Cygnus Rock Band - What Have We Done? (metal version) (song & video review)
Cygnus Rock Band took on a mission with this song. They did it already with the original version as well, but now, releasing the metal version of the originally acoustic/symphonic ballad it's more than crystal clear.
I notify everyone here, at the beginning of this blogpost: I have A LOT to say about it. Really a lot. So either take your time and sit back for this to read or spare it for later. And most definitely don't read it while walking in the street.
Thinking back to the original version, if you, dear Reader, don't mind a confession from me here, in front of the public: even though the message of the song was crystal clear for me even in 2022, and even if I couldn't agree more with it back then, still somehow I had mixed feelings about this song, but until this point I couldn't put it into words. The song itself, the original symphonic version perfectly fitted into the album's conception. It's full of beautiful details, like the contrast between the voices of Ruxx and Deneb, the fantastic job everyone's favorite drummer is making with all the percussions or that very powerful moment when Deneb is saying the prayer of humankind. I remember, my opinion was that Cygnus made a landmark with that song, touching a subject with their lyrics they had never done before. I found it beautiful, but still I couldn't put my heart 100% into it. I never understood why, I hated myself for that, and I had very serious guilt for not being able to let this song getting soaked into my existence as much as it happens with every other Cygnus song - despite that the song's subject has a principal role in my life.
Before I continue, please, dear Reader, don't take me wrong, and I want to underline it and emphasize it with all that I have in my hands: I love the original song. I don't hate it, never did, it would never come to my mind anyway. I just had this little feeling that something is missing from it, something that would emphasize this very important topic even more, and I had some faint ideas that it might have to do something with the musical concept of the song. And yes, I want to emphasize that, too, dear Reader, that I felt horrible for the whole time, I had bad conscience and in my thoughts I apologized these wonderful musicians for not being able to absorb their song as deeply as I originally wanted and as their original vision was. It was, still is totally my fault. I take the opportunity now to apologize to them, here, in front of the public. As always, my dear Colombian heroes, you made magic with the original song, and it's merely my ignorance and the lack of sensitivity that kept me back from fully absorbing this song.
I love you.
The truth is, and I can put it all into words only now, after listening to this metal version: this song deserves to be metal. It deserves to be a power ballad, to have heavy, weighted parts with guitars, bass and the much more obvious presence of the drums. It deserves a guitar solo, it deserves a more raw sound along with the orchestra and the wonderful humane voices.
Because - for my ears - this is how the original message gets a very serious emphasis.
Yes, sure, I know that there are people who will prefer the original symphonic version. It's totally fine - as long as they don't just use it for sentimental sobbing but also for critical thinking 😒 but I will talk about this later in this post.
Those who got used to the soft, delicate intro of the original song, now they should take a deep breath, because this one will hit right on the head. The guitar, the bass and the rhyhtm section along with the original orchestration will make gasp all those who grew lazy during these 2 years of distance. Energy, power and determination tangibly flow from this song even after the first beats. I remember, my first impression listening to this version was that this new instrumentation brings the emphasizing of contrasts
which is one of the band's secret weapons
on a new level. The guitars, the heavy rhythm section underline the delicacy and sublimeness of the original version; the orchestration gets a strong emphasis, and this way you can really hear how elegant, refined and gentle it is.
This is amazing and this leaves me speechless. This needs real talent from a musician, a composer; this, that adding heavier, more electric, "metal" themes to the song they draw the listener's attention to the refined, pure and beautiful nature of it. This, dear everyone, this is something not everyone can do.
But these men, and especially the composer - may his hands be covered with gold - could.
This walks through the entire song, from the first tunes until the last drops of the outro. This wonderful phenomenon, that the heavy artillery of the electric instruments take the orchestration and the humane voices into their hands and rise them up in the sky, while they themselves are not afraid to be delicate and show deep emotions despite (or along with) their own serious and weighty nature, this, dear Reader, this sweeps me off my feet. This is talent, this is something I find only at this band. This makes them special and this is why I love them so much.
(among many other reasons, of course)
This sublime delicacy appears at the second part of the 1st stanza, when Deneb's warm, emotion-filled voice gets the company of the guitar. The instrument is holding the humane voice in its arms, engilding it while flying higher and higher in the sky, embracing the rich, mellow bariton on its heart.
The chorus strikes in its hymnic beauty. Here, at this point you can hear the real power of the electric instruments. Sweeping, epic, and that beauty and delicacy which appeared at the first tunes of this version can be felt here a thousand times stronger.
