When we were preparing to begin work on what would become the “Fallen Idols” album, talk inevitably came around to discussing what direction we wanted to go in this time. In the past we would work out a general idea of what we wanted to do, but invariably any plans were scrapped and the albums just evolved naturally into what they eventually became. This time, however, we felt the need to do an album that we, ourselves, would want to hear, as if we were fans as well as the artists.
LORD, over most of our career, have had a very open-minded approach to styles. Apart from a few years in the early to mid-2000s when ranks were closed up and the style became very focused on power/thrash metal, this is a band that always had no problem mixing melodic rock with extreme metal, and any variation in between. This idea of diversity was ingrained into our being literally from day one. Our albums were always “the best damn mix-tape you’ll ever hear” which delighted fans who got it, whilst annoying and frustrating some reviewers who couldn’t fit us into an easily defined stylistic box.
This approach was born in the drunken haze of backyard parties, where our long-suffering stereo systems blasted tunes from all genres of rock and metal, mixed together in a mish-mash of styles that were never questioned: it was “all just metal” to us, whether it was Bon Jovi or Bathory. The sub-genre either didn’t exist yet, or simply just didn’t matter. The most important thing was how that music made us feel at the time.
We wanted to capture that vibe on this album. What if there was no legacy of music that we’d produced before now? What if this was our first album, and any previous albums we’d released were just albums that could be from any artist that we enjoyed to listen to? What were the things that we grew up listening to that gave us “that” feeling? Style and trends be damned. We wrote what we liked, recalling the “it’s all just metal” mood and feeling of those mix-tapes, of those backyard parties, of those songs that made us who we are today.
“Fallen Idols” is not a concept album but it has a real theme of nostalgia running through it. Not a sad or wistful kind of nostalgia, or any want to recreate the 80s verbatim, but more of a knowing nod back to those days where the music spoke louder than any boxes than needed to be ticked.
It’s an album for us, and for everyone else who gets it. Nothing more, nothing less.
Press play and just listen
Released August 1, 2019
Produced by Lord Tim
Musicians that appeared on this album:
LT – Lead Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Andy – Bass, Vocals
Mark – Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards
Tim Yatras – Session Drums
Note:
Different bonus tracks appear in different territories. The Australian release features “In Dreams”, “Break the Ice” (John Farnham cover), and “Touch the Fire” (Icehouse cover). The Japanese release features “Break the Ice”, “Judas be my Guide” (Iron Maiden cover), and “Wilder than the Wind (Dicks Out Mix)” – a crazy shred instrumental. The online Dominus store download version features all of the Australian release bonus tracks, and some bundles come with a bonus full Karaoke version of the album (no lead vocals or guitar solos).
Videos from this release
LYRICS and LINER NOTES
United (Welcome Back)
The sting of winter whips the wasteland
The wind blows cold throughout the night
Too long we wore the shroud of darkness
Time to raise the torch, return to light
Break through the walls, kick down the doors, it’s time
Ascend the throne and ring the chimes
Didn’t miss the drama or the scandal
Or yearn the singer or the song
Speak only once we have something to say
In from the cold, been far too long
Break through the walls, kick down the doors, it’s time
We’re united, scream it:
WELCOME BACK
It’s time to see, here to be, we’re the chosen ones
We are the flame that prevails through the night
WELCOME BACK
We are the spark in the darkness that lights the way
As one, united, we say – welcome back
SOLO: LT / LT / Mark
END SOLO: LT
Liner Notes: We all know someone who seems to be always talking or being the centre of attention. Even if that person is generally interesting, eventually you tend to tune them out into the background noise because they’re just “always there.” On the other hand, there are some people who keep to themselves and remain quiet until they actually have something important to say. When they speak, you pay attention. Sometimes it’s the quality rather than the quantity that matters. You don’t always notice when this quiet person is gone but it’s a huge breath of fresh air when they return. Written by LT, this is one of the album’s more aggressive songs that includes some of the band’s trademarks, like high screams and blisteringly fast guitar duels, with a massive chorus you won’t get out of your head for days.
