Next up in our 'Lyrical Look-In' series is the song 'THE PERILOUS PROSPECTS OF THE PORTALS'. Not only does this song expand on one of the biggest reveals in The Crossroads Conundrum story arc, it's also one of the most wild songs musically on the album. SciFi keyboards, black metal inspired vocals and guitar riffs, it's a worthy compliment to the clean and refined feel of the song that precedes it - 'The Perilous Prospects of Shadow's Haven' .
Before we dig too deep, here are facts and stats: SONG: THE PERILOUS PROSPECTS OF THE PORTALS
ALBUM: Heirs of Isildur vs Tales From Nocturnia
Position on the album: Track 2 of 10
Musicians Involved: Matt Knowles, alongside: ZAC LEASER (Guitar Solo) This is the second of a three part arc that starts the album, explaining the three main elements that make up 'The Perilous Prospects' of our overarching story:
* Pt.1: The mountain village of 'Shadow's Haven' (see THAT article HERE)
* Pt.2: The scientists and their 'Portals'
and lastly
* Pt.3: Mykal Isildur, otherwise known as 'The Timekeeper'
Where do these events take place in the overall lore / universe of HEIRS OF ISILDUR:
* THE CROSSROADS CONUNDRUM is turned on its collective ear when this is revealed in Issue #9 (Chapter 16 in the Trade Paperback Graphic Novel edition), but this is a main overarching theme that has its fingerprints throughout the universe in TCC, 'Nightmare Scenario' and the upcoming 'The Perilous Prospects'.
IMPORTANT NOTE! Be sure to hang around to the very end for a super cool behind the scenes FAST FACT that you won't see coming about this song!
To start things off right, here is 'The Perilous Prospects of The Portals' from our BANDCAMP page.
Now we'll share the LYRICS IN FULL: A group of scientists inventors
dreamers and schemers
came together to explore
the known world's outer reaches
Creating machines whose design and intent
was to open up pathways connecting
the past
the future and
the present
And to see if life exists on other planets
If we unlocked a multiverse,
our consciousness would be expanded
The perilous prospects of the portals (x3)
(A) secret society was formed,
Guild of the golden gear
We had to operate clandestine,
always veiled and hidden
Because the local town’s populace,
of us they’d never approve
(Despite) grandiose efforts,
no progress was made
The guild was discouraged,
(the) project nearly terminated
Then one day for reasons unknown
A Portal appeared!
seductively tempting
with unopenable windows
Taunting the guild
with power and riches
Mesmerizing and corrupting
all but a small chosen few
The purpose became single minded
MAKE THOSE PORTALS OPEN!
With every failed desperate attempt,
The guild was more and more corrupted
Darkened evil power was unleashed
and on the local township it descended
Its citizenry (was) convinced
they knew the cause
so into an angry mob they assembled
And stormed our estate's borders
And demanded our practices ended
But the guild went insane
And belittled the angry villagers
Which incited a massacre of epic proportions
And in the coldest of blood,
all our members were slaughtered
Only a small handful of the guild
escaped and survived
The estate laboratory machines and portals
we’d leave them all behind
lock key and earthen shroud
Entombed and destined to once again
become one with soil and ground
Many decades have passed
since the events at the estate
that fateful summer
The laboratory portals and forces
seemed destined for an eternal slumber
But somehow someway
they've all now been reawakened
by a lonely and curious timekeeper
Is history doomed to repeat itself,
will he succumb to
The mystical corrupting force
of the portals
Or will he realize the riches and knowledge
that rested just beyond our fingertips
The perilous prospects of the portals (x3)
A group of scientists inventors
dreamers and schemers
The portals power to explore
was our greatest deceiver
Altering the timelines
corrupting the masses
Unleashing darkened forces
that we'd never understand THE EXPLANATION (aka the 'Look-In'):
The Perilous Prospects of Shadow's Haven and The Perilous Prospects of the Portals are 'sister songs', covering the same inciting incidents in HEIRS OF ISILDUR lore, but from two different perspectives. Where 'SHADOW'S HAVEN' covers the event from the town's perspective, 'PORTALS' sees this happening through the eyes of the occupants of the estate upon the town's farthest hill. While the group officially operated under the name of 'The Guild Of The Golden Gear', the townspeople simply referred to them as 'The Laboratorians'.
Originally we were going to go into detail explaining the events as they took place - but that would simply be a regurgitation of the song lyrics, which do a fairly solid job of explain how the historic events unfolded.
Instead we will bullet point the events, and then focus on items that are only hinted at in the lyrics:
* Scientists, inventors, and financiers came together to form the 'Guild of the Golden Gear'
* Their goal was to open portals to worlds / timelines other than their own and explore them using elaborate machinery developed and constructed in secret in the 'Estate on Shadow's Haven's farthest hill'.
* They had to keep their operation clandestine because of the puritanical and oppressive nature of the town
* After many years (and the construction of a larger laboratory deep underneath the estate), the group was able to get 'windows' into other universes to open, though no matter how hard they tried, they were unable to access what was on the other side
* Unbeknownst to the Guild, a darkened energy was released every time they were able to get a 'window' to open
* This not only caused them to go insane, it also caused unintended effects on Shadow's Haven (supernatural phenomena, a darkened haze hanging over the town, etc...)
* The scientist's decreasing mental stability caused them to carelessly brag about their operation to the town's citizenry, outing themselves and their operation
* This caused the townspeople to rise up and form an angry mob, storming the estate and slaughtering everyone in sight.
As for the lore and 'universe' of Heirs of Isildur, that last statement is potentially the most important. While the song 'The Perilous Prospects of Shadow's Haven' covers how the town tried to cover their tracks after this confrontation, this song unveils the fact that there were actually survivors from the Guild Of The Golden Gear.
A small handful escaped into and through the secretive catacombs underneath the estate: two scientists and two teens. They were able to live in secret and off the grid for many decades. The two teens eventually married and had a family of their own under an assumed name.
As the decades passed, those who knew of the events eventually perished, including most of the townspeople in Shadow's Haven, and all but one of the escapees. If you've read any of the currently released material, this is the individual you've come across, who's only been referred to as 'The Hooded Figure' or 'Hoodie'.
Realizing that he was the last living witness to and participant in the dreams and research of the Guild of the Golden Gear, he knew everything they stood for could not perish with him.
He found a way to re-obtain the (now condemned) Estate on the farthest hill of Shadow's Haven, as well as the underground secrets that it held. He also found a suitable heir, one that he felt had the drive and creativity to potential reignite the passions of the Guild. That person: Mykal Isildur, the artisan and curator at the Father Time Emporium in Shadow's Haven.
...But we will share HIS part of the story in the next Lyrical Look In for 'The Perilous Prospects of the Timekeeper'. ********************
We hope you're enjoying these articles, and we'd love to know your take on them. Are you enjoying getting a chance to dig deeper into these songs? Before we go we said there was a FAST FACT about the track that we'd unveil at the bottom of the article, so here it is:
* There is actually a word flub in the vocals of this song. We didn't realize until deep into production (literally after we had the master files back and were reviewing the lyric sheets, that the line 'Estate Laboratory Machines and Portals' was accidently recorded as 'Machines Laboratory Machines and Portals' Whoops!
You never know what's gonna happen in the heat of the recording session!
********************
If you like what you've heard or read, we encourage you to check out the full album, our comics and more. Here's the link to our store: www.tinyurl.com/InsymSHOP
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We'd love to know your thoughts on this song, the lyrics, the article, the lore, all of it!
Until next time, this is #TeamInsym signing off.
Matt & Steph
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