Halloween. A good time to be studying the ‘Book of Dead’ methinks.
Apparently I’ve reviewed Lights of Skadi before but it was via another organ, back in 2019, their debut single ‘Time’ which was a timely little matter of 25 minutes and 43 seconds long.
After the single they released their instrumental debut album ‘Shimmer’, but unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic ruined the band’s planned tour and festival performances, which eventually contributed to Martin Ragnarsson deciding to put the band on hiatus.
Jorgen André decided to push the project further on his own, both as a musician, composer and producer.
Now the Lights are back on again…
Their background and influences lie in ‘prog metal’, a concoction made in Heaven under the right circumstances I reckon and those influences include the likes of Haken, Meshuggah and Opeth from the metal side of the equation and Pink Floyd and King Crimson from the prog side.
This new single ‘Book of Dead (Orchestral Version)’ is taken from the forthcoming EP ‘A Cinematic Experience’ with orchestral versions (inspired by composers such as Hans Zimmer and Ashton Gleckman) of the songs on the full-length – ‘A Cinematic Experience’ – to be released next year.
The name ‘Lights of Skadi’ references Norse mythology. Skadi, the Nordic giant goddess for winter, hunting and skiing. She rules mountains, wild lands, winter, revenge, knowledge, harm, justice and independence. A genuine polymath, or what? And she makes lovely jam scones for tea.
Passionate in her pursuits, especially in the pursuit of justice, Skadi is also determined to live as she pleases and not be told what to do by the gods of Asgard.
Skadi is the personification of strength, courage and perseverance – words that also represent the qualities of Lights of Skadi.
Hm. My kind of woman. Camille Paglia with muscles.
‘Book of Dead (Orchestral Version)’ isn’t quite what I was anticipating. Ominous chords introduce what must count amongst the most cinematic productions ever written.
Imagine the Second Coming. Jesus returns but is immediately set upon and killed by a gang of boyz from the ‘hood while he’s curing a blind man. He resurrects, creates a community social programme for them, and goes on to get the entire world’s leaders around a table to sign a declaration of peace for ever more. Briefly stopping off to find a cure for cancer, he feeds the world’s poor with five loaves and two fishes and then turns all of the world’s water into wine, leaving plenty of sustenance to spare for the next century.
Ending every war and conflict on the planet he’s about to return to heaven when evil aliens arrive from a distant galaxy. Unable to convert them to the ways of the Lamb, he smites them all asunder then boards his Ark of the Covenant, picks up ET and Richard Dreyfuss and waves a cheery goodbye.
It’s the Greatest Story Never Told and this is the music to that final battle.
‘Nuff said.
Lights of Skadi today are the multi-instrumentalists Jorgen André, Jesper Jansson and Martin Ragnarsson.
Find them on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LightsOfSkadi/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightsofskadi/