Words/Music: T. Grose
Immortal
Endlessly long, tormenting and enslaving
Ten thousand strong, relentlessly invading
Forced him to fight, vowing to end their ascendance
Unleashing might, horror will win him his vengeance
War of the land, waged without fear in defiance
Evil command, beckons unholy alliance
The life in him dies, born again within the hour
Lost mortal ties, the source of his infinite power
Fall to shadow
The infernal
Roaming black six centuries
Curse eternal
The immortal
Prays for death to be set free
Burning with hatred, destroy the betrayers in bloodshed
Ruler of nightmares, served by the faithful and undead
Unseen at sunrise, stalking the shadows ’till light dies
Born into darkness, bow to the prince of the night skies
SOLO: Mark
Liner Notes: Set in 15th century Transylvania, this song tells the story of Vlad, the prince of Wallachia who was attacked by the Ottoman army. Vlad makes a deal with an ancient vampire to grant him the power to raise his own army of the undead and overthrow his enemies, becoming an all-powerful, immortal vampire himself. Mark wrote this song, which is based on the 2014 film “Dracula Untold” and originally appeared as a bonus track on the CD release of “LORD: Live at ProgPower USA XVII.”
Words: M. Furtner / Music: M.. Furtner/T. Grose
Fallen Idols
A cold Autumn night
He walks alone
Passed by just like yesterday’s news
He pulls his hood tight
His thoughts itch and sting Like a fresh tattoo
It seems unreal
Another life
A dream half-remembered, now gone
And sadness he feels
The record needle skips
To the end of the song
The price of fame, a game
Where everybody knows your name
And the whole world for the taking
No more
TORN – Those golden dreams are far away
NOW GONE – Colours fade and turn to grey
Tomorrow wakes to face our fallen idols
Flying so high
Head in the clouds
Upwards, shoot for the moon
Burning so bright
Some stars live
And they die far too soon
TORN – Those golden dreams are far away
NOW GONE – Colours fade and turn to grey
Tomorrow wakes to face our fallen idols
STAND TALL – Rising stars of yesterday
AND FALL – Riding high, the final wave
The lanyard cord breaks for fallen idols
How do we live again
When the dream comes to an end
Climb to our feet and then
We rise again
SOLOS: LT
Liner Notes: Every public figure has a career that ebbs and flows, and sometimes when the crest of the wave they ride on finally breaks, it can be hard to come to terms with being “yesterday’s news” instead of “today’s hot property.” Some can reinvent themselves, while others never bounce back, sometimes with devastating consequences. Another song by LT and, what is almost cliché by now, it was written after the title of the album was already chosen, similar to “Resurrection,” “A Rise to Power,” “One Step Beyond,” “Set in Stone,” and “Digital Lies.” There is a strong call-back to songs like “Where Madness Hides” with the harmony guitars and gang shouts, but combined with the more futuristic elements of samples and loops found on the “Digital Lies” album.
Words/Music: T. Grose
Wilder than the Wind
A restless breeze blows warm as shadows fall
Streets bathed in twilight, neon searchlights stretch across the walls
Come alive when daylight dies, taste the starlight’s kiss
Running free and you’ll see nothing means as much as this
And so we hear the call
Oh, now we know
We sway the gypsy’s wicked dance once more
We never were the ones to take the fall
Strong inside, contend the pride and we’re walking tall
Out on the streets, close body heat here to keep us warm
Big city heartbeat, feet on concrete like an ever-rising storm
And so we hear the call
Oh, so we go
And walk this unrelenting path once more
Never lose that fire, running wilder than the wind
Always choose to fight, don’t hold back and don’t give in
Cry for freedom, riding high, gone – we’d fade and die
Set our sights beyond the sky
And we’re running wilder than the wind
SOLOS: LT
Liner Notes: Remember back to your first big night on the town with your friends. Everything was new and exciting, you were ten foot tall and bulletproof, and there was nothing that could touch that feeling of freedom you felt as you walked down the neon bathed streets together. Imagine what you could do if you could bottle that moment and live life like a huge youthful night in the city. LT channeled the best of traditional metal on this song, with a great extended harmonised solo section.
