Thread: Shepherd: The Value of Suffering

Ok so here is a new song by my project Shepherd (Eldermalice on vocals and Sheol doing drum arrangements and all that recording stuff). It's called "The Value of Suffering". Some adjustments are going to be made to the vocals (lower them a bit and clean up a couple parts) but other than that its all there. Please let me know what you think!


lyrics:

Cries rain in the heart
Vital to the part

The pain represents
cathartic liberty from death
it sees baneful scenes
misery sorrow bellowing
for me I accept
victory with my loyalty
in time I will gain
sanctity through suffering

Fight for life
Failure comes easily
Embrace the pain
Theres value in suffering
Trial by fire
Cleansed on the other side
Victory
Not without agony.

You can't have the dark without the light
You can't have the day without the night
You can't have wrong without the right
You can't win a war without a fight

Rise abbove the anguish
Endure pursue until the end

The journey matters
And what comes after
Within disaster
Lies the answer

Fight for life
Failure comes easily
Embrace the pain
Theres value in suffering
Trial by fire
Cleansed on the other side
Victory
Not without agony.

Rise abbove the anguish
Endure pursue until the end

It's pretty cool, really. Reminds me of late Death - heavy metal with growling. Some direct likeness to Chuck's band is also evident.

If there was one thing I was waiting for while listening and didn't get, it's a faster part which might add more variety to the tune which I liked a lot nonetheless.

Originally Posted by Marsallah

If there was one thing I was waiting for while listening and didn't get, it's a faster part which might add more variety to the tune which I liked a lot nonetheless.

I agree with this.

Nice work Blaise. I really enjoy and respect how much time you spend with each song. You can really hear the effort put in. If you ever release albums I can see a 4 year gap between them and would hope for that gap only to see what you come up with. Quite often it sounds as though bands wrote 2-3 songs then just rehashed parts of those songs for the rest of the album. Additionally, I surprisingly like how much your Catholic lifestyle and beliefs influence your music. It has created something fresh. It isn't so much evil sounding as it is powerful and dark. Like an archangel, someone who does what must be done in a benevolent way. Keep it up.

One question, do you write the lyrics too Blaise?

Cool song.

Love the music--very nice riffs, not too keen on the vocals, at least, for the that style.

Originally Posted by Marsallah

It's pretty cool, really. Reminds me of late Death - heavy metal with growling. Some direct likeness to Chuck's band is also evident.

If there was one thing I was waiting for while listening and didn't get, it's a faster part which might add more variety to the tune which I liked a lot nonetheless.

Thanks for your comments Mars I really appreciate the feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed it. I can see the Death comparison, others have said that in the past . With this tune I tried to keep the formula a little more simple than some of my other songs so a faster section didn't really seem to come about. However, I can see your point and I appreciate it.

If im being completely honest i didnt care for it too much. I do agree the vocals need to be turned down a bit. Its not that it wasnt performed well its just that it didnt add anything new and really felt kind of bland to me. I know Blaise had some riffs he was working on in another thread which i felt had a lot more spark to them than what im hearing here. This song just seems very ho-hum to me. IMO

Originally Posted by Erik

Nice work Blaise. I really enjoy and respect how much time you spend with each song. You can really hear the effort put in. If you ever release albums I can see a 4 year gap between them and would hope for that gap only to see what you come up with. Quite often it sounds as though bands wrote 2-3 songs then just rehashed parts of those songs for the rest of the album. Additionally, I surprisingly like how much your Catholic lifestyle and beliefs influence your music. It has created something fresh. It isn't so much evil sounding as it is powerful and dark. Like an archangel, someone who does what must be done in a benevolent way. Keep it up.

One question, do you write the lyrics too Blaise?

Thanks so much Erik. Yeah I'm not the kind of person who can or has the talent to write a song in a half hour. I mull over almost every note. Its interesting and cool that you can hear that.
I do write all the lyrics and yeah my catholic/christian worldview comes out when I write. I'm not a depression guy but I understand there is darkness in the world and sometimes write about what happens when "light" meets the "dark".
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Originally Posted by Amok

Love the music--very nice riffs, not too keen on the vocals, at least, for the that style.

