Cruachan - 'The Queen' (official lyric video)

Some speak of Kings and high born lords
Some speak of Earls and noble men
But this tale I tell from long ago
Concerns not a one of them

A Warrior Queen, born of the sea
A leader of strength and renown
Throughout Europe there be none like her
They call her a Queen though she wears no crown

Grace is her name and Ireland her home
A land of conquest rebellion and strife
Under the rule of a Tudor Queen
Who placed a bounty upon her life

Elizabeth is she and England is hers
As well as lands taken by force
But Ireland hast been a thorn in her side
Her rule of law she cannot enforce

Grace:
Ma’am I write to you under duress
Two women of power are we
Our conflict of nations I wish to address
And my countries right to be
So I ask for a congress of both our minds
And I appeal to your common sense
I will go to your land and to your great hall
If you agree these talks should commence

Elizabeth:
Get thee away, you low born fool
This traitor of ill repute
She dares to write to beg for my aid
My rule is absolute!
No concession will I ever condone
While she attacks my men on the seas
I have burned her letter, let it be known
No retort from me will she receive

Grace clashed with Spanish and with Turks
Yet the English caused the most pain
Elizabeth warred on countless fronts
Creating a monetary strain

At last, with Grace, a decision was made
To London she would go
She had sent a fair and impassioned plea
Yet no response did the Queen bestow

On a bright July morning Grace readied her fleet
Four score men and their Warrior Queen
Set sail across the pale narrow sea
Towards the unknown and dangers unseen

Arriving at last in the strangest of lands
Through a maze of dark dismal streets
A foul stench pervaded the air
Of human waste and rancid meats

As Grace progressed through the city so vast
The people did stop to gaze and stare
“Who is this woman in garments so fine
That moves with grace and a Gaelic flair”

And so the chamberlain did announce
When Grace came to the home of the Queen
“please, this way, do come with me,
It has been agreed, you shall be seen”

Elizabeth:
Grace I greet you as a friend
Two women of power are we
The title of countess I would convey
If you would swear fealty to me
You did not bow when you approached
And I take no offense I swear
So tomorrow let the people say
We’ve ended this affair

Grace:
Your kindness has been well received
And I wish you no offence
But to me, a title, you cannot convey
For we are equals in every sense
I do however have a request
Amends I would ask of thee
To pardon the crimes you claimed were mine
And let my ancestral lands be

At this point Grace turned to sneeze
A courtier gave to her a silken cloth
The used cloth was cast to the fire
Shocking the Queen and the royal court

The congress had ended and Grace returned home
To the land she loved so well
The Queen had honoured all that was said
So Grace was free from the English hell

Πριν από τριάντα ένα έτη, το μακρινό 1992, δημιουργήθηκαν στην Ιρλανδία οι Minas Tirith. Έναν χρόνο αργότερα μετονομάσθηκαν σε Cruachan και συνεχίζουν ακάθεκτοι μέχρι τις ημέρες μας (με ένα μικρό διάλειμμα από τα μέσα του 1997 έως τον Ιανουάριο του 1999).

Μας συστήνονται κάπως έτσι:

«Cruachan were formed by Keith Fay in 1992, originally called 'Minas Tirith', the name was changed when the direction focused more on Irish history and mythology. The main defining factor for Cruachan is the fusion of Irish folk music with metal, which had never been done before.»

...και έχουν κυκλοφορήσει εννέα (9) "ολοκληρωμένους" δίσκους, δύο (2) demos, τέσσερα (4) singles, μία συλλογή, ένα (1) ep και ένα (1) Boxed set. Προ τριετίας ξεκίνησαν συνεργασία με την δισκογραφική εταιρεία Despotz records με προοπτική να "βγει" το ένατο full length album τους, το οποίο φέρει τον τίτλο "The Living and the Dead" και "βγήκε" προ ημερών...

Δελτίο τύπου: «Ireland’s Cruachan have enjoyed a storied career since they took those tentative first steps back in 1992.

As frontman and sole original member Keith Fay elaborates; ‘When I started writing music as a 13-year-old, I had no idea that I was laying the foundations for what would become a brand-new genre, Folk Metal, or that I was planting the seeds of what would be one of the longest running Irish metal bands in history.

There have been many ups and downs over the last thirty years, band members have come and gone, record deals have come and gone. We've played some of the biggest metal festivals on the planet, travelled to more countries than most Irish bands would ever dream possible. And it has all led to this - our ninth album, 'The Living and the Dead'.»

Band: Cruachan
Country of origin: Ireland
Location: Dublin, Dublin
Formed in: 1993
Genre: Celtic Folk/Black Metal
Lyrical themes: Celtic folklore, Irish history/mythology, Tolkien, Anti-Christianity, Paganism
Years active: 1992-1993 (as Minas Tirith), 1993-1997, 1999-present

Lyric video: "The Queen"
Video credits: W Designer
Album: "The Living and the Dead"
Type: Full length
Release date: March 24th, 2023
Label: Despotz Records
Format: CD, 2 vinyls, Digital

Track listing:
01. The Living
02. The Queen
03. The Hawthorn
04. The Harvest
05. The Festival
06. The Ghost
07. The Crow
08. The Reaper
09. The Children
10. The Changeling
11. The Witch
12. The Dead

Band members:
Keith Fay - Vocals, Guitars, Banjo, Bouzouki, Mandolin, Keyboard, Bodhrán, Songwriting, Lyrics
Joe Farrell - Bass
Tom Woodlock - Drums, Percussion, Hand clapping
David Quinn - Guitars
Audrey Trainor - Violin, Viola, Cello

Guest/Session:
Kim Dylla - Vocals (backing)
Vreth - Vocals (lead) (track 6)
Jon Campling - Vocals (backing) (tracks 7, 10)
Geoffroy Dell'Aria - Bagpipes, Tin whistle, Low whistle
Camillus Hiney - Accordion (track 5)
Stu ‘La Rage’ Dixon - Guitar solo (track 11)
John Fay - Tin whistle (track 9)
Sinead Richards - Euphonium (track 8)
Nella - Vocals (lead) (track 10)

Miscellaneous staff:
Michael Richards - Recording, Producer, Mixing
Vagelis Petikas - Cover art