical. Not only it tells the story of the world's creation upon the Edda, but it's also a glorifying prayer to the Tree of Life of Scandinavian mythology. Watch this:

Urd quenches your thirst

Where the Cygnus swim and the gods meet first

I write it here, because I'm sure you don't know and you're too lazy to search for it 😒 Urd (or Urðr) is a goddess, one of those three goddesses who shape the life and destiny of humans and gods, very similarly to the Parcae goddesses of Greek mythology. These goddesses live at the wellspring of Urðarbrunnr, one of the springs that lie beneath the roots of Yggdrasil.

I swear this is one of the most beautiful lyrics of Cygnus, ever.

But watch the lyrics further and in the meantime, dear listener, don't ever cease to keep the albums's artwork in front of your eyes. These two walk hand in hand. The hidden gems of the lyrics can all be found in this beautiful image.

Of course I won't tell which, and what they actually are. You nicely educate yourself, get cultured, rub the rust off of the poor neurons in your brain cells and use them. You know. That's what is called "thinking". You can do it! 💪

The chorus is amazing.

Deneb keeps leading it, the choirs - the warriors and the gods' mixed choir - faithfully follow him. In the meantime, dear listener, open your ears and your heart wide for the guitar theme that is hiding behind the voices.

It's beautiful, complex, divine. You hear how much work, creativity, determination and love was invested into it. You can only imagine - you really try! - the hands that play this theme. The orchestra very humbly gives them all a soft, gentle but rich basis. 

Then the gods' mixed choir takes it over. The humane voice quietens, the orchestra steps forward while the guitars withdraw to just whisper, while the divine radiates its light.

I love this contrast. This is something that very often appears in Cygnus's songs, sometimes through the voices of Ruxx and Deneb, sometimes through the music itself. I love how these musicians show their talent and creativity through these often tiny, not so obvious details. Because, dear Reader, THIS is what requires real talent. 

Deneb continues to glorify the sacred tree of Norse mythology. The guitars and the orchestra follow him

if you keep your ears open, you can hear a contrast between the orchestra and the guitars. The guitars lead an almost thrash-metal alike, deep theme, while the orchestra is delicate and divine. It's all very subtle, very humble, but as quiet as it appears, it's as beautiful. In fact this song is an orgy of musical beauty.

For those who have ears for that 😒

and in the meantime, dear listener, think about it, how complex this song is in reality.

And this is still the first Viking album of this band! We're at the very beginning of the journey and look at them how much beauty they give into your hand even at this early point!

After the chorus the gods' choir stays silent and you know that something really great is coming.

It does.

A short breakdown comes, then it is followed by one of the brightest, most wonderful gem of the entire album. 

I mentioned in the summary of this album that it doesn't have any overture, yet the title song has a great, shiny gem inside of it around the end.

Here we are. We arrived.

It's very subtle. Very delicate. But those who have ears, will hear it.

This gem humbly disguises itself. It appears as the song's solo. For the lay mind (and ears) it actually appears as just a rather virtuoso, bit long solo. But those who dare to open their hearts, there will be a wonderful surprise in this solo.

This solo, dear Reader, contains all the themes of the album's songs. Each and every one of them.

Obviously I won't tell in what order, because this is why you have brain cells. Keep thinking, keep analyzing! 👏👏

Here I would like to emphasize that wonderful and huge amount of work the rhythm section is doing at this part. The many tempo changes, slowing down, speeding up while the guitar is singing the themes makes this song and especially this solo unique and one-of-a-kind not only on this album, but in Cygnus's entire career. 

I would really, honestly love to hear one day how this song was recorded, how much the musicians had to practice, rehearse, try, try again, how much work, sweat and concentration is there behind this approx. half-minute-long rich, lavish and irresistible flow of magic.

The gods' mixed choir returns only to take the beauty-drunken listener - who is just laying there in ecstasy - in their arms and gently carry you away to put you at a softer place and cover you with a blanket, while carefully switching your music player on repeat mode.

This is the greatest of it all, dear Reader. That you just put your player into loop mode and you can listen to it all again and again and again, the whole day and then the next day again, or for the entire week, if you want that. They are always with you. This is the most beautiful of this entire experience. They never cease to be on your side. In fact, when you realize it, they have already found a place in your heart. And you don't even want to let them go from there.

You see that this is how you're happy.