Cygnus - The Ballad of Sigurd the Brave and the First Accidental Zombie (song review)

This song is the perfect example for refined, delicate perversion.

And you can't resist it.

There. I said it. 

Cygnus seems - at least for me - that they are about to take a huge leap forward. Sure, I base it on this only song

and I do have the audacity, the experience and the history with and around the band to do it without apologizing

but I'm confident that the band has great plans to continue their journey, developing and improving constantly, both as musicians and human beings as well - exactly the reason why we love them so much.

As far as I can remember, this is the first time that an actual single was released to promote the upcoming new album. 

Yes, there was that one release with Uprisa back in 2023, but that was a much different situation, it cost a tug of war between the band and their then-record label, and it wasn't an actual promotional single release but only a kind of "teaser trailer" for Revival.

This time it was a regular single, with video as well as special artwork for this very release, and the band confirmed it was for their upcoming, 6th album, "Legends of the Norse Lore".

Artwork for the single

source: Youtube/screenshot

The song title is also unusually - and pervertedly - long, and it was a purposeful choice by the band.

The previous album had their longest song so far - this album already has the longest song title so far. Isn't it refined, tactful and slightly perverted, with delicate taste?...

And do we absolutely love it?...

The song starts with a beautiful folk theme, but what hit my ears right there (after I was enhanced by the melody the orchestra is playing) the very complex rhythm and tempo. The very sudden, sharp changes, the ongoing time signature switches

I'd give an arm and a leg for just a peek on the sheet music!...

don't allow the listener to loosen up and indulge into the sweet, folkish melodies, that tangibly hail the creativity and virtuosity of Deneb. 

Those who know this band well can already recognize his fingerprints on the music. Very delicate, yet very persistent presence, strong but doesn't force itself on the listener, and most of all, dear Reader, virtuoso. Cygnus's Magician didn't hold himself back when composing this song. He brought the very essence out of himself and put it into the themes and melodies of The Ballad of Sigurd the Brave and the First Accidental Zombie.

Keep all this in mind, while you're listening to this song.

Then Ruxx starts to sing, his trademark smoky/dusty voice is at its peak, and the irregular, odd time signatures faithfully hold themselves. You can hear it especially during this part, when the orchestra quietens and only the guitars, the rhythm section and the human voice can be heard. And it's breathtaking. I remember, when I was listening to it for the first time, at the release, on a quite dull Saturday night, my first impression was that this song is a progressive heaven.

Or a progressive paradise, as someone very dear has said :)

This song is the crystal clear evidence of how much the rhythm section has improved during these 2 years, since the release of Revival. Deneb and Ruxx have been constantly shedding skin, learning, trying new paths and - again one of the reasons why we love them so much - haven't shrunk back from challenges. Here in this song you can see the result. Two absolutely high-skilled virtuoso musicians, almost beyond human. And not only they play virtuoso themes

which most of you, average music consumers don't even recognize 😒

but they keep together, very strictly, very precisely for the whole time. This, dear Reader, this is the real art of it. Not just writing and being able to play such complex themes, but playing them together in harmony, keeping the tempo, following the time signature changes - and believe me, dear Reader, there are many of them here.

It's just my thought, and it's merely a guessing, so don't take my words now as something carved into stone. But this song - apart from being beautiful, complex, and for my little, worn-out Eastern European ears a progressive heaven paradise, and I'm as happy for it as it's humanly possible - will shake up the fans. Despite its beauty and folkish sweetness it is not easy at all to take it in. It's not another Valhalla or Raise Your Horns. Cygnus has grown these themes out.

For Odin's sake, don't take me wrong, these songs are beautiful, they have been fan favorites for a reason and they have their own solid and well-earned place in Cygnus's history. But a band must and should develop and improve, and yes, often leave great hits behind (without forgetting them, of course) to be able to continue their path. This is what music is about. This is what art is about. And these men are not afraid to walk a path they have never tried before.

Another reason why we love them so much.

So, if anyone expected another melodic party song to dance and drink to, they are now probably a bit disappointed. Sure, you can dance and party to this song as well, but the tempo changes and time signature switches give it a kind of restlessness, which is a brand new element in Cygnus's music

which I find very exciting

and I can hope only that Cygnus wants to follow the path this song marks for the rest of their upcoming album - this experimental, progressive, challenging music, which is really, really not easy to take in and absorb

here I confess that even I, a self-appointed Cygnus-maniac and fanatic was also surprised when I listened to this song first, and despite I was happy and delighted to grab a new Cygnus-release into my hands, it did take time for me to comprehend it; and I'm still discovering its hidden treasures and beauties. But I find it as exciting as it can be and I enjoy every second of it!

regardless of the possibility that it might shake up, even shock or perhaps even divide fans and listeners. 