Thanks Joel!
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Originally Posted by N00bs

If im being completely honest i didnt care for it too much. I do agree the vocals need to be turned down a bit. Its not that it wasnt performed well its just that it didnt add anything new and really felt kind of bland to me. I know Blaise had some riffs he was working on in another thread which i felt had a lot more spark to them than what im hearing here. This song just seems very ho-hum to me. IMO

I appreciate your honesty! I have listened to this song a ton and there are times I feel like its complete crap and other times when I really dig. As a songwriter you tend to be your own worst critic and it goes back forth, finally you just let it loose, enjoy it, and hope someone else does too. Eldermalice and Sheol both think its the best song I have written yet but I think my other songs like "Silver Tomb" are more interesting. Whenever you play metal at mid to slow pace (in this case 130 bpm) its risky buisness and hard to keep things fresh, especially for someone like me who isn't the greatest guitar player (technically speaking).

Originally Posted by Blaise

I appreciate your honesty! I have listened to this song a ton and there are times I feel like its complete crap and other times when I really dig. As a songwriter you tend to be your own worst critic and it goes back forth, finally you just let it loose, enjoy it, and hope someone else does too. Eldermalice and Sheol both think its the best song I have written yet but I think my other songs like "Silver Tomb" are more interesting. Whenever you play metal at mid to slow pace (in this case 130 bpm) its risky buisness and hard to keep things fresh, especially for someone like me who isn't the greatest guitar player (technically speaking).

I think your a fine guitar player so i wouldnt sell yourself short there. I just think your sort of at your best when using a more thrash approach. I really didnt even hear the "death" comparisons that Mars did. Im not sure how far this particular project will go with you but im hoping you dont abandon the other stuff you were doing as i felt those had far more potential and sounded far more interesting.

Originally Posted by N00bs

I think your a fine guitar player so i wouldnt sell yourself short there. I just think your sort of at your best when using a more thrash approach. I really didnt even hear the "death" comparisons that Mars did. Im not sure how far this particular project will go with you but im hoping you dont abandon the other stuff you were doing as i felt those had far more potential and sounded far more interesting.

Well thanks . My goal is just to write about 8-10 songs put it on a cd keep it for myself and send it out to my friends and anyone else who wants it. I like dynamic albums with some variety so I made an effort to try to write something different while not straying away from my sound.

Originally Posted by Blaise

Well thanks . My goal is just to write about 8-10 songs put it on a cd keep it for myself and send it out to my friends and anyone else who wants it. I like dynamic albums with some variety so I made an effort to try to write something different while not straying away from my sound.

I would definitely would want a copy of it whenever you finish it.

I dig it Blaise, great work, however I agree with the sentiment regarding the vocals.

By the way, is there any significance to the picture of Sisyphus which accompanies the song?

At the office I can't hear it, will do at home. I still have the tape you once sent, it still gets regular spins. If these efforts have something in common with the tape I'll sure like it!

Originally Posted by Sigurd

By the way, is there any significance to the picture of Sisyphus which accompanies the song?

I just wanted a picture that represented determination or hope during a difficult/suffering moment, task, or circumstance. But the actual story of Sisyphus kinda goes against the message of song lol. Sisyphus pains himself to carry the rock up the hill but it will always roll down. Hence the stuggle really is a waste of time. I think the lyrics can be interpreted alot of different ways but for me the idea was sometimes pain and suffering need to take place to achieve or get to higher places spiritually, physically, mentally, etc.
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Originally Posted by herrieman

At the office I can't hear it, will do at home. I still have the tape you once sent, it still gets regular spins. If these efforts have something in common with the tape I'll sure like it!

Haha thats awesome Herrie! I don't know if my songs have better ideas now but its just constructed a little better, my playing has improved a little, and these have drums that actually follow the music. If you haven't already this is another one of my newer songs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgixXFfHGyw I still hope to one day finish the songs on that tape properly.

Originally Posted by thrash guy

this is the 3rd song of yours I've listened to, I think they are the same singer but I do notice vocal differences in each song, maybe its how they were recorded who knows.

Some of the levels may be different and on Plastic we used a different mic (SM57). This song along with Silver Tomb seems to be most people's favorite of the people I have shown.