1. |
Dear Brother Dominick
02:44
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"Dear Brother Dominick,
I hope my letter finds you well. It’s been a long time since our last communication. Too long, as always...
My friend, I fear I have made a terrible mistake! By the time you read this letter I will be dead. Even as I write, my life is forfeit.
These documents I am sending you I’ve obtained at great peril to myself. Perhaps to all of us. But beyond a shadow of a doubt I do believe they are worth it.
They are fragments of Dr. Valdi’s notes taken during her research on the Village of Madmen. They predate the completed manuscript by years, perhaps decades! You understand the significance of this fact.
I’ve had very little time to study them, but even so I’ve learned so much! This Colombina character is of particular interest. You’ll see why, I’m sure.
There is something that keeps bothering me, though... Something missing. It’s as if Dr. Valdi left something out on purpose. As if the thread connecting it all has been left out. Or perhaps removed after the fact?
I have failed my mission, Brother Dominick. And by my failure my mission has become yours. I beg of you: do not be blinded by thirst for revenge! You know what’s at stake. Study the manuscripts! They might be our only hope.
Yours sincerely,
Sister Josephine”
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2. |
Black Flowers
03:59
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Choir Of The Mad:
Do not defy us
Accept the fire
Burn to your freedom
Harlequin:
Oh, I hear them screaming!
Choir Of The Mad:
You have to listen
There is a reason
You will see
Harlequin:
Oh, let me be!
Colombina:
You never really chose to know
What lives inside your very soul
What kind of fire burns in there
You never ever really cared
Did you see the angels fall?
Did you even care to look at all?
When voices started asking why
What was on your mind?
Harlequin:
Black flowers withering to dust
The blackest tears hold back I must
Black feathers falling from the sky
As angels die
Inside my soul – the cruelest theft –
There’s nothing, nothing since you left
A void, a world destroyed
And voices ever louder
Choir Of The Mad:
Do not defy us
Accept the fire
It brings salvation
Harlequin:
Oh, go away!
Choir Of The Mad:
Your pain – we know it
The cure we’ll show you
Burn!
Harlequin:
Shut up, shut up!
Harlequin:
I never really had a choice
I’ve seen the writings, heard the voice
It's written on the other side
Colombina:
Give in, don't fight, let time decide
Feel the heat of fire
Burning deep inside
Let go, don’t fight
Just walk towards the light
Can’t run, can’t hide
Too scared to scream
The bridge is burning behind you
Nothing is as is seems
It’s the agony
Every step of the path
It’s the certainty
There’ll be no going back
Let the light of the fire
Be your only guide
Give in, burn bright
And let time decide
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3. |
So Sane
04:10
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HARLEQUIN:
I told you not to enter this godforsaken place
So many souls were lost inside without a trace
Why in the world, my dear, did you disobey?
What were you thinking, love, out you should have stayed…
COLOMBINA:
But darling can't you hear the singing of the birds
A sound so beautiful…
HARLEQUIN:
The screams of tortured souls these are!
COLOMBINA:
But darling can't you see the roses scarlet red
An otherworldly sight…
HARLEQUIN:
This is the blood of all the dead!
It feels so sane
COLOMBINA:
But what is this? A path?
Into the clouds it goes
I wonder does it reach the city of the gods?
I'll go and find out,
Swiftly I'll return
What's on the other side I have to learn
HARLEQUIN:
This is an ancient path
It leads to a place of old
The Village of the Mad
Among other things it's called
None who have walked it
Were ever to return
It seems the time has come
For me of their fate to learn
HARLEQUIN:
Yet it feels like returning home
This arrival in the madmen's land
Where sanity feels too cold
And the madness…
It feels so sane
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4. |
Wise Men & Lunatics
03:21
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The Traveler:
Lost in a dream for too long
It would seem
I forgot how it felt to awaken
Colombina:
Still there is time
You can run, you can hide
There are so many paths you can take
The Traveler:
Oh, such a lonely place
This world – what a foe to face
Colombina:
Wait – it is not too late –
Spare yourself our fate
The Traveler:
Wise men and lunatics
Angels with broken wings
Running in circles
Pretending to soar
Prophets and infidels
Was I too blind to tell
Wisdom from fantasy
Madmen from gods?
Choir of the mad:
TRAVELER,
LUNATIC,
SAVIOR,
SEEKER
YOUR SEARCH,
YOUR QUEST
IT IS NOW COMPLETE!
CLAIM YOUR REWARD –
CLAIM YOUR MADNESS
AND FREEDOM!
WELCOME! WELCOME!
ONE OF US!
The Traveler:
Travelling, seeking
The whole world I’ve seen,
Yet was blind for the one thing
That matters
Colombina:
Saving the world
You were lost, you were hurt
Could a blind man have done
Any better?
The Traveler:
Oh, was the sky so blue
Back then when I searched
for truth?
Both:
Oh, was the grass so green?
How could a blind man have seen?
The Traveler:
Wise men and lunatics
Angels with broken wings
How could I know
It was madness I sought?
Prophets and infidels
Was I too blind to tell
Wisdom from fantasy
Madmen from gods?
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5. |
Calling Melchizedek
06:29
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Voices:
ies iræ! Dies illa
Solvet sæclum in favilla
Harlequin:
The war's about to end
Without a winner
There couldn't have been one
This was known from the beginning
Somebody stands to gain
From all this confusion
The war's about to end
Not so the illusion
Colombina:
Dies iræ! Dies illa
Solvet sæclum in favilla
Calling Melchizedek
Is anybody home?
The time has surely come
What's taking you so long?
I gotta speak with someone
Anyone will do
Nothing's the way you promised
You have to put me through
Harlequin:
The war's about to end
Without a winner
There couldn't have been one
This was known from the beginning
Somebody always stands to gain
This is no exception
The war's about to end
Not so the deception
Colombina:
Calling Melchizedek
Nobody home again?
You promised things will change
So why is everything the same?
A world of the chosen few
Where billions just don't belong
Calling Melchizedek
Something is very wrong
Harlequin:
The war's about to end
Without a winner
There couldn't have been one
This was known from the beginning
Somebody stands to gain
From our living in denial
The war has never ended
Even for a while
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Pagliacci Bulgaria
Pagliacci is a Metal Opera project by Zhivko Koev (Vivaldi Metal Project, Allegorist). It features guest musicians from all over the world like Snowy Shaw (Therion) and Mistheria (Bruce Dickinson).
www.facebook.com/pagliacciproject/
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