Don't hold yourself back, dear listener. This song is too beautiful, too divine to suppress your feelings. Have goosebumps, have tears in your eyes, let them flow. Your impressions of witnessing something truly sacred is real. Yes. These wonderful men offer you this with their song. Open your heart, open your soul. It really is that moment.
A tracery of a guitar solo appears after the chorus. Its beauty touches your skin, caresses it with gentle fingers, then kisses your eyes before it disappears to allow Ruxx's voice to take over. Everyone's favorite drummer just whispers while the distorted guitars accompany his vocals, and you, dear listener, you can again find pleasure in the contrast between the humane voice and the instruments. This beauty, as these two complement each other will always be a miracle for me that never gets old.
Real talent, dear average dumb and deaf music consumer, is NOT writing spectacular songs and great hits. Real talent is finding balance, finding musical symmetry (or the perfect asymmetry for that matter), to feel the right amount of harmony and tension and the golden mean between them. THIS is real talent, not shitting out releasing instant hit songs that nobody will remember after 2 weeks.
Ruxx's voice slowly hardens, the whisper disappears, he lets his sharp tenor flow with all the passion (and even wrath) he can set free through his vocal chords. The beautiful, delicate guitar theme appears again, silently weeping while Ruxx's dusty, smoky voice takes on its wings and flies above the orchestration and the distorted electric instruments.
But keep your ears open, dear listener, because here the orchestration keeps a wonderful, shiny gem for you to discover.
Of course I won't tell where and how. If you have ears and heart, you will find it. If you still can't (even though it's right there), then whatever 😒 in that case let me ask you, dear average music consumer, that you, as an outsider what do you think about intelligence?...
The chorus returns with its divinity like a hymn. But all its massive, epic beauty is just a preliminary for what's waiting for you, dear listener.
The catharsis appears.
The guitars quieten, and after a tiny silence Deneb starts to say the song's prayer.
This part is spiritual. The humane voice, surrounded by the orchestration and the electric instruments, all in their full beauty, and Deneb speaks, he doesn't even sing, and this simplicity along with the aethereal, epic massiveness of the instruments shakes your heart and you really, honestly believe you're a part of something greater, that you belong to somewhere that is dedicated for a greater good.
For me, on my own little personal level this is the greatest gift this song can offer. And I firmly believe that the deep spirituality of this song, and especially this part is possible only because of the deep faith of these wonderful two men, Deneb and Ruxx. I think there is no clearer evidence about the purity of a person's faith in a divine entity than being able to touch others and make them believe, feel connected and experience that they really belong to somewhere. This is the gift I personally get from this song. I believe, from the bottom of my heart that this is something very rare and very very special.
The chorus returns once more and you sing along. With faith, with the newly discovered feeling of belonging. With gratitude towards these wonderful men that they gifted you with their own faith.
The video for this song is a so-called lyric video. But it doesn't even have to be this classic video with shots of the band playing the song. In fact, this way, with only the lyrics and 6 minutes of heart-wrenching images of environmental destruction it has a much deeper impact on the viewer as e.g. a traditional video would be.
Because that's the reality, dear everyone. These awful, horrifying images of pollution, animal abuse, silver foxes and arctic foxes in tiny cages, bred exclusively for their fur, just to get slaughtered, ending up on the shoulders of a spoiled, rich idiot as a status symbol. The pipe spitting toxic waste directly into the river. Chimney-stacks puking hazardous smoke into the air. Humans exploiting forests, until nothing remains, not even logs. Orphaned animals, dry lands suffering from the lack of water and the consequences of climate crisis.
I know very well that there are still too many people who'd say "oh, but it's just an exaggeration, you overreact it, it's not that serious" on this. There are also many who may end up in a sentimental sobbing watching these images over "all these poor little animals" but who are either too stupid, too lazy or too infantile to take real action. And I know people who would turn their heads away seeing these disturbing images saying "oh, I'm too sensitive for this, my heart can't stand this brutality" and just continue their life as it was.
These people are all part of the problem, along with capitalism, greed, ignorance, the lack of education, fossil fuel and big companies. And it's my very own standpoint, but I have zero tolerance for this.
Environmental awareness and climate crisis are two of the most burning problems of the 21th century. Political systems (and leaders) may rise up and collapse, but the climate stays in this deteriorating condition, regardless of which political side you give your vote for. Hundreds, if not thousands raised their voices for immediate action, petitions and demonstrations demand big corporate bodies to lower their carbon emissions, to end up once and for all the exploitation of fossil-based energy sources. Meanwhile the average insignificant citizen has this tendency to just sneak away from personal responsibility, thinking that "society should solve this problem".
