John Berry comments on each song on the album Drama Of The Ages (2005):
Hello, this is John Berry. I had the privelege
of writing a lot of the lyrics on this cd. Of course all of the guys had
a hand in it too but they let me give them the theme and melodies since
at the time we didn't have a lead vocalist.
********************************
Drama
Of The Ages - This was the first song we wrote for the cd. We started
it just as the last gigs promoting Theater Of War were winding down. James
had a cool bass riff. The one you hear between verses and choruses. He
asked me what I thought of it and I said it was very inspiring to me and
we started to work on some riffs to go along with it. We played it for
the other band members and tried to start motivating them to think about
writing the next cd immediatly rather than waiting till the last minute.
Anyhow they soon left the band and Jon Gary liked the riffs very much
and we soon had a basic structure of the song. The lyrics reflect a question
of how the United States fits into biblical prophecy. Or if it does.
Keeper
Of The Crown - This was inspired by a documentary my wife and I
watched one night about the tower of London and its history. I started
to write a song about that but it was getting very long and soon I realised
it needed to boil down a bit. So I injected a little fantasy into it and
came up with a medival story about a wicked king who abused his authority,
not realising that it was a privelege to lead a nation and that he was
actually a servant of God in his capacity as king. Anyway the subjects
of the kingdom pray that God would intervene. He does, and the lords and
nobles of the kingdom take the king for a fishing trip with him as a bait.
Spinning
Leaf - Chaz wrote this song. I don't know what inspired him, but
when he played if for us at rehearsal one night, I was convinced that
it should go on the cd. He wrote the music and lyrics, in fact I only
played synth and lead guitar on the song.
Stand
Or Fall - Jon Noble had this riff for a while, I think it was the
third song we wrote for the cd. It is primarily his riffs and arrangements,
we may have flattened out his grooves a little but it's his creation.
Lyrically he let me have this one. It changed themes a few times but was
in the end heavily influenced by the events of 9-11. And how we felt about
the international reactions to it.
Tempest
- Again Jon Noble riffing away. He had a few lyrics and a general
topic and we helped him flesh it out from there. It's a song about hard
times and wondering why God seems to let things happens to us that we
really feel like we could have done just fine without.
Third
Way - It's a song about socialism and how politicians try to put
a new face and name on it and convince americans that it beats our current
system. We will have to agree to disagree.
Forever
Winter - Words were written mostly at work one day watching the
wet winter of -02 outside the window at work. Another C.S. Lewis inspiration
to some degree. The music started as the instrumental offering for the
cd but eventually merged with the song Forever Winter. I think it has
a rather epic feel and kindsweeps away your imagination with the first
half.
Drowning
Man - A song I wrote bout a time when a family member was breaking
his addiction to cocain and alcohol while he was living in my house. It
also has a little to do with my experiences with smoking and drinking.
Deceiver
Of The Nations - I think it is primarily Jon's riffs and my lyrics
inspired by Edgar Allan Poe and the bibles account of Lucifers past and
future.
Cutting
Words - A song we all had some riffs in. Alot of fun to write the
music, but a little painful to write the lyrics. They deal with relationships
and how we wound one another with careless words. We can forgive and heal
if we try. But we need to remain vigilant about watching what we say.
Victory
- I had most of this song mapped out but the guys helped me streamline
it a lot. It's a synopsys of our goals and vision as a band. And about
unity perseverance.
At
The Gates - Much the same as Victory but in a more poetic sense.
The intro with the combat sounds is meant to convey that life is a war.
Wether you chose to fight or not you are a part of it. You can get run
over by it, you can be a mercenary and seek your own reward, or you can
be valiant and victorious.
********************************
This is the perfect heavy metal album
in my opinion. It's about swords and God and destiny. I think some people
don't appreciate those kind of things and therefor they just don't get
it. In the long run I think it will go down in history as not just the
best Jacobs Dream album but also as a seminole work like"Operation
Mindcrime". One that will define a band and a genre. That may sound
a little conceited but time will be my judge.
Thanks for taking the time to read
this.
Your headbanging Don Quixote, JB.
Stay True!
Related links:
www.jacobsdreamusa.com
|