The Dark Night of the Soul, by Bleak Sanctuary

The Dark Night of the Soul

by Bleak Sanctuary

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1.	Atonement 02:00	info	buy track
2.	Cold Winds 04:32	lyrics	buy track
Cold winds A leaf withers away Blown about by every wind of change It turns brown to decay A man must come to terms with his fate I ran with the wind An autonomous force Directionless I lost myself In the valleys of chaos Plagued by darkness Nothing pure and good To latch on to My descent led me through the maze To the dark of my soul Behold the cold world And the loneliness of life A part of me is dying Weak and lost I laid down on forest grounds Dwarfed by trees Now I travel upstream Against the tide of entropy I choose my destiny With the test of time We are less like a leaf And more like a tree Swayed by cold winds Scarred and weathered Sturdy trunks Rooted to survive
3.	Fortress 03:18	lyrics	buy track
In times of despair He finds strength within Fighter Mentality A tower on the mountain He sees beyond the gloom He is a fortress Strong Undisturbed Influenced by none A will to carry on In the face of death He doesn’t bend the knee Martyr Casualty Protector of the tribe He stands for peace and Earth They destroyed His way of life Pagan heart He is a fortress Strong Undisturbed Influenced by none His story carries on
4.	Avalanche 03:12	lyrics	buy track
Ancient peaks of colossal structure Slumber in winter haze Stagnant years have accumulated Weighing me down But the toil of my ascension Moves me to higher ground As I reach the summit Of a fragile life Footprints I left behind Disappear with time How can I cry for help Without triggering an avalanche Thunderous roar Echoes in winter park Tumbling rock and ice Leaves nothing but ruins behind
5.	Ruins 01:52	info	buy track
6.	Triumph 04:44	info	buy track
7.	Fernweh 04:59	lyrics	buy track
I ride in the night In pursuit of a new life There is no hope in sight So I leave it all behind I yearn for freedom to roam Beyond the world I know And as the rivers flow I wish to become unknown Time is galloping How will I remember these years To ease the pain I’m traveling With the weight of 25 years I yearn for freedom to roam Beyond the world I know In building a new home I will restore my dying soul I ride in the night In pursuit of a new life There is no hope in sight Here linger memories Like ghosts they keep on haunting me Forsaken by those with envy A better life lies across the sea Away from the man I used to be
8.	Dunkelheit 07:59	lyrics	buy track
Suffocating sorrow Rooted in a broken past The man carries a burden And pain under the mask Seeking oblivion in a well of misery Inflaming wounds eternally He accelerates towards death Overshadowed by the ghost of his past On the edge of sanity Contemplating life itself Driven mad with hopeless yearning Perplexed in a world I detest Bleak yet beautiful Oh his sins have become wounds Can he heal without the help Of another or is he alone Disappear into obscurity Slowly losing my humanity I have been my own worst enemy Inflame my internal injury Under cold moonlight Passing ruins and graves Death glows like the only light Outside a blackened cave I long to know those ancient lives Those who suffered the same In the endless struggle to survive Tombstones remember their names Oh geliebte Dunkelheit Wie kühl du die Sterne umarmst So leuchte mir die Wahrheit Und erwürge meine Angst

about

"Now I travel upstream
Against the tide of entropy
I choose my destiny"

With this statement from the debut album The Dark Night of the Soul, multi-instrumentalist and founder Dacian the Wanderer screams out to the world from his restless inner world, channeling personal struggles and revelations into his music. The Dark Night of the Soul paints a desolate, solitary wintry world, where ancient fortresses stand as symbols of resilience, while crumbling ruins echo the death of past selves. Dacian takes you along on an introspective journey through this rugged landscape as he narrates his own personal battles, inviting listeners to confront their inner demons and emerge stronger on the other side.

Stylistically, Bleak Sanctuary defies categorization, dwelling in the realms of black metal, gothic metal, and melodic death metal, while forging an unconventional path with grooves and percussive rhythms that challenge genre norms. Amidst the sound of distorted guitars and drums, a mesmerizing esoteric ensemble of instruments introduces an otherworldly spell that paints a dark, mystical landscape. Dacian's visceral screams and guttural growls, steeped in raw emotion, become a conduit for pain, forging an ethereal connection that allows the listener to feel his struggle.

Born in Brazil, raised in the United States, and now finding creative refuge in Germany, Dacian’s music transcends continents. While conceived and partially produced in his hometown outside New York City, the completion of the album and the first live performances took place in southern Germany. As the album unfolds, a glimpse into Dacian's transformative journey becomes apparent - a journey from vulnerability to strength, from weakness to newfound resilience. The yearning for travel, for renewal, is palpable, echoing the transformative process of self-discovery in a distant land. The Dark Night of the Soul today stands as a testament to Dacian's adventurous spirit, a living auditory travel diary that encapsulates the essence of his profound wanderlust.

In 2022, within the picturesque city of Passau, Germany, Dacian's musical odyssey took an unexpected turn when he joined forces with Leo the Restless, Vigný the Protector and Velrin the Hermit. In the subsequent year, 2023, Dacian propelled the project forward with the release of two singles, marking the band’s live debut with concerts held in various cities across Bavaria and Upper Austria.

credits

released February 23, 2024

All music and lyrics by Dacian The Wanderer
Drums and Guitars engineered by Chris Iorio at Purchase College
Mixed by Jonathan Jetter for Right Angle Recordings
Mastered by Tony Lindgren for Fascination Street Studios

Special Thanks:
Chris Iorio for engineering the recording of drums for the entire album and guitars for the following songs: "Cold Winds," "Fortress" and "Avalanche."
Tim Wood and Alan Ramirez for chanting with me on "Atonement."
Edoardo Traio and Stella Beroš for recording their voices on "Dunkelheit," and Stella for writing the stanza in German.
Jonathan Jetter for mixing the 6 full-length tracks.
Christophe Szpajdel for designing the logo for Bleak Sanctuary.
Tony Lindgren for mastering the album.
My bandmates, Leo the Restless, Vîgny the Protector and Velrin the Hermit for helping bring these songs onto the stage.