I have bad news for you, dear average, insignificant, stupid, blind and deaf citizen.
YOU are the society.
You, me as well, along with these Colombian heroes and everybody else around yourself.
YOU should solve this problem. YOU should take action. YOU have the responsibility. YOU and nobody else has to make changes in their everyday life to sustainability and environmental awareness. YOU have to educate yourself and those around you because there is no more time to waste. We have reached already
in fact we have overstepped
that point where it can't be taken lightheartedly. YOU are the reason extreme climate phenomena happen more and more often, YOU are the reason winters are less and less cold and snow barely falls anymore at the continental areas of the planet. YOU are the reason there are more and more temperature anomalities in the past years. YOU are the reason autochtonal plants and animals disappear and invasive species appear. YOU are the reason the Great Plain of my home country is officially a semi-desert now, and during the summer months of June, July and August the rivers get dried up there for the lack of rain and the extreme heatwaves. YOU. Yes, YOU, YOU, YOU.
Because it's YOU who choose your own old, shitty, pollution-puking car instead of public transport, because you're way too accommodated to your own little comfort zone. YOU are the one who chooses products that packed into plastic over organic packaging. YOU are the one who spends long time at the shower letting the water just flow on your empty head. YOU are the one who throw out the still usable things from the house and buy something shiny, fancy and new instead of reusing or at least donating it someone in need, while YOU are the one who support all these big companies relying on fossil fuel and corporate capitalism with your brainless consuming. YOU are the one who refuses to recycle out of mere ignorance and stupidity. YOU are the problem.
The truth is that it requires small actions to make a huge change. Even the smallest change you make in your insignificant life could make a real, huge impact. Things you wouldn't think of, because you, being as insignificant as you are, you always believe that only enormous actions lead to enormous changes. You're again wrong. As Tolkien had said in his famous work, "The Lord of the Rings", every journey begins with a single step. And this is why it's all so beautiful, because you in fact don't have to do sweeping changes right there. You don't have to build the next Rainbow Warrior battleship, you don't have to chain yourself to trees or lay in front of bulldozers or throw stones at greedy, corrupted politicians for a change. (Though you can do all this, too, for sure!) The real change starts with very small, insignificant-looking steps, and the greatest news is that you don't even have to leave your home for that. As the great environmentalist saying goes, think globally, act locally. It means that whatever is good for the planet, start to apply it first in your closest surroundings - at your home, in your garden (if you have any), in your street, at your workplace, in your family. Even the smallest action matters, the only important thing is that you have to do it regularly.
I say it here a few ideas, but the great news is that there are many websites out there with useful and smart ideas for a sustainable life - I can suggest you the greatest, certified organizations, like Greenpeace, WWF, PETA or the Jane Goodall Institution, to name a few. If Greenpeace or WWF has a headquarters in your country, you can rely on them, because they can give you even better tips that are customized for your home's own climate and possibilities. But let's see some that can be used wherever you live.
⦁ purchase only what you really need. Avoid to overpurchase and end up buying things you don't actually need. Resist the seasonal sales, resist buying things especially around Christmas, Halloween or Valentine's Day just because they "look cute". No. First, they don't look cute, it's your taste that is horror. Second, they will end up in garbage after the 1st use. If you really want fancy and cute decorations, try to make some yourself.
⦁ have a list for your daily shopping and buy only what is on the list. Everything else must be out of your cart. Zero tolerance for anything out of the list!
(with this you can avoid buying food that you eventually don't eat and which would end up in the garbage. Food waste is the biggest red flag in the battle against climate crisis!)
⦁ still food: try to buy local products instead of imported ones, as much as it's possible. Not only you support local businesses, but you decrease your own carbon footprint.
If you buy anything that is from another continent - like in my case, as an Eastern European, coffee, tea, cocoa or some fruits, like e.g. banana - always check if the product has a certification for "fair trade". If you see the logo of Rainforest Alliance, Fair for Life, Forest Stewardship Council or Union for Ethical Biotrade (to name a few) on the product, you can be sure that the farm where it originates from keeps up biodiversity and environmental protection, while at the same time it focuses on the human rights and wellbeing of its workers.
Here I would like to share with you the latest IG post of our favorite band. In this post they also share some very practical and useful tips for a sustainable and environment-friendly life and you can find some more in the comment section.
Because they are THIS wonderful.
Finally I share the video itself with you and Cygnus wants YOU to share it. To educate yourself. To educate those around you. To be creative and inventive, to find new ways for protecting our environment and slow down the climate crisis. Cygnus wants YOU to join them in this lifelong battle for the planet.
You have no option to say no.
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