But let's not get too far, as of yet; we have only one song right now from the new album, with hopes and dreams that this song is the harbinger of what we can expect from Legends of the Norse Lore.

Deneb takes over from Ruxx for the chorus, the orchestration appears again, the rhythm gets smoother - but I still hear here, too, some very subtle changes. I'm sure something is hidden here, too, and needless to say, I will not find rest until I discover it. 

I can recommend this game to every other listener, too - keep your ears, hearts and souls wide open, you have no idea how much beauty you will discover here!

Then... well, dear Reader, these men really know how to win my heart.

The tubular bells appear.

The tubular bells.

I can't resist them. I never could. I never will. I never want.

Tubular bells.

Along with such a beautiful, raw, nuclear bass line that brought tears to my eyes right at the first listen. It grunts like a boar in the Chernobyl forests. Beautiful. Irresistible. Never enough.

And then the orchestra, and you tangibly feel the touch of the virtuoso hands that put it all together.

Then the guitars attack and we turn into the solo.

My ears say it's Drew himself - he has this very high-skilled, Malmsteen-flavored style.

Or is it maybe someone else doing magic?...

The orchestra is present for the whole time and after the guitar quietens, the strings take over the place. It's a beautiful and beloved Cygnus-tradition to allow the orchestra having its turn at the solo part, and for my personal, own little delight these orchestra solos are getting more and more virtuoso as time passes by. A big hug to the composer, he deserves it!

The delicacy and complexity of the rhythm continues during the solos as well - I can only imagine how difficult it can be to play this song live, on concerts. We have seen it once, at Rock al Viento Fest (exactly on the release day of this song). I personally would love to hear it one day from the band itself what it was like to rehearse and prepare to play this song live. It's very very demanding, you have to focus a lot (and very heavily), and it takes long long time to learn a song like this until it becomes muscle memory. (Musicians will understand what I'm talking about.) And this fact, that they actually played it live, took the risk, rehearsed, practiced - probably for weeks if not months ahead - makes these men even greater. Not only Ruxx and Deneb, but Drew and Jota as well, because the guitar themes are equally difficult, complex and demanding. 

Ahem... daydreaming here, nothing special... but maybe... perhaps... mayhaps... one day... some bass cam/drum cam/guitar cam for this song?... Pretty please?... 🥺👉👈💓 (with puppy eyes, nervous index fingers and big, beating heart?)

The guitars return, along with the mixed choir of the gods & goddesses, and while they bashfully hide behind the voices, you can still hear their ragged, discontinuous nature

you can even see the tiny rest signals in the sheet music with your mind's eye...

and the bells of Asgard and Midgard keep tolling.

I can't resist them!!! 😍

And you can even hear some strange static noises as if the biological hazard of the lyrics had chewed itself into the music. What an idea!...

And if you open your ears wide, you can hear here the thick, massive, radioactive rhythm section. They are a bit subtle, the emphasis is on the choir, but the drums and the bass are right there, beating and grunting, and it's so breathtakingly beautiful that a rhythm section enthusiast, like your humble chronicler here is in ecstasy. Especially that the bells keep tolling for the whole time!

I'm in love. Absolutely.

Then the chorus returns. Deneb is singing with the mixed choir's support. The bells are tolling, the beautifully complex, progressive themes are just rolling off of the instruments. 

And then, at the very end of the song you get another nice amount of progressive.

This is what I love so much in this band (among many many other things), the way they end their songs. As if the song would say, "I won't let you go without a goodbye kiss" - and it shows its essence in the very last seconds for the listener, so they can take it with themself - and it gets stuck in their heart so deeply, taking its effects gently but firmly that the listener doesn't even recognize it, but they start to yearn for the song. They want to listen to it again and then again - and for the moment they realize it, they are already addicted. This is their secret. This goodbye kiss at the end of every song. It doesn't let you go.

Not that you want to :)

The truth is, I wanted to put here the song from YouTube Music, because I hate Spotify, but for some reason the embed function at YT Music isn't available. So here it is from Spotify, because you, average music consumers use this platform anyway, but I take the chance to say it out loud, that fuck you, Spotify 🖕