Cruachan - 'The Ghost' (official lyric video)

Where Am I, what has happened to me?
I remember the sun, the grass, a tree
...and the sisters, the hateful sisters
always angry, always beating me

And the laundry, the iron press
Working hard till late at night
No time for me to be a child
No colour, no joy, no light, no hope

Now I find myself alone
I see shadows of my friends
They are weeping, they are afraid
I call out but make no sound

Again the sun and that lonely tree
A lifeless child hangs low, that child is me
A victim of the church and the ‘love’ they bestow
On the shortest branch I see a crow.

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 διμήνου.

Παρακολουθούμε το lyric video του τραγουδιού "The Ghost", για το οποίο η μπάντα μας λέει σχετικά:

«The Ghost is lyrically a very simple song but packs a huge and moving message. The ghost in the song is a child that died at the hands of the nuns in some dark mother and baby home in Ireland.

You can see the confusion and anger, why did the child die? Why did so many die at the hands of these monsters for so long? The story continues in our other song The Crow which has an official music video release so check that out!

We were delighted to have Vreth from Finntroll as a feature vocalist on this song, combined with Keith's vocals there is a lot of vocal variation here. The song itself is one of our more extreme songs on The Living and the Dead, lots of death metal and heavy thrash metal throughout, it's a real mashup of genres and styles all under the umbrella of Cruachan's classic style of Folk Metal.»

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'.’

With the deal signed, talk obviously turned to new music. ‘The new album only existed in my head but he still pushed me to get a single out. We recorded The Hawthorn and the reaction was immense.’ Buoyed by the amazing reaction to the single, Fay recruited new members for Cruachan in ‘record time’.

‘Joe Farrell had already re-joined Cruachan on bass at the start of 2020, apart from being one of my oldest friends, he was also my rock during this time. Tom (Woodlock), one of the best metal drummers in Ireland, joined us early in 2020.

I've known Dave Quinn for many years so was a relief that I didn't need to audition for guitarists, he came in and was a natural fit for the band. I did advertise for a folk instrumentalist and had a few interesting applications.

Audrey sent me a mail with some links to her playing. My jaw literally dropped and I recruited her right away. She has been playing violin since the age of 4, the quality she brings to every aspect of Cruachan is beyond compare, from our folky stuff to our classical stuff, it has all just moved to a level I never thought possible.’»

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 Ghost"
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