Words/Music: T. Grose
Nod to the Old School
There once was a child with a dream
So full of wonder, naivety
Infinite schemes
And go, and grow and know
Who we are inside
And reaching up higher
One look back to see
Just how far we’ve come
A link to the past
A nod to the old school
The feeling that lasts
As the journey goes on
There now is a man full of pride
On through the heartbreak and ecstasy
Stronger; survived
So look back at how far we’ve come
There once was a child with a dream
Now stands a man with a soul full of proud memories
Now look to horizons, of journeys to come
SOLOS: Mark / LT / Mark
Liner Notes: The Dungeon era, from 1989 to 2005, is very important to who LORD is today, and this song is a love-letter to everyone who stuck with the band for so long. It’s packed solid full of Easter Eggs and call-backs to Dungeon songs (some even hidden in plain sight) and features some blistering solos by Mark, and a trademark hook-filled chorus. Having been there from the start, LT knew a thing or two about the Dungeon era, and drew on all of those experiences to create this nostalgic song.
Words/Music: T. Grose
Chaos Raining
You cast your gaze upon my form
Into cold eyes that once were warm
Hardened by sorrow, I still bleed
I will arise from bended knee
The days loom grey, forever seem
My mind engaged in pain unseen
Suffer the past, onward I roam
Through severed ties I walk alone
Say goodbye I’m lost forever
The storm it rages on and on,
I’m stronger
For every day that dies I’ll wonder
The chaos raining down, I’m drowning under
The years estranged, like endless waves
Our time is gone, now swept away
Torn down, rebuilt, in iron gleam
This broken man becomes machine
SOLO: Mark
Liner Notes: Trauma changes a person, especially when it’s a trauma inflicted by other people. This kind of pain can bring a person to their knees until they’re forced to rebuild themselves, saying goodbye to the parts of their old self that died, and now standing as a much stronger and wiser person at the end, unrecognisable to the one who wronged them. This song of Mark’s features a tough, almost industrial groove to underpin the steely message of resolve in the lyrics. Vocally there’s a big contrast between the low and gruff vocals and the uplifting, harmonised chorus, drawing parallels with the theme of the trauma and the new strength.
Words: M. Furtner / Music: M.. Furtner/T. Grose
Counting Down the Hours
3am
The bedside clock is checking hours to the dawn
Another sleepless night
This empty room reminds me that you’re gone
Some say, in some way
We lose ourselves in stranger days
But dreams fade and left to wonder why
But in my memories…
I’m counting down the hours ’til I see your face
In every point and moment here I burn
This ticking clock counts down to when
I fall into your arms again
And then I’m yours
Once more
An open road ahead
Those new horizons call to me once more
For all the wonder sought I know this road can’t lead me to your door
Anymore
Some day, in some way
We’ll find another thread again
So I’ll wait and close my misting eyes
But in my memories…
Can’t turn back time
To find those missing years
And time won’t heal us from this pain
Come take my hand
And dry our sullen tears
And start again
‘Cos in my memories…
SOLO: LT
Liner Notes: They say you’re the hero of your own story but part of the supporting cast of someone else’s. Anyone with a job that leaves them physically or mentally absent for long stretches of time while they “follow new horizons” can leave a hole in the lives of people they’re away from. Sometimes, after returning home from those adventures, you may find that life and the people you’ve pushed to the side have continued their own story and moved on without you. The song “New Horizons” from 2009’s “Set in Stone” album was a story about life away from home, chasing your dreams, but finally looking forward to coming home to the people you love. This song by LT is the spiritual sequel to “New Horizons,” where sometimes those extended times away can mean losing it all.
Words/Music: T. Grose
In Dreams
A slow walk back to now
Notions play like whispers down the wire
A rumour or a vow
Nothing sadder than a masquerade smile
Dream awake in lucid days
Who will you shed your tears for
So gather the changing wind
Of abstract fears and nevermore
Tempt with open arms
Here in the melee, a sonnet or a sigh
Beyond nostalgia’s charm
A sunrise dewdrop’s trembling desire
I never said I’d stay
To tend those golden fields once more
So when there’s nothing left to say
Ride the summer breeze
Through open doors
In dreams – treading familiar roads
In dreams – holding the days we know
In dreams…
SOLO: LT
Liner Notes: What do you get if you combine old-school Dokken, Dio and Iron Maiden with the poetic and enigmatic lyrical style of Duran Duran? “In Dreams” is, at its core, a melodic rock song that could sit quite comfortably in middle of 1986, with lyrics that recall nostalgic dreams. This song was basically an excuse for LT to channel his inner George Lynch and Simon Le Bon, and is an exclusive bonus track on the Australian edition of the album.
