Track list:
1 - Intro
2 - Winter Whispers
3 - Serpents on Stones of Death
4 - Holy Warder
5 - Descending to Oblivion
6 - A Mourning Rainfall
7 - Sanctuary
8 - Volkish
9 - Autumn Mist
The themes evoked by the songs on this album are very varied; however, the central theme is about the eternal wheel of death and renewal, or rebirth. That is, Samsara. A cosmic cycle of birth, life, death, and rebirth experienced by all beings in Indian religions, a process driven by karma (actions) and ignorance, seen as a wheel of suffering from which the spiritual goal is to achieve liberation. Thus, the yearning for sanctuary has been transformed into a projection upon the actual world.
In Norse mythology, warriors in Valhalla do not "rebirth" to return to the human world to continue fighting. Instead, they are chosen by Odin and the Valkyries to dwell in Valhalla, where they are resurrected daily to fight and train among themselves in preparation for the final cosmic battle of Ragnarök. This endless cycle of fighting, dying, and being reborn within Valhalla is a specific training regimen designed to ensure they are at the peak of their strength and skill when the final battle at Ragnarök begins.
So, it is important to gain wisdom and maintain sense of continuity and coherence of self experience attained during the lifetime.
Wisdom (To Think – To Remember – To Be Fully Conscious) is concerned specifically with Mystery and the knowledge of what lies behind appearances, accepted categorizations and analytical dissections of the world. It consists of ‘Huga’ (to think), ‘Muna’ (to remember) and ‘Vita’ (to be fully conscious) in Icelandic. In fact, as the myths tells us Odin had two special ravens, Hugin and Munin, whose names mean thought and memory respectively, two distinct non-material psychological components that human beings possesses.
Ancient believed that each individual had two souls, which separated at the death unless steps were taken to prevent this division. In fact, many cultures held that one soul go into reincarnate while the other would become in a dreamlike netherworld.
The illusion of a single vision of the two halves as a single self or unit produces a limited view of the inner and outer reality, but when they are integrated, it enhances human consciousness and self awareness in the individual being more responsive to one's surroundings and powering perception.
This kind of “reunion” or alchemy of the different souls after death, could be considered as a transmutation to an angelical immortal being.
If we dishonor our ancestors and their millenary legacy and wisdom they left us, a process driven by karma (actions) and ignorance, seen as a wheel of suffering will chain our very essence, pushing us to repeat over and over the same mistakes that feed a ruthless carousel run by those who have imposed the new religions and whose aim is to indoctrinate and induce amnesia and condemn us to death.
In essence, this album fuses Nordic mythology with philosophy and psychology, inviting reflection on the importance of wisdom and awareness in the process of personal growth and the search for immortality. "Descending to Oblivion" is an album that is not only a collection of songs, but an experience that invites you to explore the depth of the human condition and the search for transcendence.
