Cruachan - 'The Children' (official lyric video)

Have you seen the children, the children, the children
Have you seen the children as they play at children’s games
They laugh and sing together, together, together
They laugh and sing together yet they be all in chains

They do not have their mothers, their mothers, their mothers
They do not have their mothers just the sisters that they dread
The sisters have a secret, a secret, a secret
The sisters have a secret for to the devil they are wed

The children wash the bedsheets, the bedsheets, the bedsheets
The children wash the bedsheets in the laundry cold and dark
They work and play together, together, together
They work and play together, though life be grim and stark

The sisters kill the children, the children, the children,
The sisters kill the children in the middle of the night
The children sing together, together, together
The children sing together as they fade away from sight

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 τετραμήνου.

Παρακολουθούμε το lyric video του τραγουδιού "The Children", για το οποίο ο Keith Fay μας λέει σχετικά:

«The Children is a hard hitting song. Lyrically I wrote this as a childrens nursery rhyme, it's jolly and happy... just as children should be, but the song takes a very dark turn towards the end. This song is another tribute to those poor souls who died at the hands of the Catholic church in Ireland, in the many Magdalen Laundries and Mother and Baby homes.

There was so much suffering inflicted on these women and children by a cult that claims to love them and care for them. I can't undo what has been done to these children, but I can write about them and ensure other people hear their story and be made aware of their suffering. 'The Children' - for those who died!»

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 Children"
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