Words/Music: T. Grose
The Edge of the World
Learn or burn
The fire of time will cleanse us
The blinding light of justice dies
The cries
Old flesh is burned away
Ever searching for a better way
And so we sailed beyond the sea
A voyage of discovery
To the edge of the world
But now we see
This journey ends for you and me
Here we stand at the edge of the world
Lies, demise
Our childrens’ dead-eyed stares
Lost in our thoughts and prayers
We’ve come too far
Enligtended brave new world
Just another new dystopia
SOLO: LT / Mark
Liner Notes: We’re always eager to push ahead with new ideas and new technologies in an attempt to make our lives better. Sometimes not enough thought is given to the path ahead and what this could mean to the world at large. In many cases, giving a voice and freedoms to a select few has taken away from the freedom of the many. In the push to discover the brave new world, it’s important not to sail off of the edge in the process. This song is reminiscent of LT’s side project, Blackened Angel, which is an aggressive thrash/melodic death style band. LORD has never been a band to shy away from non-core influences such as this, and the writing LT did for this particular song conveyed the aggressive message perfectly. The mantra “the right tools for the job” was never so apt.
Words/Music: T. Grose
Kill or be Killed
The wolfpack’s at your door
The horde is clawing closer tonight
No escape plan anymore
Time to swallow your fear
And it’s time to turn and fight
When you’re running out of time
When the sands are running low in your life
And you’ll learn to do what’s right
Make the change and make the choices
That will show you who you are
And you’re standing here alone now
No safety, no sanctity
It’s time to make your own vows
Take control when you learn that it’s…
Kill or be killed
The sun is drawing low
The dark and cold are waiting for you
If fear is all you know
It’s time to turn and learn
What you truly need to do
When the wolfpack’s at your door
And the horde is clawing closer tonight
No fear any more
Made the change and took the chance
And you learned just who you are
SOLOS: LT
Liner Notes: This song could be called “A Collection of our Favourite Clichés.” Great traditional metal base: check. Chant-along chorus: check. Cool harmony guitars: check. Lots of solos: check. Rob Halford style screams: check. Fun sing–along part: check. It’s all there. This album in general was an exercise in stuff we personally wanted to hear, and this song more than any other epitomises this: we wrote it for us, and hopefully also for anyone else who enjoys this affectionate tip of the hat we’ve given. Although this is one of LT’s songs, it’s proof that good ideas should never be thrown away. The sing-along part is based on an idea of Andy’s that was written around the time of the “Ascendence” album and fit in perfectly with the theme of this song… 12 years later.
Words: T. Grose / Music: T. Grose / A. Dowling
Master of Darkness
A planet burns, the warrior torn
Lost to fear, will be reborn
Spared from death, armour of black
Imprisoned guilt, no turning back
A life spent warring inner demons
Subdue the light with dark side legions
Dreaming visions, breaking silence
Enigmatic lord of violence
You’ll hear my deepened breath
Behold, the star of death
Behind these blackened eyes
I see my empire rise
You made me, you gave me
Infinite anger then cast me away to the night
Rage feeds me
Becoming master of darkness
I welcome the dying of light
A state of grief, he will remain
Finding power in his pain
The dark resides within his fate
A force evolves, made strong by hate
Storms of passion, sleepless days
Echoed voice of ancient ways
Shadowed path that he must follow
A mind grown strong With a heart left hollow
SOLOS: LT / Mark
END LICKS: LT
Liner Notes: Both LT and Mark are huge fans of a popular space fantasy franchise. This song is based around the rise of the young boy from these movies, from a gifted youngster, to troubled adolescent and ultimately to his fall from the light to become one of the most powerful and evil figures in the galaxy. This is one of Mark’s songs with plenty of Easter Eggs included, both lyrically and musically, and even some sneaky sound design for good measure.
Words: M. Furtner / Music: M. Furtner / T. Grose
